Apple will reportedly launch a new iPad Pro later in 2022 that will come equipped with the next-gen M2 silicon and might also support MagSafe charging. This isn’t the first time that rumors of wireless charging support have surfaced online, but the saga has been somewhat confusing. In December 2021, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman noted in his PowerOn newsletter that an iPad Pro refresh for 2022 will reportedly bundle wireless charging support with the possibility of reverse wireless charging as well.
If implemented, it would be a neat addition. And given the iPad Pro’s significantly larger battery, it would be possible to juice up an iPhone more than once without having to worry about finding a socket nearby. However, adding support for wireless charging would require Apple to switch from the current all-metal enclosure of its flagship tablet to a glass build. And that’s where things get interesting. In January, a credible outlet reported that Apple had shelved plans for an all-glass iPad Pro, which also laid to rest rumors of wireless charging support on the tablet.
Well, things are getting interesting again. In the latest edition of his PowerOn newsletter, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman pushed forward his expectation of an iPad Pro refresh that will make its debut in 2022’s fall season. But the more interesting claim he makes is that the upcoming tablet will bring support for MagSafe charging. To recall, MagSafe arrived on the scene with the iPhone 12 series and has since spawned its own ecosystem of in-house and third-party wireless charging accessories. It only makes sense that Apple would want to bring the tech to its next flagship tablet.
A Major Overhaul For The Flagship iPad
Unfortunately, there is no word how Apple is going to put the MagSafe hardware inside a tablet with a metallic chassis. One possibility that multiple rumors have proposed is that the Apple logo at the back will be made out of glass, allowing for wireless power transfer from the MagSafe charging coil placed beneath it. Offering wireless charging on a gadget with a metallic build is not unheard of. The Pixel 5 had a metallic back as well, but Google drilled a hole in the area just above the wireless charging hardware and used a non-metallic material in that region to facilitate wireless charging.
The current-gen iPad Pro with the M1 chip inside made its debut in April 2021 and going by Gurman’s latest prediction of a fall season debut, a successor won’t arrive before September 2022 at the earliest. By then, the iPad Pro would be 15 months into its release, which is well over the due time frame for launching a successor. By that point, Apple’s next-gen M2 silicon would have already made its way inside Apple’s computing hardware, if rumors are anything to go by. Given the choice of processor, Apple made for the 2021 iPad Pro, the most obvious guess is that the 2022 version will arrive with the M2 chip at its heart.
