Apple on the cusp of revealing 5G iPad

Apple’s iPad remains the most popular tablet lineup in the world, with the brand commanding over 50 per cent of the global tablet market share.

Yet Apple has been surprisingly late to the 5G party with both its smart phones and its tablets. Their first 5G compatible iPhone came in the form of the iPhone 12, which was launched on October 23, 2020.

That was a full 18 months after Samsung shepherded in the 5G era with their unveiling of the first widely available 5G phone in the form of the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G.

So why the wait?

Some note Apple has traditionally been late to introduce new technology like 5G in a bid to let competitors iron out the issues before they have to.

And the reality is they can afford to take that stance. As one of the world’s most highly-regarded tech brands, consumers will often allow Apple a lot of latitude in the knowledge when products hit the shelves, there’s a good chance they’ve nailed new technology adoption.

If that’s the case with the iPad Pro 2021, there’s a chance consumers are in for a groundbreaking tablet.

Apple has scheduled an event for April 20, which has prompted many to speculate the reveal of the iPad Pro 2021 might be imminent.

After all, it’s more than a year since the last Pro was unveiled.

When it comes to what’s likely to be on offer. the exterior design isn’t expected to change much. Instead, it will be all about what’s under the hood, and in the world of Apple tablets, the iPad Pro is the top-of-the-line model that sets the precedent for the rest of the range.

This pending edition is tipped to boast the latest processors, a Thunderbolt connector, and of course that much-anticipated 5G technology.

But what’s the big deal of 5G?

5G is the latest incarnation of the mobile internet network, superseding 4G, 3G and 2G before that.

The big-ticket benefits of 5G are less latency and more bandwidth. If you’re asking: ‘what’s in it for me?’, the basic upshot is that it will allow for the faster transfer of data, including video.

5G is also tipped to transform the world of the internet of things, making it commonplace in most of our lives.

At present 5G is available in a lot of countries but isn’t the mainstream. By 2025, that’s expected to change with 1.7 billion subscribers using it worldwide.

Importantly, when Apple completely embraces the 5G era, that adoption rate will rapidly increase.

The next Apple event is slated to take place on April 20.