New iPad adopts USB-C and abandons the home button for the first time ever

Apple announced its new iPad Pro models with little fanfare earlier today, but its new vanilla iPad is a bit more special. It still just gets a press release launch rather than a traditional launch event, but there’s a lot more to talk about.

First, the iPad for 2022 looks different from any other iPad before it. The home button is gone, allowing the front to have smaller bezels and look more modern. It looks a lot more like an iPad Air than anything else.

Next, we see Apple abandon the Lightning port for this model. You know what that means: all modern iPads now use USB-C. It looks like Apple truly will abandon its proprietary Lightning connection in 2023.

iPadOS 16 is also standard with various upgrades, including Freeform, a new productivity app. However, older iPads will get iPad OS 16 as well, so don’t toss out your old one quite yet.

Finally, the internal specs of the iPad for 2022 get plenty of upgrades. The A14 Bionic chip is here, replacing the A13 from the previous generation. The front-facing camera gets an upgrade to a 12MP ultrawide lens for better video calling. Wi-Fi 6 is also onboard and cellular models will have access to 5G networks. These upgrades are on top of all the previous upgrades of the last-gen model, which included Apple Pencil support (first-gen only, unfortunately).

The entry-level iPad with Wi-Fi-only connections and 64GB of internal storage lands at $449. You can grab it in blue, pink, yellow, or silver. If you want cellular connectivity, you’ll need to fork over $599. There are also 256GB models that add increased costs.

You can order a new iPad for 2022 today, but they won’t see general availability until October 26.