With all the 5G talk and rumours on whether Apple might implement it in iPhones sooner or later, everyone kind of forgot about the iPad. Well alongside rumours that 2020 iPhones will feature 5G’s fruity debut, another report suggests it’ll also be heading to the iPad.
That’s according to DigiTimes anyway, and to be honest it makes more sense than rushing 5G into the iPhone. 5G has already proven to be expensive, and phone-makers have been getting creative on how they fit the larger chips inside, so what better place for Apple to introduce them than the iPad?
Specifically the iPad Pro range, since they’re already pretty damn expensive and have a lot more physical space to work with. They’ve already proven to be a useful way for Apple to dabble in new hardware features, like swapping Lighting cables for USB-C, and Apple can easily play 5G off as a more professional feature that will make the iPad a more useful laptop-replacement tool.
Then if they flop it’s not the end of the world. The iPad has always played second or third fiddle to the iPhone so it’s not quite as detrimental to Apple’s profit-margins. It wouldn’t be great, obviously, but a failed iPad is nothing near as serious as a failed iPhone.
This is still just a rumour right now, so there’s absolutely no guarantee that Apple will be getting in on 5G this year – whether that’s with iPads, iPhones, or well that’s it. I can’t see 5G hitting the Apple Watch for a very long time, and the iPod has never had mobile connectivity anyway.
We’re just going to have to wait and see what happens. Either way, Tim Cook and his fellow Apple people are going to have to come with some sort of pro or anti 5G spin. [DigiTimes via Ubergizmo]
This post originally appeared on Gizmodo UK, which is gobbling up the news in a different timezone.