Apple's First Water-Resistant iPad to Launch Later This Year
Apple is expected to launch a water-resistant iPad mini by October, utilizing a novel vibration-based speaker system to eliminate traditional ingress points. This design shift aims to make the tablet more competitive with dedicated e-readers in environments like pools or bathrooms.
Why it matters
The introduction of water resistance to the iPad line represents a significant hardware design evolution for Apple's tablet ecosystem.
Apple's next iPad mini will apparently be the first iPad with a water-resistant design, and the tablet is now expected to arrive by October.
Bloomberg 's Mark Gurman reported last year that Apple is working on an updated casing that offers protection comparable to the iPhone , making the iPad mini safe for casual use in wet environments like a bathroom or a pool area. No iPad currently carries an official water resistance rating, and Apple does not consider the existing models safe to get wet.
To achieve this, Apple has reportedly designed a vibration-based speaker system that removes the need for traditional speaker holes. Sound would instead emit from flat surfaces on the tablet's chassis, effectively turning parts of the body into a speaker diaphragm and eliminating one of the main routes through which water and dust enter a device.
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