Smart Connector

By MacRumors Staff on August 13, 2017

The Smart Connector is a port included on some of Apple's iPad Air and iPad Pro models. Located on the left side of the iPad on some models and the lower rear on other models, the Smart Connector is designed to provide power and a data connection to accessories like keyboards. Apple produces Smart Keyboard and Smart Keyboard Folio accessories that attach to the Smart Connector, which do not include batteries and can receive updates through the connected iPad.

Apple also permits third-party companies to create accessories that use the port.

Smart Connector Articles

Lack of iPad Pro Smart Connector Accessories Blamed on Long Wait Times for Components

Sunday August 13, 2017 5:31 am PDT by Tim Hardwick

Fast Company published a report this week exploring why third-party accessories that make use of Apple's Smart Connector remain few and far between, almost two years after the connector first debuted on the iPad Pro. The magnetic Smart Connector allows the iPad Pro to communicate with and power compatible accessories, like the company's own Smart Keyboard, without the hassle of wires. The...

New iPhone 7 and 7 Plus Drawings: Dual Camera and Smart Connector Exclusive to 5.5-Inch Model

Wednesday May 11, 2016 8:32 am PDT by Joe Rossignol

Less than four months before Apple is expected to announce the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, which may have a "Pro" moniker instead, purported new blueprints of the smartphones have been shared by uSwitch on behalf of noted leaker Steve Hemmerstoffer, who runs the Twitter account OnLeaks. The drawings, purportedly sourced directly from Taiwan-based Apple casing subcontractor Catcher Technology,...

New Rumor Suggests iPhone 7 Won't Include Smart Connector After All

Friday May 6, 2016 11:07 am PDT by Juli Clover

A Smart Connector has been one of the features rumored for the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, but a new report from Japanese site Mac Otakara suggests Apple has decided not to include a Smart Connector on the upcoming devices. The Smart Connector, first introduced with the iPad Pro, is a new type of port designed to transfer both data and power between the iPad Pro and accessories like the Smart...

New Case Supports Rumors of Imminent 9.7-Inch iPad Pro With Smart Connector

Thursday March 10, 2016 7:20 am PST by Joe Rossignol

Less than two weeks before Apple's rumored March 21 media event, where the company is expected to announce a new 9.7-inch iPad, more aftermarket cases for the iPad Air 2 successor have appeared on Chinese commerce website Alibaba. The case below, like others before it, has openings for a Smart Connector, four speakers, and a LED camera flash, lending credence to rumors claiming the tablet once ...

iOS 9.3 Beta 2 Allows iPad Pro's Smart Connector to Update Accessory Firmware

Wednesday January 27, 2016 9:08 pm PST by Husain Sumra

The second beta of iOS 9.3, which was seeded to developers on Monday and the public earlier today, includes a new feature that allows the iPad Pro's Smart Connector to update accessory firmware. The new feature was first spotted by German developer Stefan Wolfrum (via Cult of Mac) when he plugged his Logitech Create keyboard case into his iPad Pro. In the past month, several users in the MacRum...

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