Apple’s flagship iPhone for 2019 will come with a number of surprising design changes, according to one analyst.
Fans can expect USB-C connectivity and a smaller notch, as well as the return of Touch ID. Those hoping for “lightning-fast charging” and expandable storage will be disappointed, however.
Dongles for this, dongles for that, USB-C dongles be damned. Product designer Ryan Geraghty feels your frustration and has created a concept designed to make Apple users laugh about their begrudged move to USB-C.
His idea of an Apple Dongle is “one elegant tapestry of connectivity” featuring 16 adapters into a single USB-C connector.
The only concrete advantage of USB-C over Lightning in the new iPad — so far — is that you can pick up pretty much any USB-C hub and use it with the iPad. Previously, you had one choice if you wanted to plug USB devices into your iPad — Apple’s Lightning-to-USBC camera connector.
The choice is way wider for 2018 iPad Pro owners. And while plugging in a USB-C hub is easy, there are a few things to watch out for. Let’s take a look at those, and see what you can use the hub for.
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The 2018 iPad Pro comes with an 18W power adapter. Apple just began selling this as a separate item.
Having a second charger for your tablet when you’re on the go is convenient, but Apple’s $29 offering might not be the best choice.
You could be able to get your hands on less expensive, but still MFi certified, Lightning-to-USB-C cables more quickly than first thought. Apple is allowing third-party manufacturers to produce these, and shipments could start in just a few months.
These cables allow iPhones and older iPads to charge far more quickly than Lightning-to-USB-A ones.
Despite its drawbacks, USB-C is the future of the iPad. But just what is USB-C? Well, it’s a connector, but not all USB-C connectors are the same. And in fact, not even everything that looks like a USB-C connector is a USB-C connector.
Confused? I was. Today we’ll find out what USB-C is, why it looks just like Thunderbolt, and what hubs you might want to buy.
The latest iPad Pro includes the most significant changes Apple has made to its tablets in years. There’s USB-C instead of Lightning, Face ID instead of Touch ID, and the device is more portable. In some ways it’s better than a MacBook.
But that’s not to say Apple got everything right. The 2018 iPad Pro has problems noticeable enough to leave me questioning whether I made the right decision buying one.
Author’s Note Sept. 26, 2019: The release of iPadOS 13 brought so many new features that it removed nearly all my regrets about the iPad Pro. The addition of mouse support and full access to drives plugged into the USB-C port are game changers. And giving apps the ability to open multiple windows simultaneously greatly simplifies my workflow. It seems Apple took the unusual route of waiting about 9 months after the iPad Pro’s debut to introduce a software update that makes the tablet shine.
In short, many of the regrets listed here are no longer relevant in 2019.
It may sound like a crazy Mad Lib, but it’s not: Queen guitarist Brian May really has taken to Instagram to pen a lengthy rant about Apple’s UBC-C connector.
May dramatically declares that “This is one of the reasons my love for Apple is turning to hatred.” And, from the look of the comments, it seems that quite a few people agree with him.
When you plug a USB-C hub into your new iPad Pro, you will see a new icon appear in the iOS status bar, up on the right by the battery, Wi-Fi, and LTE status icons. It’s a little blue lozenge with an icon of an old-style Camera Connection Kit in it, and it appears for just a short moment.
The new icon is handy to let you know that your hub has been recognized, but it doesn’t always work as expected.
Thunderbolt cables and plugs look exactly like USB-C cables and plugs, but they are incompatible. Or rather, you can plug both kinds into a Thunderbolt port and any connected peripheral will work, but you can’t plug Thunderbolt into USB-C. Or rather you can plug it in, but it won’t work. You see? We’re confused already.
But what happens when you plug a Thunderbolt accessory into the new 2018 iPad Pro?
Even if you take good care of your new MacBook Air, there’s always a small chance something could go wrong. But it is a lot easier for Apple and its Authorized Service Providers to fix the new ultraportable than other Apple notebooks.
A new teardown reveals all the changes Apple has made to make swapping components simpler.
Every 2018 iPad Pro review I’ve read seems to be written by someone who doesn’t use the iPad like a pro. Most of the reviewers focus on using Apple’s new tablet they way most people do: reading the internet, doing some mail and watching lots of video.
Which is a shame, because there’s a lot to like in this iPad for “power” users, aka folks whose everyday carry is an iPad. People like me. The iPad has been my most-used device for years. I do everything on it. (Everything, ironically, except writing articles — but that’s because my ancient 27-inch iMac still works fine, and I like to use a trackpad for editing text.)
