Apple confirms that the Lightning port in the new iPad Pro is USB 3.0 compatible.
Apple launched the iPad Pro along with the new iPhones and the iPad mini 4 on Sept. 9, 2015, but the bigger iPad hit the shelves on Nov. 11. A teardown of the iPad Pro and Apple's confirmation to ARS Technica suggests that the tablet has a USB 3.0 compatible Lightning port.
"Apple has confirmed to us that the new iPad Pro will in fact support USB 3.0 transfer speeds over its Lightning port," per ARS Technica.
"Fresco Logic FL1100 4-port USB 3.0 Host Controller," per the iFixIt teardown of the iPad Pro.
USB 3.0 compatible Lightning port is significant for the iPad Pro as the Lightning port in all current-generation iPhones and iPads are USB 2.0 compatible. USB 3.0 compatible devices have data transfer speed of over 60MB per second in comparison to the 25MB to 35MB per second data transfer speed of USB 2.0 compatible devices.
Rumors of Apple devices being compatible with USB 3.0 style speeds have been surfacing for many months and now finally the iPad Pro's Lightning port is USB 3.0 compatible.
The inclusion of USB 3.0 compatible Lightning port in the iPad Pro is cheerful news for many iDevice owners as it will allow faster data transfer. However, the latest iPad Pro comes with a USB 2.0 Lightning cable, which means customers of the new Apple tablet will have to wait until Apple officially introduces a USB 3.0 Lightning cable.
The presence of a USB 3.0 compatible port in the iPad Pro also means that next-generation iPads as well as iPhones may be equipped with the same port. The next big launch for iPhones and iPads will be in Fall 2016, which means customers will have to wait a good few months to see if iDevices are USB 3.0 compatible and are packed with a USB 3.0 Lightning cable to benefit the most.
