Smart connector for Apple’s new iPad Air 3?

Apple’s new iPad may include a smart connector when it and a smaller iPhone are announced next month.

An Apple iPad Pro.

Apple’s new iPad may include a smart connector when it, a smaller iPhone and maybe a revised Apple Watch are announced next month, according to online sources.

The Apple watching website appleinsider.com carries a leaked photo of an “alleged iPad Air 3” case which has a space for the smart connector. If they’re right, iPad Air 3 or whatever Apple calls its next 9.7-inch tablet will power connected keyboards just as iPad Pro does.

Apple’s keyboard for iPad Pro is comfortable to use but has a major flaw: the keys are not backlit so you can’t type in darker surroundings. However Logitech came to market quickly with a smart connected keyboard that was. We’re yet to know whether the next Apple connected keyboard addresses this.

The leaked photo of a case includes a cut-out area that suggests the next iPad could feature a rear camera flash, Apple Insider says. And there’s a suggestion it will pack other features of iPad Pro in the next 9.7-inch model such as the faster A9X processor.

With last month’s consumer electronics show in Las Vegas receding into history, the Apple rumour mill is cranking up quickly, including speculation about the camera options for iPhone 7.

Analysts predict that Apple will hold an event next month, at which it will announce at least two devices: a refreshed iPad and, in what seems a move backward in time, an upgraded 4-inch iPhone dubbed iPhone 5se (special edition) or iPhone 6c.

Why Apple would refresh its 4-inch model is an interesting question; one possibility is that it wants to offer a cheaper way for users to swap to a phone that has an NFC (Near Field Communication) chip and hence ability to be used for Apple Pay in what is an aggressive and expanding market for mobile focused payments.

At the moment, a considerable slab of the iPhone user base with older 4-inch phones cannot use Apple Pay as NFC is included only in iPhone 6 and 6s models. Apple was slow to introduce NFC compared to its rivals.

The only workarounds is to place the phone in an NFC-enabled case or use an Apple Watch wirelessly linked to their 5 or 5s. If you go to that amount of trouble, it’s probably easier to pull your credit card from your pocket at the shop terminal.

Rival Apple-focused newsite Macworld reports that Cupertino company may also launch an updated Apple Watch, as well as iPad Air 3 and iPhone 5se.

But nothing is certain. But a consumer’ wishlist would no doubt include improved battery life, along with features like a Facetime camera for video calls.