Apple just released a new kind of Apple Watch charger, and it hints at a major feature rumored to be coming to iPads (AAPL)

apple ipad

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

• Apple now sells an Apple Watch charger with a USB-C connector at the other end.

• This adds credence to the rumors that Apple's upcoming iPad Pro models might ditch Apple's proprietary Lightning connector for the USB-C standard. 

• Apple is expected to launch new iPads on October 30 in Brooklyn, New York. 

Apple quietly started selling a charging cable for the Apple Watch that uses a USB-C connector.

This could hint at one of the biggest rumors about Apple's upcoming iPads: that they could be equipped with a USB-C port, instead of Apple's proprietary Lightning charger.

Apple is widely expected to launch new iPad Pro models in Brooklyn on October 30, when it has scheduled a launch event. 

usb type c

YouTube/ThioJoeApple's MacBook and MacBook Pro laptops already sport USB-C connectors. The ports are symmetrical and smaller than the USB-A ports that have been standard on most phones and laptops for the past decades. They also support a lot of other nifty features, like powering an external display.

If Apple wanted to make its iPad Pro more like a laptop, including a USB-C port would be a logical move. It could enable professional users to use specific accessories, like mice or keyboards, if Apple wanted to support them.

And with Apple's new USB-C charger for the Apple Watch, people could conceivable charge their smartwatch from their iPad, too, without an adapter. There are no officially licensed third-party Apple Watch chargers. 

Screen Shot 2018 10 19 at 9.23.22 AM

Apple

There are a fair amount of rumors pointing to a USB-C iPad Pro, although the move would be a break from tradition for Apple, which prefers to use its proprietary charger on its iOS phones and tablets. 

In September, well-connected TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicted that Apple's new iPad Pro would come with a USB-C connector for input and output. 

Earlier this week, accessory makers at a trade fair in Hong Kong said that they expect the upcoming iPad Pro to have USB-C instead of Lightning, according to MacOtakara, a Japanese Apple blog. So it's entirely possible that Apple could equip the new iPads thought to come out this month with a new kind of connector, making them more like a laptop. 

However, Apple still includes an older USB-A iPhone charger with new iPhones, so the transition to next-generation USB-C isn't complete yet. 

Business Insider will cover all of Apple's announcements as they happen on October 30. 

NOW WATCH: Everything we know about Samsung’s foldable phone

See Also:

• Apple stores are now selling a $2,000 'self-flying' drone you can control from an Apple Watch

• This handy case could fix the most annoying parts of the newest iPhones

• Scammers have been tricking iPhone users into downloading apps that cost hundreds of dollars per year. Now, Apple appears to be cracking down

SEE ALSO: Apple's big bet on the future of USB is increasingly looking like a rare misfire