iOS 9.3 Beta 2 brings new standalone features to Apple iPad Pro

According to a tweet by German iOS developer Stefan Wolfrum, the Apple iPad Pro will gain the ability to update the firmware of peripherals connected to its USB 3.0, three-dot Smart Connector. This feature will be available in the next official release of iOS 9.3, which is currently in its second Beta stage.

The discovery was made by Wulfrum, as iOS notified the Beta tester to update the firmware of a connected Logitech Create keyboard. The firmware update was completed successfully, prompting confirmation that the Apple iPad Pro is on its way to gain increasingly laptop-like capabilities. Letting an iOS device update the firmware of another device is most unusual, as far as Apple devices go. With that said, software updates from one mobile device to another are not unheard of, if we think of the way Android smartphones have the ability to update the software of Bluetooth paired devices like smartwatches.

When Tim Cook announced the Apple iPad Pro last Summer, he outlined how the new device has the potential to completely replace a laptop, for most consumers. When considering that the typical workload of a laptop isn’t what it used to be, thanks to the growing share gained by mobile devices, the iPAd Pro has a reasonable chance of fulfilling that expectation, especially as iOS improves and adds new capabilities that bridge the gap between the premium-sized iPad, and most entry-level netbooks.

It’s unclear whether the ability to update firmware extends to Apple Pencil and other devices connected wirelessly, or even via the Lightning connector, but it’s very possible that we’ll see further hardware-related advancements, before the official launch of iOS 9.3.

This second Beta release of iOS 9.3 was released last week, and included Night Shift mode, a feature that automatically switches the display’s hue to a warmer tone, to fight the effects of sleep deprivation associated with using mobile devices at night.