New report claims the next iPad Air will switch to USB-C just like iPad Pro

By Oliver Haslam
published

iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3 and iPhone 6 Plus
iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3 and iPhone 6 Plus (Image credit: iMore)

What you need to know

  • The iPad Air is said to be getting a USB-C port.
  • It currently uses Apple's own Lightning connector.
  • The iPad Pro already uses USB-C.

A new report claims that Apple's next iPad Air will make the move to USB-C, following in the footsteps of the iPad Pro. That doesn't mean all iPads will go that route though – the iPad mini is thought to have nothing but Lightning in its future.

That's according to a new report by supply chain watchers at Macotakara which claims that the 4th generation iPad Air will go Lightning before any other iPads. Save iPad Pro, of course.

While that's interesting, the report's other bombshell is the claim that Apple will be moving to a larger screen for the fourth generation of iPad Air – one that more closely mimics the 11-inch iPad Pro.

iPad Air (3rd generation) was developed based on iPad Pro (10.5-inch), iPad Air (4th generation) may be developed based on iPad Pro 11-inch (1st generation) by downgrading the rear camera features.

The same report also has the next iPad mini growing to around nine inches in size, an increase from the current 7.9-inch model. Don't expect it this year though - analyst Ming-Chi Kuo expects the iPad mini refresh to come at some point in 2021.

A new, larger 10.8-inch iPad might be in the works for this year, according to the analyst.

TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo expects the iPad 10.8-inch to appear in the second half of 2020, with a new iPad mini with a screen size of 8.5 inches to 9 inches to appear in the first half of 2021.

There are so many different iPad rumors coming out of the supply chain right now that it's impossible to know what to think. Maybe we'll learn more when developers start tearing down the iOS 14 betas later this month. It wouldn't be the first time a device has been outed via a beta.

Oliver Haslam
Oliver Haslam
Contributor

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too.

Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.

1 Comment
  • But will Apple idiotically remove the headphone jack from these iPads too? Brilliant move, Apple: Take a project that's only marginally useful to begin with, and wipe out yet another major use of it: media playback.