If there’s one word that’s thrown around a bit too liberally in the mobile tech field, it’s “smart.” Sure, plenty of devices offer great connectivity options, run all manner of software, and are capable of some pretty impressive feats, but does that imbue them with some kind of indescribable quality of intelligence? We’re probably just as guilty of overusing “smart” as anyone else, but today we find ourselves looking at one feature sporting that “smart” label that might just make good on its boast, as the Smart Connector in the Apple iPad Pro is spotted delivering firmware updates to connected accessories.

The Smart Connector may look a little underwhelming, but the three-contact interface does a lot more than just let Apple’s Smart Keyboard (assuming you can get your hands on it) talk to the iPad Pro.

As users are discovering when updating to the new iOS 9.3 beta 2, the Smart Connector is apparently capable of delivering firmware updates to connected accessories – even third-party devices like the Logitech Create keyboard.

The OS detects when an update is available for an attached Smart Connector and prompts the user if they’d like to go ahead with installation. So far, it appears that you’ll need this new iOS beta to take advantage of the mode, but that likely means that we’ll see it land for the public at large once iOS 9.3 is ready to go mainstream in the coming weeks.

We know, this isn’t necessarily a game-changer, but it’s just the sort of convenient, well-executed feature that makes us think that the iPad Pro Smart Connector really might be deserving of its name,

Source: Stefan Wolfrum (Twitter)
Via: Engadget