{ "version": "https://jsonfeed.org/version/1.1", "user_comment": "This feed allows you to read the posts from this site in any feed reader that supports the JSON Feed format. To add this feed to your reader, copy the following URL -- https://www.macstories.net/tag/ipad-pro/feed/json/ -- and add it your reader.", "home_page_url": "https://www.macstories.net/tag/ipad-pro/", "feed_url": "https://www.macstories.net/tag/ipad-pro/feed/json/", "language": "en-US", "title": "iPad Pro – MacStories", "description": "Apple news, app reviews, and stories by Federico Viticci and friends.", "items": [ { "id": "https://www.macstories.net/?p=73936", "url": "https://www.macstories.net/ipad/how-i-modded-my-ipad-pro-with-a-screen-protector-iphone-holder-and-magnetic-stereo-speakers/", "title": "How I Modded My iPad Pro with a Screen Protector, iPhone Holder, and Magnetic Stereo Speakers", "content_html": "
My new, modular iPad Pro 12.9\" setup.

My new, modular iPad Pro 12.9” setup.

\n

Those who have been reading MacStories for a few years should know something about me: I love modding things. Whether it’s customizing the silicone tips of AirPods Pro or adding kickstands to iPad covers (which I don’t do anymore), there’s something about the idea of taking an object and modding it specifically to my needs that my brain finds deeply satisfying. I’ve done it with videogame consoles; I’ve done it with IKEA furniture1; and I’ve done it – once again – with my 12.9” iPad Pro.

\n

A new generation of iPad Pros and Airs is rumored to launch in the near future, and with the Vision Pro coming in a few weeks, what better way to wrap up my usage of the M2 iPad Pro than covering the mods I’ve been using?

\n

\n

Paperlike Screen Protector

\n

I’m starting with a pretty common mod that you may have seen covered elsewhere before – in fact, I was convinced to try this again after watching a video by my friend Chris Lawley. I put a Paperlike screen protector on my iPad Pro again, and I’ve been happier using it than I was expecting.

\n

I say “again” because this is not my first rodeo with Paperlike’s matte screen protectors. I tried the original model years ago, and while I liked the idea of removing glossiness from my computer’s display, the degradation in image quality was too noticeable for my taste. The original Paperlike didn’t last long on my old iPad Pro.

\n

A few years have passed since that experiment, and things have changed in the meantime:

\n

I should also note that I’m not interested in the Paperlike screen protector because I want to “replicate the feel of pen and paper” on my iPad Pro. I very rarely use my Pencil with the iPad as a pointing device – never as a drawing tool – and I don’t take handwritten notes. I’m merely intrigued by the idea of removing display glare and, if possible, hiding smudges and fingerprints from the screen, which is a nice bonus.

\n

Well, I’m here to say that I’ve had a much better experience with the latest-gen Paperlike compared to the model I tried years ago. The new film does help in terms of retaining image quality once applied to the iPad Pro’s display, and I don’t feel like I’m sacrificing too much of the mini-LED display when using the new Paperlike.

\n
\"As

As you can see, the Paperlike doesn’t completely remove reflections from the iPad’s display, but it makes working under direct sunlight much better.

\n
\"A

A macro shot of the Paperlike to prove that small text remains crisp and legible.

\n

Notably, the new Paperlike allows me to read font at small sizes in apps like GoodLinks and Spark without making small characters blurry, which is something that used to happen with the first-gen model. And, of course, I get all the advantages of a matte screen protector: it’s easier to work in my car or under direct sunlight, and I don’t see smudges on the iPad’s display as much anymore.

\n

With iPad Pros soon getting OLED displays, I’m not sure I’ll be able to resist the temptation of going pure OLED without any screen protector on (I just love OLED too much), but the Paperlike experiment has been a success so far. I recommend it if you’re looking for ways to make your iPad’s display matte and get rid of fingerprints.

\n

Magnetic iPhone Holder

\n

Fine, let’s get to the weird stuff now.

\n

I thought of this mod one day when I was writing with my iPad Pro on the couch and listening to music on my iPhone. Specifically, I was typing in Obsidian on the iPad and checking song lyrics on the iPhone every few seconds. In that moment, I realized that was something I do with a variety of apps on a regular basis: maybe I’m catching up on RSS on the iPad and running timers in Timery for iPhone; or perhaps I’m doing email and keeping WhatsApp open on the iPhone. Typically, I would place the iPhone next to me on the couch or, if I’m working at my desk or living room table, next to the Magic Keyboard. Wouldn’t it be nicer if the iPhone’s display was always right there instead, floating next to the iPad Pro’s display?

\n

After some research, I remembered I once stumbled upon an Instagram ad (sometimes, they work quite well) for a company called Rolling Square that makes a clip accessory to mount a MagSafe-equipped iPhone next to a laptop’s screen or external monitor. The idea is simple enough: the Edge Pro MagSafe holder is comprised of two parts, which snap together when closed; the inner part attaches magnetically to a metal “base” that you need to stick (with adhesive) behind your laptop’s screen or at the back of an external monitor like a Studio Display.

\n
\"The

The base of the Rolling Square Edge Pro that I attached to the back of the Magic Keyboard.

\n
\"The

The removable magnetic clip placed on top of it.

\n

With all the parts in place, here’s what the back of my iPad Pro looks like with the Rolling Square “base” and when the clip is closed:

\n
\"The

The clip folded on itself.

\n

And here’s what I see when I open the clip:

\n
\"\"

\n

That’s all I needed to create a mounting solution for my iPhone next to the iPad Pro. I use a MagSafe case with my iPhone 15 Pro Max (the Nomad leather one), and the magnetic connection is strong enough to allow the iPhone to stay attached to the clip when I’m typing with the Magic Keyboard.2

\n

I’ve been working with this system for the past month or so, and I’ve seen a variety of use cases naturally pop up that I wasn’t expecting would be so useful in everyday life. Running timers with the Timery app, for instance, has been a great way for me to remember to log my time when I’m working with Obsidian on the iPad. It’s easy to forget to start a timer, but with the iPhone and the Timery widget always next to my “main display”, that happens less frequently. Playing music and controlling playback – the idea that sent me down this path to begin with – has also been an exceptional addition. Instead of having to switch back and forth between the app I’m working with and either Marvis or Music, I can offload playback to the iPhone, which is always within easy reach.

\n
\"My

My iPhone 15 Pro Max mounted next to the iPad Pro.

\n
\"Reading

Reading lyrics while working in Obsidian.

\n

You may think that having an iPhone mounted next to your computer’s display can be too distracting, but, in reality, I’ve found that handing off specific tasks to a secondary device has actually removed distractions from my iPad workflow. Whether it’s the ability to quickly read show notes for a podcast episode I’m streaming, keep WhatsApp open, or occasionally check on my Mastodon timeline, not having to do so with the iPad means that I spend less time closing and reopening Obsidian, thus helping me focus more on writing or editing articles.

\n

In a way, what I’ve done is reminiscent of John’s old setup, when he was using an iPad floating next to his Mac’s display to offload certain tasks to the iPadOS Home Screen and manage everything with Universal Control. There’s no shared pointer and keyboard between the iPhone and iPad, but the idea is similar: it’s useful to keep a second device next to your main computer for certain tasks that may normally interrupt your workflow.

\n

Magnetic Stereo Speakers

\n

And now for the weirdest thing I’ve ever done to my iPad Pro.

\n

As I was testing the Rolling Square attachment for my iPhone, I started wondering: are there other things I could magnetically mount to the sides of the iPad Pro? After all, the clips add minimal weight and thickness (2.5mm) to a device that I’m mostly using at a desk or on my lap (so weight is not a concern, really); why not explore more options?

\n

Look, I don’t know why my brain works the way it does, but one day last month I was cooking dinner while listening to music coming from the iPad, and I had an idea:

\n

Speakers.

\n

The iPad Pro’s four-speaker stereo system is very good for a tablet, but what if I could find two small external speakers and mount them on both sides of the iPad Pro? I didn’t know if such a product even existed, but I was intrigued by the idea, so I started looking.

\n

The answer came quickly by way of accessory maker Scosche. As it turns out, other people in the world had a similar idea to mine, only that instead of attaching portable speakers via MagSafe to a laptop holder, they attach them to the back of an iPhone and use the speaker as a makeshift kickstand that also happens to be a Bluetooth speaker. Said accessory is called the BoomCan MS, and it’s essentially a small puck-style speaker that packs a 3-watt driver, 500mAh battery, and Bluetooth 5.3 for fast connections to any device. But besides the diminutive footprint and the sound output (more on this below), the best aspect of the BoomCan is that it supports exactly what I imagined: get a second one, and you can pair two speakers for true stereo mode with a single Bluetooth connection to your computer.

\n

I couldn’t believe that my silly idea was actually feasible, so I got to work. I ordered two BoomCan units from Amazon3 and mounted two additional Rolling Square Edge Pro holders to the back of the Magic Keyboard, which now looked like this:

\n
\"The

The back of my Magic Keyboard now.

\n
\"The

The clips aren’t too thick.

\n
\"The

The magnetic ring I stuck to the bottom of the BoomCan speakers.

\n

When the BoomCans arrived, I attached the magnetic metal ring that comes included with the Edge Pro clip to the bottom of the speakers for extra strength, paired the first one with the iPad Pro, created stereo mode with the second one, and voilà: my iPad is now living its Transformers era.

\n
\"My

My iPad Pro featuring the BoomCan MS stereo speakers.

\n

I know, I know: this looks completely and utterly ridiculous. But for those out there brave or weird enough to be fascinated by whatever this is, let me tell you: these speakers genuinely sound like a massive improvement compared to the iPad’s built-in four-speaker array when playing music at full volume. For their size and price, they provide a warmer and wider soundstage than the iPad’s default speakers, making any song sound “bigger” and with more bass.

\n
\"Working

Working from my car with the iPad Pro while listening to music via the magnetically-mounted BoomCan MS.

\n

This is not a surprise: space inside the iPad Pro is limited, and there’s only so much air drivers embedded within the iPad’s chassis can move while keeping a low-power profile. But given my experience with other similar magnetic speakers (see footnote), I was surprised by the quality of the BoomCan MS, especially when combined in stereo mode. I often work with my iPad Pro in places where I don’t have my HomePod mini (at my mom’s place; in my car; at SIlvia’s place), so being able to listen to music without a larger Bluetooth speaker or without wearing headphones while taking advantage of the iPad’s portability is a huge plus for me.

\n

Modularity, Always

\n
\"\"

\n

These mods, particularly the magnetic ones, aren’t for everyone. Let’s face it – plenty of Reddit commenters are ready to poke fun at this story. But as I look forward to the next major upgrade to the iPad Pro line, these accessories reminded me of what I truly love about this platform, despite its flaws: the freedom to adapt the iPad to my workflow and complicated daily schedule.

\n

Whether it’s used as a tablet, put inside a Magic Keyboard, connected to a Studio Display, paired with a floating iPhone or magnetically-attached speakers, the iPad’s transformative nature makes it the most flexible computer Apple makes. After all, that’s precisely the reason I fell in love with this product 10 years ago, and it’s why I can’t wait to see what its future holds.

\n
\n
  1. \nDid you know there’s a whole IKEA-modding scene out there? ↩︎\n
    2. \n
  2. \nTechnically, Rolling Square claims that you can also mount a tablet next to a laptop by using two Edge Pro holders instead of one. I haven’t tried this approach, but I think it makes a lot of sense if you consider how the iPad can be an additional Mac display with Sidecar or be used with the same keyboard and trackpad thanks to Universal Control. ↩︎\n
    3. \n
  3. \nThere are a lot of similar, cheaper knock-offs of the BoomCan MS on Amazon. Don’t buy them. I did, tested them, and they don’t sound nearly as good as the BoomCans do. ↩︎\n
    4. \n
\n

Support MacStories and Unlock Extras

Founded in 2015, Club MacStories has delivered exclusive content every week for over six years.

\n

In that time, members have enjoyed nearly 400 weekly and monthly newsletters packed with more of your favorite MacStories writing as well as Club-only podcasts, eBooks, discounts on apps, icons, and services. Join today, and you’ll get everything new that we publish every week, plus access to our entire archive of back issues and downloadable perks.

\n

The Club expanded in 2021 with Club MacStories+ and Club Premier. Club MacStories+ members enjoy even more exclusive stories, a vibrant Discord community, a rotating roster of app discounts, and more. And, with Club Premier, you get everything we offer at every Club level plus an extended, ad-free version of our podcast AppStories that is delivered early each week in high-bitrate audio.

\n

Join Now", "content_text": "My new, modular iPad Pro 12.9” setup.\nThose who have been reading MacStories for a few years should know something about me: I love modding things. Whether it’s customizing the silicone tips of AirPods Pro or adding kickstands to iPad covers (which I don’t do anymore), there’s something about the idea of taking an object and modding it specifically to my needs that my brain finds deeply satisfying. I’ve done it with videogame consoles; I’ve done it with IKEA furniture1; and I’ve done it – once again – with my 12.9” iPad Pro.\nA new generation of iPad Pros and Airs is rumored to launch in the near future, and with the Vision Pro coming in a few weeks, what better way to wrap up my usage of the M2 iPad Pro than covering the mods I’ve been using?\n\nPaperlike Screen Protector\nI’m starting with a pretty common mod that you may have seen covered elsewhere before – in fact, I was convinced to try this again after watching a video by my friend Chris Lawley. I put a Paperlike screen protector on my iPad Pro again, and I’ve been happier using it than I was expecting.\nI say “again” because this is not my first rodeo with Paperlike’s matte screen protectors. I tried the original model years ago, and while I liked the idea of removing glossiness from my computer’s display, the degradation in image quality was too noticeable for my taste. The original Paperlike didn’t last long on my old iPad Pro.\nA few years have passed since that experiment, and things have changed in the meantime:\nI spend quite a bit of time working in my car every week, where glare is always a problem;\nWe moved into our new place in 2022, and with the much bigger balcony we have now, I’d like to work outside with my iPad Pro every once in a while;\nThe folks at Paperlike have come out with a second-gen revision of the screen protector that offers better picture quality and superior transparency, which should help avoiding the first model’s image degradation issues.\nI should also note that I’m not interested in the Paperlike screen protector because I want to “replicate the feel of pen and paper” on my iPad Pro. I very rarely use my Pencil with the iPad as a pointing device – never as a drawing tool – and I don’t take handwritten notes. I’m merely intrigued by the idea of removing display glare and, if possible, hiding smudges and fingerprints from the screen, which is a nice bonus.\nWell, I’m here to say that I’ve had a much better experience with the latest-gen Paperlike compared to the model I tried years ago. The new film does help in terms of retaining image quality once applied to the iPad Pro’s display, and I don’t feel like I’m sacrificing too much of the mini-LED display when using the new Paperlike.\nAs you can see, the Paperlike doesn’t completely remove reflections from the iPad’s display, but it makes working under direct sunlight much better.\nA macro shot of the Paperlike to prove that small text remains crisp and legible.\nNotably, the new Paperlike allows me to read font at small sizes in apps like GoodLinks and Spark without making small characters blurry, which is something that used to happen with the first-gen model. And, of course, I get all the advantages of a matte screen protector: it’s easier to work in my car or under direct sunlight, and I don’t see smudges on the iPad’s display as much anymore.\nWith iPad Pros soon getting OLED displays, I’m not sure I’ll be able to resist the temptation of going pure OLED without any screen protector on (I just love OLED too much), but the Paperlike experiment has been a success so far. I recommend it if you’re looking for ways to make your iPad’s display matte and get rid of fingerprints.\nMagnetic iPhone Holder\nFine, let’s get to the weird stuff now.\nI thought of this mod one day when I was writing with my iPad Pro on the couch and listening to music on my iPhone. Specifically, I was typing in Obsidian on the iPad and checking song lyrics on the iPhone every few seconds. In that moment, I realized that was something I do with a variety of apps on a regular basis: maybe I’m catching up on RSS on the iPad and running timers in Timery for iPhone; or perhaps I’m doing email and keeping WhatsApp open on the iPhone. Typically, I would place the iPhone next to me on the couch or, if I’m working at my desk or living room table, next to the Magic Keyboard. Wouldn’t it be nicer if the iPhone’s display was always right there instead, floating next to the iPad Pro’s display?\nAfter some research, I remembered I once stumbled upon an Instagram ad (sometimes, they work quite well) for a company called Rolling Square that makes a clip accessory to mount a MagSafe-equipped iPhone next to a laptop’s screen or external monitor. The idea is simple enough: the Edge Pro MagSafe holder is comprised of two parts, which snap together when closed; the inner part attaches magnetically to a metal “base” that you need to stick (with adhesive) behind your laptop’s screen or at the back of an external monitor like a Studio Display.\nThe base of the Rolling Square Edge Pro that I attached to the back of the Magic Keyboard.\nThe removable magnetic clip placed on top of it.\nWith all the parts in place, here’s what the back of my iPad Pro looks like with the Rolling Square “base” and when the clip is closed:\nThe clip folded on itself.\nAnd here’s what I see when I open the clip:\n\nThat’s all I needed to create a mounting solution for my iPhone next to the iPad Pro. I use a MagSafe case with my iPhone 15 Pro Max (the Nomad leather one), and the magnetic connection is strong enough to allow the iPhone to stay attached to the clip when I’m typing with the Magic Keyboard.2\nI’ve been working with this system for the past month or so, and I’ve seen a variety of use cases naturally pop up that I wasn’t expecting would be so useful in everyday life. Running timers with the Timery app, for instance, has been a great way for me to remember to log my time when I’m working with Obsidian on the iPad. It’s easy to forget to start a timer, but with the iPhone and the Timery widget always next to my “main display”, that happens less frequently. Playing music and controlling playback – the idea that sent me down this path to begin with – has also been an exceptional addition. Instead of having to switch back and forth between the app I’m working with and either Marvis or Music, I can offload playback to the iPhone, which is always within easy reach.\nMy iPhone 15 Pro Max mounted next to the iPad Pro.\nReading lyrics while working in Obsidian.\nYou may think that having an iPhone mounted next to your computer’s display can be too distracting, but, in reality, I’ve found that handing off specific tasks to a secondary device has actually removed distractions from my iPad workflow. Whether it’s the ability to quickly read show notes for a podcast episode I’m streaming, keep WhatsApp open, or occasionally check on my Mastodon timeline, not having to do so with the iPad means that I spend less time closing and reopening Obsidian, thus helping me focus more on writing or editing articles.\nIn a way, what I’ve done is reminiscent of John’s old setup, when he was using an iPad floating next to his Mac’s display to offload certain tasks to the iPadOS Home Screen and manage everything with Universal Control. There’s no shared pointer and keyboard between the iPhone and iPad, but the idea is similar: it’s useful to keep a second device next to your main computer for certain tasks that may normally interrupt your workflow.\nMagnetic Stereo Speakers\nAnd now for the weirdest thing I’ve ever done to my iPad Pro.\nAs I was testing the Rolling Square attachment for my iPhone, I started wondering: are there other things I could magnetically mount to the sides of the iPad Pro? After all, the clips add minimal weight and thickness (2.5mm) to a device that I’m mostly using at a desk or on my lap (so weight is not a concern, really); why not explore more options?\nLook, I don’t know why my brain works the way it does, but one day last month I was cooking dinner while listening to music coming from the iPad, and I had an idea:\nSpeakers.\nThe iPad Pro’s four-speaker stereo system is very good for a tablet, but what if I could find two small external speakers and mount them on both sides of the iPad Pro? I didn’t know if such a product even existed, but I was intrigued by the idea, so I started looking.\nThe answer came quickly by way of accessory maker Scosche. As it turns out, other people in the world had a similar idea to mine, only that instead of attaching portable speakers via MagSafe to a laptop holder, they attach them to the back of an iPhone and use the speaker as a makeshift kickstand that also happens to be a Bluetooth speaker. Said accessory is called the BoomCan MS, and it’s essentially a small puck-style speaker that packs a 3-watt driver, 500mAh battery, and Bluetooth 5.3 for fast connections to any device. But besides the diminutive footprint and the sound output (more on this below), the best aspect of the BoomCan is that it supports exactly what I imagined: get a second one, and you can pair two speakers for true stereo mode with a single Bluetooth connection to your computer.\nI couldn’t believe that my silly idea was actually feasible, so I got to work. I ordered two BoomCan units from Amazon3 and mounted two additional Rolling Square Edge Pro holders to the back of the Magic Keyboard, which now looked like this:\nThe back of my Magic Keyboard now.\nThe clips aren’t too thick.\nThe magnetic ring I stuck to the bottom of the BoomCan speakers.\nWhen the BoomCans arrived, I attached the magnetic metal ring that comes included with the Edge Pro clip to the bottom of the speakers for extra strength, paired the first one with the iPad Pro, created stereo mode with the second one, and voilà: my iPad is now living its Transformers era.\nMy iPad Pro featuring the BoomCan MS stereo speakers.\nI know, I know: this looks completely and utterly ridiculous. But for those out there brave or weird enough to be fascinated by whatever this is, let me tell you: these speakers genuinely sound like a massive improvement compared to the iPad’s built-in four-speaker array when playing music at full volume. For their size and price, they provide a warmer and wider soundstage than the iPad’s default speakers, making any song sound “bigger” and with more bass.\nWorking from my car with the iPad Pro while listening to music via the magnetically-mounted BoomCan MS.\nThis is not a surprise: space inside the iPad Pro is limited, and there’s only so much air drivers embedded within the iPad’s chassis can move while keeping a low-power profile. But given my experience with other similar magnetic speakers (see footnote), I was surprised by the quality of the BoomCan MS, especially when combined in stereo mode. I often work with my iPad Pro in places where I don’t have my HomePod mini (at my mom’s place; in my car; at SIlvia’s place), so being able to listen to music without a larger Bluetooth speaker or without wearing headphones while taking advantage of the iPad’s portability is a huge plus for me.\nModularity, Always\n\nThese mods, particularly the magnetic ones, aren’t for everyone. Let’s face it – plenty of Reddit commenters are ready to poke fun at this story. But as I look forward to the next major upgrade to the iPad Pro line, these accessories reminded me of what I truly love about this platform, despite its flaws: the freedom to adapt the iPad to my workflow and complicated daily schedule.\nWhether it’s used as a tablet, put inside a Magic Keyboard, connected to a Studio Display, paired with a floating iPhone or magnetically-attached speakers, the iPad’s transformative nature makes it the most flexible computer Apple makes. After all, that’s precisely the reason I fell in love with this product 10 years ago, and it’s why I can’t wait to see what its future holds.\n\n\nDid you know there’s a whole IKEA-modding scene out there? ↩︎\n\n\nTechnically, Rolling Square claims that you can also mount a tablet next to a laptop by using two Edge Pro holders instead of one. I haven’t tried this approach, but I think it makes a lot of sense if you consider how the iPad can be an additional Mac display with Sidecar or be used with the same keyboard and trackpad thanks to Universal Control. ↩︎\n\n\nThere are a lot of similar, cheaper knock-offs of the BoomCan MS on Amazon. Don’t buy them. I did, tested them, and they don’t sound nearly as good as the BoomCans do. ↩︎\n\n\nSupport MacStories and Unlock ExtrasFounded in 2015, Club MacStories has delivered exclusive content every week for over six years.\nIn that time, members have enjoyed nearly 400 weekly and monthly newsletters packed with more of your favorite MacStories writing as well as Club-only podcasts, eBooks, discounts on apps, icons, and services. Join today, and you’ll get everything new that we publish every week, plus access to our entire archive of back issues and downloadable perks.\nThe Club expanded in 2021 with Club MacStories+ and Club Premier. Club MacStories+ members enjoy even more exclusive stories, a vibrant Discord community, a rotating roster of app discounts, and more. And, with Club Premier, you get everything we offer at every Club level plus an extended, ad-free version of our podcast AppStories that is delivered early each week in high-bitrate audio.\nJoin Now", "date_published": "2024-01-17T11:31:56-05:00", "date_modified": "2024-01-17T14:17:33-05:00", "authors": [ { "name": "Federico Viticci", "url": "https://www.macstories.net/author/viticci/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/94a9aa7c70dbeb9440c6759bd2cebc2a?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "tags": [ "iPad", "iPad Pro" ] }, { "id": "https://www.macstories.net/?p=73419", "url": "https://www.macstories.net/ipad/using-the-ipad-pro-as-a-portable-monitor-for-my-nintendo-switch-with-orion-a-capture-card-and-a-battery-pack/", "title": "Using the iPad Pro as a Portable Monitor for My Nintendo Switch with Orion, a Capture Card, and a Battery Pack", "content_html": "
\"Tears

Tears of the Kingdom on my iPad Pro.

\n

Those who have been reading MacStories for a while know that I have a peculiar obsession for portable setups free of the constraints typically involved with working at a desk or playing games in front of a TV.

\n

It’s not that I don’t want to have a desk or dislike my 65” OLED TV: it’s that I don’t want those contexts to be my only options when it comes to getting work done or playing videogames. This is why I’ve spent the better part of my career fine-tuning my iPad-first lifestyle and why I’m so excited at the prospect of a giant screen that can always be with me. Modularity, portability, and freedom from a desk or TV are the driving factors in everything I use or buy these days.

\n

For these reasons, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that I embraced the ability to use the iPad Pro as a portable monitor for videogame consoles thanks to UVC support. As I covered in my iPadOS 17 review, this feature was primarily conceived to let iPad users connect external webcams to their computers, but that hasn’t stopped developers from re-using the same underlying technology to create apps that allow you to display a video feed from any accessory connected via USB.

\n

It’s a very intriguing proposition: the 12.9” iPad Pro has a gorgeous mini-LED display; what if you could use that to give yourself a little extra screen real estate when playing Super Mario Bros. Wonder or Tears of the Kingdom without having to pack a separate portable monitor with you?

\n

In my review, I mentioned the Genki Studio app, which I used to play games with my Nintendo Switch and ROG Ally and output their video feeds to the iPad Pro’s display. Today, I want to explain how I took my setup a step further by enhancing the picture quality of the Nintendo Switch when viewed on the iPad Pro and, most importantly, how I created a fully-portable setup that allows me to play Switch games on the iPad Pro anywhere I am.

\n

\n

Orion for iPad

\n

The first change in my setup compared to September is the app I’m using to display a connected Switch on my iPad: the excellent Orion, created by the Halide team.

\n

Orion, like Genki Studio or Capturino, is an app to display a video feed from a connected USB device on your iPad’s screen. In addition to the app’s exquisite design (which I suggest you read more about here), the reason I’m recommending the app on MacStories is the following: Orion is the most intuitive UVC app for iPadOS 17 with the best settings for tweaking image quality if you want to play games via a portable console connected to your iPad. With a $5 In-App Purchase, you can unlock Orion Pro, which adds support for manual picture adjustments, CRT emulation for retro consoles, and – my favorite – AI-powered, real-time 4K upscaling.

\n
\"Orion

Orion in Stage Manager.

\n

Now, let me tell you about my history with Nintendo Switch upscaling. Famously, the console is limited to 720p resolution (in a best case scenario) when in handheld mode and 1080p (again, not always) when docked to a TV. The lack of proper 4K output isn’t a dealbreaker given Nintendo’s design ethos and astounding gameplay for their first-party titles, but let’s be honest: it sure would be lovely to play Zelda or Metroid at native 4K at some point.

\n

To overcome these limitations, over the years I tried a variety of hardware solutions to enhance the picture quality of the Switch when docked. One of these is the mClassic, an HDMI dongle that sits in between the Switch dock and your TV, takes the console’s video feed, and upscales it to 1440p. It’s not 4K, and the image gets softened a little too much for my taste, but it works. I also tried the PhotoFast 4K Gamer Pro, another HDMI dongle that claims to sharpen the Nintendo Switch’s image and blow it up to 4K. In that case, the extra aliasing caused by sharpening turned out to be a problem. I even tried to combine the mClassic and 4K Gamer Pro in one monstrous contraption that required multiple HDMI extension cords and micro-USB cables to power the dongles. All of that just to have a tiny taste of higher resolutions for my Switch.

\n

Enter Orion Pro and its AI-powered, software-based 4K upscaling. You pay $5, flip a toggle in the iPad app, and that’s it: Orion will upscale your Switch’s video stream to 4K in real-time without adding any latency or altering colors.

\n
\"This

This is all you have to do to upscale a video feed with Orion.

\n

I played multiple hours of Tears of the Kingdom and Super Mario Bros. Wonder on my iPad Pro using Orion’s 4K upscaling and it’s been an absolute blast. In toggling Orion’s 4K button on and off, I can tell the difference between the Switch’s standard quasi-1080p video feed and Orion’s post-processed version, which is objectively more pleasant to look at on a 12.9” iPad Pro. Impressively, I’ve also had zero problems with latency in Orion with upscaling turned on. The combination of Orion’s plug-and-play nature, fantastic retro-inspired design, and sheer performance make it, in my opinion, one of the best iPad apps of the year so far.

\n

If you have a compatible capture card (more on this below) and are looking for an app to use your iPad as a portable HDMI monitor for other consoles, my top pick is Orion, and I can’t recommend the Orion Pro purchase enough if you plan on using the app with a Nintendo Switch.

\n

The Gear

\n

Compared to my review in September, there are two key changes I want to cover that have made my setup 100% portable. By that I mean that I’ve created the sort of setup that I can use from my car, without having to be next to a power outlet.

\n

The first upgrade was a new capture card with superior performance to the one I was using before. After a lot of research, I went with ASUS’ brand new TUF Gaming 4K Capture Pro card. In a very compact and sturdy form factor (it’s made of aluminum, which I appreciate, and comes with built-in RGB LEDs), this capture card features:

\n

I’ve tried a lot of capture cards and dongles over the past few months, and given my high-end setup with the ROG Ally and external 4090 GPU, I wanted to get the best the market could offer at the moment to capture footage on my iPad Pro or PC. Currently, options are limited to this ASUS card and a new one by AVerMedia, which more or less offers the same specs. In any case, my new capture card is extremely lightweight and portable, and it was immediately recognized by Orion as soon as I plugged it in over USB-C with no additional configuration necessary.

\n
\"My

My new capture card.

\n
\"The

The card is compact and sturdy.

\n

The second upgrade is all about powering a docked Nintendo Switch on the go. For years now, I’ve been using Genki’s Covert Dock Mini in lieu of Nintendo’s bulky dock to connect my Switch to a portable monitor or, say, TVs in hotel rooms. Switch games typically have better performance when the console is docked (with some exceptions), so whenever possible, I try to play with my Switch in docked mode. The only problem: I always need to be close to a power outlet since I never figured out how to run a docked Switch off a portable battery.

\n

That is, until now. A couple weeks ago, I stumbled upon the OmniCharge Omni 20+, a 20,00mAh/71Wh battery pack that, in addition to standard USB-C and USB-A ports, also comes with a 220V AC port at 100W that, well, lets you connect any appliance with a standard two-prong European plug (a U.S. version is also available). This was a true revelation for me since it made me realize I could finally be free of the constraints of power outlets and take my Nintendo Switch with me anywhere – this time even in docked mode.

\n
\"The

The battery powering the Nintendo Switch via the Covert Dock Mini.

\n

Besides the fact that the Omni 20+ has become my favorite battery ever made (and I’m keeping an eye on the brand new and very expensive Omni 40 as well), I think you can imagine what happened next. Thanks to the battery’s built-in AC port, I’ve achieved my final form: I’ve been able to play Tears of the Kingdom in docked mode while waiting in my car, using the iPad Pro as an external monitor for my Switch.

\n
Is it messy? Yes. Is it also Tears of the Kingdom on a 12.9\" display sitting on my lap while I wait in my car? Yes.

Is it messy? Yes. Is it also Tears of the Kingdom on a 12.9” display sitting on my lap while I wait in my car? Yes.

\n

All I needed to do was plug the Covert Dock Mini into the battery, connect the docked Switch to the capture card, and plug the capture card into the iPad Pro. The dock’s minimal power consumption means I can play with this setup for hours at a time, which will be handy in the future when I’ll have to wait in my car for hours again or, say, I’ll be on a plane without a compatible power socket nearby.

\n

Of course, this battery has also been useful for other things – like powering my MacBook Air when I forgot my MagSafe charger, topping up my iPhone or iPad Pro, or recharging my Steam Deck and ROG Ally. There’s also another – “classic Ticci”, someone would say – use case: relying on the battery to charge the iPad Pro while wearing XReal glasses to work with a giant version of iPadOS in front of my eyes. But that’s a story for another time.

\n
\"It

It may be a mess of cables, but it’s fully portable.

\n

In the words of my friend Myke Hurley, “this is a much more portable setup than trying to record a podcast on an iPad”. As is often the case, Myke is right. As someone who’s obsessed with portability and freedom from desks, the jungle of cables I often find myself dealing with may not be a pretty sight, but it works. The combination of the Omni 20+ and Orion has enabled me to play Nintendo Switch games on a bigger screen, at a higher resolution, with better audio, and – of course – the freedom to do so anywhere I am.

\n

Perhaps in a few months, I’ll be able to do the same on an OLED iPad Pro. Until then, I’ll be using Orion and iPadOS 17 to play some Super Mario and switch to my email client via Stage Manager if I need to. What a time to be alive.

\n

Support MacStories and Unlock Extras

Founded in 2015, Club MacStories has delivered exclusive content every week for over six years.

\n

In that time, members have enjoyed nearly 400 weekly and monthly newsletters packed with more of your favorite MacStories writing as well as Club-only podcasts, eBooks, discounts on apps, icons, and services. Join today, and you’ll get everything new that we publish every week, plus access to our entire archive of back issues and downloadable perks.

\n

The Club expanded in 2021 with Club MacStories+ and Club Premier. Club MacStories+ members enjoy even more exclusive stories, a vibrant Discord community, a rotating roster of app discounts, and more. And, with Club Premier, you get everything we offer at every Club level plus an extended, ad-free version of our podcast AppStories that is delivered early each week in high-bitrate audio.

