The new Apple’s i-pad pro is rumoured to shift from lightning to USB-C says analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Apple has already brought in a lot of changes from slimming down it’s display bezels and adding apple face ID. Now, it seems pretty hard to believe that Apple would already start moving away from its own Lightning connector in 2018.
Kuo says “In addition to Face ID support, we expect the new iPad Pro models’ main upgrade to include replacing Lightning with a USB-C interface and bundling with a new unibody design 18W power adapter, which cancels the removable plug design.”
Bluetooth aside, if the headphone jack is going away (as has also been rumoured), we’re really going to have to depend on USB-C headphones. Or USB-C headphone adapters. Removing the headphone jack will really be very difficult for everyone especially musicians. So now, throwing in the USB-C mix will put the i-pads back on track and they can be the future of computers, to be honest. As part of the shift, Kuo predicts that the iPad Pro will ship with an 18W charger in the box.
This would be a massive change for an iOS device but one that could improve the iPad accessory ecosystem — and be a boon for productivity. Kuo’s memo does not suggest that this is simply a change from USB-A Lightning to USB-C Lightning but instead an actual port change on the iPad itself.
Apart from the big USB-C change, there’s also an evidence that the screen of the new i-pad pro will have rounded corners. Also, we can say goodbye to that home button for i-pads now too. And it will probably have the iPhone X notch style.