“Nearly two years after Apple introduced the Smart Connector on the original iPad Pro, only four accessories support it. One of those is the own Smart Keyboard, Apple’s first and only keyboard cover, which is available for the iPad Pro’s 9.7-inch, 10.5-inch, and 12.9-inch variants,” Jared Newman reports for Fast Company. “The other products – two kinds of keyboards and one docking station–are all made by Logitech and are sold at Apple Stores. That’s a far skimpier selection than you might have expected back in the fall of 2015.”
“Accessory makers offered several explanations for the slow start. One source cited wait times and high costs for Smart Connector components. Other accessory makers simply praised Bluetooth as a better fit, at least for iPad keyboards,” Newman reports. “Apple confirmed that multiple companies are now developing Smart Connector accessories.”
“The real advantage for the Smart Connector isn’t just the hassle-free, powered connection, but the possibilities it could open up for the iPad as a whole. Imagine, for instance, a keyboard that could charge the iPad through a built-in battery, or one with extra storage that integrated with Apple’s new Files app in iOS 11. Perhaps there’s even room for more kinds of input devices, such as a MIDI keyboard dock that didn’t require toting around an extra Lightning cable and stand,” Newman reports. “The Smart Connector is still full of potential.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: With a base of iPad Pro users now becoming substantial, we believe we’ll begin seeing more Smart Connector accessories for iPad Pro this holiday shopping season.
Apple and proprietary connectors other than the original iPod/iPhone connector and the Lightning in current use is not that good.
I have a whole box of old iPod/iPhone Connectors, Apple Display Connectors, FireWire 400 and 800, Etc just sitting in a closet taking up space.