\n

Join Now", "content_text": "Tears of the Kingdom on my iPad Pro.\nThose who have been reading MacStories for a while know that I have a peculiar obsession for portable setups free of the constraints typically involved with working at a desk or playing games in front of a TV.\nIt’s not that I don’t want to have a desk or dislike my 65” OLED TV: it’s that I don’t want those contexts to be my only options when it comes to getting work done or playing videogames. This is why I’ve spent the better part of my career fine-tuning my iPad-first lifestyle and why I’m so excited at the prospect of a giant screen that can always be with me. Modularity, portability, and freedom from a desk or TV are the driving factors in everything I use or buy these days.\nFor these reasons, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that I embraced the ability to use the iPad Pro as a portable monitor for videogame consoles thanks to UVC support. As I covered in my iPadOS 17 review, this feature was primarily conceived to let iPad users connect external webcams to their computers, but that hasn’t stopped developers from re-using the same underlying technology to create apps that allow you to display a video feed from any accessory connected via USB.\nIt’s a very intriguing proposition: the 12.9” iPad Pro has a gorgeous mini-LED display; what if you could use that to give yourself a little extra screen real estate when playing Super Mario Bros. Wonder or Tears of the Kingdom without having to pack a separate portable monitor with you?\nIn my review, I mentioned the Genki Studio app, which I used to play games with my Nintendo Switch and ROG Ally and output their video feeds to the iPad Pro’s display. Today, I want to explain how I took my setup a step further by enhancing the picture quality of the Nintendo Switch when viewed on the iPad Pro and, most importantly, how I created a fully-portable setup that allows me to play Switch games on the iPad Pro anywhere I am.\n\nOrion for iPad\nThe first change in my setup compared to September is the app I’m using to display a connected Switch on my iPad: the excellent Orion, created by the Halide team.\nOrion, like Genki Studio or Capturino, is an app to display a video feed from a connected USB device on your iPad’s screen. In addition to the app’s exquisite design (which I suggest you read more about here), the reason I’m recommending the app on MacStories is the following: Orion is the most intuitive UVC app for iPadOS 17 with the best settings for tweaking image quality if you want to play games via a portable console connected to your iPad. With a $5 In-App Purchase, you can unlock Orion Pro, which adds support for manual picture adjustments, CRT emulation for retro consoles, and – my favorite – AI-powered, real-time 4K upscaling.\nOrion in Stage Manager.\nNow, let me tell you about my history with Nintendo Switch upscaling. Famously, the console is limited to 720p resolution (in a best case scenario) when in handheld mode and 1080p (again, not always) when docked to a TV. The lack of proper 4K output isn’t a dealbreaker given Nintendo’s design ethos and astounding gameplay for their first-party titles, but let’s be honest: it sure would be lovely to play Zelda or Metroid at native 4K at some point.\nTo overcome these limitations, over the years I tried a variety of hardware solutions to enhance the picture quality of the Switch when docked. One of these is the mClassic, an HDMI dongle that sits in between the Switch dock and your TV, takes the console’s video feed, and upscales it to 1440p. It’s not 4K, and the image gets softened a little too much for my taste, but it works. I also tried the PhotoFast 4K Gamer Pro, another HDMI dongle that claims to sharpen the Nintendo Switch’s image and blow it up to 4K. In that case, the extra aliasing caused by sharpening turned out to be a problem. I even tried to combine the mClassic and 4K Gamer Pro in one monstrous contraption that required multiple HDMI extension cords and micro-USB cables to power the dongles. All of that just to have a tiny taste of higher resolutions for my Switch.\nEnter Orion Pro and its AI-powered, software-based 4K upscaling. You pay $5, flip a toggle in the iPad app, and that’s it: Orion will upscale your Switch’s video stream to 4K in real-time without adding any latency or altering colors.\nThis is all you have to do to upscale a video feed with Orion.\nI played multiple hours of Tears of the Kingdom and Super Mario Bros. Wonder on my iPad Pro using Orion’s 4K upscaling and it’s been an absolute blast. In toggling Orion’s 4K button on and off, I can tell the difference between the Switch’s standard quasi-1080p video feed and Orion’s post-processed version, which is objectively more pleasant to look at on a 12.9” iPad Pro. Impressively, I’ve also had zero problems with latency in Orion with upscaling turned on. The combination of Orion’s plug-and-play nature, fantastic retro-inspired design, and sheer performance make it, in my opinion, one of the best iPad apps of the year so far.\nIf you have a compatible capture card (more on this below) and are looking for an app to use your iPad as a portable HDMI monitor for other consoles, my top pick is Orion, and I can’t recommend the Orion Pro purchase enough if you plan on using the app with a Nintendo Switch.\nThe Gear\nCompared to my review in September, there are two key changes I want to cover that have made my setup 100% portable. By that I mean that I’ve created the sort of setup that I can use from my car, without having to be next to a power outlet.\nThe first upgrade was a new capture card with superior performance to the one I was using before. After a lot of research, I went with ASUS’ brand new TUF Gaming 4K Capture Pro card. In a very compact and sturdy form factor (it’s made of aluminum, which I appreciate, and comes with built-in RGB LEDs), this capture card features:\nSupport for HDMI 2.1\nHDR passthrough up to 4K @ 144Hz\nVariable refresh rate passthrough\nVideo capture up to 4K at 60 fps over USB 3.2 Gen. 2\nI’ve tried a lot of capture cards and dongles over the past few months, and given my high-end setup with the ROG Ally and external 4090 GPU, I wanted to get the best the market could offer at the moment to capture footage on my iPad Pro or PC. Currently, options are limited to this ASUS card and a new one by AVerMedia, which more or less offers the same specs. In any case, my new capture card is extremely lightweight and portable, and it was immediately recognized by Orion as soon as I plugged it in over USB-C with no additional configuration necessary.\nMy new capture card.\nThe card is compact and sturdy.\nThe second upgrade is all about powering a docked Nintendo Switch on the go. For years now, I’ve been using Genki’s Covert Dock Mini in lieu of Nintendo’s bulky dock to connect my Switch to a portable monitor or, say, TVs in hotel rooms. Switch games typically have better performance when the console is docked (with some exceptions), so whenever possible, I try to play with my Switch in docked mode. The only problem: I always need to be close to a power outlet since I never figured out how to run a docked Switch off a portable battery.\nThat is, until now. A couple weeks ago, I stumbled upon the OmniCharge Omni 20+, a 20,00mAh/71Wh battery pack that, in addition to standard USB-C and USB-A ports, also comes with a 220V AC port at 100W that, well, lets you connect any appliance with a standard two-prong European plug (a U.S. version is also available). This was a true revelation for me since it made me realize I could finally be free of the constraints of power outlets and take my Nintendo Switch with me anywhere – this time even in docked mode.\nThe battery powering the Nintendo Switch via the Covert Dock Mini.\nBesides the fact that the Omni 20+ has become my favorite battery ever made (and I’m keeping an eye on the brand new and very expensive Omni 40 as well), I think you can imagine what happened next. Thanks to the battery’s built-in AC port, I’ve achieved my final form: I’ve been able to play Tears of the Kingdom in docked mode while waiting in my car, using the iPad Pro as an external monitor for my Switch.\nIs it messy? Yes. Is it also Tears of the Kingdom on a 12.9” display sitting on my lap while I wait in my car? Yes.\nAll I needed to do was plug the Covert Dock Mini into the battery, connect the docked Switch to the capture card, and plug the capture card into the iPad Pro. The dock’s minimal power consumption means I can play with this setup for hours at a time, which will be handy in the future when I’ll have to wait in my car for hours again or, say, I’ll be on a plane without a compatible power socket nearby.\nOf course, this battery has also been useful for other things – like powering my MacBook Air when I forgot my MagSafe charger, topping up my iPhone or iPad Pro, or recharging my Steam Deck and ROG Ally. There’s also another – “classic Ticci”, someone would say – use case: relying on the battery to charge the iPad Pro while wearing XReal glasses to work with a giant version of iPadOS in front of my eyes. But that’s a story for another time.\nIt may be a mess of cables, but it’s fully portable.\nIn the words of my friend Myke Hurley, “this is a much more portable setup than trying to record a podcast on an iPad”. As is often the case, Myke is right. As someone who’s obsessed with portability and freedom from desks, the jungle of cables I often find myself dealing with may not be a pretty sight, but it works. The combination of the Omni 20+ and Orion has enabled me to play Nintendo Switch games on a bigger screen, at a higher resolution, with better audio, and – of course – the freedom to do so anywhere I am.\nPerhaps in a few months, I’ll be able to do the same on an OLED iPad Pro. Until then, I’ll be using Orion and iPadOS 17 to play some Super Mario and switch to my email client via Stage Manager if I need to. What a time to be alive.\nSupport MacStories and Unlock ExtrasFounded in 2015, Club MacStories has delivered exclusive content every week for over six years.\nIn that time, members have enjoyed nearly 400 weekly and monthly newsletters packed with more of your favorite MacStories writing as well as Club-only podcasts, eBooks, discounts on apps, icons, and services. Join today, and you’ll get everything new that we publish every week, plus access to our entire archive of back issues and downloadable perks.\nThe Club expanded in 2021 with Club MacStories+ and Club Premier. Club MacStories+ members enjoy even more exclusive stories, a vibrant Discord community, a rotating roster of app discounts, and more. And, with Club Premier, you get everything we offer at every Club level plus an extended, ad-free version of our podcast AppStories that is delivered early each week in high-bitrate audio.\nJoin Now", "date_published": "2023-11-14T09:16:02-05:00", "date_modified": "2023-11-14T19:48:32-05:00", "authors": [ { "name": "Federico Viticci", "url": "https://www.macstories.net/author/viticci/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/94a9aa7c70dbeb9440c6759bd2cebc2a?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "tags": [ "games", "iPad", "iPad Pro", "iPadOS 17", "nintendo", "Zelda" ] }, { "id": "https://www.macstories.net/?p=72074", "url": "https://www.macstories.net/stories/macstories-hands-on-podcast-editing-with-logic-pro-for-ipad/", "title": "MacStories Hands-On: Podcast Editing with Logic Pro for iPad", "content_html": "
\"\"

\n

I was as surprised as anyone when Apple announced that Logic Pro was coming to the iPad. I was excited too. Logic Pro is an app I use every week to produce MacStories’ podcasts, and I’d wanted the freedom to do that work on the iPad for a very long time.

\n

However, my excitement was tempered by skepticism about whether the kind of work I do would be supported. Logic Pro for the Mac is designed for music production. It’s a very capable podcast production tool, too, but editing podcasts uses only a tiny fraction of Logic Pro’s tools. With the focus on music production in Apple’s press release announcing the iPad version, I wondered whether the subset of production tools I use would find their way onto the iPad or not.

\n
\"Music

Music production projects are typically much more complex than podcast edits.

\n

So, when Apple offered to send me a 12.9” M2 iPad Pro with a Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil last week to test Logic Pro for iPad, I jumped at the chance to see what it could do. Since last week, I’ve played with Logic Pro’s music-making tools, which I’ll cover below. They’re impressive, but I’ve spent most of my time putting the app through a more personal, real-world test: podcast editing. After some initial exploration of Logic Pro’s UI to get my bearings, I created a project, dropped in the audio tracks from last week’s episode of MacStories Unwind, and started editing.

\n
\"Logic

Logic Pro for iPad includes a collection of lessons to help you learn the app, along with a catalog of sound packs and loops.

\n

What I found is that Logic Pro for iPad is a remarkably capable alternative to the Mac version. The app comes with limitations and frustrations, like any first version of a complex new app, but it’s also the real deal. Logic Pro for iPad isn’t a companion app to the Mac version. The iPad version doesn’t match the Mac app feature-for-feature, but it’s not a watered-down version of the desktop version either. Instead, Logic Pro for iPad delivers on the promise of the iPad’s hardware in a reimagined way that we haven’t seen enough of with so-called ‘pro’ apps.

\n

There’s a lot of ground to cover between my podcasting experiments and the music production features of Logic, so let’s dive in.

\n

\n

Rethinking Logic Pro for Smaller Screens

\n
\"Logic

Logic Pro for iPad integrates with the iPadOS system file picker.

\n

Music and podcast production require precise editing, which is why Logic Pro uses a timeline-based UI that you can zoom in and out of when editing tracks. That’s why I’ve always preferred to edit podcasts on my Mac Studio connected to a Studio Display. The 27” screen, paired with the precision of a mouse or trackpad, gives me the space and control I need to move fast while editing. Then, when I’m finished, I export my project as a single WAV file.

\n
\"You

You can open up multiple panels with multiple toolset options.

\n

Designing a timeline-based app like Logic Pro for smaller screens like the M1 MacBook Air that I sometimes use to edit and, now, the iPad, poses significant challenges. On the Mac, there are a lot of panels and views enabled by default that can be closed or hidden to maximize your workspace on smaller screens. Apple has taken a similar approach with Logic Pro for the iPad but to greater effect. The Control Bar on the iPad is more compact, freeing up vertical space, and even before customization, the toolbar and other onscreen elements feel cleaner and easier to navigate.

\n

The design is so well done that, at least for my usual two-track edits, I can even use my iPad mini. I wouldn’t want that when I could turn to my iPad Pro, but making a few quick edits and exporting an episode is entirely doable in a pinch.

\n
\"It's

It’s not ideal, but it’s easier to edit a simple project on the iPad mini than I expected.

\n

The effect of the iPad version’s design choices has been to make me more receptive to editing on a smaller screen than I’ve ever been when my only alternative was my MacBook Air. I can set up my Mac and iPad Pro to show the same amount of audio, but the less cluttered UI of Logic Pro for iPad makes me want to edit with it.

\n

The effect is similar to a good photo editor that puts your images front and center, allowing you to focus on the image you’re editing without getting distracted by the tools you’re using. With Logic Pro for iPad, the audio tracks are the primary focus. The tools are easy to summon, just as they are in a good photo editor, but they stay out of the way until you need them, which I love. The result is that all else being equal, I’d rather edit audio in Logic Pro on a 12.9” iPad Pro than a 13” MacBook Air.

\n

Editing Podcasts in Logic Pro for iPad

\n
\"Editing

Editing MacStories Unwind in Logic Pro for iPad.

\n

Logic Pro for iPad’s focused editing environment is an advantage over the Mac that can only take it so far. The real test is what it’s like to edit in the app.

\n

With Logic Pro’s focus on music production, I figured there was a good chance that editing a podcast in the iPad version wouldn’t be possible or might be limited in a way that didn’t fit how I edit. The good news is that editing podcasts in Logic Pro for iPad is absolutely doable, but there are definitely places where the process could be streamlined more than it currently is.

\n
\"Logic

Logic Pro for iPad takes advantage of iPadOS features like context menus.

\n

Logic Pro for iPad takes advantage of all the iPad’s input methods: multitouch gestures, the Apple Pencil, and keyboards. That leaves room for several different approaches to editing, which I like, but in practice, I’ve found that each editing mode has drawbacks and friction points that I hope get addressed in the future. The issues aren’t deal breakers, but I expect the limitations will limit how often I edit on the iPad.

\n

Editing a podcast in any version of Logic Pro is relatively simple mechanical work. At the highest level, you line up multiple audio tracks on the app’s timeline, clean up the conversation by snipping out small segments or pulling apart cross-talk, and then closing up any gaps left by your edits.

\n

Everyone seems to edit podcasts a little differently. Personally, I listen to the entirety of every episode I edit at 1x speed. If I find a segment I want to clip out, I split the track on both sides of the audio I want to remove, delete it, and then slide the parts of the tracks that I haven’t edited yet to the left to close the gap. Pulling apart cross-talk is similar but doesn’t always involve deleting any audio. At the heart of the process is a lot of moving around the playhead, splitting tracks, and then selecting and dragging them into place.

\n
\"Dragging

Dragging audio files into Logic Pro for iPad from an external SSD connected to my iPad Pro using Files.

\n

That’s as simple as it sounds, but the way the tools are implemented makes a big difference in how quickly you can edit. Setting up a project to edit MacStories Unwind was easy. I was pleasantly surprised that copying audio files into tracks in a new Logic Pro for iPad project was faster than on my M1 Max Mac Studio. I don’t know what it is about Logic Pro on the Mac, but in the six years I’ve used the app, importing audio into a project has been slow compared to copying a file from one folder to another in Finder.

\n

After I’d dragged the audio tracks into alignment with my finger, I was ready to start editing. I alternated between editing with the iPad Pro in and out of the Magic Keyboard to compare the two experiences. On balance, I preferred editing without the iPad Pro in the Magic Keyboard case, which comes down to the biggest drawback of Logic Pro for iPad: the lack of depth of its keyboard shortcuts.

\n

On the Mac, Logic Pro has a keyboard shortcut for just about everything. In fact, there are so many shortcuts that don’t even require a modifier key that I find it far too easy to change something unintentionally. The iPad app is different. There are a lot of keyboard shortcuts for an iPad app, but they are primarily for showing and hiding the app’s various tools, selecting different project elements, and a few other things.

\n

As a practical matter, that means you still have to poke at the screen even if your iPad connected to a keyboard, which slows the editing process. My podcast editing workflow is a good example.

\n
\"Dragging

Dragging the Split marker to slice two tracks at once.

\n

If I’m listening to MacStories Unwind in Logic Pro with the iPad Pro in the Magic Keyboard, I can tap the Space Bar to start and stop playback – so far, so good. However, editing requires two modes: Split and Trim, which don’t support keyboard shortcuts. When I find audio I want to remove from the episode, I can use the Magic Keyboard’s trackpad to place the playhead at the beginning of a segment that I want to remove. However, if I’m not in Split mode already, I have to tap the Split control in the segmented control beneath the app’s Control Bar. Then, with a tap of a track, Logic Pro’s Split control appears beneath the playhead as a separate marker with an icon of a pair of scissors. The Split marker can be dragged along the timeline independently of the playhead indicator, and when you’re ready to split the track, dragging downward on the indicator clips the selected tracks at the Split marker.

\n

Next, I repeat the same process on the other side of the audio segment I want to delete. However, to delete the clip I want to remove, I have to switch to Trim mode, click or tap the track, which activates a context menu, and tap the delete button. Trim mode is also necessary to close the gap between segments of the track I’ve edited.

\n
\"Deleting

Deleting an audio segment and closing the gap in Trim mode.

\n

If I’ve got the iPad Pro in the Magic Keyboard, positioning the playhead, activating Split mode, splitting tracks, deleting unwanted audio, and closing any gaps in my tracks all require touching the screen or using the trackpad. Actions like moving between Trim and Split modes, splitting selected tracks, and deleting selected segments would all be faster using just the keyboard. The trackpad isn’t a bad alternative, but it’s a modal switch from typing that’s a little cumbersome.

\n

The alternative is to edit without the keyboard using multitouch gestures only, which has its own tradeoffs. The biggest downside to editing solely in multitouch is that you lose the convenience of starting and stopping the audio with the Space Bar. That means you need to reach up to the Control Bar to tap the Play and Stop buttons instead. Interacting with the iPad without an attached keyboard is more immediate, so the reach isn’t as big of an issue as it would be if the Magic Keyboard were connected, but the buttons are just small enough that they require more precision to hit than I’d like.

\n

On balance, though, I like editing without the iPad Pro’s keyboard attached a lot. The interactions feel more immediate and fluid than when I’m separated from the app by keyboard input. The Apple Pencil is perfect for precisely placing the playhead or Split control along the app’s timeline, but even using just my fingers feels more natural and precise than trying to drag elements around using the Magic Keyboard’s relatively small trackpad.

\n

The overall effect of editing in multitouch mode is the perfect match for Logic Pro for iPad’s UI. The two create a focused editing environment that’s only held back by the lack of a deeper set of gestures for starting and stopping playback and switching between modes like Trim and Split. A two-finger tap or similar gesture would be perfect for playing and pausing audio. Also, a floating palette for switching between modes and other tools that users could place wherever they want on the screen would go a long way toward eliminating the need to reach for the relatively small buttons in Logic Pro’s Control Bar and toolbar.

\n
\"Logic

Logic Pro for iPad’s support for keyboard shortcuts is a good start, but they need to cover more of the app’s functionality.

\n

There’s room for improvement when the iPad is connected to a Magic Keyboard too. The existing keyboard shortcuts are a good start, but switching among modes like Trim and Split should be as easy as tapping the Space Bar to play and pause audio. Instead, having to use the trackpad or reaching out to tap the screen slows me down. The same is true of splitting a track. On the Mac, ⌘T splits a track. It should do the same on the iPad, which isn’t already using that key combination for something else.

\n

Even better than defining additional keyboard shortcuts for all users would be allowing them to set up their own keyboard shortcuts. Logic Pro is a deep app that’s used in a lot of different ways by its users. I’d love the ability to define my own keyboard shortcuts for the handful of functions that I use a lot that don’t have them already.

\n
\"Logic

Logic Pro for iPad supports markers, which can be used to create podcast chapters.

\n

It’s worth noting, too, that Logic Pro for iPad allows you to add markers to a project, which can be used to create chapter markers for a podcast episode.

\n

Logic Pro for iPad also supports external recording hardware. I plugged in my Elgato Wave XLR audio interface and recorded myself using an external XLR microphone directly to Logic Pro with no trouble. However, for those who are wondering whether Logic Pro for iPad can record your local audio while you talk to a podcast co-host via Zoom, Skype, or another app, you can’t. Logic Pro’s access to the iPad’s audio is interrupted as soon as a voice or video calling app needs the audio from the iPad or a connected microphone.

\n
\"Exporting

Exporting a project to an uncompressed WAV file.

\n

The final step of any edit is exporting the project as a single audio file. I export to WAV but AIFF, AAC, and Apple Lossless are also available. In my testing, the resulting file preserved my markers, and the same 25-minute episode was exported at almost exactly the same speed on both my M1 Max Mac Studio and the M2 iPad Pro. Both devices have nearly identical single-core Geekbench scores, so the results were in line with what I expected.

\n
\"Logic

Logic Pro for the Mac looks old in contrast to the iPad version.

\n

Despite the limitations of the different modes of editing podcasts on the iPad, which I hope Apple works on, I’m excited to incorporate it into my workflow. Podcast editing is the sort of task I tend to do at the end of my day because it doesn’t require the energy that writing does. But by the time I turn to editing a podcast, I’ve often been at my desk all day and want a change of scenery. My MacBook Air is always an option, but there’s something about the immediacy of manipulating audio tracks on the iPad that I prefer.

\n

Of course, Logic Pro isn’t the only option for editing podcasts on the iPad. For example, Ferrite is an excellent alternative. However, because I spend most of my work hours in front of a Mac, where I’ll continue to use Logic Pro as I have for the past six years, having Logic Pro’s familiar interface on both platforms is a big advantage.

\n

It’s too early to judge how often I’ll switch between the iPad and Mac to edit podcasts, but the experience so far has convinced me I will, especially since I can pass the same project back and forth between the Mac and iPad versions of the app. Third-party plug-ins that haven’t been adapted for the iPad won’t work, but I don’t use any, preferring to pre-process my audio files outside Logic Pro. That simplifies moving between platforms with my Logic Pro projects, which I’m eager to spend more time doing.

\n

Everything Else

\n

I’ve barely scratched the surface of what Logic Pro for iPad can do. I don’t produce music, so I haven’t spent a lot of time with the app’s other features besides experimenting with a sample project from Apple. However, for those curious about what’s available, here’s an overview.

\n
\"Logic

Logic Pro’s Browser. Source: Apple.

\n

I’m impressed with just how well Apple’s engineers and designers have adapted Logic Pro’s interface for the iPad. In addition to the panels that can be exposed or hidden on the left side of the screen, the app features Plug-in Tiles, a widget-like system for the most important features of any plug-ins that you use. To access a plug-in’s full controls, you simply need to double-tap it.

\n
\"Software

Software instruments. Source: Apple.

\n

The panel on the app’s left side can be switched between the Browser and an inspector with track and region details. The Browser is where you’ll find tens of thousands of instrument patches, audio patches, loops, audio samples, plug-in presets, and Step Sequencer patterns. Everything is consolidated in one place and searchable to help you find what you want. The Browser also includes a huge list of filters to narrow down the library of sounds into smaller, more manageable groups.

\n
\"Logic

Logic Pro’s mixer. Source: Apple.

\n

The app also offers:

\n

In addition to compatibility with Logic Pro for Mac projects, you can also import GarageBand for iOS projects into Logic Pro for iPad.

\n
\"Source:

Source: Apple.

\n

Logic Pro for iPad is a remarkably deep and well-designed app that offers a first-class music production experience as well as a meaningful way to edit podcasts for many users.

\n

Still, not every feature is available. For example, many of my fellow podcast editors use Logic Pro for Mac’s ability to remove silences from audio tracks, which the iPad version doesn’t support. Still, the core editing functionality is available, which will open up new editing workflow options for iPad users.

\n
\"\"

\n

I like Logic Pro for iPad a lot. It’s an app I’ve wanted since the introduction of the 2018 iPad Pro, and as polished as it is for a 1.0, there are limitations like the ones that I’ve described above that I hope are addressed quickly. Fair or not, if Logic Pro for iPad had come out five years ago alongside the 2018 iPad Pro, I’d be more patient. However, having waited so long, my hope is that Apple iterates on the feedback it gets from users quickly, making it an even more capable alternative to the Mac version.

\n

Setting aside how long it took for Logic Pro to make its way to the iPad, its debut is an important moment for the device. Logic Pro isn’t the first pro-level app on the iPad by any means. Adobe’s been steadily working on offering desktop-class features to Creative Suite for a long time now and more recently, powerful apps like Blackmagic’s DaVinci Resolve have found a home on the iPad. Still, there’s no better signal to the developers of pro apps who are still sitting on the fence about bringing their apps to the iPad than Apple demonstrating its commitment to the platform by bringing its own pro apps to the iPad.

\n
\"There's

There’s room for more apps on my Mac, but if I’m just doing a simple edit, the iPad Pro is a good alternative.

\n

Having Logic Pro on the iPad is a big step forward toward an iPad-first podcast editing workflow, but it’s just one piece of the puzzle. The iPad still can’t separately record local audio during an audio or video call, and it will undoubtedly take a while for plug-in makers to bring their plug-ins to Logic Pro for iPad. There are other tools I use on the Mac to match audio loudness and transcode uncompressed audio into compressed formats that I don’t have a good iPad solution for yet, either. However, with Logic Pro for iPad filling the biggest hole in my podcast editing workflow, my hope is that more supporting apps in my workflow will follow suit, allowing me to move between devices even more efficiently as time passes.

\n

Logic Pro for iPad is available on the App Store. Apple is offering a one-month free trial, after which the app is $4.99/month or $49/year, a bargain, in my opinion, that will make Logic Pro accessible to a broader audience. To run Logic Pro for iPad, you need an iPad with an Apple A12 Bionic chip or later, plus iPadOS 16.4 or later.

\n

Support MacStories and Unlock Extras

Founded in 2015, Club MacStories has delivered exclusive content every week for over six years.

\n

In that time, members have enjoyed nearly 400 weekly and monthly newsletters packed with more of your favorite MacStories writing as well as Club-only podcasts, eBooks, discounts on apps, icons, and services. Join today, and you’ll get everything new that we publish every week, plus access to our entire archive of back issues and downloadable perks.

\n

The Club expanded in 2021 with Club MacStories+ and Club Premier. Club MacStories+ members enjoy even more exclusive stories, a vibrant Discord community, a rotating roster of app discounts, and more. And, with Club Premier, you get everything we offer at every Club level plus an extended, ad-free version of our podcast AppStories that is delivered early each week in high-bitrate audio.

\n

Join Now", "content_text": "I was as surprised as anyone when Apple announced that Logic Pro was coming to the iPad. I was excited too. Logic Pro is an app I use every week to produce MacStories’ podcasts, and I’d wanted the freedom to do that work on the iPad for a very long time.\nHowever, my excitement was tempered by skepticism about whether the kind of work I do would be supported. Logic Pro for the Mac is designed for music production. It’s a very capable podcast production tool, too, but editing podcasts uses only a tiny fraction of Logic Pro’s tools. With the focus on music production in Apple’s press release announcing the iPad version, I wondered whether the subset of production tools I use would find their way onto the iPad or not.\nMusic production projects are typically much more complex than podcast edits.\nSo, when Apple offered to send me a 12.9” M2 iPad Pro with a Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil last week to test Logic Pro for iPad, I jumped at the chance to see what it could do. Since last week, I’ve played with Logic Pro’s music-making tools, which I’ll cover below. They’re impressive, but I’ve spent most of my time putting the app through a more personal, real-world test: podcast editing. After some initial exploration of Logic Pro’s UI to get my bearings, I created a project, dropped in the audio tracks from last week’s episode of MacStories Unwind, and started editing.\nLogic Pro for iPad includes a collection of lessons to help you learn the app, along with a catalog of sound packs and loops.\nWhat I found is that Logic Pro for iPad is a remarkably capable alternative to the Mac version. The app comes with limitations and frustrations, like any first version of a complex new app, but it’s also the real deal. Logic Pro for iPad isn’t a companion app to the Mac version. The iPad version doesn’t match the Mac app feature-for-feature, but it’s not a watered-down version of the desktop version either. Instead, Logic Pro for iPad delivers on the promise of the iPad’s hardware in a reimagined way that we haven’t seen enough of with so-called ‘pro’ apps.\nThere’s a lot of ground to cover between my podcasting experiments and the music production features of Logic, so let’s dive in.\n\nRethinking Logic Pro for Smaller Screens\nLogic Pro for iPad integrates with the iPadOS system file picker.\nMusic and podcast production require precise editing, which is why Logic Pro uses a timeline-based UI that you can zoom in and out of when editing tracks. That’s why I’ve always preferred to edit podcasts on my Mac Studio connected to a Studio Display. The 27” screen, paired with the precision of a mouse or trackpad, gives me the space and control I need to move fast while editing. Then, when I’m finished, I export my project as a single WAV file.\nYou can open up multiple panels with multiple toolset options.\nDesigning a timeline-based app like Logic Pro for smaller screens like the M1 MacBook Air that I sometimes use to edit and, now, the iPad, poses significant challenges. On the Mac, there are a lot of panels and views enabled by default that can be closed or hidden to maximize your workspace on smaller screens. Apple has taken a similar approach with Logic Pro for the iPad but to greater effect. The Control Bar on the iPad is more compact, freeing up vertical space, and even before customization, the toolbar and other onscreen elements feel cleaner and easier to navigate.\nThe design is so well done that, at least for my usual two-track edits, I can even use my iPad mini. I wouldn’t want that when I could turn to my iPad Pro, but making a few quick edits and exporting an episode is entirely doable in a pinch.\nIt’s not ideal, but it’s easier to edit a simple project on the iPad mini than I expected.\nThe effect of the iPad version’s design choices has been to make me more receptive to editing on a smaller screen than I’ve ever been when my only alternative was my MacBook Air. I can set up my Mac and iPad Pro to show the same amount of audio, but the less cluttered UI of Logic Pro for iPad makes me want to edit with it.\n\nI’d rather edit audio in Logic Pro on a 12.9” iPad Pro than a 13” MacBook Air.\n\nThe effect is similar to a good photo editor that puts your images front and center, allowing you to focus on the image you’re editing without getting distracted by the tools you’re using. With Logic Pro for iPad, the audio tracks are the primary focus. The tools are easy to summon, just as they are in a good photo editor, but they stay out of the way until you need them, which I love. The result is that all else being equal, I’d rather edit audio in Logic Pro on a 12.9” iPad Pro than a 13” MacBook Air.\nEditing Podcasts in Logic Pro for iPad\nEditing MacStories Unwind in Logic Pro for iPad.\nLogic Pro for iPad’s focused editing environment is an advantage over the Mac that can only take it so far. The real test is what it’s like to edit in the app.\nWith Logic Pro’s focus on music production, I figured there was a good chance that editing a podcast in the iPad version wouldn’t be possible or might be limited in a way that didn’t fit how I edit. The good news is that editing podcasts in Logic Pro for iPad is absolutely doable, but there are definitely places where the process could be streamlined more than it currently is.\nLogic Pro for iPad takes advantage of iPadOS features like context menus.\nLogic Pro for iPad takes advantage of all the iPad’s input methods: multitouch gestures, the Apple Pencil, and keyboards. That leaves room for several different approaches to editing, which I like, but in practice, I’ve found that each editing mode has drawbacks and friction points that I hope get addressed in the future. The issues aren’t deal breakers, but I expect the limitations will limit how often I edit on the iPad.\nEditing a podcast in any version of Logic Pro is relatively simple mechanical work. At the highest level, you line up multiple audio tracks on the app’s timeline, clean up the conversation by snipping out small segments or pulling apart cross-talk, and then closing up any gaps left by your edits.\nEveryone seems to edit podcasts a little differently. Personally, I listen to the entirety of every episode I edit at 1x speed. If I find a segment I want to clip out, I split the track on both sides of the audio I want to remove, delete it, and then slide the parts of the tracks that I haven’t edited yet to the left to close the gap. Pulling apart cross-talk is similar but doesn’t always involve deleting any audio. At the heart of the process is a lot of moving around the playhead, splitting tracks, and then selecting and dragging them into place.\nDragging audio files into Logic Pro for iPad from an external SSD connected to my iPad Pro using Files.\nThat’s as simple as it sounds, but the way the tools are implemented makes a big difference in how quickly you can edit. Setting up a project to edit MacStories Unwind was easy. I was pleasantly surprised that copying audio files into tracks in a new Logic Pro for iPad project was faster than on my M1 Max Mac Studio. I don’t know what it is about Logic Pro on the Mac, but in the six years I’ve used the app, importing audio into a project has been slow compared to copying a file from one folder to another in Finder.\nAfter I’d dragged the audio tracks into alignment with my finger, I was ready to start editing. I alternated between editing with the iPad Pro in and out of the Magic Keyboard to compare the two experiences. On balance, I preferred editing without the iPad Pro in the Magic Keyboard case, which comes down to the biggest drawback of Logic Pro for iPad: the lack of depth of its keyboard shortcuts.\nOn the Mac, Logic Pro has a keyboard shortcut for just about everything. In fact, there are so many shortcuts that don’t even require a modifier key that I find it far too easy to change something unintentionally. The iPad app is different. There are a lot of keyboard shortcuts for an iPad app, but they are primarily for showing and hiding the app’s various tools, selecting different project elements, and a few other things.\nAs a practical matter, that means you still have to poke at the screen even if your iPad connected to a keyboard, which slows the editing process. My podcast editing workflow is a good example.\nDragging the Split marker to slice two tracks at once.\nIf I’m listening to MacStories Unwind in Logic Pro with the iPad Pro in the Magic Keyboard, I can tap the Space Bar to start and stop playback – so far, so good. However, editing requires two modes: Split and Trim, which don’t support keyboard shortcuts. When I find audio I want to remove from the episode, I can use the Magic Keyboard’s trackpad to place the playhead at the beginning of a segment that I want to remove. However, if I’m not in Split mode already, I have to tap the Split control in the segmented control beneath the app’s Control Bar. Then, with a tap of a track, Logic Pro’s Split control appears beneath the playhead as a separate marker with an icon of a pair of scissors. The Split marker can be dragged along the timeline independently of the playhead indicator, and when you’re ready to split the track, dragging downward on the indicator clips the selected tracks at the Split marker.\nNext, I repeat the same process on the other side of the audio segment I want to delete. However, to delete the clip I want to remove, I have to switch to Trim mode, click or tap the track, which activates a context menu, and tap the delete button. Trim mode is also necessary to close the gap between segments of the track I’ve edited.\nDeleting an audio segment and closing the gap in Trim mode.\nIf I’ve got the iPad Pro in the Magic Keyboard, positioning the playhead, activating Split mode, splitting tracks, deleting unwanted audio, and closing any gaps in my tracks all require touching the screen or using the trackpad. Actions like moving between Trim and Split modes, splitting selected tracks, and deleting selected segments would all be faster using just the keyboard. The trackpad isn’t a bad alternative, but it’s a modal switch from typing that’s a little cumbersome.\nThe alternative is to edit without the keyboard using multitouch gestures only, which has its own tradeoffs. The biggest downside to editing solely in multitouch is that you lose the convenience of starting and stopping the audio with the Space Bar. That means you need to reach up to the Control Bar to tap the Play and Stop buttons instead. Interacting with the iPad without an attached keyboard is more immediate, so the reach isn’t as big of an issue as it would be if the Magic Keyboard were connected, but the buttons are just small enough that they require more precision to hit than I’d like.\nOn balance, though, I like editing without the iPad Pro’s keyboard attached a lot. The interactions feel more immediate and fluid than when I’m separated from the app by keyboard input. The Apple Pencil is perfect for precisely placing the playhead or Split control along the app’s timeline, but even using just my fingers feels more natural and precise than trying to drag elements around using the Magic Keyboard’s relatively small trackpad.\nThe overall effect of editing in multitouch mode is the perfect match for Logic Pro for iPad’s UI. The two create a focused editing environment that’s only held back by the lack of a deeper set of gestures for starting and stopping playback and switching between modes like Trim and Split. A two-finger tap or similar gesture would be perfect for playing and pausing audio. Also, a floating palette for switching between modes and other tools that users could place wherever they want on the screen would go a long way toward eliminating the need to reach for the relatively small buttons in Logic Pro’s Control Bar and toolbar.\nLogic Pro for iPad’s support for keyboard shortcuts is a good start, but they need to cover more of the app’s functionality.\nThere’s room for improvement when the iPad is connected to a Magic Keyboard too. The existing keyboard shortcuts are a good start, but switching among modes like Trim and Split should be as easy as tapping the Space Bar to play and pause audio. Instead, having to use the trackpad or reaching out to tap the screen slows me down. The same is true of splitting a track. On the Mac, ⌘T splits a track. It should do the same on the iPad, which isn’t already using that key combination for something else.\n\nLogic Pro for iPad’s support for keyboard shortcuts is a good start, but they need to cover more of the app’s functionality.\n\nEven better than defining additional keyboard shortcuts for all users would be allowing them to set up their own keyboard shortcuts. Logic Pro is a deep app that’s used in a lot of different ways by its users. I’d love the ability to define my own keyboard shortcuts for the handful of functions that I use a lot that don’t have them already.\nLogic Pro for iPad supports markers, which can be used to create podcast chapters.\nIt’s worth noting, too, that Logic Pro for iPad allows you to add markers to a project, which can be used to create chapter markers for a podcast episode.\nLogic Pro for iPad also supports external recording hardware. I plugged in my Elgato Wave XLR audio interface and recorded myself using an external XLR microphone directly to Logic Pro with no trouble. However, for those who are wondering whether Logic Pro for iPad can record your local audio while you talk to a podcast co-host via Zoom, Skype, or another app, you can’t. Logic Pro’s access to the iPad’s audio is interrupted as soon as a voice or video calling app needs the audio from the iPad or a connected microphone.\nExporting a project to an uncompressed WAV file.\nThe final step of any edit is exporting the project as a single audio file. I export to WAV but AIFF, AAC, and Apple Lossless are also available. In my testing, the resulting file preserved my markers, and the same 25-minute episode was exported at almost exactly the same speed on both my M1 Max Mac Studio and the M2 iPad Pro. Both devices have nearly identical single-core Geekbench scores, so the results were in line with what I expected.\nLogic Pro for the Mac looks old in contrast to the iPad version.\nDespite the limitations of the different modes of editing podcasts on the iPad, which I hope Apple works on, I’m excited to incorporate it into my workflow. Podcast editing is the sort of task I tend to do at the end of my day because it doesn’t require the energy that writing does. But by the time I turn to editing a podcast, I’ve often been at my desk all day and want a change of scenery. My MacBook Air is always an option, but there’s something about the immediacy of manipulating audio tracks on the iPad that I prefer.\nOf course, Logic Pro isn’t the only option for editing podcasts on the iPad. For example, Ferrite is an excellent alternative. However, because I spend most of my work hours in front of a Mac, where I’ll continue to use Logic Pro as I have for the past six years, having Logic Pro’s familiar interface on both platforms is a big advantage.\nIt’s too early to judge how often I’ll switch between the iPad and Mac to edit podcasts, but the experience so far has convinced me I will, especially since I can pass the same project back and forth between the Mac and iPad versions of the app. Third-party plug-ins that haven’t been adapted for the iPad won’t work, but I don’t use any, preferring to pre-process my audio files outside Logic Pro. That simplifies moving between platforms with my Logic Pro projects, which I’m eager to spend more time doing.\nEverything Else\nI’ve barely scratched the surface of what Logic Pro for iPad can do. I don’t produce music, so I haven’t spent a lot of time with the app’s other features besides experimenting with a sample project from Apple. However, for those curious about what’s available, here’s an overview.\nLogic Pro’s Browser. Source: Apple.\nI’m impressed with just how well Apple’s engineers and designers have adapted Logic Pro’s interface for the iPad. In addition to the panels that can be exposed or hidden on the left side of the screen, the app features Plug-in Tiles, a widget-like system for the most important features of any plug-ins that you use. To access a plug-in’s full controls, you simply need to double-tap it.\nSoftware instruments. Source: Apple.\nThe panel on the app’s left side can be switched between the Browser and an inspector with track and region details. The Browser is where you’ll find tens of thousands of instrument patches, audio patches, loops, audio samples, plug-in presets, and Step Sequencer patterns. Everything is consolidated in one place and searchable to help you find what you want. The Browser also includes a huge list of filters to narrow down the library of sounds into smaller, more manageable groups.\nLogic Pro’s mixer. Source: Apple.\nThe app also offers:\nSoftware-based instrument plug-ins to do things like manipulate samples, retro-style synthesizers from the 70s and 80s, along with keyboards, strings, horns, and more\nBeat creation tools for making and manipulating beats using an extensive collection of samples\nA mixer with an extensive collection of controls, third-party extension support, and more\nGuitar and bass amps and stompboxes\nDrummer and drum kit tools\nIn addition to compatibility with Logic Pro for Mac projects, you can also import GarageBand for iOS projects into Logic Pro for iPad.\nSource: Apple.\nLogic Pro for iPad is a remarkably deep and well-designed app that offers a first-class music production experience as well as a meaningful way to edit podcasts for many users.\nStill, not every feature is available. For example, many of my fellow podcast editors use Logic Pro for Mac’s ability to remove silences from audio tracks, which the iPad version doesn’t support. Still, the core editing functionality is available, which will open up new editing workflow options for iPad users.\n\nI like Logic Pro for iPad a lot. It’s an app I’ve wanted since the introduction of the 2018 iPad Pro, and as polished as it is for a 1.0, there are limitations like the ones that I’ve described above that I hope are addressed quickly. Fair or not, if Logic Pro for iPad had come out five years ago alongside the 2018 iPad Pro, I’d be more patient. However, having waited so long, my hope is that Apple iterates on the feedback it gets from users quickly, making it an even more capable alternative to the Mac version.\nSetting aside how long it took for Logic Pro to make its way to the iPad, its debut is an important moment for the device. Logic Pro isn’t the first pro-level app on the iPad by any means. Adobe’s been steadily working on offering desktop-class features to Creative Suite for a long time now and more recently, powerful apps like Blackmagic’s DaVinci Resolve have found a home on the iPad. Still, there’s no better signal to the developers of pro apps who are still sitting on the fence about bringing their apps to the iPad than Apple demonstrating its commitment to the platform by bringing its own pro apps to the iPad.\nThere’s room for more apps on my Mac, but if I’m just doing a simple edit, the iPad Pro is a good alternative.\nHaving Logic Pro on the iPad is a big step forward toward an iPad-first podcast editing workflow, but it’s just one piece of the puzzle. The iPad still can’t separately record local audio during an audio or video call, and it will undoubtedly take a while for plug-in makers to bring their plug-ins to Logic Pro for iPad. There are other tools I use on the Mac to match audio loudness and transcode uncompressed audio into compressed formats that I don’t have a good iPad solution for yet, either. However, with Logic Pro for iPad filling the biggest hole in my podcast editing workflow, my hope is that more supporting apps in my workflow will follow suit, allowing me to move between devices even more efficiently as time passes.\nLogic Pro for iPad is available on the App Store. Apple is offering a one-month free trial, after which the app is $4.99/month or $49/year, a bargain, in my opinion, that will make Logic Pro accessible to a broader audience. To run Logic Pro for iPad, you need an iPad with an Apple A12 Bionic chip or later, plus iPadOS 16.4 or later.\nSupport MacStories and Unlock ExtrasFounded in 2015, Club MacStories has delivered exclusive content every week for over six years.\nIn that time, members have enjoyed nearly 400 weekly and monthly newsletters packed with more of your favorite MacStories writing as well as Club-only podcasts, eBooks, discounts on apps, icons, and services. Join today, and you’ll get everything new that we publish every week, plus access to our entire archive of back issues and downloadable perks.\nThe Club expanded in 2021 with Club MacStories+ and Club Premier. Club MacStories+ members enjoy even more exclusive stories, a vibrant Discord community, a rotating roster of app discounts, and more. And, with Club Premier, you get everything we offer at every Club level plus an extended, ad-free version of our podcast AppStories that is delivered early each week in high-bitrate audio.\nJoin Now", "date_published": "2023-05-23T13:00:00-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-05-23T21:21:28-04:00", "authors": [ { "name": "John Voorhees", "url": "https://www.macstories.net/author/johnvoorhees/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/5a1475dcd87638ed2f250b6213881115?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "tags": [ "iPad Pro", "Logic", "productivity", "stories" ] }, { "id": "https://www.macstories.net/?p=71982", "url": "https://www.macstories.net/news/final-cut-pro-and-logic-pro-are-coming-to-the-ipad-on-may-23rd/", "title": "Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro Are Coming to the iPad on May 23rd", "content_html": "
\"Source:

Source: Apple.

