iPad Pro's Lightning Port Supports USB 3.0 Transfer Speeds, New Adapters in the Works

[aggri1]

Hmmm, lots of (perfectly valid) discussion about USB Type-C. But then, Apple didn't even include Type-C ports on the recent iMac, so...

 

[bobob]

More news on the hidden capabilities of the iPad Pro's Lightning port via Daring Fireball:

"The iPad Pro Has A Next Generation Lightning Port

My old college pal Scott Boone asked me the other day if I could peep into the Lightning port on my iPad Pro review unit and check if it had pins on both the top and bottom inside the port. I looked, and indeed, it does. All previous Lightning ports, including in the new iPhones 6S, only have pins on the bottom....

I don’t know when we’ll see Apple take advantage of this new Lightning port (the cable that ships with the iPad Pro is still just USB 2), but I think it’s every bit as capable as USB-C. I bet it can handle not just USB 3, but also Thunderbolt and DisplayPort/HDMI 4K."

 

[Hexley]

In 2016 I think Apple will come out with a USB-C to Lightning cable that has SuperSpeed+ USB 10Gbps and USB Power Delivery. It will be matched up with Apple's 29W USB-C Power Adapter that is currently being used on the 2015 Macbook.

Max rate for USB Power Delivery is 20V, 5A (100W).

 

[Mac 128]

In 2016 I think Apple will come out with a USB-C to Lightning cable that has SuperSpeed+ USB 10Gbps and USB Power Delivery. It will be matched up with Apple's 29W USB-C Power Adapter that is currently being used on the 2015 Macbook.

Max rate for USB Power Delivery is 20V, 5A (100W).

Likely Thuderbolt to Lightning first. They need a few more Macs with USB-C before that kind of cable is necessary, given that the new MacBook crowd will tell you they don't plug anything but power into their port.

 

[loon3y]

On one hand, it wouldn't be Apple if it didn't involve a million adapters.

On the other hand, the USB-C design is backwards compared to Lightning. I think USB-C does it wrong. The male plug shouldn't be "wrapping around" a piece lodged in the female port.

at least it creates factory jobs for farmers in china

 

[Hexley]

Likely Thuderbolt to Lightning first. They need a few more Macs with USB-C before that kind of cable is necessary, given that the new MacBook crowd will tell you they don't plug anything but power into their port.

You are aware that USB-C essentially replaces the miniDP male and female connector.

Almost got an aneurysm reading your reply.

 

[Mac 128]

You are aware that USB-C essentially replaces the miniDP male and female connector.

Almost got an aneurysm reading your reply.

Yes I am. Why would you get an aneurysm from my statement? USB-C is physically incompatible with all of the ports on every current Mac, except the Retina MB. Until that changes, why would Apple market a USB-C connector to Lightning connector cable, when the only product that can use it is the Retina MacBook. Any rMB users who plug anything into their notebooks (and judging from these forums that's not many anyway) likely already have a USB-C to Thunderbolt dongle. Of course I wouldn't put it past Apple to create the cable anyway, but it would make more sense to get the physical connector on a few more products first to make it more profitable.

 

[steve62388]

So USB3 on 2015's 12.9 but not this years 10.5? Seems odd.

 

[blackcrayon]

So USB3 on 2015's 12.9 but not this years 10.5? Seems odd.

The 10.5 also has the USB 3.0 speeds.

If you look at the lightning to USB adapter on Apple's site, it reads
"The 12.9-inch iPad Pro and 10.5-inch iPad Pro transfers data at USB 3 speeds, while the 9.7-inch iPad Pro uses USB 2."