That’s a definition, but it’s not the definition. All but one of the USB C versions we list have the word “hub” in the manufacturer’s product description, after all. That said, there’d be no harm in also recommending a model with larger numbers of downstream USB C ports at some stage for those (like you) who are looking specifically for that, so we may well update the post along those lines in the future.

Edit: found one! It’s the StarTech model that I’ve now added to the article.

Yeah, it’s a real frustration. I haven’t used anything that would reliably charge an iPad — there’s an older Anker 3-in-1 model that might very slowly do the job, but the output’s only rated to 1.5A (7.5W.)

Failing that, you’ll probably end up needing to buy a docking station rather than a USB C hub — something like this looks like it might work, but it costs more and is less portable.

I don’t think there’s a technical reason why it’s not included so much as a cost-saving one, to be honest.

If both USB-C ports on my MBA are occupied and I want to plug in an iPad, I can do so with almost any hub. But the iPad will not charge.

(Sidecar won’t work on my iPad Air 2. I have to use the iPad’s single port for a cable hookup to the Mac to run Duet.)

Is there a technical reason manufacturers leave out charging through data ports?