Up to three-quarters of readers think Apple should switch to USB-C in the next iPad

Up to three-quarters of 9to5Mac readers think Apple should switch from Lightning to USB-C in the next iPad. Some 39% think the company should do it regardless, while a further 35% say Apple should make the switch if it does it for iPhones also.

However, a quarter of readers think Apple should stick with Lightning, at least for now, citing the slightly larger size and a less robust port as drawbacks of USB-C.

We previously discussed whether Apple would switch from Lightning to USB-C in future iPhones, with the majority of readers expecting this to happen this year or next …

Almost a third of you expected Apple to switch to USB-C in this year’s iPhone, with slightly more expecting the move next year. Only 19% thought it wouldn’t happen at all.

We argued that standardising on a single port across devices would make a great deal of sense, and that Apple might in future want to take advantage of the more flexible capabilities of USB-C – alongside the faster data transfer performance. With Apple touting the iPad as a PC replacement, the arguments for a more capable port in the iPad would be even stronger.

We’re currently expecting Apple to add a new size to this year’s iPad line-up, bringing in a new 10.5-inch(ish) model to replace the 9.7-inch iPad Pro while an entry-level model fills the 9.7-inch slot. There have, however, been a couple of somewhat questionable reports that this year’s iPad launch may be pushed back into the second half of the year.

Apple has demonstrated a willingness to risk unpopularity in order to move quickly on port changes, dropping the headphone socket from the iPhone 7 and adopting all-USB-C ports on the new MacBook Pro.