The iPad Pro 2021, which may come as early as April of 2021, will allegedly ship with a Thunderbolt port for better connectivity.
Apple still hasn’t made it clear when it will release its next series of products. Fans can’t wait for the next announcement because of the company’s red-hot finish in 2020. All signs indicate that Apple is preparing for a release sometime between March and April.
The latter seems like a more plausible consideration since March is already halfway through. So what can be expected in this April launch? A lot, actually.
iPad Pro 2021 may come with a Thunderbolt port
When Apple announced the upgrade on the iPad Air 4, several critics were quick to dismiss the iPad Pro 2020. The former came with the latest A14 chip, while the iPad Pro 2020 only had the A12Z chipset.
The iPad Air 4 came with all the important features of the iPad Pro and shed off the bells and whistles on the latter. As a result, the iPad Air 4 came in so much cheaper than the Pro model.
Now it would seem like Apple really made the Air model as such to better delineate casual iPad users from Pros. This assumption comes from the fact that the iPad Pro 2021 may allegedly come with a Thunderbolt port similar to MacBooks.
The currently available model for the iPad Pro already sports a USB-C port. However, it is not as powerful as a Thunderbolt port. According to a Bloomberg report,
“The port doesn’t require new chargers, but it would enable connectivity with additional external monitors, hard drives and other peripherals. It’s also faster at syncing data than the USB-C technology used in the current models.”
Refreshed iPad and iPad Mini to hit the shelves too
Apart from the iPad Pro getting an upgrade, the same Bloomberg report indicates that the basic iPad and the iPad Mini will also get refreshed.
The basic iPad or the 9th-Gen iPad will allegedly be thinner and lighter. The bezels will be reduced, but the screen size will remain the same at 10.2 inches across. The overall feel and design of the next iPad should be similar to the iPad Air 3.
The iPad Mini, on the other hand, is set to get a refresh similar to the iPad 9th-Gen too. It will have a bigger display at 7.9 inches and overall smaller bezels. The home button with TouchID lives on in this model.
No rumors indicate whether or not the iPad 9th Gen and the new iPad Mini will go with USB-C. The likelihood of it happening is slim, considering Apple has been hanging on to its special Lightning port as much as it could.
Both new iPads could also come with the latest processor, similar to the one that will release with the iPad Pro 2021.
Image from DailyTekk/ YouTube thumbnail