While the new iPad (2022) has been one of Apple’s least leaked products this year, we’re finally starting to hear details about the upcoming entry-level tablet — and it already sounds better than the iPhone 14 in one key way It is expected that they will debut together.
Apple fan site 9to5Mac(opens in a new tab) has received some information about the upcoming iPad, apparently from the same source that correctly provides information on the iPad Air 5
Apparently, the upcoming iPad will feature a USB-C port, making it the last iPad series to use the standard plug, as the iPad Pro devices were the first to make the jump in 2018. Existing entry-level iPads use the Lightning port, a proprietary Apple technology that iPhones also use.
Apple will have to move its smartphones to USB-C in the next few years due to EU regulations, but apparently its iPad is a head start. USB-C charges faster than Lightning and transfers data faster, so Apple fans will probably be delighted.
Another interesting move is that the entry-level iPad will apparently offer 5G connectivity, on some models. For the current version, you can choose a Wi-Fi-only or cellular version, and it sounds like the 2022 version will connect to 5G as well as 4G networks for that cellular option.
Finally, the leaker claims that the iPad (2022) will have an A14 Bionic chipset, which is not surprising since the last model was equipped with an A13. As such, it will be quite capable, but not quite an iPad Pro competitor. We probably haven’t heard of more iPad upgrades, but USB-C and 5G alone are pretty big improvements.
Analysis: Goodbye Apple Pencil?
If Apple does ditch the Lightning port in its next iPad, there will be a knock-on effect in the stylus department.
Entry-level iPads currently use the original Apple Pencil, which requires the Lightning port to charge, but newer tablets with USB-C use the Apple Pencil 2. It charges wirelessly by clipping to the side of the tablet and launches when Lightning starts to go the way of the dodo.
If the Lightning port ends up falling out of the final iPad that uses it, that could mean the original Apple Pencil is also about to be retired — after all, only older versions of the tablet can use it.
The Apple Pencil 2’s charging solution is more convenient and also offers better pressure sensitivity, so that’s not a bad thing — but an interesting sea change for Apple.
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