\n

At long last, Apple has announced Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro for the iPad. Ever since the introduction of the iPad Pro, iPad power users have wondered where the ‘pro’ apps were. Third parties released pro-level creative tools, but Apple’s lineup of apps was conspicuously absent. That looks like it’s changing with today’s announcement that Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro are coming as subscription-based apps on Tuesday, May 23rd.

\n

According to Apple’s press release:

\n

\n Final Cut Pro for iPad introduces an all-new touch interface and intuitive tools — unlocking new workflows for video creators. A new jog wheel makes the editing process easier than ever and enables users to interact with content in completely new ways. They can navigate the Magnetic Timeline, move clips, and make fast frame-accurate edits with just the tap of a finger, and with the immediacy and intuitiveness of Multi-Touch gestures, push their creativity to new heights.\n

\n
\"Source:

Source: Apple.

\n

Apple says users with an M2 iPad Pro will be able to skim and preview footage using the Apple Pencil’s hover functionality. The app will also support keyboard shortcuts when connected to a Magic Keyboard.

\n

According to Apple’s press release, Final Cut Pro will support single-device field recording, with the M2 iPad Pro supporting ProRes video. The app will also support multicam editing, which can be automatically synced together.

\n

Auto-cropping of the subject of a video will be possible thanks to machine learning. The app will also use machine learning to assist users with cropping to common video sizes and isolating recorded voices.

\n
\"Source:

Source: Apple.

\n

Apple also says the app will come with a “vast library” of professional graphics, effects, audio, and animation that can be automatically adjusted to the length of a video. Finally, Final Cut Pro will be able to import from the Files and Photos app and supports iMovie projects. Plus, it will be able to export to Final Cut Projects that are compatible with the Mac version of the app.

\n
\"Source:

Source: Apple.

\n

Apple says that Logic Pro will take advantage of Multi-Touch gestures for manipulating a project as well as Plug-in Tiles that will provide convenient access to certain controls. The iPad’s microphones will also be available as an audio source.

\n
\"Source:

Source: Apple.

\n

The app will also debut a sound browser:

\n

\n The sound browser displays all available instrument patches, audio patches, plug‑in presets, samples, and loops in a single location, and users can tap to audition any sound before loading it into a project to save time and stay in their creative flow.\n

\n

Also included in the app are over 100 instruments and effects, synths, including one called Sample Alchemy for manipulating audio samples, and an extensive set of tools for creating beats. Logic Pro for iPad will work with compatible third-party hardware like microphones, instruments, and MIDI controllers too.

\n
\"Source:

Source: Apple.

\n

When it’s time to mix your creation, Apple says:

\n

\n Multi-Touch enables creators to mix intuitively and move multiple faders at once, and the mixer meter bridge lets them quickly navigate an overview of track levels, all from iPad.\n

\n

Finally, Logic Pro will support round-tripping to the Mac version of the app, GarageBand for iOS projects, and exporting in a variety of compressed and lossless formats or as individual track stems.

\n

According to Apple:

\n

\n Final Cut Pro is compatible with M1 chip iPad models or later, and Logic Pro will be available on A12 Bionic chip iPad models or later. Final Cut Pro for iPad and Logic Pro for iPad require iPadOS 16.4.\n

\n

I’m glad to see Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro finally coming to the iPad. It remains to be seen how each stands up in comparison to their Mac siblings, but from Apple’s press release alone, these will clearly be more powerful and capable apps than either iMovie or GarageBand.

\n

Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro for iPad will be available on the App Store beginning on Tuesday, May 23rd as subscriptions for $4.99/month or $49/year after a one-month free trial.

\n

Support MacStories and Unlock Extras

Founded in 2015, Club MacStories has delivered exclusive content every week for over six years.

\n

In that time, members have enjoyed nearly 400 weekly and monthly newsletters packed with more of your favorite MacStories writing as well as Club-only podcasts, eBooks, discounts on apps, icons, and services. Join today, and you’ll get everything new that we publish every week, plus access to our entire archive of back issues and downloadable perks.

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The Club expanded in 2021 with Club MacStories+ and Club Premier. Club MacStories+ members enjoy even more exclusive stories, a vibrant Discord community, a rotating roster of app discounts, and more. And, with Club Premier, you get everything we offer at every Club level plus an extended, ad-free version of our podcast AppStories that is delivered early each week in high-bitrate audio.

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Join Now", "content_text": "Source: Apple.\nAt long last, Apple has announced Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro for the iPad. Ever since the introduction of the iPad Pro, iPad power users have wondered where the ‘pro’ apps were. Third parties released pro-level creative tools, but Apple’s lineup of apps was conspicuously absent. That looks like it’s changing with today’s announcement that Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro are coming as subscription-based apps on Tuesday, May 23rd.\nAccording to Apple’s press release:\n\n Final Cut Pro for iPad introduces an all-new touch interface and intuitive tools — unlocking new workflows for video creators. A new jog wheel makes the editing process easier than ever and enables users to interact with content in completely new ways. They can navigate the Magnetic Timeline, move clips, and make fast frame-accurate edits with just the tap of a finger, and with the immediacy and intuitiveness of Multi-Touch gestures, push their creativity to new heights.\n\nSource: Apple.\nApple says users with an M2 iPad Pro will be able to skim and preview footage using the Apple Pencil’s hover functionality. The app will also support keyboard shortcuts when connected to a Magic Keyboard.\nAccording to Apple’s press release, Final Cut Pro will support single-device field recording, with the M2 iPad Pro supporting ProRes video. The app will also support multicam editing, which can be automatically synced together.\nAuto-cropping of the subject of a video will be possible thanks to machine learning. The app will also use machine learning to assist users with cropping to common video sizes and isolating recorded voices.\nSource: Apple.\nApple also says the app will come with a “vast library” of professional graphics, effects, audio, and animation that can be automatically adjusted to the length of a video. Finally, Final Cut Pro will be able to import from the Files and Photos app and supports iMovie projects. Plus, it will be able to export to Final Cut Projects that are compatible with the Mac version of the app.\nSource: Apple.\nApple says that Logic Pro will take advantage of Multi-Touch gestures for manipulating a project as well as Plug-in Tiles that will provide convenient access to certain controls. The iPad’s microphones will also be available as an audio source.\nSource: Apple.\nThe app will also debut a sound browser:\n\n The sound browser displays all available instrument patches, audio patches, plug‑in presets, samples, and loops in a single location, and users can tap to audition any sound before loading it into a project to save time and stay in their creative flow.\n\nAlso included in the app are over 100 instruments and effects, synths, including one called Sample Alchemy for manipulating audio samples, and an extensive set of tools for creating beats. Logic Pro for iPad will work with compatible third-party hardware like microphones, instruments, and MIDI controllers too.\nSource: Apple.\nWhen it’s time to mix your creation, Apple says:\n\n Multi-Touch enables creators to mix intuitively and move multiple faders at once, and the mixer meter bridge lets them quickly navigate an overview of track levels, all from iPad.\n\nFinally, Logic Pro will support round-tripping to the Mac version of the app, GarageBand for iOS projects, and exporting in a variety of compressed and lossless formats or as individual track stems.\nAccording to Apple:\n\n Final Cut Pro is compatible with M1 chip iPad models or later, and Logic Pro will be available on A12 Bionic chip iPad models or later. Final Cut Pro for iPad and Logic Pro for iPad require iPadOS 16.4.\n\nI’m glad to see Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro finally coming to the iPad. It remains to be seen how each stands up in comparison to their Mac siblings, but from Apple’s press release alone, these will clearly be more powerful and capable apps than either iMovie or GarageBand.\nFinal Cut Pro and Logic Pro for iPad will be available on the App Store beginning on Tuesday, May 23rd as subscriptions for $4.99/month or $49/year after a one-month free trial.\nSupport MacStories and Unlock ExtrasFounded in 2015, Club MacStories has delivered exclusive content every week for over six years.\nIn that time, members have enjoyed nearly 400 weekly and monthly newsletters packed with more of your favorite MacStories writing as well as Club-only podcasts, eBooks, discounts on apps, icons, and services. Join today, and you’ll get everything new that we publish every week, plus access to our entire archive of back issues and downloadable perks.\nThe Club expanded in 2021 with Club MacStories+ and Club Premier. Club MacStories+ members enjoy even more exclusive stories, a vibrant Discord community, a rotating roster of app discounts, and more. And, with Club Premier, you get everything we offer at every Club level plus an extended, ad-free version of our podcast AppStories that is delivered early each week in high-bitrate audio.\nJoin Now", "date_published": "2023-05-09T10:24:26-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-05-09T11:12:43-04:00", "authors": [ { "name": "John Voorhees", "url": "https://www.macstories.net/author/johnvoorhees/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/5a1475dcd87638ed2f250b6213881115?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "tags": [ "Final Cut Pro", "iPad Pro", "Logic", "news" ] }, { "id": "https://www.macstories.net/?p=71635", "url": "https://www.macstories.net/linked/the-mac-and-ipad-pro-are-on-a-collision-course/", "title": "The Mac and iPad Pro Are on a Collision Course", "content_html": "

Jason Snell, in an excellent column for Macworld:

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\n Sometimes I look back at all the effort Apple has made with the iPad Pro and wonder if it was worth it. All the additions of Mac-ish features have added complexity that’s probably lost on most users of iPadOS, and the power users for whom they were intended are probably well aware of all the ways they don’t really match up the Mac features they’re duplicating.

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I want to see what happens when the walls come down. Today’s iPad Pro is powered by the same chip that’s in the MacBook Air. Would it be such a cataclysm if I could simply reboot that iPad into macOS or run macOS inside a virtual machine?

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Likewise, what if the Mac had a touchscreen and Apple Pencil support and came in shapes that weren’t the traditional laptop? What if the Mac began to offer the ergonomic flexibility that iPadOS is so good at? What if I ripped the keyboard off a MacBook and had the option to switch to a touch-based mode that was essentially iPadOS?\n

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I love this story, which I recommend reading in its entirety, because it feels as if Jason stared directly into my soul and wrote about something I’ve been feeling for the past several months.

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From my perspective, Stage Manager’s failure to reinvent multitasking and iPadOS’ perennial lack of pro features (Jason mentions a proper audio subsystem in his story, and I agree; I wrote this four years ago, and nothing has improved) were the final straw that convinced me to start looking elsewhere for a convertible computer in my life. I could buy a MacBook Air, but I don’t want to be stuck with a laptop that doesn’t have a touchscreen and whose keyboard you can’t detach.

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I fear that I’m going to have to wait a couple of years for the Apple computer I want to exist, and I’m not sure anymore that iPadOS can evolve in meaningful ways in the meantime.

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\u2192 Source: macworld.com

", "content_text": "Jason Snell, in an excellent column for Macworld:\n\n Sometimes I look back at all the effort Apple has made with the iPad Pro and wonder if it was worth it. All the additions of Mac-ish features have added complexity that’s probably lost on most users of iPadOS, and the power users for whom they were intended are probably well aware of all the ways they don’t really match up the Mac features they’re duplicating.\n I want to see what happens when the walls come down. Today’s iPad Pro is powered by the same chip that’s in the MacBook Air. Would it be such a cataclysm if I could simply reboot that iPad into macOS or run macOS inside a virtual machine?\n Likewise, what if the Mac had a touchscreen and Apple Pencil support and came in shapes that weren’t the traditional laptop? What if the Mac began to offer the ergonomic flexibility that iPadOS is so good at? What if I ripped the keyboard off a MacBook and had the option to switch to a touch-based mode that was essentially iPadOS?\n\nI love this story, which I recommend reading in its entirety, because it feels as if Jason stared directly into my soul and wrote about something I’ve been feeling for the past several months.\nFrom my perspective, Stage Manager’s failure to reinvent multitasking and iPadOS’ perennial lack of pro features (Jason mentions a proper audio subsystem in his story, and I agree; I wrote this four years ago, and nothing has improved) were the final straw that convinced me to start looking elsewhere for a convertible computer in my life. I could buy a MacBook Air, but I don’t want to be stuck with a laptop that doesn’t have a touchscreen and whose keyboard you can’t detach.\nI fear that I’m going to have to wait a couple of years for the Apple computer I want to exist, and I’m not sure anymore that iPadOS can evolve in meaningful ways in the meantime.\n\u2192 Source: macworld.com", "date_published": "2023-03-15T17:40:28-04:00", "date_modified": "2023-03-15T17:40:28-04:00", "authors": [ { "name": "Federico Viticci", "url": "https://www.macstories.net/author/viticci/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/94a9aa7c70dbeb9440c6759bd2cebc2a?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "tags": [ "iPad Pro", "mac", "Linked" ] }, { "id": "https://www.macstories.net/?p=70784", "url": "https://www.macstories.net/reviews/ipad-and-ipad-pro-review-2022/", "title": "The New iPad and iPad Pro Review: Mixed Signals", "content_html": "
\"The

The new iPad Pro and iPad.

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Last week on Thursday, I received review units of the new 10th generation iPad and 6th generation iPad Pro. I’ve spent the past few days testing and getting work done with both of them – including finishing a big story about Stage Manager I’m going to publish in a few hours on MacStories.

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These are relatively easy iPads to review with a fairly straightforward narrative around them. The new iPad Pro is an iterative update that shows us Apple has seemingly hit a plateau in terms of innovation with this particular design – save for one feature that truly surprised me. The new base model iPad is a massive update compared to its predecessor, adding an all-new, iPad Pro-inspired design and a brand new accessory – the Magic Keyboard Folio – that has turned out to be one of my favorite accessories Apple has launched in recent years. I’ve had a ton of fun playing around and working with the new iPad over the weekend; if you’re in the market for an 11” tablet, you shouldn’t sleep on this one.

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When considered individually, these new iPads are solid options in their respective categories – each delivering on the different goals Apple set out to accomplish for these product lines in 2022.

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It’s when you zoom out and take a broader look at the new state of the iPad lineup that things become…a bit more confusing.

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Table of Contents

The New iPad Pro

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The new iPad Pro with M2 is the definition of a spec-bump update. Put it side-by-side next to the M1 iPad Pro from 2021 and you wouldn’t be able to tell a difference at a glance. It looks the same; it weighs the same (I was sent the 12.9”, 1 TB, Wi-Fi + Cellular version); it uses the same model of Magic Keyboard Apple debuted in 2020. Visually speaking, the only clue that would confirm you’re using a 2022 iPad Pro instead of a 2021 model is that the new one says ‘iPad Pro’ in the back instead of just ‘iPad’. Otherwise, it looks exactly the same as the old one.

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\"The

The new iPad Pro (right) is identical to the 2021 model, but it says ‘iPad Pro’ in the back instead of just ‘iPad’.

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The tech inside the new iPad Pro paints a similar spec-bump-y picture. The new iPad Pro supports Bluetooth 5.3 and Wi-Fi 6E, neither of which I was able to test since I don’t have compatible hardware for these wireless radios at home. The new model can also record video with ProRes, a welcome addition for iPad videographers that I also wouldn’t know how to begin testing, and which I know I’ll never use in my typical daily iPad workflow. And then, of course, there’s the updated chip: the Apple M2, replacing last year’s M1.

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I don’t have much to say about the M2 since, as you probably know after years of iPad reviews, I’m not the kind of user who’s going to dramatically push its single-core and multi-core capabilities. I’m a writer, and plain text isn’t fancy enough to have that kind of conversation here. But I’ll say this:

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\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
ModelSingle CoreMulti Core
iPad Pro (M2)18458311
MacBook Air (M2)19328860
iPad Pro (M1)17127231
iPad Air (M1)17197294
iPhone 14 Pro Max (A16)18795356

So far, I’m guessing that everything I just wrote is pretty much in line with what you were expecting from this iPad Pro update. It’s not a redesign of the existing iPad Pro line; it’s a spec-bump with M2, an updated media engine, and better wireless radios.

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The surprise of the new iPad Pro, however, is hidden beneath the surface of your expectations. Or rather, slightly on top of it.

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Apple Pencil Hover as a UI Input Method

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The new iPad Pro comes with a new feature called Apple Pencil Hover that lets the iPad recognize the second-generation Apple Pencil (the existing model) even if it’s hovering within 12mm of the display rather than directly touching it. Wacom tablets have offered similar functionalities for years; Apple brought it to the new iPad Pro without requiring a new version of the Apple Pencil, which I appreciate.

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In marketing materials and videos, Apple (rightfully) focused on the potential Apple Pencil Hover has for those who draw and illustrate on their iPad Pro on a regular basis. I can confirm that, for those use cases, Apple Pencil Hover does work as advertised. Start a drawing in Notes, hover with the Pencil over the screen, and as long as the tip of the Pencil is roughly within one centimeter of it, you’ll see a small preview of the selected drawing tool onscreen before leaving your mark with it. It kind of looks like a laser pointer: move the Pencil around while hovering and the preview indicator follows you around; take the Pencil slowly away from the display, and the indicator subtly fades until it disappears.

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Drawing with Apple Pencil Hover.

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If you’re an artist or a proficient visual note-taker who relies on Apple Pencil for your drawings and sketches, I think Apple Pencil Hover will be a big deal for you: in addition to previewing lines before drawing them, you’ll also be able to see what a mix of colors will look like before adding a new color to a drawing. Effectively, this preview-oriented aspect of Apple Pencil Hover should result in fewer ‘Undo’ operations and a more contextual, streamlined experience when drawing.

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I’m here to tell you, however, that Apple Pencil Hover goes beyond enhancing the typical iPad drawing experience: it’s also a neat way to control the iPadOS UI, adding a new dimension to touch interactions. I was not expecting to use Apple Pencil Hover at all because I’m no artist; its native integration with interface elements across the system turned out to be one of my favorite additions to iPadOS this year – definitely more so than Stage Manager. Allow me to explain.

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Apple Pencil Hover has been designed to work out of the box with all the hover effects that developers have already implemented over the past two years for the iPadOS pointer. As a general rule, if an iPadOS UI element – like, say, a button in Files – already supports “responding” to the hovering pointer with an effect, then it’ll work “for free” with Apple Pencil Hover too. Here’s how Apple puts it on its Developer website:

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\n By default, hover gestures work with pointing devices such as trackpads as well as Apple Pencil.\n

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Developers can optimize their apps specifically for Apple Pencil Hover, but even if they don’t, you’ll be able to start using Apple Pencil Hover for “non-artistic purposes” across your favorite apps right away, by simply taking advantage of hover effects that were originally designed for trackpads and mice.

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Which brings me to the realization I had over the weekend while testing the new iPad Pro: thanks to Hover, I may start using the Apple Pencil much more often for those times when my iPad Pro is not connected to the Magic Keyboard. That’s because with Apple Pencil Hover, it’s almost as if my fingers – the primary input method for when I’m using my iPad as a tablet – gain hovering capabilities that they otherwise can’t have. Think of it as having a “super-touch” input system that brings the benefits of the pointer and trackpad to the iPad’s classic tablet mode.

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I’ll give you a few examples. When using Safari, there are certain interactions that are only possible if you’re hovering with the pointer over specific UI elements. Which means that if you’re using your iPad as a tablet without the Magic Keyboard, those interactions just can’t be accessed. Apple Pencil Hover solves this problem. For instance, while browsing in Safari, hover over a link on a page with the tip of the Pencil and, without having to click or long-press it, you’ll see the full destination URL pop up at the bottom of the page:

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\"You

You can show full URLs on hover while using Apple Pencil in Safari.

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Another interaction that isn’t supported when using the iPad in regular tablet mode is previewing and closing tabs without switching to them. With Hover, you can point the Pencil’s tip toward a Safari tab and wait a second for a thumbnail preview to appear, or you can hover over to the left side of the tab and click the ‘x’ button to close the tab without ever opening it. When I’m using the iPad as a tablet in touch mode, all these operations are clunky: they require multiple steps because my fingers are missing the hover dimension that unlocks those useful shortcuts. With Apple Pencil Hover, the iPad’s tablet mode gets upgraded to a hybrid touch-pointer mode that feels right at home on iPadOS.

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Previewing and closing tabs in Safari without switching to them thanks to Apple Pencil Hover.

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Another gesture that works incredibly well with Apple Pencil Hover is scrubbing through videos. Take the YouTube or Netflix websites for example: when watching a video in touch mode with the iPad as a tablet, you can’t preview sections of a video by scrubbing unless you touch the screen. Apple Pencil Hover fixes this. As you’re watching a video in Safari, hover with the tip of the Pencil, and you’ll be able to scrub through and preview its frames without actually skipping backward and forward in the video.

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Previewing and scrubbing through YouTube videos with Apple Pencil Hover.

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Given that hovering as an interaction method is a relatively new concept on iPadOS, the list of native iPad apps that offer hover-only interactions isn’t long; if anything, you’ll find more websites and web apps in Safari that suddenly work with Apple Pencil Hover – like YouTube and Netflix – because hovering with the mouse has existed on desktop computers for decades.

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Now that Apple Pencil Hover joins the pointer in supporting hover-based interactions, however, my hope is that we’ll start seeing more native iPad apps offer new features based on hovering over specific UI elements. That’s the thing about Apple Pencil Hover: after using it as an input method in a handful of places where it makes sense, I want to use it more often and in more apps. I’d also like to see Apple add non-drawing options to the double-tap gesture of Apple Pencil: for example, it’d be cool to simulate clicks and long-presses with a double-tap on the Pencil while hovering.

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I wasn’t expecting to like Apple Pencil Hover as an input method for the iPadOS interface as much as I did. But if you think about it, this is precisely the kind of functionality I’m supposed to like: it extends the iPad’s modularity even further, blurring the lines between touch and pointer by leveraging a physical accessory that you can attach to the iPad and carry with you.

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I also like Apple Pencil Hover because it’s one of those iPad-first features that you can tell Apple researched, tested, and refined with exquisite care. Unlike Stage Manager, Apple Pencil Hover has a clear purpose, works for both novice and advanced users, and has an API for developers. More of this, Apple.

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The New iPad

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\"The

The new iPad.

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The 10th generation iPad is the first base model in years that has caught my attention, for a variety of reasons. For starters, it has created a new slot in Apple’s ever-growing iPad lineup: at $449 for the 64 GB, Wi-Fi model, the new iPad is $120 more expensive than the 9th generation model (which Apple still sells), but $150 cheaper than the 5th generation iPad Air, which starts at $599. The price proposition puts this iPad squarely in between the old iPad and the M1 iPad Air, but some of its features may make it a preferable option to the Air or – for some folks – even the 11” iPad Pro. It’s a strange situation Apple seems to be in right now, so let’s analyze it.

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There’s an easy way to think about the new iPad: it’s an iPad Air, with a more vibrant color, and less capable internals that justify its more affordable price tag.

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\"The

The iPad Air (left) and new iPad (right).

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From a mere visual standpoint, the new iPad looks nearly identical to the fifth-generation iPad Air. The two iPads weigh roughly the same: the iPad Air is 19 grams lighter in its Wi-Fi + Cellular configuration, which Apple sent me for review. They’re roughly the same thickness: the iPad Air is 0.9mm thinner than the new iPad. Both differences in weight and thickness are imperceptible in practice. Both iPads have the same display resolution, too, with a 2360‑by‑1640 resolution at 264 ppi in the same 10.9” enclosure. At a glance, you’d be hard-pressed to find any notable differences between these two devices – especially when using them in tablet mode without an external keyboard (more on this later).

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\"A

A note about colors: as you can see, the blue iPad Apple sent me has an actual, fun blue color that looks unmistakably blue, unlike the iPad Air’s blueish-but-sometimes-gray hue. I like that Apple is using real colors in this iPad generation; I’d like this to become a trend even in other iPad models. Why can’t iPad Air and iPad Pro owners have fun colors too?

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\"The

The new iPad (right) is a proper blue.

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\"Actual

Actual blue.

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\"The

The flat side of the iPad (right) is also more colorful than the iPad Air’s (left).

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Of course, the new iPad looks like a proper generational leap when compared to the base model that precedes it in the lineup – the 9th generation iPad, which Apple is keeping around at $329. The process that Apple started in 2020 with the 4th generation iPad Air and continued with the redesigned iPad mini in 2021 is now complete with the 10th generation iPad: the industrial design pioneered by the iPad Pro in 2018 has trickled down to the base model iPad, which borrows heavily from the implementation Apple used in the Air and mini. Which is to say: there’s no Face ID here, but an elongated top button that serves as a Touch ID sensor; there’s no four-speaker audio but a classic stereo speaker system; there’s no ProMotion (let alone XDR), and there’s a USB-C port, but it doesn’t support Thunderbolt. Compared to the previous base model, the new iPad is a massive upgrade that comes with a modern design and refreshed iPadOS multitasking interactions; it’s very similar to the iPad Air, both in terms of appearance and daily experience with iPad apps.

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That said, there’s a long list of differences worth explaining when trying to make sense of this iPad’s place in Apple’s bigger lineup.

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Apple’s Family of 11” iPads

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This section would be easier to write if Apple had gone with a simpler approach. As it stands now, there are three iPad models in the 11” range: the 11” iPad Pro, the iPad Air, and the new iPad. They all look kind of similar to each other, but they have different price points.

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Ideally, each iPad should be additive: the iPad Pro should have the same features of the iPad Air and more, which in return should have the same features of an iPad and more. A good-better-best model, essentially. The problem is that we’re in this odd situation where Apple’s 11” iPads sort-of follow that logic, but there are exceptions that may potentially confuse customers.

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Let’s start from the easy stuff, where the differences are clear-cut. The iPad Air’s display is fully laminated; the base model iPad’s is not. Some people are more sensitive to this than I am, but it’s worth noting. The iPad Air’s display also comes with antireflective coating and supports wide color; the new iPad’s doesn’t. Most notably, the iPad Air has an M1 chip that lets it use Stage Manager and display scaling in iPadOS 16; the new iPad is stuck on the A14 Bionic SoC – same as the iPad Air from 2020.

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Depending on how you feel about Stage Manager in iPadOS, you may not care about its absence on the new iPad at all because you prefer working with Split View and Slide Over anyway, which I understand. Regardless of Stage Manager, however, it’s undeniable that display scaling and the ‘More Space’ setting supported by the iPad Air makes working on that machine – even with Split View and Slide Over – a more powerful and professional experience than the new iPad, which doesn’t support a denser display resolution.

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With display scaling enabled on the iPad Air, the device’s resolution jumps to 2746x1908, which is very close to the 12.9” iPad Pro’s resolution, but in a 10.9” device. Thanks to display scaling on the Air, you’ll be able to fit more content and apps onscreen, which helps when you’re trying to work with multiple apps on a compact tablet connected to a Magic Keyboard.

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\"Split

Split View on iPad Air with display scaling enabled.

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\"Because

Because the new iPad does not support display scaling, the same Split View cannot show a sidebar for GoodLinks on the right, and Safari (left) shows less text.

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There’s also the matter of future-proofing your iPad: with the iPad Air’s M1 chip, you’ll also get access to 8 GB of RAM; the new iPad only has 4 GB. Some new features of iPadOS are already exclusive to iPad Pro models or iPads with an M1 like the iPad Air (Stage Manager); it’s very likely that this trend will only continue in the future (see: external display support in Stage Manager).

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Then there’s the Apple Pencil story, which is the aspect of the new iPad I dislike most. Despite having switched to USB-C and carrying the same flat-edge industrial design of the iPad Pro and iPad Air, the new iPad does not support the second-generation, magnetically-attached Apple Pencil. Instead, the iPad continues to be stuck with the first-generation Apple Pencil, originally introduced all the way back in 2015. That decision in and of itself is confusing: here you have an iPad that, by all means, has adopted all the key design attributes of the iPad Pro and iPad Air, except for this one feature that is missing and requires you to keep using an accessory from seven years ago. For context, the iPhone 6s came out the same year of the original Apple Pencil.

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One almost wonders: if the new iPad doesn’t support the vastly-superior second-generation Apple Pencil, why is it even using the same design of the iPad Pro and iPad Air? After all, one of the reasons Apple moved to flat edges on those iPads was to support a flush magnetic attachment for the Apple Pencil on the top edge of the device. But where it gets worse – if not ridiculous and, arguably, downright user-hostile – is that because the original Apple Pencil was using Lightning at the time, but this iPad doesn’t have a Lightning port anymore, when you want to pair and charge your Apple Pencil you’ll have to a use dongle and a cable. This thing:

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\"Sigh.\"

Sigh.

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Cue the memes. From Apple’s perspective, I’m sure they had their technical or financial reasons for not supporting the second-generation Apple Pencil on a new iPad that looks identical to other iPads that support it. As a user, however, I don’t like this approach, and I don’t think it is a good experience. I would have prefered to see Apple make a modernized, cheaper, less capable version of the Apple Pencil that uses USB-C. Anyway: if you’re a heavy Apple Pencil user and prefer the look, feel, and features of the second-gen Apple Pencil, I can’t recommend the new base model iPad.

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Here’s where we enter Weird Territory. One of those potential reasons for Apple to skip support for the second-gen Apple Pencil on the new iPad is the addition of a landscape camera in the center of one of the iPad’s longer bezels. For years now, and especially following the rise of remote working during the pandemic, iPad users have been asking Apple to move the device’s front-facing camera from the shorter’s side to the longer one. Most people who bought an iPad to do video calls from home are probably using a keyboard case with it; when the iPad is in landscape mode, not having the camera face you directly – like on a traditional laptop – has always felt strange. If you need to have one awkward from-the-chin-up angle because the iPad only has one camera, you may as well have it on the orientation you use the least: portrait mode.

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\"Hello

Hello there, landscape camera.

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So, I’m glad that Apple listened and put the front-facing camera in landscape on the new iPad: it makes for much more “normal” Zoom and FaceTime calls, and this is the way to go. But I have to ask:

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Why didn’t the iPad Pro get a landscape camera as well? I find it very odd that, for two iPad models that were introduced on the same day, the one that did not get the much better webcam is the model called ‘iPad Pro’ – the one that, in theory, folks who want to do “real work” from home should be buying.

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It’s not that I’m upset the new iPad got a landscape camera: it’s absolutely the right decision in 2022. It’s just that all iPads should have this feature, but Apple chose to bring an improvement to the base model in their lineup rather than their high-end, flagship iPad Pro. Imagine if the iPhone SE4 and the iPhone 15 Pro were introduced on the same day, but only the SE got a brand new Face ID sensor. That’s how I feel about the landscape camera on the new iPad.

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The…interesting decisions in the iPad lineup don’t stop here.

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The New Magic Keyboard Folio

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\"The

The new iPad in the Magic Keyboard Folio.

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Just like the new iPad isn’t compatible with the modern Apple Pencil, it doesn’t support the 2020 Magic Keyboard either. But in this case, instead of forcing new iPad owners to use a keyboard from seven years ago, Apple created a brand new flavor of the Magic Keyboard called Magic Keyboard Folio that only works with this iPad model and has both more and fewer features than the Magic Keyboard.

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The Magic Keyboard Folio is reminiscent of similar solutions from Logitech and Microsoft on the Surface line: it’s a two-piece accessory that eschews the Magic Keyboard’s single-piece floating design in favor of a cover (thankfully, not a rugged case like Logitech’s Combo Touch) with a folding kickstand that attaches magnetically to the back of the iPad, plus a removable keyboard that attaches to a new Smart Connector placed at the bottom edge of the iPad. The keyboard is not backlit, but it otherwise carries the same full-size layout of an 11” Magic Keyboard that even comes with a larger trackpad (it’s one centimeter taller) and an extra row of 14 function keys. You can close the keyboard on top of the iPad as a cover or, if you’re not using it, detach it or fold it in the back of the iPad with the keys facing either in or out.

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The keys of the Magic Keyboard Folio feel the same as the ones in the Magic Keyboard, but they’re not backlit.

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You can fold the keyboard part of the Folio onto the back cover with the keys facing in, so you won’t feel them when holding the iPad.

