Apple’s forthcoming iPad Pro refresh could support MagSafe charging, according to a recent claim.
Earlier in the week, MacRumors issued a report stating that the 2024 iPad Pro would support MagSafe, Apple’s magnetised wireless charging standard on which the new Qi2 standard is based.
According to “a source that is familiar with companies that manufacture magnets for Apple products”, MagSafe will represent one of the additional updates to both the 11.1-inch and 13-inch variants.
This isn’t the first time we’ve heard that Apple was working on such a feature. Back in 2021 we heard that the next iPad Pro would be able to charge your iPhone and AirPods wirelessly, using a MagSafe system to reverse-charge smaller items as well as being able to charge itself.
Said MagSafe addition would have necessitated a switch from a metal back to a glass one, as is the case with the iPhone. According to a subsequent 9to5Mac report, it was worries over this added fragility that put an end to Apple’s MagSafe plans – or at least, prompted a pause.
One of Apple’s solutions, according to that more recent report, was to implement a glass Apple logo within a more traditional aluminium frame. Whether the company is still planning such an approach for the 2024 iPad Pro remains to be seen.
If you’ve been holding out for a new high-end Apple tablet, next year could be the time to pull the trigger. Besides MagSafe, the biggest upgrade to the new iPad Pro is expected to be a switch to OLED displays.
