Apple is making many big moves: launching new products in new categories, creating all-new chip architectures, and delivering many major updates to its software platforms in a matter of weeks.
But sometimes it can be interesting to look at the business smaller the decisions. Those that might fly under the radar, but can still point to changes that could ripple through the company’s product lines. This week, Apple released several new iPads and a revamped Apple TV, and while they might seem like innocuous announcements, they all contained details that hint at bigger changes to come.
The future of USB-C
Apple has been putting USB-C ports on its devices for years now; the first Mac to have one was the 12-inch MacBook in 2015. Since then, the port has slowly replaced traditional USB-A connectors on the Mac line and, more recently, the iPad. Rare is now the Apple device that sports one of these old rectangular ports.
![AppleTV 4K 2022](https://oponame.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Apples-iPad-and-Apple-TV-updates-arent-as-small-as.jpg)
Apple
Recently, the European Union passed a regulation requiring most consumer electronics to standardize on the USB-C port by 2024, which has bolstered rumors that Apple plans to transfer its most important product, the iPhone, to the connector next year.
But Apple uses its own proprietary Lightning port in smaller devices that are not Mac, iPad or iPhone. Case in point: the redesign of the Apple TV 4K last week included a new version of the Siri Remote that ditches the Lightning port in favor of USB-C. Of all of Apple’s small devices, the Siri Remote is probably the easiest to transition to, as its USB-C port seems to be used pretty much exclusively for charging.
That leaves a handful of other devices to make the switch over the next year or two: the Magic Keyboard for Mac, the Magic Trackpad, the Magic Mouse, and various AirPods cases. But if the Siri Remote is any indication, the writing is on the wall for the Lightning port.
A beautiful landscape
The iPad is an incredibly versatile device and since the first model was released in 2010, users have been able to rotate it freely and use it in any orientation. This feature has been one of the best subtle aspects of the device: there’s really no wrong way to pick it up and use it.
![Apple iPad 10th generation cameras](https://oponame.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/1666609170_885_Apples-iPad-and-Apple-TV-updates-arent-as-small-as.jpg)
The new iPad has a front-facing camera placed for landscape use.
Apple
Except when it comes to the front camera. Anyone who’s ever used an iPad for video chat (or had, say, a FaceTime call with someone on an iPad) has run into the annoyance of seeing themselves or the other party off-center on the screen , thanks to the camera on the shorter edge of the device or worse, succumbed to the terrible “thumb on camera” problem.
Thing is, while the iPad can generally work well in any orientation, it seems pretty clear 12 years from now that more people using FaceTime, Zoom or other video chat apps use the device in landscape mode. Likewise, with the advent of keyboard cases for the iPad, including Apple’s Magic Keyboard suite of accessories, the iPad is increasingly using that of a traditional laptop computer.
But the camera has stubbornly stuck to that shorter edge…until this week’s release of the tenth-generation iPad which, aptly, moves it to the longer side. This change was also heralded by a landscape Start screen for the iPad, which first returned in iOS 14.5.
Unfortunately, the new iPad Pro models released this week retain the traditional front-facing camera on the short-edge design, which could be partly to avoid conflict with the device’s speakers and Apple Pencil charging hardware. , or simply because they were minor updates, not major overhauls. But it seems likely that the landscape camera will eventually come to the rest of the iPads. Ultimately, this confirms what we all know: the iPad really is a primarily landscape-oriented device, much like the iPhone is a portrait device.
![iPad 2022](https://oponame.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/1666609170_936_Apples-iPad-and-Apple-TV-updates-arent-as-small-as.jpg)
Apple continues the trend of making consumer devices available in an assortment of colors.
Apple
Colors are here to stay… put
The history of Apple and color is complicated. The Apple II helped popularize color displays in the personal computer market; arguably the company’s most famous logo is its classic six-color design (although it’s been largely supplanted by a monochrome option in recent years); and the first line of iMacs came in an assortment of candy colors that were widely copied by PC makers. But in recent years, Apple has become best known for its sleek devices in silver, white, and various shades of “space gray.”
However, the color has started to appear in Apple’s lineup again, returning to the iMac lineup and even occasionally appearing on iPhone and iPad models. This week’s tenth-generation iPad sports a few bright colors – blue, pink and yellow – suggesting that Apple isn’t about to completely swing the pendulum back to silver and space gray.
But, as elsewhere in the company’s lineup, the colors are reserved for more “consumer” offerings, with the Pro models sticking to the more desaturated options – even the iPhone 14 Pro’s purple offering looks gray in most lights.
It looks like Apple isn’t ready to embrace color across its entire line just yet, which is a shame, as pros love bold color options as much as the average consumer. Apple has always had a strong streak of individualism and iconoclasm – it’s a shame it hasn’t reached the upper echelons of the company’s product lines; it’s a place where you pay more to get less.
Apple TV 4K
![Apple TV 4K](https://oponame.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/1666609170_516_Apples-iPad-and-Apple-TV-updates-arent-as-small-as.jpg)
MSRP:
64GB – $129 | 128 GB $149
iPad (2022)
![iPad (2022)](https://oponame.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/1666609170_327_Apples-iPad-and-Apple-TV-updates-arent-as-small-as.jpg)
#Apples #iPad #Apple #updates #arent #small