3 features business pros want in the new iPads

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Longtime Apple watcher Jordan Golson connected what features request to beryllium successful the caller iPads to delight endeavor and concern users.

Apple is expected to merchandise updated versions of its 2 cheapest iPad models astatine a special lawsuit adjacent week, the iPad and the iPad Mini. Though galore concern pros whitethorn opt for the iPad Pro—a tablet that competes with a full-fledged laptop acknowledgment to a immense screen, wickedly accelerated M1 spot (the aforesaid Apple Silicon that's utilized successful a clump of Macs these days) and utile accessories—the Pro besides comes with a professional-level terms tag. It starts astatine $799 and runs up to much than $2,000 if you max retired the storage.

On the different hand, the iPad is Apple's larger, mainstream tablet, offering a $329 terms tag for the basal 32GB exemplary with a 10.2-inch display, Touch ID, and enactment for the Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard. Educational institutions tin get into the iPad for adjacent less, with entree to peculiar $309 tablet entry-level pricing.

SEE: How to migrate to a caller iPad, iPhone, oregon Mac (TechRepublic Premium)

Then there's the iPad Mini, a 7.9-inch that hasn't changed excessively overmuch successful the past 8 years since it was introduced. That's astir to change, if the rumors are to beryllium believed. It's benignant of comic to deliberation that the existent largest iPhone has a 6.7-inch screen, which isn't overmuch smaller than the Mini.

Both the iPad and iPad Mini are expected to spot updates adjacent week, though Apple tin ever astonishment us. Here's what I deliberation concern pros request Apple to present successful these 2 budget-focused iPads.

M1

Apple's M1 spot was its archetypal portion of "Apple Silicon," and it's presently being utilized successful laptops, the iMac, the Mac Mini headless desktop computer, and the iPad Pro. It's accelerated and power-efficient and enables the iPad Pro to tally CPU- and GPU-intensive tasks successful an ultra-portable package.

It would beryllium truly awesome for Apple to rotation retired the M1 successful these smaller iPads. It could unfastened each kinds of possibilities for connecting to an outer monitor, utilizing photo- and video-editing software, and allowing pros a large downsizing from a full-fledged laptop to a smaller, thinner tablet.

SEE: Apple M1 MacBook Pro is the velocity king of my enactment day, and Intel should beryllium worried (TechRepublic)

Thinner, lighter and faster

The iPad Mini 6 is expected to suffer the Home fastener it has had for astir a decade, moving to an edge-to-edge show similar astir each the different iPads and iPhones connected the market. Only the existent basal iPad (which is astir to beryllium upgraded alongside the Mini) and the iPhone SE usage them now.

Making the caller iPads thinner and lighter volition beryllium key, particularly if Apple tin acceptable a larger surface successful the aforesaid size assemblage acknowledgment to the edge-to-edge display. And making them faster volition beryllium a necessity too, arsenic some iPads person grown rather agelong successful the tooth. M1 would beryllium ideal, but adjacent the latest-generation A-series mobile spot would beryllium a large betterment implicit what the devices presently have.

USB C

For the iPad astatine least, the days of the Lightning larboard are numbered. Apple has moved astir of them implicit to USB C, allowing for a wider assortment of accessories (like outer storage, SD cards, monitors and the like) and, crucially, faster charging.

Though I'd emotion to spot the iPhone swap to the USB C to standardize Apple's cables a spot amended (carrying USB C and Lightning cables to complaint my iPad and iPhone is annoying), that's not going to hap immoderate clip soon for a fig of reasons--mostly due to the fact that Apple gets to power the Lightning cablegram ecosystem and the Lightning larboard is much waterproof than the USB C port.

But waterproofing isn't arsenic important for the iPad, which is not apt to get dropped into a blistery tub oregon the water oregon a toilet (yikes), arsenic an iPhone is. Instead, maximizing charging velocity and accessory options is what I'm looking for retired of the caller iPads.

It seems apt that the caller iPad Mini volition get the bulk of the upgrades if rumors are to beryllium believed, but Apple tin inactive astonishment america erstwhile successful a while. Perhaps the caller iPad volition get a larger upgrade than we think.

Apple's lawsuit volition instrumentality spot adjacent Tuesday, Sept. 14 astatine 1 p.m. ET, and volition beryllium streamed unrecorded connected YouTube.