Apple working on iPad Pro with 'MagSafe' charging tech, iPad mini redesign
Apple Inc. is working on a new iPad Pro with wireless charging and
the first iPad mini redesign in six years, seeking to continue momentum for a
category that saw rejuvenated sales during the pandemic.
The Cupertino, California-based company is planning to release the
new iPad Pro in 2022 and the iPad mini later this year, according to people
with knowledge of the matter. The main design change in testing for the iPad
Pro is a switch to a glass back from the current aluminum enclosure. The
updated iPad mini is planned to have narrower screen borders while the removal
of its home button has also been tested.
The iPad became an increasingly key part of Apple’s portfolio over
the past year as people looked for new ways to work, study and stay entertained
at home during Covid-19 lockdowns. Sales of iPads jumped 43% during the last
six months of 2020 compared with a year earlier. The gains continued in the
first three months of 2021 when the tablets generated $7.8 billion -- a 79%
increase from the same quarter a year earlier.
For the new Pro model, the switch to a glass back is being tested,
in part, to enable wireless charging for
the first time. Making the change in material would bring iPads closer to iPhones,
which Apple has transitioned from aluminum to glass backs in recent years.
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