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There are, of course, trade-offs with this design when it comes to portability and balancing the iPad on your lap. Since the iPad is not floating and is not attached to a back cover that is part of the keyboard structure itself (Apple’s so-called cantilever design), the Magic Keyboard Folio is harder to use on your lap than a regular Magic Keyboard. You have to carefully balance both the keyboard and the adjustable kickstand that holds the iPad, which doesn’t grant the same flexibility or comfort as the Magic Keyboard.

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The part that connects the keyboard to the keyboard attachment is made of soft rubber material, so it slightly wobbles around when you’re typing on your lap. If you’re like me and often use the Magic Keyboard while relaxing on your couch with your knees up in front of you, you’ll want to be extra careful when trying to do so with a Magic Keyboard Folio unless you want to slap yourself in the face with an iPad. You can use the Magic Keyboard Folio on your lap, but the Magic Keyboard’s unified design gives you more flexibility and a sturdier structure as far as lap usage goes.

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The relocated Smart Connector makes the Magic Keyboard Folio exclusive to this new iPad.

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The Folio’s angle can be adjusted to an upright position.

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And here’s the Folio’s widest possible angle.

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I should point out that the magnets that hold the keyboard part in-place when covering the iPad’s screen aren’t as strong as those seen in the Magic Keyboard or Smart Folio. With very minimal pressure, you can move the cover around like in the GIF below, or detach it if you put your iPad upside down:

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The magnets that attach the keyboard cover to the iPad’s display don’t seem too strong. The keyboard attachment with the Smart Connector is, but I found it odd that I was able to move the cover like this.

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Case in point: the keyboard stays attached, but the cover doesn’t if the iPad is upside down.

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That being said, I like everything else about the Magic Keyboard Folio and more so than I anticipated, to the point where, once again, I’m left wondering why the base iPad model got certain keyboard-related improvements and the iPad Pro got…nothing.

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The taller trackpad is terrific, and makes performing multitouch gestures more comfortable than the Magic Keyboard’s smaller trackpad. Keys and the space between them are the same size as on the 11” Magic Keyboard. Then, of course, there’s the row of function keys: opening Spotlight, the app switcher, or controlling media playback and volume is exactly as nice as you can imagine with dedicated keys; it makes working with iPadOS 16 much faster. That is, if you plan on working on a base model iPad rather than an iPad Pro, which is ostensibly the model designed for productivity and keyboard-driven interactions. And yet, its Magic Keyboard still lacks a bigger trackpad and a row of function keys.

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The Magic Keyboard Folio (left) and the iPad Air in the Magic Keyboard.

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The Magic Keyboard Folio (left) has a bigger trackpad than the Magic Keyboard, plus a function row.

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In my tests over the weekend, I have to say that I really liked the Magic Keyboard Folio even with the keyboard detached because of the flexibility provided by the removable back cover with adjustable kickstand. While in tablet mode, the kickstand comes in handy when playing games with a paired controller or leaving the iPad next to you in the kitchen with some music or cooking apps like Mela and Pestle. But what I’ve discovered is that I also love using it as, effectively, a giant PopSocket attached to the back of the iPad that lets me use it in portable mode without holding it with my thumbs over the screen’s bezels.

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Holding the iPad from its kickstand is surprisingly comfortable.

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This method also works in portrait mode.

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The best time I’ve had with the new iPad was exactly that: keyboard detached, iPad in front of my face while relaxing on my new sofa with my hands gripping the Folio’s kickstand. I don’t think Apple intended the Magic Keyboard Folio’s back cover and kickstand to be used this way, but it’s worked well for me when watching YouTube videos, reading articles in GoodLinks, and catching up on Twitter with Spring. I’m enjoying this iPad’s portable mode so much, I’m considering whether it would make for a nicer “media consumption tablet” than the iPad mini.

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I wish Apple made a Magic Keyboard Folio for the iPad Pro too. Or perhaps just a similar back cover, even without the keyboard part, for the iPad Pro. But then again, I’m probably partial when it comes to kickstands. If you ask me, they should put them in everything.

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A Confusing Lineup in a Transitional Phase?

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Considered individually, both the new iPad Pro and 10th generation iPad are solid updates that achieve what they were designed to do. The iPad Pro is a spec-bump update with one very nice surprise in the form of Apple Pencil Hover; it has obvious applications for drawing and sketching apps, but it could also be the beginning of something new as a more general input method for the iPad in tablet mode. The new iPad is a fantastic upgrade compared to the 9th generation model, with a redesign and new features that pit it directly against the iPad Air in terms of value, plus a brand new keyboard accessory that highlights the device’s modularity.

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There are two things that concern me when taking a bird’s-eye view at these iPads as part of a bigger lineup in 2022 though.

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The first one is potential customer confusion. The way I see it, there’s probably one iPad too many in the 11” range now: while I – the professional reviewer – can discern the fine differences between the 11” iPad Pro, iPad Air, and new iPad, I can’t help but wonder what the average iPad buyer who doesn’t want an iPad mini or a large 12.9” iPad Pro will think when presented with three iPads that, at first glance, look exactly the same. Those iPads share a lot of similar features, except some of the great new ones (landscape camera, better typing experience on a keyboard) are on the entry-level model rather than the premium Pro one. Apple is sending some mixed messages with this iPad lineup, which could use more consistency in terms of accessory compatibility and new hardware options.

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I said before that I wasn’t sure about the 11” iPad Pro’s reason to exist anymore, and that feeling has only gotten stronger now that we have a third iPad in the 11” form factor and no big changes on the small iPad Pro (which got Apple Pencil Hover, but no XDR support with mini-LED).

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The second concern is related to the one above: I find the lack of notable hardware changes in the Pro line after four years of the same screen sizes and over two years of Magic Keyboard very perplexing. Apple is also sending mixed signals with the iPad Pro lineup these days: the power of Apple Silicon still hasn’t been used by any pro app made by Apple (fortunately, third parties are filling this gap), there haven’t been any changes on the accessory front, and the one hardware feature I would have liked to see – a relocated front-facing camera – was brought to the base model iPad instead. Observing the iPad Pro’s evolution has always been about the tablet itself as much as its accessories; I’m disappointed that we didn’t get any changes on the Magic Keyboard front in the 2022 iPad Pros.

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I don’t understand if this relative lull in the iPad Pro ecosystem is the precursor of bigger things on the horizon for next year (perhaps with an even larger ‘iPad Studio’ or ‘iPad Ultra’?), or if Apple has run out of ideas for its flagship iPad line for now. I want to believe in the more optimistic direction for iPad Pro users: I wouldn’t be surprised to see Apple progressively phase out the smaller iPad Pro, leaving the 11” form factor for the base model iPad and iPad Air, allowing the iPad Pro line to grow bigger in size.

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That’s just my personal speculation. For now, I guess we’ll always have iPadOS 16 and Stage Manager. But that’s a story for another time. Or, actually, later today.

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Join Now", "content_text": "The new iPad Pro and iPad.\nLast week on Thursday, I received review units of the new 10th generation iPad and 6th generation iPad Pro. I’ve spent the past few days testing and getting work done with both of them – including finishing a big story about Stage Manager I’m going to publish in a few hours on MacStories.\nThese are relatively easy iPads to review with a fairly straightforward narrative around them. The new iPad Pro is an iterative update that shows us Apple has seemingly hit a plateau in terms of innovation with this particular design – save for one feature that truly surprised me. The new base model iPad is a massive update compared to its predecessor, adding an all-new, iPad Pro-inspired design and a brand new accessory – the Magic Keyboard Folio – that has turned out to be one of my favorite accessories Apple has launched in recent years. I’ve had a ton of fun playing around and working with the new iPad over the weekend; if you’re in the market for an 11” tablet, you shouldn’t sleep on this one.\nSupported By\nConcepts\n\n\nConcepts: Infinite, Flexible Sketching.\nWhen considered individually, these new iPads are solid options in their respective categories – each delivering on the different goals Apple set out to accomplish for these product lines in 2022.\nIt’s when you zoom out and take a broader look at the new state of the iPad lineup that things become…a bit more confusing.\n\nTable of ContentsThe New iPad ProApple Pencil Hover as a UI Input MethodThe New iPadApple’s Family of 11” iPadsThe New Magic Keyboard FolioA Confusing Lineup in a Transitional Phase?The New iPad Pro\nThe new iPad Pro with M2 is the definition of a spec-bump update. Put it side-by-side next to the M1 iPad Pro from 2021 and you wouldn’t be able to tell a difference at a glance. It looks the same; it weighs the same (I was sent the 12.9”, 1 TB, Wi-Fi + Cellular version); it uses the same model of Magic Keyboard Apple debuted in 2020. Visually speaking, the only clue that would confirm you’re using a 2022 iPad Pro instead of a 2021 model is that the new one says ‘iPad Pro’ in the back instead of just ‘iPad’. Otherwise, it looks exactly the same as the old one.\nThe new iPad Pro (right) is identical to the 2021 model, but it says ‘iPad Pro’ in the back instead of just ‘iPad’.\nThe tech inside the new iPad Pro paints a similar spec-bump-y picture. The new iPad Pro supports Bluetooth 5.3 and Wi-Fi 6E, neither of which I was able to test since I don’t have compatible hardware for these wireless radios at home. The new model can also record video with ProRes, a welcome addition for iPad videographers that I also wouldn’t know how to begin testing, and which I know I’ll never use in my typical daily iPad workflow. And then, of course, there’s the updated chip: the Apple M2, replacing last year’s M1.\nI don’t have much to say about the M2 since, as you probably know after years of iPad reviews, I’m not the kind of user who’s going to dramatically push its single-core and multi-core capabilities. I’m a writer, and plain text isn’t fancy enough to have that kind of conversation here. But I’ll say this:\nThe M2 doesn’t mean anything in terms of Stage Manager performance and stability. You’re still limited to four windows at once in a workspace, and all the bugs and design issues of Stage Manager seen on the M1 iPad Pro and iPad Air are here as well. But I’m going to cover this topic more in depth later today. (Refresh MacStories in a few hours and prepare your favorite kind of beverage: it’s going to be a long one.)\nM2 benchmarks I ran on the new iPad Pro are largely comparable to benchmarks from the M2 MacBook Air that came out earlier this year. In my tests, I got a score of 1845 in single-core performance and 8311 for multi-core. For the sake of context and for posterity, here’s an updated table of benchmarks I captured on iPads I reviewed in recent years:\nModel\nSingle Core\nMulti Core\niPad Pro (M2)\n1845\n8311\nMacBook Air (M2)\n1932\n8860\niPad Pro (M1)\n1712\n7231\niPad Air (M1)\n1719\n7294\niPhone 14 Pro Max (A16)\n1879\n5356\nSo far, I’m guessing that everything I just wrote is pretty much in line with what you were expecting from this iPad Pro update. It’s not a redesign of the existing iPad Pro line; it’s a spec-bump with M2, an updated media engine, and better wireless radios.\nThe surprise of the new iPad Pro, however, is hidden beneath the surface of your expectations. Or rather, slightly on top of it.\nApple Pencil Hover as a UI Input Method\nThe new iPad Pro comes with a new feature called Apple Pencil Hover that lets the iPad recognize the second-generation Apple Pencil (the existing model) even if it’s hovering within 12mm of the display rather than directly touching it. Wacom tablets have offered similar functionalities for years; Apple brought it to the new iPad Pro without requiring a new version of the Apple Pencil, which I appreciate.\nIn marketing materials and videos, Apple (rightfully) focused on the potential Apple Pencil Hover has for those who draw and illustrate on their iPad Pro on a regular basis. I can confirm that, for those use cases, Apple Pencil Hover does work as advertised. Start a drawing in Notes, hover with the Pencil over the screen, and as long as the tip of the Pencil is roughly within one centimeter of it, you’ll see a small preview of the selected drawing tool onscreen before leaving your mark with it. It kind of looks like a laser pointer: move the Pencil around while hovering and the preview indicator follows you around; take the Pencil slowly away from the display, and the indicator subtly fades until it disappears.\n\n \nDrawing with Apple Pencil Hover.\n\nIf you’re an artist or a proficient visual note-taker who relies on Apple Pencil for your drawings and sketches, I think Apple Pencil Hover will be a big deal for you: in addition to previewing lines before drawing them, you’ll also be able to see what a mix of colors will look like before adding a new color to a drawing. Effectively, this preview-oriented aspect of Apple Pencil Hover should result in fewer ‘Undo’ operations and a more contextual, streamlined experience when drawing.\nThere are two settings for Apple Pencil Hover you can check out in Settings ⇾ Apple Pencil ⇾ Pencil Hover: ‘Show Effects when using Pencil’ and ‘Allow Double Tap only with Pencil Hover’. The first one is an off-switch to disable Pencil Hover; the second will ensure that double-tapping the side of the Pencil will only work while in hover range.\n\nI’m here to tell you, however, that Apple Pencil Hover goes beyond enhancing the typical iPad drawing experience: it’s also a neat way to control the iPadOS UI, adding a new dimension to touch interactions. I was not expecting to use Apple Pencil Hover at all because I’m no artist; its native integration with interface elements across the system turned out to be one of my favorite additions to iPadOS this year – definitely more so than Stage Manager. Allow me to explain.\nApple Pencil Hover has been designed to work out of the box with all the hover effects that developers have already implemented over the past two years for the iPadOS pointer. As a general rule, if an iPadOS UI element – like, say, a button in Files – already supports “responding” to the hovering pointer with an effect, then it’ll work “for free” with Apple Pencil Hover too. Here’s how Apple puts it on its Developer website:\n\n By default, hover gestures work with pointing devices such as trackpads as well as Apple Pencil.\n\nDevelopers can optimize their apps specifically for Apple Pencil Hover, but even if they don’t, you’ll be able to start using Apple Pencil Hover for “non-artistic purposes” across your favorite apps right away, by simply taking advantage of hover effects that were originally designed for trackpads and mice.\nWhich brings me to the realization I had over the weekend while testing the new iPad Pro: thanks to Hover, I may start using the Apple Pencil much more often for those times when my iPad Pro is not connected to the Magic Keyboard. That’s because with Apple Pencil Hover, it’s almost as if my fingers – the primary input method for when I’m using my iPad as a tablet – gain hovering capabilities that they otherwise can’t have. Think of it as having a “super-touch” input system that brings the benefits of the pointer and trackpad to the iPad’s classic tablet mode.\nI’ll give you a few examples. When using Safari, there are certain interactions that are only possible if you’re hovering with the pointer over specific UI elements. Which means that if you’re using your iPad as a tablet without the Magic Keyboard, those interactions just can’t be accessed. Apple Pencil Hover solves this problem. For instance, while browsing in Safari, hover over a link on a page with the tip of the Pencil and, without having to click or long-press it, you’ll see the full destination URL pop up at the bottom of the page:\nYou can show full URLs on hover while using Apple Pencil in Safari.\nFor this to work, make sure you have ‘Show Links on Hover’ enabled in Settings ⇾ Safari.\n\nAnother interaction that isn’t supported when using the iPad in regular tablet mode is previewing and closing tabs without switching to them. With Hover, you can point the Pencil’s tip toward a Safari tab and wait a second for a thumbnail preview to appear, or you can hover over to the left side of the tab and click the ‘x’ button to close the tab without ever opening it. When I’m using the iPad as a tablet in touch mode, all these operations are clunky: they require multiple steps because my fingers are missing the hover dimension that unlocks those useful shortcuts. With Apple Pencil Hover, the iPad’s tablet mode gets upgraded to a hybrid touch-pointer mode that feels right at home on iPadOS.\n\nWith Apple Pencil Hover, the iPad’s tablet mode gets upgraded to a hybrid touch-pointer mode that feels right at home on iPadOS.\n\n\n \nPreviewing and closing tabs in Safari without switching to them thanks to Apple Pencil Hover.\n\nAnother gesture that works incredibly well with Apple Pencil Hover is scrubbing through videos. Take the YouTube or Netflix websites for example: when watching a video in touch mode with the iPad as a tablet, you can’t preview sections of a video by scrubbing unless you touch the screen. Apple Pencil Hover fixes this. As you’re watching a video in Safari, hover with the tip of the Pencil, and you’ll be able to scrub through and preview its frames without actually skipping backward and forward in the video.\n\n \nPreviewing and scrubbing through YouTube videos with Apple Pencil Hover.\n\nGiven that hovering as an interaction method is a relatively new concept on iPadOS, the list of native iPad apps that offer hover-only interactions isn’t long; if anything, you’ll find more websites and web apps in Safari that suddenly work with Apple Pencil Hover – like YouTube and Netflix – because hovering with the mouse has existed on desktop computers for decades.\nNow that Apple Pencil Hover joins the pointer in supporting hover-based interactions, however, my hope is that we’ll start seeing more native iPad apps offer new features based on hovering over specific UI elements. That’s the thing about Apple Pencil Hover: after using it as an input method in a handful of places where it makes sense, I want to use it more often and in more apps. I’d also like to see Apple add non-drawing options to the double-tap gesture of Apple Pencil: for example, it’d be cool to simulate clicks and long-presses with a double-tap on the Pencil while hovering.\nI wasn’t expecting to like Apple Pencil Hover as an input method for the iPadOS interface as much as I did. But if you think about it, this is precisely the kind of functionality I’m supposed to like: it extends the iPad’s modularity even further, blurring the lines between touch and pointer by leveraging a physical accessory that you can attach to the iPad and carry with you.\nI also like Apple Pencil Hover because it’s one of those iPad-first features that you can tell Apple researched, tested, and refined with exquisite care. Unlike Stage Manager, Apple Pencil Hover has a clear purpose, works for both novice and advanced users, and has an API for developers. More of this, Apple.\nThe New iPad\nThe new iPad.\nThe 10th generation iPad is the first base model in years that has caught my attention, for a variety of reasons. For starters, it has created a new slot in Apple’s ever-growing iPad lineup: at $449 for the 64 GB, Wi-Fi model, the new iPad is $120 more expensive than the 9th generation model (which Apple still sells), but $150 cheaper than the 5th generation iPad Air, which starts at $599. The price proposition puts this iPad squarely in between the old iPad and the M1 iPad Air, but some of its features may make it a preferable option to the Air or – for some folks – even the 11” iPad Pro. It’s a strange situation Apple seems to be in right now, so let’s analyze it.\nThere’s an easy way to think about the new iPad: it’s an iPad Air, with a more vibrant color, and less capable internals that justify its more affordable price tag.\nThe iPad Air (left) and new iPad (right).\nFrom a mere visual standpoint, the new iPad looks nearly identical to the fifth-generation iPad Air. The two iPads weigh roughly the same: the iPad Air is 19 grams lighter in its Wi-Fi + Cellular configuration, which Apple sent me for review. They’re roughly the same thickness: the iPad Air is 0.9mm thinner than the new iPad. Both differences in weight and thickness are imperceptible in practice. Both iPads have the same display resolution, too, with a 2360‑by‑1640 resolution at 264 ppi in the same 10.9” enclosure. At a glance, you’d be hard-pressed to find any notable differences between these two devices – especially when using them in tablet mode without an external keyboard (more on this later).\nA note about colors: as you can see, the blue iPad Apple sent me has an actual, fun blue color that looks unmistakably blue, unlike the iPad Air’s blueish-but-sometimes-gray hue. I like that Apple is using real colors in this iPad generation; I’d like this to become a trend even in other iPad models. Why can’t iPad Air and iPad Pro owners have fun colors too?\nThe new iPad (right) is a proper blue.\nActual blue.\nThe flat side of the iPad (right) is also more colorful than the iPad Air’s (left).\nOf course, the new iPad looks like a proper generational leap when compared to the base model that precedes it in the lineup – the 9th generation iPad, which Apple is keeping around at $329. The process that Apple started in 2020 with the 4th generation iPad Air and continued with the redesigned iPad mini in 2021 is now complete with the 10th generation iPad: the industrial design pioneered by the iPad Pro in 2018 has trickled down to the base model iPad, which borrows heavily from the implementation Apple used in the Air and mini. Which is to say: there’s no Face ID here, but an elongated top button that serves as a Touch ID sensor; there’s no four-speaker audio but a classic stereo speaker system; there’s no ProMotion (let alone XDR), and there’s a USB-C port, but it doesn’t support Thunderbolt. Compared to the previous base model, the new iPad is a massive upgrade that comes with a modern design and refreshed iPadOS multitasking interactions; it’s very similar to the iPad Air, both in terms of appearance and daily experience with iPad apps.\nThat said, there’s a long list of differences worth explaining when trying to make sense of this iPad’s place in Apple’s bigger lineup.\nApple’s Family of 11” iPads\nThis section would be easier to write if Apple had gone with a simpler approach. As it stands now, there are three iPad models in the 11” range: the 11” iPad Pro, the iPad Air, and the new iPad. They all look kind of similar to each other, but they have different price points.\nIdeally, each iPad should be additive: the iPad Pro should have the same features of the iPad Air and more, which in return should have the same features of an iPad and more. A good-better-best model, essentially. The problem is that we’re in this odd situation where Apple’s 11” iPads sort-of follow that logic, but there are exceptions that may potentially confuse customers.\nLet’s start from the easy stuff, where the differences are clear-cut. The iPad Air’s display is fully laminated; the base model iPad’s is not. Some people are more sensitive to this than I am, but it’s worth noting. The iPad Air’s display also comes with antireflective coating and supports wide color; the new iPad’s doesn’t. Most notably, the iPad Air has an M1 chip that lets it use Stage Manager and display scaling in iPadOS 16; the new iPad is stuck on the A14 Bionic SoC – same as the iPad Air from 2020.\nDepending on how you feel about Stage Manager in iPadOS, you may not care about its absence on the new iPad at all because you prefer working with Split View and Slide Over anyway, which I understand. Regardless of Stage Manager, however, it’s undeniable that display scaling and the ‘More Space’ setting supported by the iPad Air makes working on that machine – even with Split View and Slide Over – a more powerful and professional experience than the new iPad, which doesn’t support a denser display resolution.\nWith display scaling enabled on the iPad Air, the device’s resolution jumps to 2746x1908, which is very close to the 12.9” iPad Pro’s resolution, but in a 10.9” device. Thanks to display scaling on the Air, you’ll be able to fit more content and apps onscreen, which helps when you’re trying to work with multiple apps on a compact tablet connected to a Magic Keyboard.\nSplit View on iPad Air with display scaling enabled.\nBecause the new iPad does not support display scaling, the same Split View cannot show a sidebar for GoodLinks on the right, and Safari (left) shows less text.\nThere’s also the matter of future-proofing your iPad: with the iPad Air’s M1 chip, you’ll also get access to 8 GB of RAM; the new iPad only has 4 GB. Some new features of iPadOS are already exclusive to iPad Pro models or iPads with an M1 like the iPad Air (Stage Manager); it’s very likely that this trend will only continue in the future (see: external display support in Stage Manager).\nThen there’s the Apple Pencil story, which is the aspect of the new iPad I dislike most. Despite having switched to USB-C and carrying the same flat-edge industrial design of the iPad Pro and iPad Air, the new iPad does not support the second-generation, magnetically-attached Apple Pencil. Instead, the iPad continues to be stuck with the first-generation Apple Pencil, originally introduced all the way back in 2015. That decision in and of itself is confusing: here you have an iPad that, by all means, has adopted all the key design attributes of the iPad Pro and iPad Air, except for this one feature that is missing and requires you to keep using an accessory from seven years ago. For context, the iPhone 6s came out the same year of the original Apple Pencil.\nOne almost wonders: if the new iPad doesn’t support the vastly-superior second-generation Apple Pencil, why is it even using the same design of the iPad Pro and iPad Air? After all, one of the reasons Apple moved to flat edges on those iPads was to support a flush magnetic attachment for the Apple Pencil on the top edge of the device. But where it gets worse – if not ridiculous and, arguably, downright user-hostile – is that because the original Apple Pencil was using Lightning at the time, but this iPad doesn’t have a Lightning port anymore, when you want to pair and charge your Apple Pencil you’ll have to a use dongle and a cable. This thing:\nSigh.\nCue the memes. From Apple’s perspective, I’m sure they had their technical or financial reasons for not supporting the second-generation Apple Pencil on a new iPad that looks identical to other iPads that support it. As a user, however, I don’t like this approach, and I don’t think it is a good experience. I would have prefered to see Apple make a modernized, cheaper, less capable version of the Apple Pencil that uses USB-C. Anyway: if you’re a heavy Apple Pencil user and prefer the look, feel, and features of the second-gen Apple Pencil, I can’t recommend the new base model iPad.\nHere’s where we enter Weird Territory. One of those potential reasons for Apple to skip support for the second-gen Apple Pencil on the new iPad is the addition of a landscape camera in the center of one of the iPad’s longer bezels. For years now, and especially following the rise of remote working during the pandemic, iPad users have been asking Apple to move the device’s front-facing camera from the shorter’s side to the longer one. Most people who bought an iPad to do video calls from home are probably using a keyboard case with it; when the iPad is in landscape mode, not having the camera face you directly – like on a traditional laptop – has always felt strange. If you need to have one awkward from-the-chin-up angle because the iPad only has one camera, you may as well have it on the orientation you use the least: portrait mode.\nHello there, landscape camera.\nSo, I’m glad that Apple listened and put the front-facing camera in landscape on the new iPad: it makes for much more “normal” Zoom and FaceTime calls, and this is the way to go. But I have to ask:\nWhy didn’t the iPad Pro get a landscape camera as well? I find it very odd that, for two iPad models that were introduced on the same day, the one that did not get the much better webcam is the model called ‘iPad Pro’ – the one that, in theory, folks who want to do “real work” from home should be buying.\nIt’s not that I’m upset the new iPad got a landscape camera: it’s absolutely the right decision in 2022. It’s just that all iPads should have this feature, but Apple chose to bring an improvement to the base model in their lineup rather than their high-end, flagship iPad Pro. Imagine if the iPhone SE4 and the iPhone 15 Pro were introduced on the same day, but only the SE got a brand new Face ID sensor. That’s how I feel about the landscape camera on the new iPad.\nThe…interesting decisions in the iPad lineup don’t stop here.\nThe New Magic Keyboard Folio\nThe new iPad in the Magic Keyboard Folio.\nJust like the new iPad isn’t compatible with the modern Apple Pencil, it doesn’t support the 2020 Magic Keyboard either. But in this case, instead of forcing new iPad owners to use a keyboard from seven years ago, Apple created a brand new flavor of the Magic Keyboard called Magic Keyboard Folio that only works with this iPad model and has both more and fewer features than the Magic Keyboard.\nThe Magic Keyboard Folio is reminiscent of similar solutions from Logitech and Microsoft on the Surface line: it’s a two-piece accessory that eschews the Magic Keyboard’s single-piece floating design in favor of a cover (thankfully, not a rugged case like Logitech’s Combo Touch) with a folding kickstand that attaches magnetically to the back of the iPad, plus a removable keyboard that attaches to a new Smart Connector placed at the bottom edge of the iPad. The keyboard is not backlit, but it otherwise carries the same full-size layout of an 11” Magic Keyboard that even comes with a larger trackpad (it’s one centimeter taller) and an extra row of 14 function keys. You can close the keyboard on top of the iPad as a cover or, if you’re not using it, detach it or fold it in the back of the iPad with the keys facing either in or out.\n\nThe keys of the Magic Keyboard Folio feel the same as the ones in the Magic Keyboard, but they’re not backlit.\nYou can fold the keyboard part of the Folio onto the back cover with the keys facing in, so you won’t feel them when holding the iPad.\nThe detached keyboard part of the Magic Keyboard Folio weighs 292 grams. An iPad with the full Magic Keyboard Folio setup weighs 1071 grams; the iPad Air with the Magic Keyboard weighs 1069 grams.\n\nThere are, of course, trade-offs with this design when it comes to portability and balancing the iPad on your lap. Since the iPad is not floating and is not attached to a back cover that is part of the keyboard structure itself (Apple’s so-called cantilever design), the Magic Keyboard Folio is harder to use on your lap than a regular Magic Keyboard. You have to carefully balance both the keyboard and the adjustable kickstand that holds the iPad, which doesn’t grant the same flexibility or comfort as the Magic Keyboard.\nThe part that connects the keyboard to the keyboard attachment is made of soft rubber material, so it slightly wobbles around when you’re typing on your lap. If you’re like me and often use the Magic Keyboard while relaxing on your couch with your knees up in front of you, you’ll want to be extra careful when trying to do so with a Magic Keyboard Folio unless you want to slap yourself in the face with an iPad. You can use the Magic Keyboard Folio on your lap, but the Magic Keyboard’s unified design gives you more flexibility and a sturdier structure as far as lap usage goes.\nThe relocated Smart Connector makes the Magic Keyboard Folio exclusive to this new iPad.\n\nThe Folio’s angle can be adjusted to an upright position.\nAnd here’s the Folio’s widest possible angle.\nI should point out that the magnets that hold the keyboard part in-place when covering the iPad’s screen aren’t as strong as those seen in the Magic Keyboard or Smart Folio. With very minimal pressure, you can move the cover around like in the GIF below, or detach it if you put your iPad upside down:\nThe magnets that attach the keyboard cover to the iPad’s display don’t seem too strong. The keyboard attachment with the Smart Connector is, but I found it odd that I was able to move the cover like this.\nCase in point: the keyboard stays attached, but the cover doesn’t if the iPad is upside down.\nThat being said, I like everything else about the Magic Keyboard Folio and more so than I anticipated, to the point where, once again, I’m left wondering why the base iPad model got certain keyboard-related improvements and the iPad Pro got…nothing.\nThe taller trackpad is terrific, and makes performing multitouch gestures more comfortable than the Magic Keyboard’s smaller trackpad. Keys and the space between them are the same size as on the 11” Magic Keyboard. Then, of course, there’s the row of function keys: opening Spotlight, the app switcher, or controlling media playback and volume is exactly as nice as you can imagine with dedicated keys; it makes working with iPadOS 16 much faster. That is, if you plan on working on a base model iPad rather than an iPad Pro, which is ostensibly the model designed for productivity and keyboard-driven interactions. And yet, its Magic Keyboard still lacks a bigger trackpad and a row of function keys.\nThe Magic Keyboard Folio (left) and the iPad Air in the Magic Keyboard.\nThe Magic Keyboard Folio (left) has a bigger trackpad than the Magic Keyboard, plus a function row.\nIn my tests over the weekend, I have to say that I really liked the Magic Keyboard Folio even with the keyboard detached because of the flexibility provided by the removable back cover with adjustable kickstand. While in tablet mode, the kickstand comes in handy when playing games with a paired controller or leaving the iPad next to you in the kitchen with some music or cooking apps like Mela and Pestle. But what I’ve discovered is that I also love using it as, effectively, a giant PopSocket attached to the back of the iPad that lets me use it in portable mode without holding it with my thumbs over the screen’s bezels.\nHolding the iPad from its kickstand is surprisingly comfortable.\n\nThis method also works in portrait mode.\nThe best time I’ve had with the new iPad was exactly that: keyboard detached, iPad in front of my face while relaxing on my new sofa with my hands gripping the Folio’s kickstand. I don’t think Apple intended the Magic Keyboard Folio’s back cover and kickstand to be used this way, but it’s worked well for me when watching YouTube videos, reading articles in GoodLinks, and catching up on Twitter with Spring. I’m enjoying this iPad’s portable mode so much, I’m considering whether it would make for a nicer “media consumption tablet” than the iPad mini.\nI wish Apple made a Magic Keyboard Folio for the iPad Pro too. Or perhaps just a similar back cover, even without the keyboard part, for the iPad Pro. But then again, I’m probably partial when it comes to kickstands. If you ask me, they should put them in everything.\nA Confusing Lineup in a Transitional Phase?\n\nConsidered individually, both the new iPad Pro and 10th generation iPad are solid updates that achieve what they were designed to do. The iPad Pro is a spec-bump update with one very nice surprise in the form of Apple Pencil Hover; it has obvious applications for drawing and sketching apps, but it could also be the beginning of something new as a more general input method for the iPad in tablet mode. The new iPad is a fantastic upgrade compared to the 9th generation model, with a redesign and new features that pit it directly against the iPad Air in terms of value, plus a brand new keyboard accessory that highlights the device’s modularity.\nThere are two things that concern me when taking a bird’s-eye view at these iPads as part of a bigger lineup in 2022 though.\nThe first one is potential customer confusion. The way I see it, there’s probably one iPad too many in the 11” range now: while I – the professional reviewer – can discern the fine differences between the 11” iPad Pro, iPad Air, and new iPad, I can’t help but wonder what the average iPad buyer who doesn’t want an iPad mini or a large 12.9” iPad Pro will think when presented with three iPads that, at first glance, look exactly the same. Those iPads share a lot of similar features, except some of the great new ones (landscape camera, better typing experience on a keyboard) are on the entry-level model rather than the premium Pro one. Apple is sending some mixed messages with this iPad lineup, which could use more consistency in terms of accessory compatibility and new hardware options.\nI said before that I wasn’t sure about the 11” iPad Pro’s reason to exist anymore, and that feeling has only gotten stronger now that we have a third iPad in the 11” form factor and no big changes on the small iPad Pro (which got Apple Pencil Hover, but no XDR support with mini-LED).\n\nThere’s probably one iPad too many in the 11” range now.\n\nThe second concern is related to the one above: I find the lack of notable hardware changes in the Pro line after four years of the same screen sizes and over two years of Magic Keyboard very perplexing. Apple is also sending mixed signals with the iPad Pro lineup these days: the power of Apple Silicon still hasn’t been used by any pro app made by Apple (fortunately, third parties are filling this gap), there haven’t been any changes on the accessory front, and the one hardware feature I would have liked to see – a relocated front-facing camera – was brought to the base model iPad instead. Observing the iPad Pro’s evolution has always been about the tablet itself as much as its accessories; I’m disappointed that we didn’t get any changes on the Magic Keyboard front in the 2022 iPad Pros.\nI don’t understand if this relative lull in the iPad Pro ecosystem is the precursor of bigger things on the horizon for next year (perhaps with an even larger ‘iPad Studio’ or ‘iPad Ultra’?), or if Apple has run out of ideas for its flagship iPad line for now. I want to believe in the more optimistic direction for iPad Pro users: I wouldn’t be surprised to see Apple progressively phase out the smaller iPad Pro, leaving the 11” form factor for the base model iPad and iPad Air, allowing the iPad Pro line to grow bigger in size.\nThat’s just my personal speculation. For now, I guess we’ll always have iPadOS 16 and Stage Manager. But that’s a story for another time. Or, actually, later today.\nSupport MacStories and Unlock ExtrasFounded in 2015, Club MacStories has delivered exclusive content every week for over six years.\nIn that time, members have enjoyed nearly 400 weekly and monthly newsletters packed with more of your favorite MacStories writing as well as Club-only podcasts, eBooks, discounts on apps, icons, and services. Join today, and you’ll get everything new that we publish every week, plus access to our entire archive of back issues and downloadable perks.\nThe Club expanded in 2021 with Club MacStories+ and Club Premier. Club MacStories+ members enjoy even more exclusive stories, a vibrant Discord community, a rotating roster of app discounts, and more. And, with Club Premier, you get everything we offer at every Club level plus an extended, ad-free version of our podcast AppStories that is delivered early each week in high-bitrate audio.\nJoin Now", "date_published": "2022-10-24T09:00:03-04:00", "date_modified": "2022-10-24T11:58:09-04:00", "authors": [ { "name": "Federico Viticci", "url": "https://www.macstories.net/author/viticci/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/94a9aa7c70dbeb9440c6759bd2cebc2a?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "tags": [ "accessories", "Apple Pencil", "iPad", "iPad Pro", "reviews" ] }, { "id": "https://www.macstories.net/?p=70728", "url": "https://www.macstories.net/news/apple-announces-strange-new-ipad-and-ipad-pro-lineup/", "title": "Apple Announces Strange New iPad and iPad Pro Lineup", "content_html": "
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This morning Apple announced their all-new iPad and iPad Pro lineups via press release and a short announcement video. The new iPad (non-Pro) features new colors and an updated square-edge design that brings it in line with the rest of Apple’s modern iPads and iPhones. The iPad Pro has been upgraded to Apple’s M2 chip, and supports a new “hover” mode on the Apple Pencil. Apple also unveiled a new Magic Keyboard Folio accessory, which includes a detachable keyboard with a trackpad and function keys.

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There’s a lot to like about each of these new products, but the details reveal some very strange decisions on Apple’s part.

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The 10th Generation iPad

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The new 10th generation standard iPad is the last device in the iPad product line to be updated to the modern square-edged case design. However, unlike every other iPad with the new design, the new model does not support the magnetically-connected Apple Pencil 2. The 10th gen has also ditched its Lightning connector in favor of USB-C, which is a nice improvement for everyone except Apple Pencil users.

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The Apple Pencil and the New iPad

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The original Apple Pencil (which has not been updated today, and is the only Pencil that the new iPad supports) still only charges via its male Lightning connector. On prior iPad models, the Pencil could be conveniently (albeit awkwardly) plugged into the iPad itself to charge. But because the 10th gen iPad has switched to USB-C, users no longer have any convenient charging method.

