The iPad’s Good Connector is criminally underused

Apple appears to have a fetish for uncommon or unique ports. The unique iMac was one of many first computer systems to undertake USB. Later Macs adopted FireWire, then Thunderbolt, the second of which solely grew to become frequent on Home windows PCs with the arrival of USB 4. Maybe essentially the most notorious one is Lightning, which Apple stubbornly clung onto for iPhones, iPads, and varied equipment from 2012 by way of to early 2025 — even if USB-C had been an possibility since 2014. In truth, it solely started transitioning iPhones to USB-C when European regulators compelled its hand.

Right now, the one proprietary port Apple nonetheless makes use of — when you do not rely MacBook or Apple Watch charging — is the Good Connector on iPads. You won’t comprehend it, however it was as soon as meant for use for lots extra than simply Apple’s personal Magic Keyboards. So why did not that future prove as deliberate? There are not any agency solutions, however there do appear to be sturdy candidates, possible much like the explanations Apple has struggled within the gaming and sensible dwelling worlds.

The fundamentals of the Good Connector

A fast primer

The Good Connector made its premiere with the first-generation iPad Professional, again in 2015. Presumably it was meant to get round the issue of a “skilled” machine in any other case being restricted to a single USB-C port, one thing MacBook homeowners would not vibe with. In truth it was additionally the primary iPad to get an Apple Pencil, because the firm needed to draw extra illustrators and designers.

It took some time for the port to increase past the Professional sphere. Ultimately, although, it reached the third-gen iPad Air and seventh-gen base iPad. As of April 2026, there is a Good Connector on each new iPad mannequin besides the Mini, even when it is not all the time in the identical place on the chassis.

The port itself is very simple. It consists of three flat contacts, with magnets to carry issues in place. It is able to delivering each information and energy.

Most of some great benefits of the port are apparent. For one, it frees up your USB port for equipment which are extra energy or information intensive, equivalent to exterior shows and SSDs. It additionally sits flush with the again or fringe of an iPad, so you are not left with one thing jutting out in a clumsy or weak place. Lastly, it helps two-way energy, which is likely one of the issues that makes Magic Keyboards nice — you do not have to fret about charging them individually. So long as your iPad is not working on fumes, you are all the time able to submit on Reddit or write that school essay.

One thing that is not talked about as a lot is its instant-on performance. Whereas one thing comparable is feasible with Bluetooth, that must be particularly exploited. Something hooked up to a Good Connector is immediately accessible as when you have been utilizing USB.

A good suggestion squandered

An excessive amount of management, too little assist?

One barrier to adoption has been Apple’s scattershot implementation. At first, there was just one iPad that took benefit of the tech, which did not precisely present the most important marketplace for accent makers. Now that it is ubiquitous nevertheless, the truth that the Good Connector can shift place from iPad to iPad has made it exhausting or unattainable to standardize equipment. Merchandise must be up to date as new iPads change dimensions — you probably have an M5 iPad Pro, for instance, you’ll be able to’t use the identical Magic Keyboard you paired together with your M2 mannequin.

There’s extra happening. For a 2017 Fast Company story, Apple acknowledged that a number of third-party corporations have been engaged on equipment, however that does not appear to have produced a lot fruit. The Good Connector is usually supported by keyboard circumstances, and even then, many third-party merchandise depend on Bluetooth as an alternative. About the one firm that reliably helps the port is Logitech, which has unusually shut ties with Apple.

Nameless accent makers quoted within the Quick Firm report mentioned that they have been coping with lengthy wait instances and excessive costs for Good Connector parts, or just that Bluetooth made extra sense for them. Bluetooth has a few main advantages, one in all course being that it is not tied to particular pill dimensions. Maybe extra considerably although, the tech would not must be licensed or licensed by Apple — which was additionally an enormous impediment to the adoption of HomeKit for smart home equipment, at the least till the arrival of Matter. Paying for Apple certification cuts into income in a method that might not be value it for some companies, not when a less expensive various is offered.

Apple can also be unusually cagey about how a lot information and energy the Good Connector can deal with. That data is clearly accessible to companions, however virtually everybody else is in the dead of night. All I can fathom is that it would not assist a lot information, however that it does enable sufficient energy to cost an iPad. You should buy devoted Good Connector chargers, and the Air and Professional variations of the Magic Keyboard assist passthrough charging.

Finally, the Good Connector’s greatest nemesis could also be USB-C. USB appears to permit for far more information, and loads of energy throughput, sufficient that M5 Execs can cost as much as 50% in half-hour with a 60W adapter. Certainly USB allows an possibility that Good Connectors have by no means had: docks. It generally makes way more sense to purchase a dock that may join a number of equipment — equivalent to a mouse, a monitor, and an SD card reader — whereas concurrently charging your iPad, and being simple to depart behind once you simply wish to learn in your sofa. On Execs, a Thunderbolt 4 dock is sufficient to assist a complete desktop workstation.

I have never even addressed the “U” a part of USB. Merely put, with some exceptions, the universality of USB means that you may typically join equipment you already personal, whether or not they have been designed for Apple merchandise or not. So whereas a devoted keyboard case may nonetheless be value shopping for for all-in-one comfort, some individuals will likely be positive with an current USB mouse or keyboard if they do not select Bluetooth as an alternative. It positively makes extra sense to purchase a USB-C charger that helps a number of gadgets, fairly than a Good Connector mannequin that could possibly be rendered out of date when Apple’s design whims change. Anticipate Good Connectors to grow to be much less and fewer essential as USB 4 and Thunderbolt filter down from Execs to cheaper iPads.

Can Apple salvage the Good Connector?

The uphill battle

Credit score: Pocket-lint / KUXIU

The extra I give it some thought, the extra I think the Good Connector is doomed. Hypothetically, there isn’t any motive Apple could not develop an up to date model that may be extra aggressive with USB-C. It might even decide on higher placement that may be extra prone to carry over from one technology to the subsequent.

The writing is on the wall, although. Whereas Magic Keyboards are common, the Good Connector is not. Within the present age, it most likely makes way more sense to change to a totally wi-fi format — maybe an iPad equal of the magnetic MagSafe/Qi2 connectors which are de facto on iPhones. Any low-bandwidth information wants could possibly be taken over by requirements like Bluetooth and NFC. Qi2, notably, is common, able to working simply as effectively with headphones and Android gadgets.

The transfer could possibly be a win-win. Apple may get extra assist from third-party distributors, whereas nonetheless promoting loads of equipment itself. For us customers, there could be extra interchangeability.