OWC brings the option of Thunderbolt or SSD speeds to the new iPad Mini with its latest hubs and portable drives

Apple's long-awaited upgrade of the iPad Mini 6 to a USB type-C port might unlock a whole new universe of connectivity or storage options for those who buy it. At least, this is the perspective of OWC, a name often synonymous with add-ons for the Cupertino giant's products.

The brand does of course have a point, in that even its Thunderbolt Hub is now compatible with the latest miniature iPad. This accessory has 1 type-C-in port, which gives a connected device access to 3 further ports of the same type, rated for the speeds for which the accessory it is named, as well as 1 10Gb/s type-A port and a DC input for power if necessary.

That US$179 accessory is small enough to go anywhere along with an iPad Mini 6 and its owner, as is the OWC USB-C Travel Dock, a product of the type with a handy in-built and hide-away cable, as well as dual USB 3.1 Gen 1 type-A ports, an HDMI port, a full SD card reader and a type-C for up to 100W pass-through charging.

The $150 OWC 10-Port USB-C Dock is more a product to come home to, as is the Mercury Elite Pro Dual station. The latter is an up-to-36TB "high-performance data-storage solution" with the option of RAID-0 or -1 configurations that has a type-C 3.2 port that means devices such as the iPad Pro can plug into it as its own personal back-up server.

The up-to-1026MB/s aluminum desktop drive goes from $249 for a 2TB model to $1,379 for its maxed-out option, although its dual bays can accommodate any 2.5-inch or 3.5-inch SSD or HDD.

Then again, OWC also has more portable alternatives that are SSD-based alone. They are also USB type C, meaning they could even make friends with a new iPhone 13-series unit, and bridge the gulf between the base model and the new 1TB Pro Max top-end model. The Envoy Pro Elektron and FX models are also rated as 'tough-drives', with waterproofing and up to IP67 and MIL-STD-810G ratings in the FX. 

In fact, OWC describes the Elektron as the "fastest, toughest mini-sized SSD in the universe". The larger, up to 2,800MB/s Envoy Pro FX, on the other hand, is touted as a "universal" type-C drive that can use Thunderbolt 4 with compatible Macs. It runs from $199 for a 240GB base-model to $499 for 2TB, whereas the Pro Elektron is priced at $99 to $399 for the same configurations. 

All of these new products are available from OWC's Macsales.com website or Amazon from now. The brand has also announced that these drives can be used with its own Copy That iOS and iPadOS app for straightforward photo or video transfer from an iPhone or iPad to a first-party drive.