I'm really hoping they move everything to USB-C this year. I hate having to carry separate cables for my iPhone :-/
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Next iPad Air Could Feature a USB-C Port Instead of a Lightning Port
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Good! We need USB-C on all iOS/iPadOS devices. iPhone 12 included.
It'll happen. (eventually), Apple likes to be unified across all platforms... If a product as a square and the rest of them have rocks, Tim starts yelling
same way the iPhone 11 fits into the iPhone lineup; not a base but not quite a Pro.
Same way the original iPads fitted from 2010 until 2015.
C'mon! It's APPLE!!!
If they do usb-c, it will be their own proprietary usb-c "with blackjack and hookers".
But they won't.
If they do usb-c, it will be their own proprietary usb-c "with blackjack and hookers".
But they won't.
This. The iPad mini should just be rebranded as the iPad Air and simplify the naming scheme of the product lineup.
iPad, iPad Air, and iPad Pro. Simple.
That wouldn't make much sense. It COULD get the A13, since the A12Z is faster in almost every way, but that's very tricky from a marketing perspective. My guess is that it stays at the A12 and gets 4GB of Ram. The same trick they pulled with the base iPad last year, which went from A10/2GB to A10/3GB. The big new thing will me the Pro form factor. And maybe stereo speakers, but I'm not counting on it. Definitely not 120hz.
If this happens, I'm getting an iPad for the first time since the very first model in 2010.
Or Apple could simply let the iPad Air as is for another year. Remember how long the iPad Air 2 was around? It's not like they have any competition anyway.
My wishlist is for Apple to bring the quad speaker to the regular iPad. I mean I'm sure they have plenty of iPad Pro 10.5" shells around, right?
Those can be USB-C on my iPad Pro spoiled me so I'm not getting another device with Lightning. Ever.
Natural thing to go usbC next year since the iphones will go port-less
Good question. Apple need to time this carefully to avoid sending the wrong signal. A12 for a further year is a sign of stagnation, A13 makes it seem like it is more powerful that the iPad Pro, A14 would likely make it much more powerful that then iPad Pro.
My guess is that Apple updates the iPad Pro to an A14X at the same time and the new Air gets an A12X or A13 chip.
The next Air is basically a mid sized previous gen Pro.
I’d susoex that the size increase of Mini signals consolidation with base model IPad. The new mini replaces both.
Four models was too many.
So I feel like I'm gonna blow everyone's minds here but... there's actually room for two ports on an iPad.
I came to post exactly this... you beat me to it...So I feel like I'm gonna blow everyone's minds here but... there's actually room for two ports on an iPad.
It really didn't make sense to put a single USB-C on the Pro in first place... The iPads have lots air inside... enough space for 2 ports...
It's pretty clear this will be basically 11inch iPad Pro with some features removed - 2 speakers instead of 4, 1 camera, no ProRes screen etc.
More importantly this will make the Air compatible with all the Pro accessories. Also quite telling how the word Pro has been removed from all the boxes for these.
More importantly this will make the Air compatible with all the Pro accessories. Also quite telling how the word Pro has been removed from all the boxes for these.
because of Apple's MFi Licensing program.
Its making money from their perspective.
But they dont count in people like me who dont buy an iphone because it doesnt have usb-c.
And since I am a good ol' MBP 2012 user, I am not accustomed to dongles.
It would be interesting to know if Apple is doing this knowingly or if they are kinda forced into lightning by their own mistakes, aka. some legal stuff if they were to drop lightning, that manufacturers could eventually sue them over a certain point made in a contract to ensure that Apple uses lightning for a certain time or something like that.
Four models is not too many...good grief. All four service a different market and have enough segmentation that all four will continue to exist separately and distinct for quite a while. Apple knows their markets and the $329 iPad is the gateway drug. The mini is not the ideal for the average, casual or new to iPad user, which is why Apple took 4 years to replace it. I love my mini, but it’s a niche device, not a mainstream device, even with a screen size bump.
Other people injecting their iPad mini Pro fantasies into these threads completely miss the point of how Apple does things.
Apple trickles down industrial design as it makes sense from an economies of scale perspective.
I suspect Apple is going to drop the 11” iPad Pro in the next round of updates, lower the 12”.9” to 12” and give us a 14” or 15” model instead, but reuse the 11” iPad Pro chassis in this new iPad Air, which makes perfect sense if they are going to under screen Touch ID and USB-C and this rumor holds correct.
I agree, and think that USB-C as the default could come in with the ‘iPhone 4’-style rumoured for the iPhone 12.
They can now, it’s just the cable that is different. I use the same charger for my iPhone, AirPods and iPad Pro, just with different cables.
So is the current 11”model. This would simply be less feature loaded and/or a bit cheaper.
As my last few iPhones all have broken Lightning ports I’m more than willing to give another port a try as Lightning surely is not more reliable in my books.