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To handle this unfortunate turn of events, Apple is also releasing a $9 “USB-C to Apple Pencil” adaptor. So the new iPad-to-Pencil charging story is to plug a USB-C to USB-C cable into your iPad, plug the new dongle into the USB-C cable, and then plug your original Apple Pencil into the dongle. This may look less awkward than the old way, but I don’t think it’s an improvement.

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The old way was bad but at least the new way is bad pic.twitter.com/mLp2B1ANy1

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— Alex Guyot (@_alexguyot) October 18, 2022

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Weirdness with the Apple Pencil connection is probably not a good reason for Apple to delay switching to USB-C on this iPad, but the obvious solution was to add support for the Apple Pencil 2 (just like they did on last year’s excellent iPad mini). While the situation is not great, Apple will at least be including the new USB-C to Apple Pencil adaptor in the box for any new purchasers of the 1st generation Pencil.1

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One potential explanation for the lack of Pencil 2 support is that the landscape edge of the device — where the 2nd generation Apple Pencil magnetically connects on other iPad models — has a new addition in the exact location where that connector would otherwise go.

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Landscape Camera

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In a unique tweak for a redesign that is otherwise similar to its siblings, Apple has moved the front-facing camera to the landscape edge on the new iPad. This is something that iPad users have been clamoring for for years, and it’s good to see Apple finally making it happen. The bad news: this very nice new change is only coming to the non-Pro models. The camera on the new iPad Pros remains on the portrait edge.

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Details

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While the 10th generation iPad is not getting upgraded to the M-series chips, it is seeing a spec bump to the A14 Bionic. This is the same chip family that debuted in the iPhone 12, so it’s a solid, fairly modern processor (the 9th generation iPad used the A13 Bionic chip).

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The new iPad features a 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display with True Tone, an updated 12MP back camera which can shoot 4K video, an Ultra Wide 12MP front camera with support for Center Stage, Wi-Fi 6, and 5G on cellular models. The device can be unlocked using Touch ID via the top button — the same spot that it is located on the iPad Air and iPad mini.

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The 10th generation iPad is available to order today, with a starting price of $449 ($599 for cellular). It comes in four bright finishes: blue, pink, yellow, and silver.

\n

The Magic Keyboard Folio

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Apple has also introduced an all-new keyboard accessory alongside the 10th-generation iPad. The Magic Keyboard Folio is a two-piece magnetic cover. The back piece can be folded outward to create an adjustable stand for the iPad, and the front piece is a full-size keyboard with a trackpad and a row of function keys.

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This keyboard looks incredible. The keys and trackpad have a lot more room to breathe in this design than they do in Apple’s similar Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro. Adding a function key row is fantastic, and the ability to easily detach it will hopefully make the whole rig feel less clunky than the Magic Keyboard. Color-wise, the accessory only comes in white for now.

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The Magic Keyboard Folio is available now for $249. Before you run and buy it immediately though, there’s unfortunately another huge caveat to this product announcement: the Magic Keyboard Folio only supports the new 10th generation non-Pro iPad.

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That’s right, this all-new, extremely cool accessory is not supported by the new iPad Pro models, which were also released at the same time today. I’m not quite sure what Apple is thinking here, but it definitely feels bad for fans of Apple’s highest end iPad to be walled off from its most interesting new accessory.

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The 6th Generation iPad Pro

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Also announced today are the latest generation of iPad Pro. The new models come in the usual 11- and 12.9-inch size classes, and have now been upgraded to Apple’s M2 processors. The new chips enable these devices to capture ProRes video, and to support a new “Apple Pencil hover experience”.

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The latter is an all-new feature for the second-generation Apple Pencil which allows iPads to sense the Pencil’s location up to 12mm above the display. The iPad software has been updated to support hover states when this occurs, causing the interface item that is being hovered to expand or otherwise change in preparation of an impending touch. The feature looks impressive in Apple’s announcement video, and I’m excited to see how it works in practice once people get their hands on these devices.

\n

Finally, the new iPad Pro models have been upgraded to support Wi-Fi 6E, enabling up to 2x faster download speeds than the previous generation model. You’ll have to have a fast enough internet plan and Wi-Fi equipment capable of handling this to take advantage of it, of course.

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The new iPad Pro models are available to order today, with the 11-inch model starting at $799 ($999 for cellular) and the 12-inch model starting at $1,099 ($1,299 for cellular).

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This Lineup is Super Weird

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As you’ve probably noticed from the many caveats throughout this article, this iPad lineup has some issues. I’m not sure how this happened, but somehow these product lines just seem all mixed up. The lowest-end iPad (not counting the previous 9th generation iPad, which is currently still for sale) has features that the iPad Pro does not. It also has the same design as all of the other iPads, yet lacks the Apple Pencil 2 support which can be found in the rest of them. The brand-new iPad Pro models do not work with the most feature-rich iPad keyboard that Apple sells. That keyboard costs a full half of the base price of the only iPad that supports it.

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Hopefully Apple will fix some of these issues in the next models, but for now they’ve left us with a very muddled and confusing iPad product line. We’re sure to be stuck with most of this for at least a year, but I really hope that we see a version of the Magic Keyboard Folio for the iPad Pro before that. The least Apple can do is make sure they’re furnishing their most dedicated iPad users with their most interesting accessories.

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  1. \nAmusingly, this means that the 1st generation Apple Pencil will now be shipping with two adaptors in the box: the new USB-C to Apple Pencil adaptor and the old female-to-female Lightning adaptor which has always been included to allow wired charging of the Apple Pencil. ↩︎\n
    2. \n
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Support MacStories and Unlock Extras

Founded in 2015, Club MacStories has delivered exclusive content every week for over six years.

\n

In that time, members have enjoyed nearly 400 weekly and monthly newsletters packed with more of your favorite MacStories writing as well as Club-only podcasts, eBooks, discounts on apps, icons, and services. Join today, and you’ll get everything new that we publish every week, plus access to our entire archive of back issues and downloadable perks.

\n

The Club expanded in 2021 with Club MacStories+ and Club Premier. Club MacStories+ members enjoy even more exclusive stories, a vibrant Discord community, a rotating roster of app discounts, and more. And, with Club Premier, you get everything we offer at every Club level plus an extended, ad-free version of our podcast AppStories that is delivered early each week in high-bitrate audio.

\n

Join Now", "content_text": "This morning Apple announced their all-new iPad and iPad Pro lineups via press release and a short announcement video. The new iPad (non-Pro) features new colors and an updated square-edge design that brings it in line with the rest of Apple’s modern iPads and iPhones. The iPad Pro has been upgraded to Apple’s M2 chip, and supports a new “hover” mode on the Apple Pencil. Apple also unveiled a new Magic Keyboard Folio accessory, which includes a detachable keyboard with a trackpad and function keys.\nThere’s a lot to like about each of these new products, but the details reveal some very strange decisions on Apple’s part.\n\nThe 10th Generation iPad\n\nThe new 10th generation standard iPad is the last device in the iPad product line to be updated to the modern square-edged case design. However, unlike every other iPad with the new design, the new model does not support the magnetically-connected Apple Pencil 2. The 10th gen has also ditched its Lightning connector in favor of USB-C, which is a nice improvement for everyone except Apple Pencil users.\nThe Apple Pencil and the New iPad\nThe original Apple Pencil (which has not been updated today, and is the only Pencil that the new iPad supports) still only charges via its male Lightning connector. On prior iPad models, the Pencil could be conveniently (albeit awkwardly) plugged into the iPad itself to charge. But because the 10th gen iPad has switched to USB-C, users no longer have any convenient charging method.\nTo handle this unfortunate turn of events, Apple is also releasing a $9 “USB-C to Apple Pencil” adaptor. So the new iPad-to-Pencil charging story is to plug a USB-C to USB-C cable into your iPad, plug the new dongle into the USB-C cable, and then plug your original Apple Pencil into the dongle. This may look less awkward than the old way, but I don’t think it’s an improvement.\n\n\nThe old way was bad but at least the new way is bad pic.twitter.com/mLp2B1ANy1\n— Alex Guyot (@_alexguyot) October 18, 2022\n\nWeirdness with the Apple Pencil connection is probably not a good reason for Apple to delay switching to USB-C on this iPad, but the obvious solution was to add support for the Apple Pencil 2 (just like they did on last year’s excellent iPad mini). While the situation is not great, Apple will at least be including the new USB-C to Apple Pencil adaptor in the box for any new purchasers of the 1st generation Pencil.1\nOne potential explanation for the lack of Pencil 2 support is that the landscape edge of the device — where the 2nd generation Apple Pencil magnetically connects on other iPad models — has a new addition in the exact location where that connector would otherwise go.\nLandscape Camera\nIn a unique tweak for a redesign that is otherwise similar to its siblings, Apple has moved the front-facing camera to the landscape edge on the new iPad. This is something that iPad users have been clamoring for for years, and it’s good to see Apple finally making it happen. The bad news: this very nice new change is only coming to the non-Pro models. The camera on the new iPad Pros remains on the portrait edge.\nDetails\nWhile the 10th generation iPad is not getting upgraded to the M-series chips, it is seeing a spec bump to the A14 Bionic. This is the same chip family that debuted in the iPhone 12, so it’s a solid, fairly modern processor (the 9th generation iPad used the A13 Bionic chip).\nThe new iPad features a 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display with True Tone, an updated 12MP back camera which can shoot 4K video, an Ultra Wide 12MP front camera with support for Center Stage, Wi-Fi 6, and 5G on cellular models. The device can be unlocked using Touch ID via the top button — the same spot that it is located on the iPad Air and iPad mini.\nThe 10th generation iPad is available to order today, with a starting price of $449 ($599 for cellular). It comes in four bright finishes: blue, pink, yellow, and silver.\nThe Magic Keyboard Folio\n\nApple has also introduced an all-new keyboard accessory alongside the 10th-generation iPad. The Magic Keyboard Folio is a two-piece magnetic cover. The back piece can be folded outward to create an adjustable stand for the iPad, and the front piece is a full-size keyboard with a trackpad and a row of function keys.\nThis keyboard looks incredible. The keys and trackpad have a lot more room to breathe in this design than they do in Apple’s similar Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro. Adding a function key row is fantastic, and the ability to easily detach it will hopefully make the whole rig feel less clunky than the Magic Keyboard. Color-wise, the accessory only comes in white for now.\nThe Magic Keyboard Folio is available now for $249. Before you run and buy it immediately though, there’s unfortunately another huge caveat to this product announcement: the Magic Keyboard Folio only supports the new 10th generation non-Pro iPad.\nThat’s right, this all-new, extremely cool accessory is not supported by the new iPad Pro models, which were also released at the same time today. I’m not quite sure what Apple is thinking here, but it definitely feels bad for fans of Apple’s highest end iPad to be walled off from its most interesting new accessory.\nThe 6th Generation iPad Pro\n\nAlso announced today are the latest generation of iPad Pro. The new models come in the usual 11- and 12.9-inch size classes, and have now been upgraded to Apple’s M2 processors. The new chips enable these devices to capture ProRes video, and to support a new “Apple Pencil hover experience”.\nThe latter is an all-new feature for the second-generation Apple Pencil which allows iPads to sense the Pencil’s location up to 12mm above the display. The iPad software has been updated to support hover states when this occurs, causing the interface item that is being hovered to expand or otherwise change in preparation of an impending touch. The feature looks impressive in Apple’s announcement video, and I’m excited to see how it works in practice once people get their hands on these devices.\nFinally, the new iPad Pro models have been upgraded to support Wi-Fi 6E, enabling up to 2x faster download speeds than the previous generation model. You’ll have to have a fast enough internet plan and Wi-Fi equipment capable of handling this to take advantage of it, of course.\nThe new iPad Pro models are available to order today, with the 11-inch model starting at $799 ($999 for cellular) and the 12-inch model starting at $1,099 ($1,299 for cellular).\nThis Lineup is Super Weird\nAs you’ve probably noticed from the many caveats throughout this article, this iPad lineup has some issues. I’m not sure how this happened, but somehow these product lines just seem all mixed up. The lowest-end iPad (not counting the previous 9th generation iPad, which is currently still for sale) has features that the iPad Pro does not. It also has the same design as all of the other iPads, yet lacks the Apple Pencil 2 support which can be found in the rest of them. The brand-new iPad Pro models do not work with the most feature-rich iPad keyboard that Apple sells. That keyboard costs a full half of the base price of the only iPad that supports it.\nHopefully Apple will fix some of these issues in the next models, but for now they’ve left us with a very muddled and confusing iPad product line. We’re sure to be stuck with most of this for at least a year, but I really hope that we see a version of the Magic Keyboard Folio for the iPad Pro before that. The least Apple can do is make sure they’re furnishing their most dedicated iPad users with their most interesting accessories.\n\n\nAmusingly, this means that the 1st generation Apple Pencil will now be shipping with two adaptors in the box: the new USB-C to Apple Pencil adaptor and the old female-to-female Lightning adaptor which has always been included to allow wired charging of the Apple Pencil. ↩︎\n\n\nSupport MacStories and Unlock ExtrasFounded in 2015, Club MacStories has delivered exclusive content every week for over six years.\nIn that time, members have enjoyed nearly 400 weekly and monthly newsletters packed with more of your favorite MacStories writing as well as Club-only podcasts, eBooks, discounts on apps, icons, and services. Join today, and you’ll get everything new that we publish every week, plus access to our entire archive of back issues and downloadable perks.\nThe Club expanded in 2021 with Club MacStories+ and Club Premier. Club MacStories+ members enjoy even more exclusive stories, a vibrant Discord community, a rotating roster of app discounts, and more. And, with Club Premier, you get everything we offer at every Club level plus an extended, ad-free version of our podcast AppStories that is delivered early each week in high-bitrate audio.\nJoin Now", "date_published": "2022-10-18T15:14:25-04:00", "date_modified": "2022-10-18T18:23:19-04:00", "authors": [ { "name": "Alex Guyot", "url": "https://www.macstories.net/author/alexguyot/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/f0541d67822e4e8ab166f2856d05588f?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "tags": [ "iPad", "iPad Pro", "news" ] }, { "id": "https://www.macstories.net/?p=66897", "url": "https://www.macstories.net/linked/austin-mann-on-the-m1-ipad-pro-for-pro-photographers/", "title": "Austin Mann on the M1 iPad Pro for Pro Photographers", "content_html": "
\"Source:

Source: Austin Mann

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I always look forward to Austin Mann’s unique perspective on Apple hardware. His latest review is from Flagstaff, Arizona where he takes Apple’s new M1-based iPad Pro through its paces as he processes photos taken at Great Sand Dunes National Park.

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Mann cuts right to the chase:

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\n As any photographer knows, one of the most time-consuming parts of the photo creation process is culling through thousands of images, making selects, and editing the images. Thanks to the M1 chip, faster internal storage, and a few other improvements, the new iPad Pro with M1 is the fastest image sorting tool I’ve ever used.\n

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A great demonstration of the power of the new iPad Pro is the video in Mann’s post in which he moves rapidly through a large set of 60+ MB RAW photos. There’s absolutely no lag, making the iPad Pro a terrific tool for culling large collections of imported shots.

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Unsurprisingly, Mann also concludes that the iPad Pro’s big, bright display and mobile data connection make it an ideal tool for previewing images on a sunny day and staying connected to research photo shoots. However, Mann’s wishes for the iPad Pro, like background importing of photos and the ability to connect multiple external storage devices, are precisely the sort of thing that is holding the iPad Pro back from being a more complete solution for photographers and other pro users. Despite the limitations, though, the new iPad Pro looks like a big step up for photographers, which I can’t wait to try with my own camera soon.

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\u2192 Source: austinmann.com

", "content_text": "Source: Austin Mann\nI always look forward to Austin Mann’s unique perspective on Apple hardware. His latest review is from Flagstaff, Arizona where he takes Apple’s new M1-based iPad Pro through its paces as he processes photos taken at Great Sand Dunes National Park.\nMann cuts right to the chase:\n\n As any photographer knows, one of the most time-consuming parts of the photo creation process is culling through thousands of images, making selects, and editing the images. Thanks to the M1 chip, faster internal storage, and a few other improvements, the new iPad Pro with M1 is the fastest image sorting tool I’ve ever used.\n\nA great demonstration of the power of the new iPad Pro is the video in Mann’s post in which he moves rapidly through a large set of 60+ MB RAW photos. There’s absolutely no lag, making the iPad Pro a terrific tool for culling large collections of imported shots.\nUnsurprisingly, Mann also concludes that the iPad Pro’s big, bright display and mobile data connection make it an ideal tool for previewing images on a sunny day and staying connected to research photo shoots. However, Mann’s wishes for the iPad Pro, like background importing of photos and the ability to connect multiple external storage devices, are precisely the sort of thing that is holding the iPad Pro back from being a more complete solution for photographers and other pro users. Despite the limitations, though, the new iPad Pro looks like a big step up for photographers, which I can’t wait to try with my own camera soon.\n\u2192 Source: austinmann.com", "date_published": "2021-05-20T09:49:25-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-05-20T09:49:25-04:00", "authors": [ { "name": "John Voorhees", "url": "https://www.macstories.net/author/johnvoorhees/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/5a1475dcd87638ed2f250b6213881115?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "tags": [ "iPad Pro", "photography", "Linked" ] }, { "id": "https://www.macstories.net/?p=66866", "url": "https://www.macstories.net/stories/ipad-pro-2021-review/", "title": "iPad Pro 2021 Review: Future on Standby", "content_html": "
\"The

The new iPad Pro.

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In recent years, the narrative surrounding the iPad platform, and particularly its more advanced Pro line, has largely focused on the great divide between the iPad’s hardware and software. It’s a story we’ve had to grapple with for a while now: it was clear with the original iPad Pro in 2015 that its software – still called iOS at the time – needed to take better advantage of the 12.9” display, but we had to wait until 2017’s iOS 11 to receive drag and drop between apps; similarly, the iPad Pro was redesigned in late 2018 with the Liquid Retina Display and a gesture-based interaction system, but it was only in 2019 that Apple relaunched the iPad’s software as a standalone platform parallel to iOS but optimized for iPad.

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The perception since the iPad Pro’s introduction is that its hardware has consistently leapfrogged its software, leaving many to wonder about the untapped potential of iPadOS and a third-party app ecosystem that could have been vastly richer and more powerful if only iPadOS allowed developers to write more complex apps. Effectively, “too good for its software” has long been the iPad Pro’s hardware mantra.

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The 2021 iPad Pro, launching publicly this Friday, doesn’t alter that public perception at all. If anything, this new iPad Pro, which I’ve been testing in the high-end 12.9” flavor with 2 TB of storage for the past week, only widens the chasm between its hardware and software: it’s an absolute marvel of engineering featuring the Apple-designed M1 chip, a brand new Liquid Retina XDR display, and 16 GB of RAM1 that hints at a powerful, exciting future for its software that just isn’t here yet.

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I say this as someone who’s been using the iPad as his main computer for nearly a decade at this point: from a mere hardware standpoint, the new iPad Pro is everything I could have possibly dreamed of this year, but it leaves me wanting for so many other iPadOS features I’d love to see Apple address at its developer conference next month.

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The new 12.9” iPad Pro hits all the right notes as a modular computer that can be a tablet with an amazing display, a powerful laptop, and an extensible workstation; its hardware is a remarkable blend of tablet-first features and technologies first seen on Apple’s line of desktop computers. It’s hard to believe the company was able to deliver all of it in a device that is only 6.4mm thin. However, the new iPad Pro’s more powerful nature doesn’t fundamentally change my daily workflow. At least not with its current version of iPadOS that will (likely) be obsolete in two weeks.

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Let’s dive in.

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[table_of_contents]

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Look and Feel

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From the outside, the new iPad Pro looks identical to its predecessor: its physical footprint is the same, the shape of the Liquid Retina Display’s rounded corners is unchanged, and Apple has kept the 2018 iPad Pro’s industrial design with flat edges that has proven successful with the iPhone 12 line, the iPad Air, and, to an extent, the latest iMacs. At a glance, you wouldn’t be able to tell the 2020 and 2021 iPad Pros apart. It almost feels like there’s a continuum to Apple’s strategy with shipping its first generation of custom silicon on portable computers: just like the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro got the M1 upgrade without any major redesigns, so too the iPad Pro has made the jump to the much more powerful M1 chip without looking any different from last year.

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\"Old

Old and new.

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However, I felt the difference between the old and new 12.9” iPad Pro when I held the device in my hands for the first time and compared it to its predecessor. At 685 grams, the Wi-Fi + Cellular version is 42 grams heavier than the 643 grams of the 2020 model; the new iPad Pro is also 0.5mm thicker (likely due to the new display technology), which, as I’ll explain later, has led to some unfortunate consequences in the accessory market. These aren’t huge numbers, but the weight difference in particular is enough to tell the new iPad Pro is slightly heavier than the previous model, especially if you try to use it as a tablet in one-handed mode. I wouldn’t recommend doing that with a 12.9” iPad anyway, but if you’re like me and love to read articles with Safari on the iPad Pro’s large display, you shouldn’t be surprised if you can feel a small weight increase.

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As for the 0.5mm gain in thickness, as you can tell from the photos in this story it is visually noticeable when comparing the 2020 and 2021 iPad Pro side by side, but it’s not a big deal in everyday usage. Unless you’re one of the few people who spent $400 on the Kensington StudioDock a couple months ago. But more on that later.

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\"The

The new iPad Pro (left) is 0.5mm thicker than the previous model.

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The 2021 iPad Pro relies on a tried and proven aesthetic that still feels fresh and futuristic three years after its debut. I haven’t grown tired of the iPad Pro’s industrial design yet, and the device – despite a 0.5mm increase – still feels impossibly thin for all it does and its battery life. The 12.9” iPad Pro has never been Apple’s most portable tablet, but based on my tests over the past week, even though I can feel those extra 42 grams, I still plan on using it as a tablet I can hold in my hands at the end of the work day when I want to relax with games or my Safari Reading List.

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Liquid Retina XDR Display

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There was a specific moment when the new iPad Pro’s Liquid Retina XDR display “clicked” for me: I was testing both the 2020 and 2021 iPad Pro models side by side by watching the introductory scene of The Greatest Showman in Dolby Vision using the TV app, and I noticed how the XDR display – which brings the extreme dynamic range technology previously seen in the $4,999 Apple Pro Display XDR to a $1,099 12.9” tablet – featured more vivid reds and considerably brighter highlights. That was neat, I thought to myself, but obviously there had to be something else to justify Apple’s excitement about the new display in the 12.9” iPad Pro. Right?

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And that’s when I looked at the darker areas of the frame, particularly the black bars surrounding the video. That’s when the Liquid Retina XDR display got me:

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\"The

The new iPad Pro (left) features more accurate colors and near-pure blacks. Colors on the 2020 iPad Pro (right) look washed out in comparison.

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I don’t own an Apple Pro Display XDR, so take the following experience and summarization with the context of someone who mostly used to work on a 2020 12.9” iPad Pro and 21.5” UltraFine 4K display.

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The new iPad Pro’s Liquid Retina XDR display is, by far, the best display I’ve ever seen in a portable computer. It puts the iPad Pro’s old (and still pretty good) Liquid Retina Display to shame thanks to its higher brightness (1000 nits of full-screen brightness compared to 600 in the last-gen model), more vibrant colors, highlights that pop out a lot more, and black levels that almost rival the performance of “pure black” on OLED displays.

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This display was pitched as a great way for creators of HDR content to take their workflows on the go as well as a superior experience for consumers of HDR content such as movies and TV shows from Apple TV+ and Netflix or photos taken with Smart HDR on iPhone. After a week of testing, I think that message makes sense: if you’re a videographer or photographer, you’ll instantly see and understand the impact of wider color reproduction; if you’re a “regular” iPad user who doesn’t work in those fields, you won’t see the effects of the XDR display in the UI of Apple Mail or Files, but you’ll “get it”, just like I did, as soon as you watch HDR content, play a game, or browse your photo library.

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There’s some fascinating tech that makes the Liquid Retina XDR display’s high-brightness and high-contrast performance possible. The display comes with 10,000 mini-LEDs compared to the previous iPad Pro’s 72 LEDs; the new mini-LED technology employed by Apple is 120 times smaller than the previous display’s design. Additionally, all those mini-LEDs have been grouped into 2596 local dimming zones; the idea is that each zone can control the brightness of its mini-LEDs and precisely adjust it depending on the content displayed onscreen, which explains why video content shot in high-dynamic range features, well, a wider range of colors and brightness levels across the entire 12.9” panel.

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In case the quality of this display hasn’t come across from this description yet, consider this additional context:

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Thus, a good way to think about the new Liquid Retina XDR display is the following: Apple was able to take some of the high-end technology that powered the Pro Display XDR, shrink it down to a 12.9” display, and even improve it thanks to mini-LED, going from 576 dimming zones to 2596 – a whopping 350% increase for a multitouch tablet you can hold in your hands. Obviously, unlike the Pro Display XDR, the Liquid Retina XDR display isn’t considered a reference monitor with support for advanced features such as manual calibration; however, for a product starting at $1099, bringing extreme dynamic range to the “prosumer” market is quite the achievement, and a substantial leap from the older Liquid Retina display.

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At this point, you might wonder: all this sounds impressive, but do you actually notice these fancy display improvements in everyday usage? The answer is nuanced, but after a week with the new iPad Pro, I think there are some common scenarios in which everyone will immediately see the difference between the old Liquid Retina Display and the new Liquid Retina XDR.

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The first, must-try test is iPadOS’ dark mode or any kind of image/video featuring dark areas: on the Liquid Retina XDR display, black levels approach the “true black” quality of the iPhone’s OLED display; a pure black color displayed on the Liquid Retina XDR is deep and nearly indistinguishable from the iPad Pro’s black bezels. I say “nearly” because, due to the nature of OLED, only the iPhone’s display can achieve real “true black” and turn off pixels displaying the color black. I tested this by comparing the iPad Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max with a pure black JPEG image displayed in full-screen: upon closer inspection, I could barely make out the display from the bezels on the new iPad Pro, but I couldn’t on the iPhone’s OLED display.

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So while, technically speaking, the Liquid Retina XDR’s black color reproduction isn’t “true black”, it gets dramatically close to that goal. I would even say that, because you typically hold an iPad further away from your eyes, ultimately this difference doesn’t matter: to my eyes, it feels like the Liquid Retina XDR supports true black, which has an incredible effect on using apps with true-black dark modes on the new iPad Pro. Contrast between black UI elements and white text is higher than before, and there’s also better separation between black sidebars and other dark gray or dark blue UI elements such as lists and popovers. I never used dark mode extensively on iPad because I preferred the way it looked on the iPhone’s OLED display; I’m going to reconsider now thanks to the Liquid Retina XDR’s fantastic black levels.

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Comparing black levels between the old iPad Pro and the new one makes the 2020 model look blissfully ignorant of what the color ‘black’ actually is or what it’s supposed to look like. Check out the photo below, which shows the same black image displayed on a 2020 iPad Pro and the 2021 model at max brightness in a dark room with Night Mode disabled…

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\"This

This is the same full-screen black image displayed on the Liquid Retina XDR (left) and 2020 iPad Pro. Yes, the 2021 iPad Pro’s screen is showing that image at full brightness.

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\"Same

Same as above. This is wild to see in person.

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…and you should get the idea now. On the old iPad Pro, it seems like you’re visualizing a dark gray/blueish image, but that’s actually how pure black color was reproduced on the old display. On the mini-LED Liquid Retina XDR, you can see where the display ends and the bezels begin, but just barely.

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In real-life, this comparison looks incredible, and if you work with black colors or use apps featuring pure black themes a lot, this improvement alone may be worth upgrading to a new iPad Pro with the Liquid Retina XDR display. Personally, as I mentioned above, I plan on taking advantage of this by switching more of my favorite apps to pure black mode on iPad Pro. I’ve also taken this as an opportunity to design wallpapers optimized for the new iPad Pro with a pure-black area for widgets on the left side of the Home Screen, which are exclusive to Club MacStories members.2 Alternatively, a pure black Home Screen also looks fantastic on the new iPad Pro, as you can see in the photo below.

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\"One

One of the new wallpapers for Club members features a pure black widget column for the Liquid Retina XDR display.

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\"A

A pure black Home Screen also looks fantastic on the Liquid Retina XDR display.

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Besides its excellent black levels, the Liquid Retina XDR outperforms the old Liquid Retina display when it comes to HDR content. In addition to being brighter, there’s more range between darker areas of an image and its highlights, which pop off the screen more. In a test photo (taken with Smart HDR 3) I opened on both the old and new iPad Pro, the same neon sign looked brighter on the XDR display and more dimmed on the old Liquid Retina Display. After repeating these tests with more photos and HDR content from Apple TV+, the iTunes Store, and Netflix, I now see colors on the old iPad Pro as washed out and dull; on the XDR display, bright colors are considerably more vibrant, black is real black, and I can appreciate the extreme dynamic range across the full picture, especially for HDR movies.

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Should you upgrade from your 2020 iPad Pro3 to the 2021 version because of the XDR display alone? If you primarily use your iPad to communicate with Mail and Messages or crunch numbers in spreadsheets – if your interactions with iPadOS are mostly limited to staring at white app UIs, essentially – you’re likely not going to appreciate the breadth of the Liquid Retina XDR display. However, if you work with HDR content, consume it on streaming services, enjoy browsing your photo library, or just really enjoy dark mode with pure black themes, I’d say yes. The display is magnificent, and it’s wild to consider how Apple was able to bring its XDR tech from a 32” display to a comparatively diminutive 12.9” tablet thanks to mini-LEDs.

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The Liquid Retina XDR display has clear benefits you can see and enjoy in iPadOS 14 today. The same is only partially true for this iPad Pro’s two new hardware additions – Thunderbolt and the M1 chip.

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Thunderbolt

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After moving away from Lightning three years ago with USB-C in the 2018 iPad Pro, 2021 marks another milestone for the iPad’s expandability and modularity: the new iPad Pro keeps the same connector but adds support for USB 4 and, perhaps more importantly in the Apple ecosystem, Thunderbolt 3.

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I find Thunderbolt a welcome, yet surprising addition to the iPad Pro. There are two key advantages to using Thunderbolt: four times the bandwidth compared to USB 3.2 Gen. 2 (up to 40 Gb/s) and the ability to daisy-chain multiple devices to the host computer, including a 6K display such as Apple’s Pro Display XDR. Neither of these features are areas where iPadOS is particularly specialized at the moment: high-bandwidth data transfers are usually beneficial for folks who work with professional audio or video apps such Logic Pro and Final Cut Pro, which aren’t available on iPad Pro; and iPadOS 14’s support for external displays continues to be abysmal since the system lacks a proper “extended desktop mode” that lets you put additional windows on a secondary monitor instead of mirroring whatever is already displayed on the iPad’s screen.

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So why is Thunderbolt support here?

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As I’m going to demonstrate below, data transfers to external Thunderbolt drives are ridiculously faster than USB 3.2 and, sure, you can mirror the iPad Pro’s display to a 6K monitor now.4 Today, there really aren’t many reasons why you’d need Thunderbolt 3 on an iPad Pro except for ensuring cross-platform compatibility with your existing Thunderbolt setup. Thus, I have to believe Apple added Thunderbolt to prepare for future iPadOS software that will truly take advantage of it.

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That leaves us in an awkward spot right now. On one hand, it’s fun to imagine how Apple could tap into Thunderbolt’s potential with iPadOS 15 using iPad versions of Logic and Final Cut or perhaps a new “extended Home Screen mode” for external displays. I would be shocked if these features aren’t part of iPadOS 15 at WWDC. On the other hand, I have to take Thunderbolt support on iPad Pro at face value right now, two weeks ahead of WWDC, and explain why, yes, it works with my Belkin dock and 4K display but also feels pretty much wasted in iPadOS 14.

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I was able to test Thunderbolt on the 2021 iPad Pro with my recently-updated desktop setup, which revolves around a Belkin Thunderbolt 3 Dock Pro. The dock is connected to my LG UltraFine 4K display via Thunderbolt; then, depending on whether I want to use my Mac mini or iPad Pro, I connect another Thunderbolt cable to those computers by swapping it in the back of the dock. I also have two Magic Trackpads (one for each device since the Magic Trackpad doesn’t support multi-device pairing) and a Satechi Slim X1 keyboard that can switch between the Mac mini and iPad Pro.

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I won’t lie: it’s nice that I can extend and use the iPad Pro with the same dock usually paired with my Mac mini. I tested the Belkin dock + iPad Pro combo with USB drives plugged into the dock (they showed up correctly in the Files app), SD cards, and headphones connected via the dock’s audio port. I even tested high-resolution music playback by plugging my FiiO Q5S external USB DAC into the dock, connecting my Sony MDR-Z1R headphones via a balanced 4.4mm cable to the DAC, and playing ultra-HD music via the Amazon Music app. It all worked, and I can’t wait to test this with Apple Music next month.

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\"My

My Thunderbolt setup featuring a 2021 iPad Pro, Mac mini, Belkin dock, external USB DAC, and Sony headphones. It’s a whole mess of cables, but that’s what you get when you want to listen to lossless music and have a small desk. It’s cozy.

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\"Headphones

Headphones are plugged with a balanced cable into my FiiO DAC, which is plugged into the Thunderbolt dock, which is connected to the iPad Pro and UltraFine 4K display. I love this setup.

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This kind of modularity and the ability to turn the iPad Pro into a flexible desktop workstation aren’t new, of course: I wrote about this very topic extensively in the past. What’s nice about Thunderbolt is that I can now take my modular approach even further with high-speed docks that provide access to a variety of additional ports with the only requirement that I swap a cable based on the computer I want to use at my desk. As was the case before, the problem is that I wish iPadOS could do more with this versatility: let me manage multiple windows on an external monitor, use the iPad Pro in clamshell mode, “pin” external drives as bookmarks on the Home Screen, or record podcasts with my USB interface just like I can on the Mac. These are old issues; they’re now exacerbated by the fact that Thunderbolt is so fast and nicely integrated with the Apple ecosystem. It’s a teaser that leaves me pining for more.

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Right now, I think the only Thunderbolt feature all iPad Pro users can benefit from is the faster data transfer to and from external drives. In my tests, when it came to transferring large files such as 4K video assets, the Thunderbolt hype was justified. For my comparisons, I used a Samsung X5 Thunderbolt drive (2,800 MB/s read, 2,300 MB/s write) and Samsung’s T7 external SSD, which is a USB-C drive based on the USB 3.2 Gen. 2 spec (10 Gb/s transfers compared to Thunderbolt’s 40 Gb/s) and an advertised transfer rate of 1,050 MB/s (read) and 1,000 MB/s (write). Here’s how it went:

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These numbers confirm a couple things: first, Thunderbolt is obviously much faster than USB since going from 27 seconds to transfer a video file down to 15 is a 45% decrease, which adds up over time if you do this for a living; second, read speeds don’t really matter for this kind of file since it always takes around 20 seconds to move 8.2 GB of data from an external drive to the iPad’s internal storage. However, something interesting happened when I tried to replicate the same test with a 2020 iPad Pro:

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Based on this, it seems that Apple’s claim regarding the 2021 iPad Pro having up to 2x faster storage access than the previous model is correct. If you’re a videographer and are pondering the purchase of a 2021 iPad Pro with associated Thunderbolt drive, you should also consider that the new iPad Pro is much faster at importing media than the old model.

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There’s an unfortunate blemish in all this: the Files app. I’ve been recently complaining about the app still lacking key features of a modern file manager such as the ability to see the size of a folder or having a progress bar when pasting files, but tests for this review revealed an even more problematic area of Files: its integration with external drives. Any time I copied the aforementioned 8.2 GB file from the X5 Thunderbolt drive, the entire Files app froze for several seconds and became unresponsive. Other times I would try to create a Split View with two Files windows to test drag and drop for heavy files, and one window would be entirely blank. At one point, I thought copying and pasting a file had previously failed, so I tried dropping it in the destination folder again, but Files told me the file already existed. Too bad I couldn’t see it:

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\"Stop

Stop lying to me, Files app.

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All this to say: Thunderbolt is fast and could mean even more modularity for the iPad platform going forward. Right now, a narrow niche of pro users who work in LumaFusion or the handful of other pro video apps for iPad can already take advantage of Thunderbolt on iPad Pro to import and move media more quickly. However, for Thunderbolt to become truly useful for all kinds of iPad Pro users, iPadOS needs to be ready for it. That means doing more with external displays than mirroring, rethinking the Files app around more features and reliability, and extending the iPad’s support for external accessories with DriverKit, allowing iPad Pro owners to work with any peripheral connected via a Thunderbolt dock or USB hub. I seriously hope this is the missing half of the Thunderbolt story we’re going to hear at WWDC in a couple weeks.

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M1 and Performance

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It’s a similar discussion for the iPad Pro’s other new marquee addition: the M1 chip, the same previously found in Apple’s new generation of Macs that moved away from Intel’s chip architecture last year. Few would have probably foreseen the arrival of the M1 chip on iPad (after all, wasn’t the “M” in M1 supposed to stand for “Mac”?), but I guess it makes sense in grand scheme of whatever Apple has in store for the future of iPad Pro. High-end, desktop-class performance means M1; if the iPad Pro is supposed to achieve Mac-like performance with plenty of headroom for what’s next, then the iPad Pro gets the M1 too. That is – “if”.

