New iPad Pro again rumored to ditch Lightning for USB-C
Rumors out of Asia this week again suggest Apple intends to swap out its proprietary Lightning connector for the faster, more robust USB-C protocol when it ships an expected iPad Pro revamp this fall.
Reporting from the Global Sources Mobile Electronics trade show in Hong Kong, Japanese language blog Mac Otakara on Thursday said each accessory maker it spoke with expects Apple to introduce a redesigned iPad Pro with USB-C connector this fall.
Today's rumblings line up with recent rumors and analyst reports regarding a switch to USB-C. In September, noted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo issued a note predicting Apple would replace Lightning to facilitate faster data transmission and charging speeds.
More recently, code in Apple's iOS 12.1 beta suggests the new iPad Pro will support 4K external displays, a feature that would likely require USB-C. Output at such a high resolution is not supported by any existing iOS device or accessory, including Apple's Lightning-to-HDMI adapter.
If true, the change marks the first major shift in iPad connectivity since Apple replaced its 30-pin connector with Lightning on the fourth-generation iPad in 2012.
In addition to whispers of USB-C compatibility, one vendor showed Mac Otakara a diagram depicting the dimensions of a supposed next-generation iPad Pro. Sizing was largely similar in scale to supplier information the publication shared in July.
Finally, the report claims Apple will concentrate on iPad Pro's creative capabilities when it unveils the new hardware. The company could also take its Apple Business Manager out of beta at the same event, the publication said.
Apple is widely expected to release new iPad Pro hardware at a special event on Oct. 30. The next-generation tablets are anticipated to ditch the Touch ID home button in favor of Face ID, granting space for a full-face display.
AppleInsider will be at the fall "There's more in the making" event, where we expect new iPad Pros, and maybe even new Macs! Keep up with our coverage by downloading the AppleInsider app for iOS, and follow us on YouTube, Twitter @appleinsider and Facebook for live, late-breaking coverage. You can also check out our official Instagram account for exclusive photos.
Reporting from the Global Sources Mobile Electronics trade show in Hong Kong, Japanese language blog Mac Otakara on Thursday said each accessory maker it spoke with expects Apple to introduce a redesigned iPad Pro with USB-C connector this fall.
Today's rumblings line up with recent rumors and analyst reports regarding a switch to USB-C. In September, noted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo issued a note predicting Apple would replace Lightning to facilitate faster data transmission and charging speeds.
More recently, code in Apple's iOS 12.1 beta suggests the new iPad Pro will support 4K external displays, a feature that would likely require USB-C. Output at such a high resolution is not supported by any existing iOS device or accessory, including Apple's Lightning-to-HDMI adapter.
If true, the change marks the first major shift in iPad connectivity since Apple replaced its 30-pin connector with Lightning on the fourth-generation iPad in 2012.
In addition to whispers of USB-C compatibility, one vendor showed Mac Otakara a diagram depicting the dimensions of a supposed next-generation iPad Pro. Sizing was largely similar in scale to supplier information the publication shared in July.
Finally, the report claims Apple will concentrate on iPad Pro's creative capabilities when it unveils the new hardware. The company could also take its Apple Business Manager out of beta at the same event, the publication said.
Apple is widely expected to release new iPad Pro hardware at a special event on Oct. 30. The next-generation tablets are anticipated to ditch the Touch ID home button in favor of Face ID, granting space for a full-face display.
AppleInsider will be at the fall "There's more in the making" event, where we expect new iPad Pros, and maybe even new Macs! Keep up with our coverage by downloading the AppleInsider app for iOS, and follow us on YouTube, Twitter @appleinsider and Facebook for live, late-breaking coverage. You can also check out our official Instagram account for exclusive photos.
Comments
For me personally, the keyboard issues have held me back from buying a new Mac for quite a while & I am not sure they will be much better in the future. I hate to see a company I have so much stock in make so many mistakes. There is no room for a misfire because the press beats Apple to pieces over any thing, big or little.
I am looking forward to buying a new iPad. If they don't put USB-C on it and remove the "Button" I am not going to buy one and I consider it to be a misfire beyond forgiveness.
Couldn’t it at least be lightning to USB-C especially since new Mac laptops are all USB-C?
No you don't have to "carry around a bunch of cables." You might possibly need one -- a Lightning-to-USB-A (3.0) adapter.
I see lots and lots of iPads Pro and MacBooks et al out in the wild, since I travel and frequent coffeeshops. The number I've seen with any sort of adapter, or even a power cord, attached: one. Sure, that's just anecdotal, but we're talking hundreds of machines out in the real world here. I was surprised about this wrt to MacBooks, since there's no SD card reader in them, but ... that's just not a thing you do at Starbucks, I guess.
Apple Pencil is a great stylus to use for writing and drawing but how it's implemented to be recharged is horrible. It would benefit from having wireless recharger - imagine just leaving a pencil in a nice container instead of plugging it in a slot. Think AiriPods. Recharged by wireless rechargers. And that eliminates the need for a lightning port.
I also imagine that iPad Pros with USB-C can be used as wacom tablets, not just as to output to 4K monitors but also to serve as a wacom tablet and I am sure Apple has been asked for that feature many times.
My prediction is they'll just ship the iPad Pro with the 30W USB-C charger, but still using Lightning.
I predicted this a couple of years ago, and I was wrong, though, so probably not right this time, either. At this point, I see it as more probable than putting a USB-C port on the iPad Pro, but I have no information.
IPad will have an appeal to a much broader market with a standard I/O port. This assumes that Apple doesn’t screw it up with a suspect MiFi program. Avoid a narrow mind here, we are not not beginning to see iPads potential.