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Next year, Apple may deliver an iPad Pro with wireless charging capabilities. The tech giant is now working on a new iPad Pro and a new iPad mini, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman.
Apple is said to be replacing the Pro tablet’s aluminum chassis with a glass back similar to that of the latest iPhones, in order to enable wireless charging. If you recall, Apple’s phones have gone from glass to aluminum to glass again, with the most recent transformation occurring when the iPhone 8 was released.
Meanwhile, Apple intends to make the upcoming iPad mini’s bezels thinner and remove the home button. The smaller tablet might be released as early as later this year, making it the first revamp of the product in six years. Gurman did not provide any additional information about the small, but he did say that Apple is testing a MagSafe mechanism for the Pro.
Furthermore, the company is said to be looking into adding a reverse wireless charging option to the Pro tablet, which would allow users to use the tablet’s power to charge other devices. To incorporate the technology, Apple is said to be switching to a glass back for the future iPad models, rather than the metal that has been used on the back of every iPad introduced thus far.
Apple has been speculated to be working on the technology for years, and it has been reported to be included in both the iPhone 11 and iPhone 12.
The new M1 iPad Pro with Mini LED display was just unveiled, and the wireless charging variant isn’t expected to be available until next year. According to Bloomberg, Apple will offer a revamped iPad Mini with smaller screen bezels in 2021. It’s unclear whether Face ID, like on the iPad Pro, or Touch ID on the power button, like on the iPad Air, will be used. Bloomberg’s report only says that “the removal of its home button has also been tested.”
Aside from the new Pro and mini, Gurman stated that the business is working on a thinner entry-level iPad for students, which might be released this year. Apple is also working on a wireless charging pad, he added.
Back in 2017, Apple launched the AirPower, which can simultaneously charge an iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods. However, the project was eventually halted over two years later because it was unable to resolve critical heating and power difficulties.
Apple is also experimenting with reverse wireless charging technology as part of the development of the next iPad Pro. Users would be able to charge their iPhones or other devices by placing them on the back of the tablet. Apple had previously worked on making the iPhone capable of charging AirPods and Apple Watches.
Finally, the company is said to be looking into alternative wireless charging methods that will allow charging over longer distances than an inductive connection can provide.
Before you start making plans to buy the tablets, keep in mind that nothing is cast in concrete. According to Gurman’s sources, the tablets’ development is still in its early stages, and Apple could change its mind and cancel them entirely.
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