Just before my departure from Small Dog Electronics, I extolled the usefulness of the new iPad Lightning to USB 3 Adapter in their 985th issue of the Kibbles & Bytes newsletter:

If you’ve owned a Mac for quite some time and invested in various peripherals over the years, but also own an iPad, I have a tip for you!

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Often upgrading to a newer WiFi or Bluetooth peripheral is still the best decision and will be more compatible in the long run, but what if you have invested in USB peripherals? If you have a trusted USB keyboard (for some of us, they become an old friend), USB memory card readers, expensive USB audio equipment like microphones, mixers, or MIDI devices, there is a way! Additionally, if you need to connect your iPad to a wired ethernet network, what I’m about to reveal will do the trick too. Let me introduce you to Apple’s Lightning to USB adapters:

• Apple Lightning to USB Camera Adapter for $29.99
• Apple Lightning to USB 3 Camera Adapter for $39.99

While originally designed for importing photos and videos from digital cameras via USB, they do support other standard types of USB peripherals, including keyboards, barcode scanners, memory card readers, and various audio devices.

This little adapter enabled me to not have to invest in a new Mac for home use and just use my iPad mini instead. More details to come.