The HyperDrive could make the iPad an excellent laptop replacement, if not for iOS

HyperDrive is a catch-all dongle for iPad Pro users

With one simple piece of hardware, the new iPad Pro becomes a whole lot more useful.

As review after review comes out about the limited hardware holding back the tremendous hardware of the iPad Pro, Hyper is spending its time focusing on what the hardware appears to be lacking, and that would be ports. The switch to USB-C is a welcomed change for the iPad as many more universal accessories become available, but unfortunately, USB-C is the only port. If Apple fully imagines the iPad Pro being a laptop replacement, it is going to need some more peripheral ports, and Hyper is ready to make that happen.

The HyperDrive, designed to sit flush specifically on the new iPad, is a fully loaded hub with a pretty reasonable price tag ($99.99). The hub features a 3.5mm jack, an HDMI slot, SD and MicroSD slot, a USB-A port, and a USB-C port; it also comes in grey and silver to match the iPad finishes. The hub is 100% portable utilizing the power of the iPad through USB-C which means there will certainly be a draw on battery. While this hub seems to give users the options they need, there are still limitations due to iOS meaning that the flash drive you plug in to the USB-A port will stop be usable for external storage. In addition, while Hyper claims that photo/video import is possible, it will depend on the third party app coding.

The HyperDrive will be available in December with no word on actual date of shipping at this time.