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It shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone that the M1 chip found in the iPad Pro is ridiculously efficient and, to an extent, too powerful for what iPadOS can currently do. With its 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU, and 16-core Neural Engine, the 2021 iPad Pro obliterates previous-gen iPad Pro models with the A12 line of processors; it also runs circles around the iPad Air’s A14 SoC, and it compares favorably to the M1 found in recent Macs. I always write in my iPad reviews that numbers never tell the full story; I stand by that – ultimately, it’s what a chip’s power allows you to do that matters – but the new iPad Pro’s numbers, with one odd exception, are just astonishing.

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2021 iPad Pro 12.9”, M1MacBook Air (Late 2020), M1MacBook Pro (Late 2020), M1iPad Air, A142020 iPad Pro 12.9”, A12Z2018 iPad Pro 11”, A12X2018 iPad Pro 12.9”, A12X
Single-Core1716170117091583112811181118
Multi-Core7143737971574279472046474561
RAM16 GB16 GB16 GB4 GB6 GB4 GB6 GB

Based on the Geekbench results above, you can see how the M1 iPad Pro roughly matches both the M1 MacBook Air and MacBook Pro in single-core performance and is just slightly behind the MacBook Pro in multi-core tests; interestingly, the benchmark Myke ran on his MacBook Pro with M1 chip provided a lower score in multi-core performance than John’s MacBook Air. CPU benchmarks can be easily altered by different variables such as background processes and open apps; you should only use these numbers as a general reference. The important factor here is that the M1 chip found in the iPad Pro is indeed a real M1 comparable to the one found in recent Macs. In multi-core performance, the M1 iPad Pro’s score is also nearly double the one from the A12Z and the A14 found in the 2020 iPad Pro and iPad Air, respectively.

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I didn’t stop at the usual Geekbench tests though. I ran the popular 3DMark Wild Life, a cross-platform benchmark that tests the graphics performance of desktop computers and mobile devices; on Apple platforms, the benchmark uses the Metal API for rendering 3D scenes. Unsurprisingly, the result on the M1 iPad Pro was substantially higher than the A12Z:

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I then ran the Basemark Web 3.0 benchmark. The M1 beat the A12Z once again:

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What about a cold boot? I measured the time it took both iPad Pros to go from the Apple logo shown onscreen to the Lock Screen after pressing the power button; thanks to its more powerful CPU and faster storage access, the 2021 iPad Pro was also slightly faster than its predecessor for this task:

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I then turned to third-party apps that are commonly used by professional users on iPad Pro. One of the features of the M1 chip often touted by Apple is the powerful 16-core Neural Engine, which is used to aid in tasks based on machine learning and deep-learning networks. I put the Neural Engine in the 2021 iPad Pro to the test with Pixelmator Photo’s ML Super Resolution, which relies on machine learning (powered by Apple’s Core ML framework) to intelligently increase the resolution of photos. For my tests, I used a 24 MB RAW file, on which I ran a single pass of ML Super Resolution. The results are, quite frankly, ridiculously good for the M1 chip, confirming once again how much Apple is investing into advancing machine learning performance on its platforms:

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\"Running

Running ML Super Resolution in Pixelmator Photo.

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After Pixelmator Photo, I tried to export a 870 MB WAV file from Ferrite Recording Studio (a popular app used by podcast creators to edit and render their shows on iPad Pro) to MP3. Predictably, the M1 iPad Pro came out ahead, taking roughly half the time to export a WAV file to MP3:

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The M1 even makes advanced shortcuts faster, often cutting the time needed to perform CPU-intensive tasks such as image manipulation inside the Shortcuts app in half. For this test, I used my popular Apple Frames shortcut, which puts screenshots taken on an iPhone or iPad inside pretty device frames created by Apple. The M1 took 50% less time to frame four iPad screenshots in the Shortcuts app compared to the A12Z:

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And this is where we get to the strange part of this section. One of the common tests typically involved with benchmarking a new Apple device is rendering video and measuring the time it takes to export a video file to another format. I’ve done this for my iPad reviews before, and I assumed repeating the same test on the M1 iPad Pro would show a sizable performance increase compared to the A12Z chip in the 2020 iPad Pro.

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Here’s what happened: I tried exporting different source video files using both LumaFusion and iMovie on the 2021 iPad Pro and the 2020 model, and I kept getting the same rendering times on both machines – sometimes down to the second. I thought that was odd, so I continued testing with different input and output formats, and I also added Adobe Premiere Rush to my testing setup, but I couldn’t see any performance gain with video rendering on the M1 chip; the A12Z consistently matched the M1’s rendering times. In a last ditch attempt to try and make sense of all this, I wondered if maybe the issue was related to LumaFusion and iMovie not being “optimized” for the new iPad Pro, so I put together a custom shortcut to encode a video file to 4K HEVC. When even the shortcut produced the same exact rendering time on both iPads (2 minutes and 48 seconds to export a 706 MB 4K video file encoded in H264), I gave up.

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Now, I’m not a video expert, and I don’t render videos for a living. It’s very likely I’m missing something obvious here. However, I’ve done these tests before and, usually, the new and more powerful chip gets the job done more quickly. It almost feels as if this particular task – video rendering – is capped to A12Z-level performance on the M1 iPad Pro with 16 GB of RAM I tested for this review. None of this makes sense since, as I’ve shown above, the M1 destroyed the A12Z in literally every other test or benchmark. I’m curious to see if other reviewers who are more well versed in this field will notice similar results.

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With the exception of the aforementioned video rendering oddity, the M1 chip produced benchmarks and results that were, unsurprisingly, vastly superior to the A12Z. Apple’s investment in its custom silicon architecture is paying off, particularly when you consider how the company was able to use the same M1 chip found on Macs in a thinner tablet that also features multitouch and a mini-LED display.

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However, I’m left wondering: why was this kind of aggressive performance leap needed? Why do the high-end 1 TB and 2 TB iPad Pros have 16 GB of RAM? Without real background processes, the ability to manage multiple windows on an external display, or pro apps such as Xcode and Final Cut, what are the iPadOS system features or apps that are going to tap into all this power, aside from the narrow use cases I covered above? It’s also fair to ask the question: with the common foundation of the M1 chip, shouldn’t iPadOS use all this performance headroom to be as flexible as macOS at this point?5

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Given the current limitations of iPadOS such as no extended desktop mode with windowing or widgets on the Home Screen, it’s not clear right now why the M1’s performance boost was needed. Again, it’s easy to imagine how Apple could tap into this future-proofed environment with features that aren’t here yet, but I can’t review a product based on the potential of what software updates could enable in the future. I can speculate, and I think I’m going to be right, but ultimately that’s just a fun exercise in imagination.

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For my line of work, the 2020 iPad Pro was always powerful enough. Over the past few years, I never found myself wishing my iPad Pro had better specs, but I always craved a more versatile iPadOS optimized for power users. The M1 chip and more RAM make an already future-proof iPad Pro even better prepared for what’s coming next. We just have to believe all this new hardware will be put to good use soon.

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Center Stage

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The new iPad Pro’s most fun (and timely, given our current pandemic-ridden world and importance of video calls) addition is a textbook example of what Apple can achieve when its hardware and software teams collaborate to turn complex ideas into simple, intuitive features that make our lives even just a bit better.

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Center Stage is a new feature of the ultra-wide front-facing camera of the 2021 iPad Pro that iPadOS uses to “follow you around” as you move during video calls. Made possible by the new 122-degree ultra-wide selfie camera, Center Stage relies on machine learning to recognize you and keep you in the center of the frame as much as possible, zooming and panning around to crop the image accordingly. The way Center Stage works behind the scenes is ingenious: the camera’s ultra-wide field of view is cropped to focus on you; if you move around, the system “pans” to another area of the camera’s field of view that wasn’t previously displayed onscreen to ensure you stay front and center.

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When you first try Center Stage during a video call6, the effect is both eerie and charming: at first, it’ll look like the camera inside the iPad is physically moving, or like there’s a remote camera operator secretly controlling the ultra-wide camera to keep you properly framed. Instead, Center Stage is the result of the clever combination of an ultra-wide field of view and real-time cropping powered by machine learning. It is, quite possibly, the best answer to the “cool, but what can machine learning actually do?” question I’ve seen to date.

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A FaceTime call with Center Stage.

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I tested Center Stage with FaceTime video calls, WebEx, and a custom app the MacStories Special Projects Team wrote just for me (more on this below). As you can see in this section, I’m supplementing my written explanation with videos and GIFs, which do a better job at conveying Center Stage’s capabilities, but here’s what you should know: Center Stage is not a gimmick and actually works like magic during video calls. As you move around – not just left and right, but also further away from the iPad – Center Stage will seamlessly and quickly pan, zoom out, and zoom back in to keep your face as centered as possible. Motion is smooth but rapid when necessary, and you quickly stop thinking about it and just accept that Center Stage is doing its thing while you’re, say, preparing a meal in the kitchen while FaceTiming your parents.

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Impressively, Center Stage also works when another person enters the camera’s field of view. When someone else joins you on a video call, the Center Stage-powered camera will pan around and zoom out to include the other person; if they get close to you, Center Stage will zoom in on both faces to keep them front and center. The first time I tried this during FaceTime with my mom, after she saw my girlfriend Silvia enter the shot and the camera continuing to move to follow her too, she proceeded to ask who was operating the camera – she thought Silvia was moving the iPad to follow me at first. That’s Center Stage in a nutshell.

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Center Stage may seem like a trivial addition to video calls on iPad but, as I noted above, it’s fascinating to understand how the camera and machine learning work under the hood. For this reason, in order to better understand the capabilities of Center Stage, we created a custom test app that implemented the newly-added Center Stage API for developers. Having the freedom to test Center Stage with a full-screen camera view instead of FaceTime’s small preview window helped me get a better sense of how Center Stage works in tandem with the ultra-wide camera and multiple people in the shot; I came away impressed, and I recorded some videos that show Center Stage in action.

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In the first demo below, you can see how Center Stage followed me as I was walking around my balcony while the test app was active:

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Walking around in front of our custom Center Stage test app.

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I then asked Silvia to join in. You can see how Center Stage tries to zoom out to keep us both in the frame as much as possible when we’re not standing close to each other and, conversely, focus on our faces if we get close:

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How Center Stage deals with two people in the shot.

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My favorite example, however, is the last one, which is also tricky to explain. The video begins with an empty shot of my wall. Nobody has entered Center Stage’s “capture zone” yet and the camera is doing nothing. But here’s where another key Center Stage feature comes in: Center Stage can “see” subjects before they’re displayed onscreen and immediately zoom and pan the image to focus on them. Which means this is something Center Stage can do:

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Creeping in from outside the Center Stage frame.

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And yes, there’s a GIF version of this:

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\"Oh

Oh hi.

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The fun nature of the video above belies an intriguing aspect of the Center Stage framework. I was not displayed onscreen and the camera was seeing an empty wall. However, behind the scenes, the ultra-wide camera was always seeing a wider shot than what was cropped to be displayed onscreen. So as soon as I took a step and entered the invisible Center Stage capture zone, the camera saw me and panned accordingly. You can see how this works from another angle:

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As soon as I took another step, I walked into the Center Stage capture zone.

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And in case you’re wondering, here’s what happens if I toggle Center Stage on and off in our test app:

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\"When

When Center Stage is enabled, you can see how the image gets cropped to put my face front and center.

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\"With

With Center Stage disabled, you can see how iPadOS sees the wider shot.

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I thought about why I find this aspect of Center Stage so fascinating. Here’s what I came up with: traditionally, cameras show us exactly what they see – their viewfinder is a close match of what our eyes can see in front us. There’s no hidden truth. The lines have gotten blurry in recent years thanks to AI and features like Night Mode and Smart HDR, but Center Stage takes this to a different level: now, the computer is acting on data the camera is seeing but which is intentionally hidden from us since the image onscreen is cropped to a different aspect ratio. The iPad’s camera is aware of its surroundings beyond what is displayed onscreen.7

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In a way, Center Stage breaks the fourth wall between the user and the computer with a visual, clear confirmation of how the machine knows more than it shows. Am I overthinking this? It’s possible. But I also have a feeling we’re going to see more of this from now on, especially if Apple is gearing up to release AR-focused devices with multiple cameras that can capture and analyze data around us at all times.

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There’s a few other technical details about Center Stage worth pointing out. Apple has (rightfully so) advertised Center Stage as a video call feature, but any camera-enabled app can use the Center Stage API. We created a custom selfie app for MacStories with Center Stage support in just a couple hours; I assume we’re going to see some interesting experiments from developers of photography and video apps for iPad over the next few weeks (imagine, for instance, how journalists and reporters could take advantage of Center Stage when interviewing people or moving around a particular scene).

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Additionally, it appears Apple is also giving any camera-enabled app on iPad the ability to use Center Stage out of the box. In the Settings app on my iPad Pro, I see a new Center Stage toggle in the individual setting pages for apps like Twitter, Discord, and Gmail, which, in theory, haven’t added support for Center Stage-specific APIs yet. The toggle for those third-party apps is disabled by default; you can also find the same toggle for FaceTime under Settings ⇾ FaceTime.

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\"The

The Center Stage toggle for third-party apps.

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Lastly, it also seems like any app that integrates with Center Stage will display a Center Stage splash screen the first time you open it on a 2021 iPad Pro. We didn’t do anything to show this screen in our test app, but this is what I saw when I launched the ‘CenterStageTest’ app for the first time:

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\"The

The Center Stage splash screen I saw in our custom test app.

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Everything Else

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Here’s a collection of miscellaneous notes and tidbits about the new iPad Pro based on my experience with the device.

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Using the old Magic Keyboard is totally fine. There was a lot of confusion following the iPad Pro’s announcement last month as to whether the 2020 Magic Keyboard was going to be supported on the new iPad Pro model. It initially seemed like the expensive accessory was not going to be compatible with the new iPad Pro, then Apple explained how the keyboard was going to work, but “may not fit precisely when closed”.

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I’ve used the new iPad Pro with a 2020 Magic Keyboard, and it works perfectly without any issues when closing it. In my tests (without any screen protector), I didn’t have any problems attaching the iPad to the old Magic Keyboard, detaching it, or closing the cover on top of it; the magnets align perfectly and there’s no gap when the keyboard is closed.

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I feel like Apple sort of fumbled the message here; I honestly can’t tell where the problem is supposed to be when using a 2020 Magic Keyboard with the 2021 iPad Pro. The 12.9” version works fine and closes fine. If you have a 2020 Magic Keyboard, you don’t need to buy a new one.

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The white Magic Keyboard. My review unit came with an associated white Magic Keyboard, which is the new color available this year. Let me cut to the chase: I love it. The white cover and keyboard bring a distinct ‘white MacBook’ feel to the iPad Pro; this retro Apple aesthetic pairs well with a futuristic-looking machine like the iPad Pro – sort of like a PlayStation 1-themed DualShock controller does with a PS4.

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\"The

The new white Magic Keyboard.

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I find the white Magic Keyboard more elegant and Apple-like than last year’s boring gray cover with black keys. The “Jony Ive look” of this version is lovely, but we’ll have to see how it ages over time. One week wasn’t enough to judge that aspect and, obviously, I’ve been treating this review unit well. It didn’t seem appropriate to throw the Magic Keyboard in a pile of dirt and claim that “I did it for science”.

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The Kensington StudioDock doesn’t fit. Look, I tried to warn you months ago. When I reviewed Kensington’s expensive, but versatile desktop accessory for iPad power users, I wrote:

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\n […] if you plan on purchasing a new iPad Pro in the near future, wait a while to confirm whether or not it’ll be compatible with the StudioDock.\n

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As it turns out, a 0.5mm difference in thickness was enough to cause the new iPad Pro not to fit Kensington’s plastic tray and USB-C connector anymore. There’s a discussion to be had about whether Kensington should have released such an expensive accessory so close to the widely rumored release of new iPad Pros with a new display technology that was likely going to make the device thicker, or if the company should have designed the stand with a replaceable attachment in the first place, but I’m going to leave all that for a podcast.

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Electric Orange Smart Folio. In addition to a white Magic Keyboard, Apple sent me an Electric Orange Smart Folio for this review. It’s orange. I like it. I wish I could say more about this, but it’s just orange. If you like orange, this Smart Folio is orange.

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\"Hey,

Hey, at least I wasn’t sent a purple iPhone and had to write an entire review about a color.

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\"\"

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Runs iPadOS 14.5 out of the box. iPadOS 14.5 comes preinstalled with this iPad Pro and has Center Stage, which is exclusive to this device. Interestingly, I had initially upgraded my review unit to iPadOS 14.6 beta 3 so I could restore my iPad Pro backup, but Center Stage wasn’t working in that beta release, so I downgraded to iPadOS 14.5.1 by downloading the firmware from Apple’s servers, and everything was fine again.

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The iPhone 12 Pro Max still takes better pictures. This won’t surprise anyone, but despite having support for Smart HDR 3, pictures taken with the wide camera on the 2021 iPad Pro don’t look nearly as beautiful as the ones captured on an iPhone 12 Pro Max. This is not shocking at all: the iPhone 12’s camera has a ƒ/1.6 aperture while the iPad Pro is set at ƒ/1.8; the iPhone’s camera simply lets more light in and retains more detail with brighter highlights and true-to-life colors. Still, I feel like Smart HDR 3 photos captured on the 2021 iPad Pro are pretty good for a tablet. You can see two sample shots below.

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\"Wide

Wide camera, iPad Pro.

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\"Wide

Wide camera, iPhone 12 Pro Max.

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The Logitech Combo Touch keyboard case. As I was putting the finishing touches on this review yesterday, I also received a review unit of the Combo Touch keyboard case from Logitech. I only needed a few minutes with it to conclude that, while I’m convinced there’s a market for this kind of accessory, I’ve been spoiled by the Magic Keyboard and I can’t go back now.

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The Combo Touch is the latest entry in Logitech’s long line of keyboard cases for iPad Pro, which go all the way back to the original model I reviewed in 2015. The Combo Touch stands out for a couple reasons: it’s covered with a fabric-like material, which makes it seem more similar to a Microsoft Surface accessory than an iPad Pro one; and, more importantly, it’s the first keyboard I’ve tested that comes with a built-in trackpad based on the Smart Connector rather than Bluetooth.

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\"The

The Logitech Combo Touch for iPad Pro.

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\"The

The Combo Touch with the keyboard detached.

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As usual, Logitech worked with Apple to make the Combo Touch possible, and it shows: the trackpad – which is slightly taller than the Magic Keyboard’s – feels great, is clicky enough, and works perfectly with the iPadOS pointer without delays; the keyboard has that classic Logitech feel to it (and I mean this in a positive way!) and comes with function keys for brightness and search, among others, which the Magic Keyboard lacks. If you consider the trackpad and keyboard without the case and everything else, the Combo Touch feels like typing on a “pro” version of the Magic Keyboard.

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As I hinted above though, the problem is that I’m too used to the Magic Keyboard’s floating design and portability now. The Combo Touch, as per Logitech tradition, requires you to jam the iPad into a plastic case, which is not something I like to do with a delicate slab of glass. Furthermore, the Combo Touch requires opening a kickstand built into the back of the case to support the iPad Pro and case when they’re attached magnetically to the keyboard. As a result, the Combo Touch has a considerably larger footprint than the Magic Keyboard, which makes it nearly impossible for me to use it on my lap.

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The Magic Keyboard, as I wrote last year, fits squarely within the iPad Pro’s modular nature: it can transform the iPad into a laptop, but as soon as you want to go back to tablet mode, you can just detach your iPad from the magnetic cover and switch modes instantly. Accessories like the Combo Touch can’t support this kind of flexible modularity. So while I’m sure there are folks who will appreciate its adjustable kickstand and removable keyboard, I still find the Magic Keyboard the best fit for my iPad Pro lifestyle.

\n

5G. The new iPad Pro, just like the iPhone 12, supports 5G. I don’t particularly care for 5G: I only recently re-enabled it on my iPhone 12 Pro Max because we’ve starting going out again and seeing friends in the last couple weeks, but I never found myself having to rely on 5G’s ultra-high speed network for anything. When I’m out with friends, I don’t want to watch YouTube videos in 4K. Still, I figured I should test 5G on the new iPad Pro. My existing iPad cellular plan doesn’t support 5G, so I put in my iPhone’s SIM card (a Vodafone Italy one) and, sure enough, I got some very good download speeds. I don’t know when – if ever – I’m going to use this, but at least I confirmed it works.

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\"Scrolling

Scrolling my Twitter timeline has never been so fast and it’s all thanks to 5G.

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Ultra-wide selfies and the front-facing camera. In addition to Center Stage, you can use the new ultra-wide front-facing camera on iPad Pro to take ultra-wide selfies. I mostly appreciate the inclusion of the ultra-wide front-facing camera for video calls and Center Stage, but it’s good know I’ll be able to take an ultra-wide iPad Pro selfie with friends if I’ll ever find myself in such a predicament.

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\"An

An ultra-wide selfie taken on iPad Pro.

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\"Another

Another ultra-wide selfie.

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The new iPad Pro features a 12 MP front-facing camera, which is, in theory, an overall upgrade from last year’s 7 MP camera. However, because this is an ultra-wide camera with a ƒ/2.4 aperture compared to the 2020 model’s camera with ƒ/2.2 aperture, I’m not surprised I find regular selfies taken on last year’s iPad Pro more detailed and better lit than the ones taken in “cropped mode” with the ultra-wide camera on the 2021 iPad Pro (without expanding the full ultra-wide view). Last year’s selfie camera let in more light, but wasn’t an ultra-wide lens; in order to support Center Stage and an ultra-wide capture, Apple had to sacrifice selfie quality slightly this year.

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\"Here's

Here’s the technical readout provided by the Halide app for the front-facing camera on the 2020 iPad Pro (left) and the 2021 model.

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The trade-off makes sense to me: the iPad’s front-facing camera is mostly used for video calls, and I find having Center Stage more useful than marginally superior picture quality without Center Stage.

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New Roads

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Considered in isolation, each of the major hardware changes to the 12.9” iPad Pro is an outstanding achievement that highlights the technical prowess of the iPad’s hardware team.

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The Liquid Retina XDR display brings extreme dynamic range to photos and movies, with vibrant colors and black levels that are almost comparable to OLED; it’ll be interesting to see how quickly this display tech can trickle down to other Apple devices. Thunderbolt has the potential to unify the accessory ecosystem story across the Mac and iPad; its data transfers are ridiculously faster than USB 3.2 and I’m happy I can use the iPad Pro with my Thunderbolt dock now. With the M1 chip, faster internal storage access, and 16 GB of RAM, I feel confident that this iPad Pro is future-proof and and ready to age well for the next couple years, just like the 2018 iPad Pro did.

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The problem is – an iPad is more than the sum of its hardware parts, and I can’t evaluate these features in isolation without considering how iPadOS takes advantage of them. It’s hard to gauge the impact of the new iPad Pro right now: as I argued in this review, we may be on the cusp of major changes to iPadOS; aside from a few specialized third-party apps, I struggled to find iPadOS features that truly pushed the M1 chip, Thunderbolt, or the 16 GB of RAM in this model.

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I look at this iPad Pro and marvel at its display, all-day battery life, Center Stage’s integration with the ultra-wide camera, and M1 chip. But, at the same time, I wonder: where are Apple’s pro apps – the same ones I can use on an M1 Mac – such as Logic, Final Cut, and Xcode? Are there even third-party apps that can use 8 or 16 GB of RAM on the App Store? Why can’t I drive an external display over Thunderbolt by putting multiple app windows on it? Why is Split View still so clunky and limited to two concurrent apps? These are all old questions; the new iPad Pro forces me to ask them again because the divide between iPad hardware and iPadOS is too great at this point.

\n

Aside from superior picture quality and color reproduction, at this stage the new iPad Pro hasn’t meaningfully improved anything in my daily workflow. It feels like there’s a missing second half to this product’s story. I’m optimistic though: I suspect Apple is well aware of this too, and I’d be extremely surprised if iPadOS goes without any major, foundational updates for another year. The new iPad Pro feels ready to power the next few generations of iPadOS; compared to such advanced hardware, however, the current version of iPadOS seems like it was made for three iPads ago.

\n

At times, the 2021 iPad Pro feels like driving a Ferrari in your neighborhood’s cul-de-sac. We need new roads. We need iPadOS 15 to be the leap forward for the iPad platform we’ve been waiting for. That this new iPad Pro is especially waiting for.

\n

Maybe – just maybe – we only need to wait two more weeks.

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My thanks to Silvia Gatta for the photos used in this story and her participation in my Center Stage tests, Myke Hurley and John Voorhees for their benchmarks, Stephen Hackett for his 4K test footage, and Owen Voorhees for the custom Center Stage app.

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  1. \nOnly the 1 and 2 TB models come with 16 GB of RAM; other models are limited to 8 GB, which is still 2 GB more than the 2020 iPad Pro’s 6 GB of RAM. ↩︎\n
    2. \n
  2. \nShout out to apps that let you customize the color scheme used in their widgets with any color you want, like the excellent Timery. ↩︎\n
    3. \n
  3. \nOr, more realistically, the 2018 model; did anyone actually buy the 2020 iPad Pro? ↩︎\n
    4. \n
  4. \niPadOS does offer an API for developers to display full-screen content on an external monitor instead of mirroring; however, this API is only used by a handful of third-party apps, including the Final Cut alternative LumaFusion. In any case, the full-screen preview displayed on the secondary monitor is not interactive as you can’t drag the iPadOS pointer there. ↩︎\n
    5. \n
  5. \nAnd no, I’m not suggesting iPads should run macOS. I find that idea deeply shortsighted. I’m advocating for a faster evolution of iPadOS so it can become as powerful and flexible as macOS. ↩︎\n
    6. \n
  6. \nIn addition to FaceTime, Apple worked with popular video conferencing apps to support Center Stage ahead of the iPad Pro’s release; I also tested it in WebEx. ↩︎\n
    7. \n
  7. \nAll this is somewhat reminiscent of the iPhone 11’s ‘Capture Outside the Frame’ setting for the Camera app, which became ‘View Outside the Frame’ in iOS 14. ↩︎\n
    8. \n
\n

Support MacStories and Unlock Extras

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In that time, members have enjoyed nearly 400 weekly and monthly newsletters packed with more of your favorite MacStories writing as well as Club-only podcasts, eBooks, discounts on apps, icons, and services. Join today, and you’ll get everything new that we publish every week, plus access to our entire archive of back issues and downloadable perks.

