The original iPad had nearly two 30-pin connectors – Review Geek

The iPad has come a long way since its inception – from a humble tablet to a debatable productivity machine. But photos of a first-generation iPad prototype show that Apple has always had an eye for productivity, just like the iPad two 30-pin ports.

There is one at the bottom, where you̵

7;d expect, but there was also a second on the left. The images, shared by rare Apple device collector Guilio Zompetti on Twitter, show the device in detail.

Here’s a detailed look at both hardware interfaces. #AppleCollection #Apple #iPad #prototype pic.twitter.com/CcWWAUPcz9

– Giulio Zompetti (@ 1nsane_dev) March 27, 2021

Sounds like the original plan was pretty rad. The ports would support simultaneous charging, meaning you could have used one for charging and the other for accessors (like hard drives or whatever). This was long before hardware support has the iPad now, so it’s clear that Apple had big plans with this little gadget from day one.

Unfortunately, this never materialized. The left port was removed for unknown reasons while testing the design verification. Maybe the software just wasn’t where it needed to be at the time.

But times have changed, and so has the iPad. Modern iPads have the Smart Connector for the Smart Keyboard and either a Lightning or USB-C port, so the goals of the dual docking scenario for the original life in a sense still remain.