Apple secretly included a USB 3.0 port on the iPad Pro - and no one noticed
The new connector, which has not been in any previous iPads, can support USB 3.0 data connection speeds. This puts the iPad Pro in-line with high-end laptops, such as the MacBook Pro.
Apple has not made the change explicit, leaving it up to third-parties to notice the faster connection.
The iPad Pro is aimed at the enterprise/professional market, who will appreciate the faster speeds offered by the newer technology. A photographer could, for example, transfer photos from a DSLR to the iPad Pro faster.
USB 2.0, introduced in 2000, supports speeds of up to 480Mbps while USB 3.0, introduced in 2015, supports speeds of up to 5Gbps.
The cable that Apple ships with the iPad Pro does not support the faster USB 3.0 speeds, according to the report. However, Apple may choose to start shipping a newer, faster cable to take advantage of the new Lightning connector.