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Join Now", "content_text": "The new iPad Pro.\nIn recent years, the narrative surrounding the iPad platform, and particularly its more advanced Pro line, has largely focused on the great divide between the iPad’s hardware and software. It’s a story we’ve had to grapple with for a while now: it was clear with the original iPad Pro in 2015 that its software – still called iOS at the time – needed to take better advantage of the 12.9” display, but we had to wait until 2017’s iOS 11 to receive drag and drop between apps; similarly, the iPad Pro was redesigned in late 2018 with the Liquid Retina Display and a gesture-based interaction system, but it was only in 2019 that Apple relaunched the iPad’s software as a standalone platform parallel to iOS but optimized for iPad.\nThe perception since the iPad Pro’s introduction is that its hardware has consistently leapfrogged its software, leaving many to wonder about the untapped potential of iPadOS and a third-party app ecosystem that could have been vastly richer and more powerful if only iPadOS allowed developers to write more complex apps. Effectively, “too good for its software” has long been the iPad Pro’s hardware mantra.\nThe 2021 iPad Pro, launching publicly this Friday, doesn’t alter that public perception at all. If anything, this new iPad Pro, which I’ve been testing in the high-end 12.9” flavor with 2 TB of storage for the past week, only widens the chasm between its hardware and software: it’s an absolute marvel of engineering featuring the Apple-designed M1 chip, a brand new Liquid Retina XDR display, and 16 GB of RAM1 that hints at a powerful, exciting future for its software that just isn’t here yet.\nSupported By\nConcepts\n\n\nConcepts: Sketch, Note, Draw. Get 1 month free for a limited time.\nI say this as someone who’s been using the iPad as his main computer for nearly a decade at this point: from a mere hardware standpoint, the new iPad Pro is everything I could have possibly dreamed of this year, but it leaves me wanting for so many other iPadOS features I’d love to see Apple address at its developer conference next month.\nThe new 12.9” iPad Pro hits all the right notes as a modular computer that can be a tablet with an amazing display, a powerful laptop, and an extensible workstation; its hardware is a remarkable blend of tablet-first features and technologies first seen on Apple’s line of desktop computers. It’s hard to believe the company was able to deliver all of it in a device that is only 6.4mm thin. However, the new iPad Pro’s more powerful nature doesn’t fundamentally change my daily workflow. At least not with its current version of iPadOS that will (likely) be obsolete in two weeks.\nLet’s dive in.\nExclusive Wallpapers and More\nWallpapers for iPad and AppStories Episode\nOne of our new iPad Pro wallpapers.\nBy subscribing to Club MacStories, you’ll gain exclusive access to two new wallpapers specifically designed for the new iPad Pro’s mini-LED display.\nCreated by our designer Silvia Gatta and modeled after the Home Screen wallpapers we originally shared in my iPad Air review, these wallpapers feature colorful gradients and a special area dedicated to widgets. The new versions for the 2021 12.9” iPad Pro come with a pure black ‘widget column’ that takes advantage of the Liquid Retina XDR display and which works well with pure black widgets.\nYou can find screenshots of my Home Screen with these wallpapers in the story; if you’re a Club MacStories member, you can download the wallpapers in your member area at macstories.memberful.com.\nWe also recorded a special episode of our podcast AppStories all about my thoughts on the new iPad Pro. You can listen to the episode below.\n\n\n\n[table_of_contents]\nLook and Feel\nFrom the outside, the new iPad Pro looks identical to its predecessor: its physical footprint is the same, the shape of the Liquid Retina Display’s rounded corners is unchanged, and Apple has kept the 2018 iPad Pro’s industrial design with flat edges that has proven successful with the iPhone 12 line, the iPad Air, and, to an extent, the latest iMacs. At a glance, you wouldn’t be able to tell the 2020 and 2021 iPad Pros apart. It almost feels like there’s a continuum to Apple’s strategy with shipping its first generation of custom silicon on portable computers: just like the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro got the M1 upgrade without any major redesigns, so too the iPad Pro has made the jump to the much more powerful M1 chip without looking any different from last year.\nOld and new.\nHowever, I felt the difference between the old and new 12.9” iPad Pro when I held the device in my hands for the first time and compared it to its predecessor. At 685 grams, the Wi-Fi + Cellular version is 42 grams heavier than the 643 grams of the 2020 model; the new iPad Pro is also 0.5mm thicker (likely due to the new display technology), which, as I’ll explain later, has led to some unfortunate consequences in the accessory market. These aren’t huge numbers, but the weight difference in particular is enough to tell the new iPad Pro is slightly heavier than the previous model, especially if you try to use it as a tablet in one-handed mode. I wouldn’t recommend doing that with a 12.9” iPad anyway, but if you’re like me and love to read articles with Safari on the iPad Pro’s large display, you shouldn’t be surprised if you can feel a small weight increase.\nAs for the 0.5mm gain in thickness, as you can tell from the photos in this story it is visually noticeable when comparing the 2020 and 2021 iPad Pro side by side, but it’s not a big deal in everyday usage. Unless you’re one of the few people who spent $400 on the Kensington StudioDock a couple months ago. But more on that later.\nThe new iPad Pro (left) is 0.5mm thicker than the previous model.\nThe 2021 iPad Pro relies on a tried and proven aesthetic that still feels fresh and futuristic three years after its debut. I haven’t grown tired of the iPad Pro’s industrial design yet, and the device – despite a 0.5mm increase – still feels impossibly thin for all it does and its battery life. The 12.9” iPad Pro has never been Apple’s most portable tablet, but based on my tests over the past week, even though I can feel those extra 42 grams, I still plan on using it as a tablet I can hold in my hands at the end of the work day when I want to relax with games or my Safari Reading List.\nLiquid Retina XDR Display\nThere was a specific moment when the new iPad Pro’s Liquid Retina XDR display “clicked” for me: I was testing both the 2020 and 2021 iPad Pro models side by side by watching the introductory scene of The Greatest Showman in Dolby Vision using the TV app, and I noticed how the XDR display – which brings the extreme dynamic range technology previously seen in the $4,999 Apple Pro Display XDR to a $1,099 12.9” tablet – featured more vivid reds and considerably brighter highlights. That was neat, I thought to myself, but obviously there had to be something else to justify Apple’s excitement about the new display in the 12.9” iPad Pro. Right?\nAnd that’s when I looked at the darker areas of the frame, particularly the black bars surrounding the video. That’s when the Liquid Retina XDR display got me:\nThe new iPad Pro (left) features more accurate colors and near-pure blacks. Colors on the 2020 iPad Pro (right) look washed out in comparison.\nI don’t own an Apple Pro Display XDR, so take the following experience and summarization with the context of someone who mostly used to work on a 2020 12.9” iPad Pro and 21.5” UltraFine 4K display.\nThe new iPad Pro’s Liquid Retina XDR display is, by far, the best display I’ve ever seen in a portable computer. It puts the iPad Pro’s old (and still pretty good) Liquid Retina Display to shame thanks to its higher brightness (1000 nits of full-screen brightness compared to 600 in the last-gen model), more vibrant colors, highlights that pop out a lot more, and black levels that almost rival the performance of “pure black” on OLED displays.\nThis display was pitched as a great way for creators of HDR content to take their workflows on the go as well as a superior experience for consumers of HDR content such as movies and TV shows from Apple TV+ and Netflix or photos taken with Smart HDR on iPhone. After a week of testing, I think that message makes sense: if you’re a videographer or photographer, you’ll instantly see and understand the impact of wider color reproduction; if you’re a “regular” iPad user who doesn’t work in those fields, you won’t see the effects of the XDR display in the UI of Apple Mail or Files, but you’ll “get it”, just like I did, as soon as you watch HDR content, play a game, or browse your photo library.\n\nThe new iPad Pro’s Liquid Retina XDR display is, by far, the best display I’ve ever seen in a portable computer.\n\nThere’s some fascinating tech that makes the Liquid Retina XDR display’s high-brightness and high-contrast performance possible. The display comes with 10,000 mini-LEDs compared to the previous iPad Pro’s 72 LEDs; the new mini-LED technology employed by Apple is 120 times smaller than the previous display’s design. Additionally, all those mini-LEDs have been grouped into 2596 local dimming zones; the idea is that each zone can control the brightness of its mini-LEDs and precisely adjust it depending on the content displayed onscreen, which explains why video content shot in high-dynamic range features, well, a wider range of colors and brightness levels across the entire 12.9” panel.\nIn case the quality of this display hasn’t come across from this description yet, consider this additional context:\nThe Pro Display XDR features 576 local dimming zones (compared to the iPad Pro’s 2596) for $4,999;\nThe iPad Pro fully matches the Pro Display XDR’s sustained brightness performance (1000 nits) as well as its peak brightness (1600 nits) when watching HDR content;\nThe iPhone 12 Pro’s OLED display can deliver up to 800 nits with full-screen brightness and maxes out at 1200 nits for peak brightness;\nThe new 24” iMac supports P3 wide color and True Tone, but maxes out at 500 nits.\nThus, a good way to think about the new Liquid Retina XDR display is the following: Apple was able to take some of the high-end technology that powered the Pro Display XDR, shrink it down to a 12.9” display, and even improve it thanks to mini-LED, going from 576 dimming zones to 2596 – a whopping 350% increase for a multitouch tablet you can hold in your hands. Obviously, unlike the Pro Display XDR, the Liquid Retina XDR display isn’t considered a reference monitor with support for advanced features such as manual calibration; however, for a product starting at $1099, bringing extreme dynamic range to the “prosumer” market is quite the achievement, and a substantial leap from the older Liquid Retina display.\nAt this point, you might wonder: all this sounds impressive, but do you actually notice these fancy display improvements in everyday usage? The answer is nuanced, but after a week with the new iPad Pro, I think there are some common scenarios in which everyone will immediately see the difference between the old Liquid Retina Display and the new Liquid Retina XDR.\nThe first, must-try test is iPadOS’ dark mode or any kind of image/video featuring dark areas: on the Liquid Retina XDR display, black levels approach the “true black” quality of the iPhone’s OLED display; a pure black color displayed on the Liquid Retina XDR is deep and nearly indistinguishable from the iPad Pro’s black bezels. I say “nearly” because, due to the nature of OLED, only the iPhone’s display can achieve real “true black” and turn off pixels displaying the color black. I tested this by comparing the iPad Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max with a pure black JPEG image displayed in full-screen: upon closer inspection, I could barely make out the display from the bezels on the new iPad Pro, but I couldn’t on the iPhone’s OLED display.\nSo while, technically speaking, the Liquid Retina XDR’s black color reproduction isn’t “true black”, it gets dramatically close to that goal. I would even say that, because you typically hold an iPad further away from your eyes, ultimately this difference doesn’t matter: to my eyes, it feels like the Liquid Retina XDR supports true black, which has an incredible effect on using apps with true-black dark modes on the new iPad Pro. Contrast between black UI elements and white text is higher than before, and there’s also better separation between black sidebars and other dark gray or dark blue UI elements such as lists and popovers. I never used dark mode extensively on iPad because I preferred the way it looked on the iPhone’s OLED display; I’m going to reconsider now thanks to the Liquid Retina XDR’s fantastic black levels.\nComparing black levels between the old iPad Pro and the new one makes the 2020 model look blissfully ignorant of what the color ‘black’ actually is or what it’s supposed to look like. Check out the photo below, which shows the same black image displayed on a 2020 iPad Pro and the 2021 model at max brightness in a dark room with Night Mode disabled…\nThis is the same full-screen black image displayed on the Liquid Retina XDR (left) and 2020 iPad Pro. Yes, the 2021 iPad Pro’s screen is showing that image at full brightness.\nSame as above. This is wild to see in person.\n…and you should get the idea now. On the old iPad Pro, it seems like you’re visualizing a dark gray/blueish image, but that’s actually how pure black color was reproduced on the old display. On the mini-LED Liquid Retina XDR, you can see where the display ends and the bezels begin, but just barely.\nIn real-life, this comparison looks incredible, and if you work with black colors or use apps featuring pure black themes a lot, this improvement alone may be worth upgrading to a new iPad Pro with the Liquid Retina XDR display. Personally, as I mentioned above, I plan on taking advantage of this by switching more of my favorite apps to pure black mode on iPad Pro. I’ve also taken this as an opportunity to design wallpapers optimized for the new iPad Pro with a pure-black area for widgets on the left side of the Home Screen, which are exclusive to Club MacStories members.2 Alternatively, a pure black Home Screen also looks fantastic on the new iPad Pro, as you can see in the photo below.\nOne of the new wallpapers for Club members features a pure black widget column for the Liquid Retina XDR display.\nA pure black Home Screen also looks fantastic on the Liquid Retina XDR display.\nBesides its excellent black levels, the Liquid Retina XDR outperforms the old Liquid Retina display when it comes to HDR content. In addition to being brighter, there’s more range between darker areas of an image and its highlights, which pop off the screen more. In a test photo (taken with Smart HDR 3) I opened on both the old and new iPad Pro, the same neon sign looked brighter on the XDR display and more dimmed on the old Liquid Retina Display. After repeating these tests with more photos and HDR content from Apple TV+, the iTunes Store, and Netflix, I now see colors on the old iPad Pro as washed out and dull; on the XDR display, bright colors are considerably more vibrant, black is real black, and I can appreciate the extreme dynamic range across the full picture, especially for HDR movies.\nShould you upgrade from your 2020 iPad Pro3 to the 2021 version because of the XDR display alone? If you primarily use your iPad to communicate with Mail and Messages or crunch numbers in spreadsheets – if your interactions with iPadOS are mostly limited to staring at white app UIs, essentially – you’re likely not going to appreciate the breadth of the Liquid Retina XDR display. However, if you work with HDR content, consume it on streaming services, enjoy browsing your photo library, or just really enjoy dark mode with pure black themes, I’d say yes. The display is magnificent, and it’s wild to consider how Apple was able to bring its XDR tech from a 32” display to a comparatively diminutive 12.9” tablet thanks to mini-LEDs.\nThe Liquid Retina XDR display has clear benefits you can see and enjoy in iPadOS 14 today. The same is only partially true for this iPad Pro’s two new hardware additions – Thunderbolt and the M1 chip.\nThunderbolt\nAfter moving away from Lightning three years ago with USB-C in the 2018 iPad Pro, 2021 marks another milestone for the iPad’s expandability and modularity: the new iPad Pro keeps the same connector but adds support for USB 4 and, perhaps more importantly in the Apple ecosystem, Thunderbolt 3.\nI find Thunderbolt a welcome, yet surprising addition to the iPad Pro. There are two key advantages to using Thunderbolt: four times the bandwidth compared to USB 3.2 Gen. 2 (up to 40 Gb/s) and the ability to daisy-chain multiple devices to the host computer, including a 6K display such as Apple’s Pro Display XDR. Neither of these features are areas where iPadOS is particularly specialized at the moment: high-bandwidth data transfers are usually beneficial for folks who work with professional audio or video apps such Logic Pro and Final Cut Pro, which aren’t available on iPad Pro; and iPadOS 14’s support for external displays continues to be abysmal since the system lacks a proper “extended desktop mode” that lets you put additional windows on a secondary monitor instead of mirroring whatever is already displayed on the iPad’s screen.\nSo why is Thunderbolt support here?\nAs I’m going to demonstrate below, data transfers to external Thunderbolt drives are ridiculously faster than USB 3.2 and, sure, you can mirror the iPad Pro’s display to a 6K monitor now.4 Today, there really aren’t many reasons why you’d need Thunderbolt 3 on an iPad Pro except for ensuring cross-platform compatibility with your existing Thunderbolt setup. Thus, I have to believe Apple added Thunderbolt to prepare for future iPadOS software that will truly take advantage of it.\nThat leaves us in an awkward spot right now. On one hand, it’s fun to imagine how Apple could tap into Thunderbolt’s potential with iPadOS 15 using iPad versions of Logic and Final Cut or perhaps a new “extended Home Screen mode” for external displays. I would be shocked if these features aren’t part of iPadOS 15 at WWDC. On the other hand, I have to take Thunderbolt support on iPad Pro at face value right now, two weeks ahead of WWDC, and explain why, yes, it works with my Belkin dock and 4K display but also feels pretty much wasted in iPadOS 14.\nI was able to test Thunderbolt on the 2021 iPad Pro with my recently-updated desktop setup, which revolves around a Belkin Thunderbolt 3 Dock Pro. The dock is connected to my LG UltraFine 4K display via Thunderbolt; then, depending on whether I want to use my Mac mini or iPad Pro, I connect another Thunderbolt cable to those computers by swapping it in the back of the dock. I also have two Magic Trackpads (one for each device since the Magic Trackpad doesn’t support multi-device pairing) and a Satechi Slim X1 keyboard that can switch between the Mac mini and iPad Pro.\nI won’t lie: it’s nice that I can extend and use the iPad Pro with the same dock usually paired with my Mac mini. I tested the Belkin dock + iPad Pro combo with USB drives plugged into the dock (they showed up correctly in the Files app), SD cards, and headphones connected via the dock’s audio port. I even tested high-resolution music playback by plugging my FiiO Q5S external USB DAC into the dock, connecting my Sony MDR-Z1R headphones via a balanced 4.4mm cable to the DAC, and playing ultra-HD music via the Amazon Music app. It all worked, and I can’t wait to test this with Apple Music next month.\nMy Thunderbolt setup featuring a 2021 iPad Pro, Mac mini, Belkin dock, external USB DAC, and Sony headphones. It’s a whole mess of cables, but that’s what you get when you want to listen to lossless music and have a small desk. It’s cozy.\nHeadphones are plugged with a balanced cable into my FiiO DAC, which is plugged into the Thunderbolt dock, which is connected to the iPad Pro and UltraFine 4K display. I love this setup.\nThis kind of modularity and the ability to turn the iPad Pro into a flexible desktop workstation aren’t new, of course: I wrote about this very topic extensively in the past. What’s nice about Thunderbolt is that I can now take my modular approach even further with high-speed docks that provide access to a variety of additional ports with the only requirement that I swap a cable based on the computer I want to use at my desk. As was the case before, the problem is that I wish iPadOS could do more with this versatility: let me manage multiple windows on an external monitor, use the iPad Pro in clamshell mode, “pin” external drives as bookmarks on the Home Screen, or record podcasts with my USB interface just like I can on the Mac. These are old issues; they’re now exacerbated by the fact that Thunderbolt is so fast and nicely integrated with the Apple ecosystem. It’s a teaser that leaves me pining for more.\nRight now, I think the only Thunderbolt feature all iPad Pro users can benefit from is the faster data transfer to and from external drives. In my tests, when it came to transferring large files such as 4K video assets, the Thunderbolt hype was justified. For my comparisons, I used a Samsung X5 Thunderbolt drive (2,800 MB/s read, 2,300 MB/s write) and Samsung’s T7 external SSD, which is a USB-C drive based on the USB 3.2 Gen. 2 spec (10 Gb/s transfers compared to Thunderbolt’s 40 Gb/s) and an advertised transfer rate of 1,050 MB/s (read) and 1,000 MB/s (write). Here’s how it went:\n8.2 GB file from X5 (Thunderbolt) to iPad local storage: 21 seconds \n8.2 GB file from iPad local storage to X5 (Thunderbolt): 15 seconds \n8.2 GB file from T7 (USB) to iPad local storage: 21 seconds \n8.2 GB file from iPad local storage to T7 (USB): 27 seconds\nThese numbers confirm a couple things: first, Thunderbolt is obviously much faster than USB since going from 27 seconds to transfer a video file down to 15 is a 45% decrease, which adds up over time if you do this for a living; second, read speeds don’t really matter for this kind of file since it always takes around 20 seconds to move 8.2 GB of data from an external drive to the iPad’s internal storage. However, something interesting happened when I tried to replicate the same test with a 2020 iPad Pro:\n8.2 GB file from T7 (USB) to 2020 iPad Pro local storage: 32 seconds\nBased on this, it seems that Apple’s claim regarding the 2021 iPad Pro having up to 2x faster storage access than the previous model is correct. If you’re a videographer and are pondering the purchase of a 2021 iPad Pro with associated Thunderbolt drive, you should also consider that the new iPad Pro is much faster at importing media than the old model.\nThere’s an unfortunate blemish in all this: the Files app. I’ve been recently complaining about the app still lacking key features of a modern file manager such as the ability to see the size of a folder or having a progress bar when pasting files, but tests for this review revealed an even more problematic area of Files: its integration with external drives. Any time I copied the aforementioned 8.2 GB file from the X5 Thunderbolt drive, the entire Files app froze for several seconds and became unresponsive. Other times I would try to create a Split View with two Files windows to test drag and drop for heavy files, and one window would be entirely blank. At one point, I thought copying and pasting a file had previously failed, so I tried dropping it in the destination folder again, but Files told me the file already existed. Too bad I couldn’t see it:\nStop lying to me, Files app.\nAll this to say: Thunderbolt is fast and could mean even more modularity for the iPad platform going forward. Right now, a narrow niche of pro users who work in LumaFusion or the handful of other pro video apps for iPad can already take advantage of Thunderbolt on iPad Pro to import and move media more quickly. However, for Thunderbolt to become truly useful for all kinds of iPad Pro users, iPadOS needs to be ready for it. That means doing more with external displays than mirroring, rethinking the Files app around more features and reliability, and extending the iPad’s support for external accessories with DriverKit, allowing iPad Pro owners to work with any peripheral connected via a Thunderbolt dock or USB hub. I seriously hope this is the missing half of the Thunderbolt story we’re going to hear at WWDC in a couple weeks.\nM1 and Performance\nIt’s a similar discussion for the iPad Pro’s other new marquee addition: the M1 chip, the same previously found in Apple’s new generation of Macs that moved away from Intel’s chip architecture last year. Few would have probably foreseen the arrival of the M1 chip on iPad (after all, wasn’t the “M” in M1 supposed to stand for “Mac”?), but I guess it makes sense in grand scheme of whatever Apple has in store for the future of iPad Pro. High-end, desktop-class performance means M1; if the iPad Pro is supposed to achieve Mac-like performance with plenty of headroom for what’s next, then the iPad Pro gets the M1 too. That is – “if”.\nIt shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone that the M1 chip found in the iPad Pro is ridiculously efficient and, to an extent, too powerful for what iPadOS can currently do. With its 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU, and 16-core Neural Engine, the 2021 iPad Pro obliterates previous-gen iPad Pro models with the A12 line of processors; it also runs circles around the iPad Air’s A14 SoC, and it compares favorably to the M1 found in recent Macs. I always write in my iPad reviews that numbers never tell the full story; I stand by that – ultimately, it’s what a chip’s power allows you to do that matters – but the new iPad Pro’s numbers, with one odd exception, are just astonishing.\n\n2021 iPad Pro 12.9”, M1\nMacBook Air (Late 2020), M1\nMacBook Pro (Late 2020), M1\niPad Air, A14\n2020 iPad Pro 12.9”, A12Z\n2018 iPad Pro 11”, A12X\n2018 iPad Pro 12.9”, A12X\nSingle-Core\n1716\n1701\n1709\n1583\n1128\n1118\n1118\nMulti-Core\n7143\n7379\n7157\n4279\n4720\n4647\n4561\nRAM\n16 GB\n16 GB\n16 GB\n4 GB\n6 GB\n4 GB\n6 GB\nIt should be noted that, with the M1 chip, Apple has for the first time started advertising how much RAM is included in the iPad Pro, with differences based on the amount of built-in storage. The 128 GB, 256 GB, and 512 GB iPad Pros get 8 GB of RAM, or 2 GB more than the 2020 iPad Pro; the higher-end 1 TB and 2 TB models get an astounding (for the platform) 16 GB of RAM.\n\nBased on the Geekbench results above, you can see how the M1 iPad Pro roughly matches both the M1 MacBook Air and MacBook Pro in single-core performance and is just slightly behind the MacBook Pro in multi-core tests; interestingly, the benchmark Myke ran on his MacBook Pro with M1 chip provided a lower score in multi-core performance than John’s MacBook Air. CPU benchmarks can be easily altered by different variables such as background processes and open apps; you should only use these numbers as a general reference. The important factor here is that the M1 chip found in the iPad Pro is indeed a real M1 comparable to the one found in recent Macs. In multi-core performance, the M1 iPad Pro’s score is also nearly double the one from the A12Z and the A14 found in the 2020 iPad Pro and iPad Air, respectively.\n\nTo an extent, the M1 is too powerful for what iPadOS can currently do.\n\nI didn’t stop at the usual Geekbench tests though. I ran the popular 3DMark Wild Life, a cross-platform benchmark that tests the graphics performance of desktop computers and mobile devices; on Apple platforms, the benchmark uses the Metal API for rendering 3D scenes. Unsurprisingly, the result on the M1 iPad Pro was substantially higher than the A12Z:\nM1 iPad Pro Wild Life benchmark: 18,232 score with 109.2 average fps (frame rate range 76 to 149)\nA12Z iPad Pro Wild Life benchmark: 13,383 score with 80.1 average fps (frame rate range 53 to 111)\nI then ran the Basemark Web 3.0 benchmark. The M1 beat the A12Z once again:\nM1 iPad Pro Basemark: 726 score\nA12Z iPad Pro Basemark: 714 score\nWhat about a cold boot? I measured the time it took both iPad Pros to go from the Apple logo shown onscreen to the Lock Screen after pressing the power button; thanks to its more powerful CPU and faster storage access, the 2021 iPad Pro was also slightly faster than its predecessor for this task:\nM1 iPad Pro, Apple logo to Lock Screen: 14 seconds \nA12Z iPad Pro, Apple logo to Lock Screen: 18 seconds\nI then turned to third-party apps that are commonly used by professional users on iPad Pro. One of the features of the M1 chip often touted by Apple is the powerful 16-core Neural Engine, which is used to aid in tasks based on machine learning and deep-learning networks. I put the Neural Engine in the 2021 iPad Pro to the test with Pixelmator Photo’s ML Super Resolution, which relies on machine learning (powered by Apple’s Core ML framework) to intelligently increase the resolution of photos. For my tests, I used a 24 MB RAW file, on which I ran a single pass of ML Super Resolution. The results are, quite frankly, ridiculously good for the M1 chip, confirming once again how much Apple is investing into advancing machine learning performance on its platforms:\nM1 iPad Pro, ML Super Resolution compute time: 35 seconds\nA12Z iPad Pro, ML Super Resolution compute time: 1 minute and 16 seconds\nRunning ML Super Resolution in Pixelmator Photo.\nAfter Pixelmator Photo, I tried to export a 870 MB WAV file from Ferrite Recording Studio (a popular app used by podcast creators to edit and render their shows on iPad Pro) to MP3. Predictably, the M1 iPad Pro came out ahead, taking roughly half the time to export a WAV file to MP3:\nM1 iPad Pro, Ferrite export to MP3: 29 seconds\nA12Z iPad Pro, Ferrite export to MP3: 56 seconds\nThe M1 even makes advanced shortcuts faster, often cutting the time needed to perform CPU-intensive tasks such as image manipulation inside the Shortcuts app in half. For this test, I used my popular Apple Frames shortcut, which puts screenshots taken on an iPhone or iPad inside pretty device frames created by Apple. The M1 took 50% less time to frame four iPad screenshots in the Shortcuts app compared to the A12Z:\nM1 iPad Pro, compositing four screenshots with Apple Frames: 13 seconds\nA12Z iPad Pro, compositing four screenshots with Apple Frames: 26 seconds\nAnd this is where we get to the strange part of this section. One of the common tests typically involved with benchmarking a new Apple device is rendering video and measuring the time it takes to export a video file to another format. I’ve done this for my iPad reviews before, and I assumed repeating the same test on the M1 iPad Pro would show a sizable performance increase compared to the A12Z chip in the 2020 iPad Pro.\nHere’s what happened: I tried exporting different source video files using both LumaFusion and iMovie on the 2021 iPad Pro and the 2020 model, and I kept getting the same rendering times on both machines – sometimes down to the second. I thought that was odd, so I continued testing with different input and output formats, and I also added Adobe Premiere Rush to my testing setup, but I couldn’t see any performance gain with video rendering on the M1 chip; the A12Z consistently matched the M1’s rendering times. In a last ditch attempt to try and make sense of all this, I wondered if maybe the issue was related to LumaFusion and iMovie not being “optimized” for the new iPad Pro, so I put together a custom shortcut to encode a video file to 4K HEVC. When even the shortcut produced the same exact rendering time on both iPads (2 minutes and 48 seconds to export a 706 MB 4K video file encoded in H264), I gave up.\nNow, I’m not a video expert, and I don’t render videos for a living. It’s very likely I’m missing something obvious here. However, I’ve done these tests before and, usually, the new and more powerful chip gets the job done more quickly. It almost feels as if this particular task – video rendering – is capped to A12Z-level performance on the M1 iPad Pro with 16 GB of RAM I tested for this review. None of this makes sense since, as I’ve shown above, the M1 destroyed the A12Z in literally every other test or benchmark. I’m curious to see if other reviewers who are more well versed in this field will notice similar results.\nWith the exception of the aforementioned video rendering oddity, the M1 chip produced benchmarks and results that were, unsurprisingly, vastly superior to the A12Z. Apple’s investment in its custom silicon architecture is paying off, particularly when you consider how the company was able to use the same M1 chip found on Macs in a thinner tablet that also features multitouch and a mini-LED display.\nHowever, I’m left wondering: why was this kind of aggressive performance leap needed? Why do the high-end 1 TB and 2 TB iPad Pros have 16 GB of RAM? Without real background processes, the ability to manage multiple windows on an external display, or pro apps such as Xcode and Final Cut, what are the iPadOS system features or apps that are going to tap into all this power, aside from the narrow use cases I covered above? It’s also fair to ask the question: with the common foundation of the M1 chip, shouldn’t iPadOS use all this performance headroom to be as flexible as macOS at this point?5\nGiven the current limitations of iPadOS such as no extended desktop mode with windowing or widgets on the Home Screen, it’s not clear right now why the M1’s performance boost was needed. Again, it’s easy to imagine how Apple could tap into this future-proofed environment with features that aren’t here yet, but I can’t review a product based on the potential of what software updates could enable in the future. I can speculate, and I think I’m going to be right, but ultimately that’s just a fun exercise in imagination.\nFor my line of work, the 2020 iPad Pro was always powerful enough. Over the past few years, I never found myself wishing my iPad Pro had better specs, but I always craved a more versatile iPadOS optimized for power users. The M1 chip and more RAM make an already future-proof iPad Pro even better prepared for what’s coming next. We just have to believe all this new hardware will be put to good use soon.\nCenter Stage\nThe new iPad Pro’s most fun (and timely, given our current pandemic-ridden world and importance of video calls) addition is a textbook example of what Apple can achieve when its hardware and software teams collaborate to turn complex ideas into simple, intuitive features that make our lives even just a bit better.\nCenter Stage is a new feature of the ultra-wide front-facing camera of the 2021 iPad Pro that iPadOS uses to “follow you around” as you move during video calls. Made possible by the new 122-degree ultra-wide selfie camera, Center Stage relies on machine learning to recognize you and keep you in the center of the frame as much as possible, zooming and panning around to crop the image accordingly. The way Center Stage works behind the scenes is ingenious: the camera’s ultra-wide field of view is cropped to focus on you; if you move around, the system “pans” to another area of the camera’s field of view that wasn’t previously displayed onscreen to ensure you stay front and center.\nWhen you first try Center Stage during a video call6, the effect is both eerie and charming: at first, it’ll look like the camera inside the iPad is physically moving, or like there’s a remote camera operator secretly controlling the ultra-wide camera to keep you properly framed. Instead, Center Stage is the result of the clever combination of an ultra-wide field of view and real-time cropping powered by machine learning. It is, quite possibly, the best answer to the “cool, but what can machine learning actually do?” question I’ve seen to date.\n\n \nA FaceTime call with Center Stage.\n\nI tested Center Stage with FaceTime video calls, WebEx, and a custom app the MacStories Special Projects Team wrote just for me (more on this below). As you can see in this section, I’m supplementing my written explanation with videos and GIFs, which do a better job at conveying Center Stage’s capabilities, but here’s what you should know: Center Stage is not a gimmick and actually works like magic during video calls. As you move around – not just left and right, but also further away from the iPad – Center Stage will seamlessly and quickly pan, zoom out, and zoom back in to keep your face as centered as possible. Motion is smooth but rapid when necessary, and you quickly stop thinking about it and just accept that Center Stage is doing its thing while you’re, say, preparing a meal in the kitchen while FaceTiming your parents.\nImpressively, Center Stage also works when another person enters the camera’s field of view. When someone else joins you on a video call, the Center Stage-powered camera will pan around and zoom out to include the other person; if they get close to you, Center Stage will zoom in on both faces to keep them front and center. The first time I tried this during FaceTime with my mom, after she saw my girlfriend Silvia enter the shot and the camera continuing to move to follow her too, she proceeded to ask who was operating the camera – she thought Silvia was moving the iPad to follow me at first. That’s Center Stage in a nutshell.\nCenter Stage may seem like a trivial addition to video calls on iPad but, as I noted above, it’s fascinating to understand how the camera and machine learning work under the hood. For this reason, in order to better understand the capabilities of Center Stage, we created a custom test app that implemented the newly-added Center Stage API for developers. Having the freedom to test Center Stage with a full-screen camera view instead of FaceTime’s small preview window helped me get a better sense of how Center Stage works in tandem with the ultra-wide camera and multiple people in the shot; I came away impressed, and I recorded some videos that show Center Stage in action.\nIn the first demo below, you can see how Center Stage followed me as I was walking around my balcony while the test app was active:\n\n \nWalking around in front of our custom Center Stage test app.\n\nI then asked Silvia to join in. You can see how Center Stage tries to zoom out to keep us both in the frame as much as possible when we’re not standing close to each other and, conversely, focus on our faces if we get close:\n\n \nHow Center Stage deals with two people in the shot.\n\nMy favorite example, however, is the last one, which is also tricky to explain. The video begins with an empty shot of my wall. Nobody has entered Center Stage’s “capture zone” yet and the camera is doing nothing. But here’s where another key Center Stage feature comes in: Center Stage can “see” subjects before they’re displayed onscreen and immediately zoom and pan the image to focus on them. Which means this is something Center Stage can do:\n\n \nCreeping in from outside the Center Stage frame.\n\nAnd yes, there’s a GIF version of this:\nOh hi.\nThe fun nature of the video above belies an intriguing aspect of the Center Stage framework. I was not displayed onscreen and the camera was seeing an empty wall. However, behind the scenes, the ultra-wide camera was always seeing a wider shot than what was cropped to be displayed onscreen. So as soon as I took a step and entered the invisible Center Stage capture zone, the camera saw me and panned accordingly. You can see how this works from another angle:\n\n \nAs soon as I took another step, I walked into the Center Stage capture zone.\n\nAnd in case you’re wondering, here’s what happens if I toggle Center Stage on and off in our test app:\nWhen Center Stage is enabled, you can see how the image gets cropped to put my face front and center.\nWith Center Stage disabled, you can see how iPadOS sees the wider shot.\nI thought about why I find this aspect of Center Stage so fascinating. Here’s what I came up with: traditionally, cameras show us exactly what they see – their viewfinder is a close match of what our eyes can see in front us. There’s no hidden truth. The lines have gotten blurry in recent years thanks to AI and features like Night Mode and Smart HDR, but Center Stage takes this to a different level: now, the computer is acting on data the camera is seeing but which is intentionally hidden from us since the image onscreen is cropped to a different aspect ratio. The iPad’s camera is aware of its surroundings beyond what is displayed onscreen.7\nIn a way, Center Stage breaks the fourth wall between the user and the computer with a visual, clear confirmation of how the machine knows more than it shows. Am I overthinking this? It’s possible. But I also have a feeling we’re going to see more of this from now on, especially if Apple is gearing up to release AR-focused devices with multiple cameras that can capture and analyze data around us at all times.\nThere’s a few other technical details about Center Stage worth pointing out. Apple has (rightfully so) advertised Center Stage as a video call feature, but any camera-enabled app can use the Center Stage API. We created a custom selfie app for MacStories with Center Stage support in just a couple hours; I assume we’re going to see some interesting experiments from developers of photography and video apps for iPad over the next few weeks (imagine, for instance, how journalists and reporters could take advantage of Center Stage when interviewing people or moving around a particular scene).\nAdditionally, it appears Apple is also giving any camera-enabled app on iPad the ability to use Center Stage out of the box. In the Settings app on my iPad Pro, I see a new Center Stage toggle in the individual setting pages for apps like Twitter, Discord, and Gmail, which, in theory, haven’t added support for Center Stage-specific APIs yet. The toggle for those third-party apps is disabled by default; you can also find the same toggle for FaceTime under Settings ⇾ FaceTime.\nThe Center Stage toggle for third-party apps.\nLastly, it also seems like any app that integrates with Center Stage will display a Center Stage splash screen the first time you open it on a 2021 iPad Pro. We didn’t do anything to show this screen in our test app, but this is what I saw when I launched the ‘CenterStageTest’ app for the first time:\nThe Center Stage splash screen I saw in our custom test app.\nEverything Else\nHere’s a collection of miscellaneous notes and tidbits about the new iPad Pro based on my experience with the device.\nUsing the old Magic Keyboard is totally fine. There was a lot of confusion following the iPad Pro’s announcement last month as to whether the 2020 Magic Keyboard was going to be supported on the new iPad Pro model. It initially seemed like the expensive accessory was not going to be compatible with the new iPad Pro, then Apple explained how the keyboard was going to work, but “may not fit precisely when closed”.\nI’ve used the new iPad Pro with a 2020 Magic Keyboard, and it works perfectly without any issues when closing it. In my tests (without any screen protector), I didn’t have any problems attaching the iPad to the old Magic Keyboard, detaching it, or closing the cover on top of it; the magnets align perfectly and there’s no gap when the keyboard is closed.\nI feel like Apple sort of fumbled the message here; I honestly can’t tell where the problem is supposed to be when using a 2020 Magic Keyboard with the 2021 iPad Pro. The 12.9” version works fine and closes fine. If you have a 2020 Magic Keyboard, you don’t need to buy a new one.\nThe white Magic Keyboard. My review unit came with an associated white Magic Keyboard, which is the new color available this year. Let me cut to the chase: I love it. The white cover and keyboard bring a distinct ‘white MacBook’ feel to the iPad Pro; this retro Apple aesthetic pairs well with a futuristic-looking machine like the iPad Pro – sort of like a PlayStation 1-themed DualShock controller does with a PS4.\nThe new white Magic Keyboard.\n\n\nI find the white Magic Keyboard more elegant and Apple-like than last year’s boring gray cover with black keys. The “Jony Ive look” of this version is lovely, but we’ll have to see how it ages over time. One week wasn’t enough to judge that aspect and, obviously, I’ve been treating this review unit well. It didn’t seem appropriate to throw the Magic Keyboard in a pile of dirt and claim that “I did it for science”.\nThe Kensington StudioDock doesn’t fit. Look, I tried to warn you months ago. When I reviewed Kensington’s expensive, but versatile desktop accessory for iPad power users, I wrote:\n\n […] if you plan on purchasing a new iPad Pro in the near future, wait a while to confirm whether or not it’ll be compatible with the StudioDock.\n\nAs it turns out, a 0.5mm difference in thickness was enough to cause the new iPad Pro not to fit Kensington’s plastic tray and USB-C connector anymore. There’s a discussion to be had about whether Kensington should have released such an expensive accessory so close to the widely rumored release of new iPad Pros with a new display technology that was likely going to make the device thicker, or if the company should have designed the stand with a replaceable attachment in the first place, but I’m going to leave all that for a podcast.\nElectric Orange Smart Folio. In addition to a white Magic Keyboard, Apple sent me an Electric Orange Smart Folio for this review. It’s orange. I like it. I wish I could say more about this, but it’s just orange. If you like orange, this Smart Folio is orange.\nHey, at least I wasn’t sent a purple iPhone and had to write an entire review about a color.\n\nRuns iPadOS 14.5 out of the box. iPadOS 14.5 comes preinstalled with this iPad Pro and has Center Stage, which is exclusive to this device. Interestingly, I had initially upgraded my review unit to iPadOS 14.6 beta 3 so I could restore my iPad Pro backup, but Center Stage wasn’t working in that beta release, so I downgraded to iPadOS 14.5.1 by downloading the firmware from Apple’s servers, and everything was fine again.\nThe iPhone 12 Pro Max still takes better pictures. This won’t surprise anyone, but despite having support for Smart HDR 3, pictures taken with the wide camera on the 2021 iPad Pro don’t look nearly as beautiful as the ones captured on an iPhone 12 Pro Max. This is not shocking at all: the iPhone 12’s camera has a ƒ/1.6 aperture while the iPad Pro is set at ƒ/1.8; the iPhone’s camera simply lets more light in and retains more detail with brighter highlights and true-to-life colors. Still, I feel like Smart HDR 3 photos captured on the 2021 iPad Pro are pretty good for a tablet. You can see two sample shots below.\nWide camera, iPad Pro.\nWide camera, iPhone 12 Pro Max.\nThe Logitech Combo Touch keyboard case. As I was putting the finishing touches on this review yesterday, I also received a review unit of the Combo Touch keyboard case from Logitech. I only needed a few minutes with it to conclude that, while I’m convinced there’s a market for this kind of accessory, I’ve been spoiled by the Magic Keyboard and I can’t go back now.\nThe Combo Touch is the latest entry in Logitech’s long line of keyboard cases for iPad Pro, which go all the way back to the original model I reviewed in 2015. The Combo Touch stands out for a couple reasons: it’s covered with a fabric-like material, which makes it seem more similar to a Microsoft Surface accessory than an iPad Pro one; and, more importantly, it’s the first keyboard I’ve tested that comes with a built-in trackpad based on the Smart Connector rather than Bluetooth.\nThe Logitech Combo Touch for iPad Pro.\nThe Combo Touch with the keyboard detached.\nAs usual, Logitech worked with Apple to make the Combo Touch possible, and it shows: the trackpad – which is slightly taller than the Magic Keyboard’s – feels great, is clicky enough, and works perfectly with the iPadOS pointer without delays; the keyboard has that classic Logitech feel to it (and I mean this in a positive way!) and comes with function keys for brightness and search, among others, which the Magic Keyboard lacks. If you consider the trackpad and keyboard without the case and everything else, the Combo Touch feels like typing on a “pro” version of the Magic Keyboard.\nAs I hinted above though, the problem is that I’m too used to the Magic Keyboard’s floating design and portability now. The Combo Touch, as per Logitech tradition, requires you to jam the iPad into a plastic case, which is not something I like to do with a delicate slab of glass. Furthermore, the Combo Touch requires opening a kickstand built into the back of the case to support the iPad Pro and case when they’re attached magnetically to the keyboard. As a result, the Combo Touch has a considerably larger footprint than the Magic Keyboard, which makes it nearly impossible for me to use it on my lap.\nThe Magic Keyboard, as I wrote last year, fits squarely within the iPad Pro’s modular nature: it can transform the iPad into a laptop, but as soon as you want to go back to tablet mode, you can just detach your iPad from the magnetic cover and switch modes instantly. Accessories like the Combo Touch can’t support this kind of flexible modularity. So while I’m sure there are folks who will appreciate its adjustable kickstand and removable keyboard, I still find the Magic Keyboard the best fit for my iPad Pro lifestyle.\n5G. The new iPad Pro, just like the iPhone 12, supports 5G. I don’t particularly care for 5G: I only recently re-enabled it on my iPhone 12 Pro Max because we’ve starting going out again and seeing friends in the last couple weeks, but I never found myself having to rely on 5G’s ultra-high speed network for anything. When I’m out with friends, I don’t want to watch YouTube videos in 4K. Still, I figured I should test 5G on the new iPad Pro. My existing iPad cellular plan doesn’t support 5G, so I put in my iPhone’s SIM card (a Vodafone Italy one) and, sure enough, I got some very good download speeds. I don’t know when – if ever – I’m going to use this, but at least I confirmed it works.\nScrolling my Twitter timeline has never been so fast and it’s all thanks to 5G.\nUltra-wide selfies and the front-facing camera. In addition to Center Stage, you can use the new ultra-wide front-facing camera on iPad Pro to take ultra-wide selfies. I mostly appreciate the inclusion of the ultra-wide front-facing camera for video calls and Center Stage, but it’s good know I’ll be able to take an ultra-wide iPad Pro selfie with friends if I’ll ever find myself in such a predicament.\nAn ultra-wide selfie taken on iPad Pro.\nAnother ultra-wide selfie.\nThe new iPad Pro features a 12 MP front-facing camera, which is, in theory, an overall upgrade from last year’s 7 MP camera. However, because this is an ultra-wide camera with a ƒ/2.4 aperture compared to the 2020 model’s camera with ƒ/2.2 aperture, I’m not surprised I find regular selfies taken on last year’s iPad Pro more detailed and better lit than the ones taken in “cropped mode” with the ultra-wide camera on the 2021 iPad Pro (without expanding the full ultra-wide view). Last year’s selfie camera let in more light, but wasn’t an ultra-wide lens; in order to support Center Stage and an ultra-wide capture, Apple had to sacrifice selfie quality slightly this year.\nHere’s the technical readout provided by the Halide app for the front-facing camera on the 2020 iPad Pro (left) and the 2021 model.\nThe trade-off makes sense to me: the iPad’s front-facing camera is mostly used for video calls, and I find having Center Stage more useful than marginally superior picture quality without Center Stage.\nNew Roads\n\nConsidered in isolation, each of the major hardware changes to the 12.9” iPad Pro is an outstanding achievement that highlights the technical prowess of the iPad’s hardware team.\nThe Liquid Retina XDR display brings extreme dynamic range to photos and movies, with vibrant colors and black levels that are almost comparable to OLED; it’ll be interesting to see how quickly this display tech can trickle down to other Apple devices. Thunderbolt has the potential to unify the accessory ecosystem story across the Mac and iPad; its data transfers are ridiculously faster than USB 3.2 and I’m happy I can use the iPad Pro with my Thunderbolt dock now. With the M1 chip, faster internal storage access, and 16 GB of RAM, I feel confident that this iPad Pro is future-proof and and ready to age well for the next couple years, just like the 2018 iPad Pro did.\n\nThe new iPad Pro feels ready to power the next few generations of iPadOS.\n\nThe problem is – an iPad is more than the sum of its hardware parts, and I can’t evaluate these features in isolation without considering how iPadOS takes advantage of them. It’s hard to gauge the impact of the new iPad Pro right now: as I argued in this review, we may be on the cusp of major changes to iPadOS; aside from a few specialized third-party apps, I struggled to find iPadOS features that truly pushed the M1 chip, Thunderbolt, or the 16 GB of RAM in this model.\nI look at this iPad Pro and marvel at its display, all-day battery life, Center Stage’s integration with the ultra-wide camera, and M1 chip. But, at the same time, I wonder: where are Apple’s pro apps – the same ones I can use on an M1 Mac – such as Logic, Final Cut, and Xcode? Are there even third-party apps that can use 8 or 16 GB of RAM on the App Store? Why can’t I drive an external display over Thunderbolt by putting multiple app windows on it? Why is Split View still so clunky and limited to two concurrent apps? These are all old questions; the new iPad Pro forces me to ask them again because the divide between iPad hardware and iPadOS is too great at this point.\nAside from superior picture quality and color reproduction, at this stage the new iPad Pro hasn’t meaningfully improved anything in my daily workflow. It feels like there’s a missing second half to this product’s story. I’m optimistic though: I suspect Apple is well aware of this too, and I’d be extremely surprised if iPadOS goes without any major, foundational updates for another year. The new iPad Pro feels ready to power the next few generations of iPadOS; compared to such advanced hardware, however, the current version of iPadOS seems like it was made for three iPads ago.\nAt times, the 2021 iPad Pro feels like driving a Ferrari in your neighborhood’s cul-de-sac. We need new roads. We need iPadOS 15 to be the leap forward for the iPad platform we’ve been waiting for. That this new iPad Pro is especially waiting for.\nMaybe – just maybe – we only need to wait two more weeks.\nMy thanks to Silvia Gatta for the photos used in this story and her participation in my Center Stage tests, Myke Hurley and John Voorhees for their benchmarks, Stephen Hackett for his 4K test footage, and Owen Voorhees for the custom Center Stage app.\n\n\nOnly the 1 and 2 TB models come with 16 GB of RAM; other models are limited to 8 GB, which is still 2 GB more than the 2020 iPad Pro’s 6 GB of RAM. ↩︎\n\n\nShout out to apps that let you customize the color scheme used in their widgets with any color you want, like the excellent Timery. ↩︎\n\n\nOr, more realistically, the 2018 model; did anyone actually buy the 2020 iPad Pro? ↩︎\n\n\niPadOS does offer an API for developers to display full-screen content on an external monitor instead of mirroring; however, this API is only used by a handful of third-party apps, including the Final Cut alternative LumaFusion. In any case, the full-screen preview displayed on the secondary monitor is not interactive as you can’t drag the iPadOS pointer there. ↩︎\n\n\nAnd no, I’m not suggesting iPads should run macOS. I find that idea deeply shortsighted. I’m advocating for a faster evolution of iPadOS so it can become as powerful and flexible as macOS. ↩︎\n\n\nIn addition to FaceTime, Apple worked with popular video conferencing apps to support Center Stage ahead of the iPad Pro’s release; I also tested it in WebEx. ↩︎\n\n\nAll this is somewhat reminiscent of the iPhone 11’s ‘Capture Outside the Frame’ setting for the Camera app, which became ‘View Outside the Frame’ in iOS 14. ↩︎\n\n\nSupport MacStories and Unlock ExtrasFounded in 2015, Club MacStories has delivered exclusive content every week for over six years.\nIn that time, members have enjoyed nearly 400 weekly and monthly newsletters packed with more of your favorite MacStories writing as well as Club-only podcasts, eBooks, discounts on apps, icons, and services. Join today, and you’ll get everything new that we publish every week, plus access to our entire archive of back issues and downloadable perks.\nThe Club expanded in 2021 with Club MacStories+ and Club Premier. Club MacStories+ members enjoy even more exclusive stories, a vibrant Discord community, a rotating roster of app discounts, and more. And, with Club Premier, you get everything we offer at every Club level plus an extended, ad-free version of our podcast AppStories that is delivered early each week in high-bitrate audio.\nJoin Now", "date_published": "2021-05-19T09:00:04-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-05-19T10:17:39-04:00", "authors": [ { "name": "Federico Viticci", "url": "https://www.macstories.net/author/viticci/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/94a9aa7c70dbeb9440c6759bd2cebc2a?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "tags": [ "iPad", "iPad Pro", "stories" ] }, { "id": "https://www.macstories.net/?p=66608", "url": "https://www.macstories.net/linked/the-ipad-pro-is-a-killer-machine-but-its-software-is-killing-me/", "title": "\u2018The iPad Pro Is a Killer Machine but its Software Is Killing Me\u2019", "content_html": "

Jason Snell, writing for Macworld about the new iPad Pro’s software limitations compared to its powerful hardware:

\n

\n With the announcement of USB 4/Thunderbolt support on these new iPad Pro models, I’m thrown back to the past. In 2018, when Apple released the first iPad Pro with a USB-C port on the bottom, it didn’t update the software to read the entire contents of a thumb drive when you plugged it in. The hardware was willing, but the software was weak.