Rather than reviewing the iPad Pro from the point of view of a “normal,” I’m going to talk about this gorgeous new device like someone who uses an iPad for work every day.
You’ve got your new iPad Pro, and it’s all set up. Now, you might want to start tricking it out with accessories. The bad news is that most of your old accessories won’t work. The good news is that some of them will, and the rest can be replaced, or hooked up with dongles. Let’s check out the best accessories for the new 2018 iPad Pro.
According to early reviews, you should absolutely rush out to get a new iPad Pro when the tablets go on sale Wednesday.
The iPad Pro was already the best tablet money could buy. And yet, Apple somehow made it even better with an improved design, an edge-to-edge Liquid Retina display, and an A12X Bionic chip that delivers unbeatable performance.
Don’t just take our word for it. See what the reviewers are saying below.
Apple is on a mission to kill all MacBook ports that aren’t USB-C, but thanks to an ingenius new power adapter accessory, you can get back the old school USB ports you’ve been longing for.
HyperDrive revealed its new USB-C Hub for the new MacBook Pros power adapters today. The little attachment connects to your power adapter to add two USB-C ports that can be used to connect USB-A devices, peripherals and hard drives to the USB-C only MacBook Pro.
Take a closer look:
Since the first iPad was unveiled back in 2010, each successive model has looked nearly that same as all its predecessors, with most changes coming from faster processors and more storage.
Not any more. The iPad Pro just revealed includes several dramatic improvements, any one of which would be a game changer.
Don’t miss our comprehensive comparison of this tablet with the 2017 version.
Apple finally dusted off the MacBook Air. The 2018 model sports a brand new design, a gorgeous Retina display, and powerful upgraded internals. All of sudden, Apple’s most affordable notebook is up there with its best.
In fact, the new ultraportable is so good, you would be crazy to buy a 12-inch MacBook right now. So, how does the new MacBook Air stack up against the rest of Apple’s laptop lineup? Which model best suits your needs, and which delivers the best bang for the buck?
Find out right here in our comprehensive MacBook comparison.
Olixar is best known for two things: one, regularly showing its cases wrapped around unreleased Apple products, and two, having its predictions turn out to be correct.
That’s why it’s a big deal that this company posted images on its site of an iPad Pro with a USB-C port.
At this point, it seems that everyone is agreed that the next iPad will replace the excellent Lightning connector with an inferior USB-C connector. But I’m not so sure. Not only is the “evidence” for this huge change sketchy and speculative at best, but USB-C would bring almost no benefit to anyone — not users, and not Apple.
Apple is now selling a USB-C charger for Apple Watch. The 0.3-meter Magnetic Apple Watch Charger is identical in price and design to the USB-A version that’s been available for a while, but adopts the USB-C standard.
On paper, it sounds kind of surprising, but the reports claiming that Apple will include a USB-C port instead of its proprietary Lightning are certainly racking up.
Recently, notable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo suggested that this would be the case. Now a new report citing multiple accessory makers at the Global Sources Mobile Electronics Trade Fair in Hong Kong reported that they have heard much the same thing.
USB Type C — it’s no longer a novelty but an emerging connectivity standard for Apple products. As a newer, more powerful variation of the same USB we all know and love (well, kinda), USB-C features higher power and faster data transfer than its predecessors via a smaller connector.
While older USB Type A and B were a great gift for Mac users — few mourned the passing of ADB and SCSI — USB is often finicky. Just plugging in an old-school USB cable can prove challenging, since you must position the connector just so for it to slide smoothly into the port. That often means several tries to achieve the proper angle and orientation.
Those obstacles disappear with USB-C because, in addition to its smaller size, it is designed to be reversible — with no up or down orientation, just like a Lightning cable — and the cables can have the same type of connector on both ends.
It is looking increasingly likely that Apple will deliver a new iPad Pro lineup before the end of 2018. A new report, citing a number of sources familiar with the company’s plans, reveals some things we can look forward to.
Here’s what to expect from the next-generation iPad Pro’s display, Face ID, Apple Pencil, and more.
Apple’s first beta for iOS 12.1 is starting to be a fountain of leaks regarding the new iPad Pros set to come out this fall.
After revealing yesterday that new iPads are on the way, it appears that iOS 12.1 beta 1 has also confirmed the long-cited rumor that the new iPads will come with a USB-C port.
Third-party hardware manufacturers have finally been given the green light from Apple to start making USB-C to Lightning cables.
The new Made For iPhone (MFi) certification should open the door for a bunch of faster-charging solutions to come out for iPhone owners, but according to the report out of Asia, the new cables will be a little bit more expensive.