\n

And here we are again. Thunderbolt adds even speedier connectivity, but for what? Faster photo and video imports? Okay, though once again, I’m reminded that Apple’s bread-and-butter pro media apps won’t run on these iPads.

\n

Thunderbolt is great, but it’s difficult to take full advantage of it.

\n

How about external display support? The new iPad Pros can drive even larger external displays, including Apple’s Pro Display XDR. Third-party video apps can take advantage of this to display high-resolution video and even some analytical displays. Which is great, but if you want to display the iPad interface itself, it’ll just be a pillarboxed mirror of what’s on the iPad’s own screen.\n

\n

The last time a new iPad Pro’s hardware was so obviously more capable than its software demanded, we saw the debut of iPadOS seven months later. The 2021 iPad Pro’s hardware has created new low-hanging fruit for its software; I’d be really surprised if the second half of this story isn’t dropping in six weeks.

\n

\u2192 Source: macworld.com

", "content_text": "Jason Snell, writing for Macworld about the new iPad Pro’s software limitations compared to its powerful hardware:\n\n With the announcement of USB 4/Thunderbolt support on these new iPad Pro models, I’m thrown back to the past. In 2018, when Apple released the first iPad Pro with a USB-C port on the bottom, it didn’t update the software to read the entire contents of a thumb drive when you plugged it in. The hardware was willing, but the software was weak.\n And here we are again. Thunderbolt adds even speedier connectivity, but for what? Faster photo and video imports? Okay, though once again, I’m reminded that Apple’s bread-and-butter pro media apps won’t run on these iPads.\n Thunderbolt is great, but it’s difficult to take full advantage of it.\n How about external display support? The new iPad Pros can drive even larger external displays, including Apple’s Pro Display XDR. Third-party video apps can take advantage of this to display high-resolution video and even some analytical displays. Which is great, but if you want to display the iPad interface itself, it’ll just be a pillarboxed mirror of what’s on the iPad’s own screen.\n\nThe last time a new iPad Pro’s hardware was so obviously more capable than its software demanded, we saw the debut of iPadOS seven months later. The 2021 iPad Pro’s hardware has created new low-hanging fruit for its software; I’d be really surprised if the second half of this story isn’t dropping in six weeks.\n\u2192 Source: macworld.com", "date_published": "2021-04-21T21:23:14-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-04-21T21:23:14-04:00", "authors": [ { "name": "Federico Viticci", "url": "https://www.macstories.net/author/viticci/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/94a9aa7c70dbeb9440c6759bd2cebc2a?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "tags": [ "iPad", "iPad Pro", "iPadOS", "Linked" ] }, { "id": "https://www.macstories.net/?p=66530", "url": "https://www.macstories.net/news/new-ipad-pros-announced-with-the-m1-chipset-thunderbolt-5g-new-cameras-and-a-liquid-retina-xdr-display-on-the-12-9-model/", "title": "New iPad Pros Announced with the M1 Chipset, Thunderbolt, 5G, New Cameras, and a Liquid Retina XDR Display on the 12.9\u201d Model", "content_html": "
\"\"

\n

Apple today announced all-new iPad Pros featuring the same M1 chip found in the company’s latest Macs along with several other new features, including a Thunderbolt-compatible port, 5G connectivity on cellular models, updated cameras, and on the 12.9” model, a Liquid Retina XDR display that shares many of the specs as the company’s Pro Display XDR.

\n

\n

The iPad Pro update starts with the M1 chip that already provides fast, quiet performance in the new Mac mini, MacBook Air, and 13” MacBook Pros introduced last fall. Apple says the 8-core M1 provides up to 50% faster CPU and 40% faster graphics performance than the previous model’s A12Z Bionic. To put things into even further perspective, that’s 75 times the CPU performance of the original iPad and an astonishing 1500 times the original iPad’s graphics. The iPad Pro also incorporates a 16-core Neural Engine, a new image signal processor, up to two times faster storage, and up to 16GB of memory, with other models being limited to 8GB, a big jump over previous models. The top-tier storage option has been doubled to 2TB of storage capacity.

\n
\"\"

\n

The 12.9” iPad Pro received a new screen not found on the smaller model. Apple’s calling it the Liquid Retina XDR display, and it uses 10,000 mini LEDs organized into over 2500 dimming regions to deliver 1000 nits of full-screen brightness with 1600 nits of peak brightness and a 1 million-to-1 contrast ratio. Both iPad Pro models also feature ProMotion, True Tone, and P3 wide color along with HDR and Dolby Vision support.

\n

Mobile connectivity has been enhanced on both iPad Pros with worldwide 5G support and millimeter wave support in the US. eSIM support is included too.

\n
\"\"

\n

The USB-C landscape is a confusing mess, but the bottom line is that the iPad Pro’s USB-C port is now substantially faster because it supports Thunderbolt and USB 4. That allows for data transfer speeds of up to 40Gbps and Ethernet transfer rates of 10Gbps. The new connector means more powerful accessories can be driven by the iPad Pro, including Apple’s own Pro Display XDR at 6K resolution. However, external display support has not changed, meaning that if you spring for that Pro Display XDR, you’ll be running your iPad Pro in mirroring mode, unless the app you’re using supports Apple’s special full-screen APIs.

\n

The front-facing True Depth camera of the iPad Pro got an upgrade too. The new 12MP ultra-wide camera enables a feature called Center Stage that automatically pans as you move from side to side on a video call, keeping you centered in the shot. The feature is not limited to Apple’s FaceTime app. If someone else comes into view, the camera zooms in to accommodate them in the frame too. The M1’s image signal processor and Neural Engine also enable Smart HDR 3, and along with the LiDAR Scanner, the ISP helps the iPad Pro’s rear-facing camera focus quickly.

\n
\"The

The new white Magic Keyboard.

\n

The Magic Keyboard got a cosmetic update, too, with a white option. It will be interesting to see how well the new color holds up under long-term use.

\n

The 11” iPad Pro starts at $799, and the 12.9” model starts at $1099. Configured to the maximum specs, though, the 12.9” iPad Pro will cost you $2399. Apple will begin taking orders on April 30th, with deliveries starting in the second half of May.

\n

You can follow all of our April event coverage through our April 2021 Event hub, or subscribe to the dedicated RSS feed.

\n

Support MacStories and Unlock Extras

Founded in 2015, Club MacStories has delivered exclusive content every week for over six years.

\n

In that time, members have enjoyed nearly 400 weekly and monthly newsletters packed with more of your favorite MacStories writing as well as Club-only podcasts, eBooks, discounts on apps, icons, and services. Join today, and you’ll get everything new that we publish every week, plus access to our entire archive of back issues and downloadable perks.

\n

The Club expanded in 2021 with Club MacStories+ and Club Premier. Club MacStories+ members enjoy even more exclusive stories, a vibrant Discord community, a rotating roster of app discounts, and more. And, with Club Premier, you get everything we offer at every Club level plus an extended, ad-free version of our podcast AppStories that is delivered early each week in high-bitrate audio.

\n

Join Now", "content_text": "Apple today announced all-new iPad Pros featuring the same M1 chip found in the company’s latest Macs along with several other new features, including a Thunderbolt-compatible port, 5G connectivity on cellular models, updated cameras, and on the 12.9” model, a Liquid Retina XDR display that shares many of the specs as the company’s Pro Display XDR.\n\nThe iPad Pro update starts with the M1 chip that already provides fast, quiet performance in the new Mac mini, MacBook Air, and 13” MacBook Pros introduced last fall. Apple says the 8-core M1 provides up to 50% faster CPU and 40% faster graphics performance than the previous model’s A12Z Bionic. To put things into even further perspective, that’s 75 times the CPU performance of the original iPad and an astonishing 1500 times the original iPad’s graphics. The iPad Pro also incorporates a 16-core Neural Engine, a new image signal processor, up to two times faster storage, and up to 16GB of memory, with other models being limited to 8GB, a big jump over previous models. The top-tier storage option has been doubled to 2TB of storage capacity.\n\nThe 12.9” iPad Pro received a new screen not found on the smaller model. Apple’s calling it the Liquid Retina XDR display, and it uses 10,000 mini LEDs organized into over 2500 dimming regions to deliver 1000 nits of full-screen brightness with 1600 nits of peak brightness and a 1 million-to-1 contrast ratio. Both iPad Pro models also feature ProMotion, True Tone, and P3 wide color along with HDR and Dolby Vision support.\nMobile connectivity has been enhanced on both iPad Pros with worldwide 5G support and millimeter wave support in the US. eSIM support is included too.\n\nThe USB-C landscape is a confusing mess, but the bottom line is that the iPad Pro’s USB-C port is now substantially faster because it supports Thunderbolt and USB 4. That allows for data transfer speeds of up to 40Gbps and Ethernet transfer rates of 10Gbps. The new connector means more powerful accessories can be driven by the iPad Pro, including Apple’s own Pro Display XDR at 6K resolution. However, external display support has not changed, meaning that if you spring for that Pro Display XDR, you’ll be running your iPad Pro in mirroring mode, unless the app you’re using supports Apple’s special full-screen APIs.\nThe front-facing True Depth camera of the iPad Pro got an upgrade too. The new 12MP ultra-wide camera enables a feature called Center Stage that automatically pans as you move from side to side on a video call, keeping you centered in the shot. The feature is not limited to Apple’s FaceTime app. If someone else comes into view, the camera zooms in to accommodate them in the frame too. The M1’s image signal processor and Neural Engine also enable Smart HDR 3, and along with the LiDAR Scanner, the ISP helps the iPad Pro’s rear-facing camera focus quickly.\nThe new white Magic Keyboard.\nThe Magic Keyboard got a cosmetic update, too, with a white option. It will be interesting to see how well the new color holds up under long-term use.\nThe 11” iPad Pro starts at $799, and the 12.9” model starts at $1099. Configured to the maximum specs, though, the 12.9” iPad Pro will cost you $2399. Apple will begin taking orders on April 30th, with deliveries starting in the second half of May.\nYou can follow all of our April event coverage through our April 2021 Event hub, or subscribe to the dedicated RSS feed.\nSupport MacStories and Unlock ExtrasFounded in 2015, Club MacStories has delivered exclusive content every week for over six years.\nIn that time, members have enjoyed nearly 400 weekly and monthly newsletters packed with more of your favorite MacStories writing as well as Club-only podcasts, eBooks, discounts on apps, icons, and services. Join today, and you’ll get everything new that we publish every week, plus access to our entire archive of back issues and downloadable perks.\nThe Club expanded in 2021 with Club MacStories+ and Club Premier. Club MacStories+ members enjoy even more exclusive stories, a vibrant Discord community, a rotating roster of app discounts, and more. And, with Club Premier, you get everything we offer at every Club level plus an extended, ad-free version of our podcast AppStories that is delivered early each week in high-bitrate audio.\nJoin Now", "date_published": "2021-04-20T15:11:43-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-04-20T19:10:51-04:00", "authors": [ { "name": "John Voorhees", "url": "https://www.macstories.net/author/johnvoorhees/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/5a1475dcd87638ed2f250b6213881115?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "tags": [ "April 2021 Event", "iPad Pro", "news" ] }, { "id": "https://www.macstories.net/?p=66266", "url": "https://www.macstories.net/reviews/first-impressions-kensingtons-studiodock-aims-to-turn-your-ipad-pro-into-an-expandable-desktop-workstation/", "title": "First Impressions: Kensington\u2019s StudioDock Aims to Turn Your iPad Pro into an Expandable Desktop Workstation", "content_html": "
\"The

The Kensington StudioDock.

\n

Nearly a year ago in the middle of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic here in Italy, I published an article that would turn out to feel obsolete in less than a month: in my Modular Computer story, I detailed my experiments with various accessories for the iPad Pro and how the device was capable of filling different roles in my computing life thanks to the Smart Keyboard Folio, an external 4K monitor, Apple’s Magic Trackpad, and a set of kickstands. About a month later, my laptop setup for the iPad Pro was upended by the arrival of Apple’s Magic Keyboard; as a result of the Magic Keyboard’s floating design and integrated keyboard/trackpad approach, I’ve preferred using my iPad Pro in laptop mode more often, even when I’m sitting at my desk.

\n

A year later, Italy is going through the so-called “third-wave” of the pandemic (with a terribly mismanaged vaccine rollout and, for whatever reason, a different government) and I’ve spent the past 24 hours testing Kensington’s long-anticipated StudioDock, a $400 docking station1 that aims to turn the iPad Pro into a desktop workstation with support for display rotation, expansion via USB-C, USB-A, and SD card slots, and integrated Qi charging for iPhone and AirPods. And just like last year, I find myself torn between appreciating the potential of this product and concerned about its timing given rumors of an impending iPad Pro refresh just around the corner.

\n

A day of usage2 isn’t enough time to evaluate this kind of product and its long-term impact on an iPad user’s daily workflow. I feel particularly uncomfortable giving MacStories readers any sort of buying advice here because of the price tag (again, $400 for the StudioDock version I tested) and the short amount of time I was able to spend with the accessory. For these reasons, I’ll try my best to focus on what the StudioDock is, what I like about it in the context of modularity and converting the iPad Pro into something it’s not (or, at least, something Apple probably didn’t anticipate), and a few features it’s missing.

\n

\n

The StudioDock is a stand that lets you dock the iPad at your desk by attaching it to a magnetic panel that can be rotated to landscape or portrait mode and tilted from 0 to 120 degrees to adjust its viewing angle. Visually, the StudioDock looks like a “mini iMac” where the iPad Pro becomes the display and the “foot” of the stand has a built-in Qi charging pad split into two areas3 for iPhones and AirPods (or any other device that supports wireless charging and fits on the pad). What makes the StudioDock unique – and, arguably, explains its price – is that, in addition to Qi charging, the stand itself packs a variety of ports to extend the iPad Pro’s I/O options.

\n

Here’s what you’ll find in the StudioDock:

\n
\"Ports

Ports in the back of the StudioDock.

\n
\"The

The power button and USB-C port of the StudioDock.

\n

To make expansion possible, there are two distinct aspects of the StudioDock experience to consider: first, you don’t just attach the iPad Pro to a floating magnetic panel – you also have to slide it into a USB-C connector that serves as passthrough for all the other ports; second, the StudioDock requires a sizable external brick to power everything. Think of it this way: the StudioDock is a fairly versatile hub for your iPad Pro that also happens to be a stand with a customizable viewing angle and an integrated Qi charging pad in its base.

\n

I’ll cut right to the chase: price considerations aside (more on this later), the StudioDock sits in the upper echelon of the most intriguing accessories I’ve tested for my iPad Pro; depending on the evolution of Apple’s iPad Pro lineup, I could see myself using the StudioDock on a regular basis as my go-to accessory for what I called “desk mode” in last year’s story.

\n

I set up the StudioDock next to the UltraFine display connected to my Mac mini. The stand is made of aluminum and plastic; although I don’t love the look of the plastic connector that plugs into the USB-C port of the iPad Pro, build quality seems good, and the whole unit feels sturdy and reliable. The stand weighs around 2.8kg, so it’s quite heavy and isn’t the kind of accessory that will accidentally slide off or tip over your desk; regardless, it comes with integrated rubber feet that prevent it from sliding when unplugging USB devices or placing an iPhone or AirPods case on the charging mat. Sliding the iPad across the magnetic plate and plugging it into the USB-C port doesn’t require a lot of dexterity; unplugging the iPad from the unit doesn’t involve any strange movements or applying an unusual amount of pressure that makes you feel like you’re going to break the device or stand, which is frequently the case with other iPad accessories.

\n

The StudioDock’s weight and sturdiness have the added benefit of ensuring the iPad’s display won’t wobble when you want to interact with onscreen UI elements via touch. I’ve tested this with the Apple Pencil and by deliberately poking the display with my finger more aggressively than I normally would; the stand always stood in-place without causing the iPad to wobble (again, I can’t say the same about other iPad stands).

\n
\"The

The USB-C connector that attaches to the iPad Pro.

\n

As far as the “StudioDock as an iPad stand” experience goes, there are two things I highly appreciate about the product, plus a notable downside. Unfortunately, the StudioDock is not height-adjustable: when attached to the magnetic cover, the iPad Pro (in landscape orientation) will float ~15 centimeters above your desk and you won’t be able to raise it any higher. This is my biggest gripe with the StudioDock and it’s not a limitation I would have expected in a $400 product. Personally, it’s not a dealbreaker, but other iPad users will have to consider the ergonomics of this design and whether the lack of height adjustability may lead to neck strain or other postural concerns.

\n

Thankfully, the StudioDock delivers in terms of viewing angle and support for the iPad’s two orientations. Unlike many iPad stands, the StudioDock can be rotated to portrait mode, which I find ideal for writing and editing longform stories as well as catching up on my Twitter timeline or RSS subscriptions. There’s something extremely nice about using an iPad Pro in portrait mode at a desk with an external keyboard, and I wish more accessory makers would consider this orientation as suitable for work-related tasks.

\n

Furthermore, you can tweak the StudioDock’s viewing angle up to 120 degrees; this provides more flexibility than Apple’s Magic Keyboard, and it works especially well in portrait mode or if you plan on using the iPad Pro as a “floating canvas” when placed inside the StudioDock with an Apple Pencil. With this customizable viewing angle, I can use the StudioDock both when I’m sitting with my back straight (“nice and tall”, as my pilates instructor would say) as well as when I’m laying back on my chair and watching YouTube videos. To sum up: I would have preferred height adjustability too, but I can make the StudioDock work for me thanks to its customizable viewing angle and dual-orientation support.

\n
\"You

You can tilt the StudioDock almost all the way back.

\n
\"The

The StudioDock hinge.

\n

I started testing the StudioDock with my 2020 iPad Pro by pairing it with the Magic Trackpad and external Magic Keyboard I typically use with my Mac mini; I then plugged a variety of additional devices into the StudioDock’s ports to test its expansion capabilities including my Kindle Oasis, Sony Walkman, and wired Sony over-ear headphones. Both the Kindle and Sony Walkman successfully showed up in the Files app as external storage locations and began charging as soon as I plugged them into the StudioDock. As longtime MacStories readers may remember, the Sony Walkman I own can also act as a USB DAC for the iPad Pro, and I tested this functionality with the StudioDock as well. I plugged the Walkman into one of the StudioDock’s USB-A ports in the back of the stand and, after enabling DAC mode on the Walkman, I was able to listen to music via the Spotify and Amazon Music apps by connecting my MDR-Z1R headphones to the Walkman with their 4.4mm balanced AXIOS cable rather than plugging them into the StudioDock’s 3.5mm port. Obviously, I also tested the MDR-Z1R with a 4.4mm to 3.5mm adapter and plugged them into the StudioDock’s own 3.5mm port – you know, for science. Besides the fact that, oddly enough, this audio port shows up as a device named ‘Realtek USB2.0 Audio’ in Control Center, everything worked as advertised.

\n
\"Editing

Editing articles in portrait mode is especially nice thanks to the StudioDock.

\n

From a charging perspective, I don’t have any particular complaints. Because the StudioDock is externally-powered, it can fast-charge the iPad Pro at 37.5W, which is more than double the charging rate of Apple’s default 18W iPad charger. I guess it would have been better if the three USB-A ports in the back of the StudioDock supported charging rates higher than 5W, but Kensington claims those were designed for peripherals such as USB keyboards, cameras, or thumb drives, which don’t require a lot of power; plus, I can imagine that supporting higher charging rates for all USB ports would have involved an even larger external power brick.

\n

As for wireless charging, I’ve had a good experience with the mat built into the “foot” of the stand; this is a feature I’d like more accessory makers to steal. You can place an iPhone on top of the dedicated section of the pad without paying too much attention to its position; a pair of front-facing LEDs will confirm when a device is successfully charging by turning blue; if you haven’t placed a device correctly on top of the mat, the LEDs will start blinking red. The StudioDock’s iPhone side of the charging mat is limited to 7.5W; my iPhone 12 Pro Max won’t charge as quickly as it does with a MagSafe charger, but I don’t mind since I see the built-in mat as a way to keep my iPhone topped up throughout the day while I’m working. Rather than leaving my iPhone on the desk without charging or in the other room attached to the MagSafe Duo Charger, I can keep it in front me and make sure its battery is always full.

\n
\"Wireless

Wireless charging is built into the StudioDock.

\n

Here are some additional notes on the StudioDock:

\n

Wrap Up

\n

As I noted at the beginning of this article, there are two key issues that prevent me from recommending the Kensington StudioDock for iPad Pro without reservations: at $400 for the 12.9” version, it’s one expensive accessory for your tablet; and considering recent rumors, there’s a chance this device may be obsolete in a few weeks if Apple brings considerable changes to the iPad Pro’s physical design. The StudioDock’s ultimate downside is the timing of its release and the fact that any change to the placement of the iPad Pro’s USB-C port may make this newly released product already incompatible with a potential iPad Pro revision. We can’t know for sure right now; if you’re interested in the StudioDock but are also in the market for a new iPad Pro, my advice is to wait and see what happens.

\n

Let’s assume, however, that the 2021 iPad Pro refresh isn’t an issue (either because it’ll be compatible with the StudioDock or because you don’t want to upgrade to a newer iPad Pro model). You’d still be looking at a $400/$380 purchase in which you have to factor in the cost of an external keyboard and, let’s face it, a Magic Trackpad, which provides the best external trackpad experience for iPadOS 14 at the moment. If you want to replicate the same setup I have but don’t own a Magic Keyboard and Magic Trackpad, building a new setup around the StudioDock suddenly becomes a $600+ expense for what is, arguably, an iPad stand with an integrated fast charger and hub. It’s impossible for me to genuinely recommend spending that kind of money if you don’t already own a keyboard and Magic Trackpad.

\n

At the same time, I won’t lie: if you don’t see price as an issue, have a spare trackpad and keyboard, and aren’t concerned about potential compatibility problems with future iPad models, then yes – there’s something fundamentally nice about working with an iPad Pro and StudioDock at a desk. I love the ability to plug wired headphones and USB devices into a stand that’s also a hub; Qi charging built into the base of the stand is practical and convenient; being able to choose whether I want to work in portrait and landscape provides me with the extra flexibility I don’t have when I’m working with Apple’s Magic Keyboard. More than any other iPad accessory I’ve tested so far, the StudioDock was built with the iPad’s intrinsic modularity in mind and is itself a modular device that can be expanded via its many included ports. Considered in a vacuum while ignoring its price tag and release date, the StudioDock represents the ideal all-in-one accessory to turn the iPad Pro into a desktop workstation with the main downside being the lack of height adjustability.4

\n

Personally, since I consider my iPad Pro more important than the Mac mini in my daily workflow, I know the StudioDock is an accessory I’d like to purchase (I already tried!) and use as the foundation for my modular desktop setup. (I’d go as far as saying this is the kind of product I’d like Apple to Sherlock and rethink as a ‘Magic Stand for iPad Pro’.) But I also know the majority of MacStories readers who are iPad users don’t have my same requirements.

\n

For all these reasons, here’s what I’d recommend based on my 24 hours with the StudioDock: if you plan on purchasing a new iPad Pro in the near future, wait a while to confirm whether or not it’ll be compatible with the StudioDock. Additionally, keep this in mind: Kensington’s accessory is designed for people who consider the iPad Pro their primary computer, who spend several hours working on it every day, and who would like to transform it into an expandable desktop workstation (even if it doesn’t support the latest and greatest USB 3.2 standards). If you fall within that group and are willing to save money for it, the StudioDock provides a solid all-in-one, integrated experience; everyone else is probably better served by cheaper stand + hub alternatives or a Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro.

\n
\n
  1. \n$380 for the 11” iPad Pro/iPad Air version. ↩︎\n
    2. \n
  2. \nKensington provided me with a StudioDock review unit for the 12.9” iPad Pro, which I received yesterday. ↩︎\n
    3. \n
  3. \nThe left side of the pad (which comes with an embedded outline to suggest that’s where you’ll place the AirPods case) supports up to 5W charging; the other side (intended for iPhones) can use Qi’s faster 7.5W charging rate. ↩︎\n
    4. \n
  4. \nSome could also argue that the StudioDock doesn’t support the latest standards for USB and SD connections. For SD cards, the StudioDock only supports UHS-II instead of the newer and faster UHS-III (which maxes out at a theoretical 624 MB/s bus speed as opposed to 312 MB/s for UHS-II); similarly, USB 3.2 Gen. 1 (which used to be called USB 3.1 Gen. 1 – don’t even get me started here) is limited to 5Gbps, but the Gen. 2 and Gen. 2x2 (seriously) flavors of USB 3.2 can max out at 10Gbps and 20Gbps transfers, respectively. Here are two examples of standalone USB hubs that come with superior specs and cost less than the StudioDock (obviously though, they’re just hubs and don’t include a stand with a built-in Qi charging pad). ↩︎\n
    5. \n
\n

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Join Now", "content_text": "The Kensington StudioDock.\nNearly a year ago in the middle of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic here in Italy, I published an article that would turn out to feel obsolete in less than a month: in my Modular Computer story, I detailed my experiments with various accessories for the iPad Pro and how the device was capable of filling different roles in my computing life thanks to the Smart Keyboard Folio, an external 4K monitor, Apple’s Magic Trackpad, and a set of kickstands. About a month later, my laptop setup for the iPad Pro was upended by the arrival of Apple’s Magic Keyboard; as a result of the Magic Keyboard’s floating design and integrated keyboard/trackpad approach, I’ve preferred using my iPad Pro in laptop mode more often, even when I’m sitting at my desk.\nA year later, Italy is going through the so-called “third-wave” of the pandemic (with a terribly mismanaged vaccine rollout and, for whatever reason, a different government) and I’ve spent the past 24 hours testing Kensington’s long-anticipated StudioDock, a $400 docking station1 that aims to turn the iPad Pro into a desktop workstation with support for display rotation, expansion via USB-C, USB-A, and SD card slots, and integrated Qi charging for iPhone and AirPods. And just like last year, I find myself torn between appreciating the potential of this product and concerned about its timing given rumors of an impending iPad Pro refresh just around the corner.\nA day of usage2 isn’t enough time to evaluate this kind of product and its long-term impact on an iPad user’s daily workflow. I feel particularly uncomfortable giving MacStories readers any sort of buying advice here because of the price tag (again, $400 for the StudioDock version I tested) and the short amount of time I was able to spend with the accessory. For these reasons, I’ll try my best to focus on what the StudioDock is, what I like about it in the context of modularity and converting the iPad Pro into something it’s not (or, at least, something Apple probably didn’t anticipate), and a few features it’s missing.\n\nThe StudioDock is a stand that lets you dock the iPad at your desk by attaching it to a magnetic panel that can be rotated to landscape or portrait mode and tilted from 0 to 120 degrees to adjust its viewing angle. Visually, the StudioDock looks like a “mini iMac” where the iPad Pro becomes the display and the “foot” of the stand has a built-in Qi charging pad split into two areas3 for iPhones and AirPods (or any other device that supports wireless charging and fits on the pad). What makes the StudioDock unique – and, arguably, explains its price – is that, in addition to Qi charging, the stand itself packs a variety of ports to extend the iPad Pro’s I/O options.\nHere’s what you’ll find in the StudioDock:\n3.5mm audio jack\nSD card slot (SD 4.0, UHS-II)\nOne USB-C port (USB 3.2 Gen. 1 for up to 5Gbps transfers, supports 5V/3A and 9V/2.22 charging profiles)\nOne HDMI 2.0 port (3840 x 2160 resolution @ 60Hz)\nOne Gigabit Ethernet port\nThree USB-A ports (USB 3.2 Gen. 1 for up to 5Gbps transfers with a lower 5V/0.9A charging rate)\nPorts in the back of the StudioDock.\nThe power button and USB-C port of the StudioDock.\nTo make expansion possible, there are two distinct aspects of the StudioDock experience to consider: first, you don’t just attach the iPad Pro to a floating magnetic panel – you also have to slide it into a USB-C connector that serves as passthrough for all the other ports; second, the StudioDock requires a sizable external brick to power everything. Think of it this way: the StudioDock is a fairly versatile hub for your iPad Pro that also happens to be a stand with a customizable viewing angle and an integrated Qi charging pad in its base.\nI’ll cut right to the chase: price considerations aside (more on this later), the StudioDock sits in the upper echelon of the most intriguing accessories I’ve tested for my iPad Pro; depending on the evolution of Apple’s iPad Pro lineup, I could see myself using the StudioDock on a regular basis as my go-to accessory for what I called “desk mode” in last year’s story.\nI set up the StudioDock next to the UltraFine display connected to my Mac mini. The stand is made of aluminum and plastic; although I don’t love the look of the plastic connector that plugs into the USB-C port of the iPad Pro, build quality seems good, and the whole unit feels sturdy and reliable. The stand weighs around 2.8kg, so it’s quite heavy and isn’t the kind of accessory that will accidentally slide off or tip over your desk; regardless, it comes with integrated rubber feet that prevent it from sliding when unplugging USB devices or placing an iPhone or AirPods case on the charging mat. Sliding the iPad across the magnetic plate and plugging it into the USB-C port doesn’t require a lot of dexterity; unplugging the iPad from the unit doesn’t involve any strange movements or applying an unusual amount of pressure that makes you feel like you’re going to break the device or stand, which is frequently the case with other iPad accessories.\nThe StudioDock’s weight and sturdiness have the added benefit of ensuring the iPad’s display won’t wobble when you want to interact with onscreen UI elements via touch. I’ve tested this with the Apple Pencil and by deliberately poking the display with my finger more aggressively than I normally would; the stand always stood in-place without causing the iPad to wobble (again, I can’t say the same about other iPad stands).\nThe USB-C connector that attaches to the iPad Pro.\nAs far as the “StudioDock as an iPad stand” experience goes, there are two things I highly appreciate about the product, plus a notable downside. Unfortunately, the StudioDock is not height-adjustable: when attached to the magnetic cover, the iPad Pro (in landscape orientation) will float ~15 centimeters above your desk and you won’t be able to raise it any higher. This is my biggest gripe with the StudioDock and it’s not a limitation I would have expected in a $400 product. Personally, it’s not a dealbreaker, but other iPad users will have to consider the ergonomics of this design and whether the lack of height adjustability may lead to neck strain or other postural concerns.\nThankfully, the StudioDock delivers in terms of viewing angle and support for the iPad’s two orientations. Unlike many iPad stands, the StudioDock can be rotated to portrait mode, which I find ideal for writing and editing longform stories as well as catching up on my Twitter timeline or RSS subscriptions. There’s something extremely nice about using an iPad Pro in portrait mode at a desk with an external keyboard, and I wish more accessory makers would consider this orientation as suitable for work-related tasks.\nFurthermore, you can tweak the StudioDock’s viewing angle up to 120 degrees; this provides more flexibility than Apple’s Magic Keyboard, and it works especially well in portrait mode or if you plan on using the iPad Pro as a “floating canvas” when placed inside the StudioDock with an Apple Pencil. With this customizable viewing angle, I can use the StudioDock both when I’m sitting with my back straight (“nice and tall”, as my pilates instructor would say) as well as when I’m laying back on my chair and watching YouTube videos. To sum up: I would have preferred height adjustability too, but I can make the StudioDock work for me thanks to its customizable viewing angle and dual-orientation support.\nYou can tilt the StudioDock almost all the way back.\nThe StudioDock hinge.\nI started testing the StudioDock with my 2020 iPad Pro by pairing it with the Magic Trackpad and external Magic Keyboard I typically use with my Mac mini; I then plugged a variety of additional devices into the StudioDock’s ports to test its expansion capabilities including my Kindle Oasis, Sony Walkman, and wired Sony over-ear headphones. Both the Kindle and Sony Walkman successfully showed up in the Files app as external storage locations and began charging as soon as I plugged them into the StudioDock. As longtime MacStories readers may remember, the Sony Walkman I own can also act as a USB DAC for the iPad Pro, and I tested this functionality with the StudioDock as well. I plugged the Walkman into one of the StudioDock’s USB-A ports in the back of the stand and, after enabling DAC mode on the Walkman, I was able to listen to music via the Spotify and Amazon Music apps by connecting my MDR-Z1R headphones to the Walkman with their 4.4mm balanced AXIOS cable rather than plugging them into the StudioDock’s 3.5mm port. Obviously, I also tested the MDR-Z1R with a 4.4mm to 3.5mm adapter and plugged them into the StudioDock’s own 3.5mm port – you know, for science. Besides the fact that, oddly enough, this audio port shows up as a device named ‘Realtek USB2.0 Audio’ in Control Center, everything worked as advertised.\nEditing articles in portrait mode is especially nice thanks to the StudioDock.\nFrom a charging perspective, I don’t have any particular complaints. Because the StudioDock is externally-powered, it can fast-charge the iPad Pro at 37.5W, which is more than double the charging rate of Apple’s default 18W iPad charger. I guess it would have been better if the three USB-A ports in the back of the StudioDock supported charging rates higher than 5W, but Kensington claims those were designed for peripherals such as USB keyboards, cameras, or thumb drives, which don’t require a lot of power; plus, I can imagine that supporting higher charging rates for all USB ports would have involved an even larger external power brick.\nAs for wireless charging, I’ve had a good experience with the mat built into the “foot” of the stand; this is a feature I’d like more accessory makers to steal. You can place an iPhone on top of the dedicated section of the pad without paying too much attention to its position; a pair of front-facing LEDs will confirm when a device is successfully charging by turning blue; if you haven’t placed a device correctly on top of the mat, the LEDs will start blinking red. The StudioDock’s iPhone side of the charging mat is limited to 7.5W; my iPhone 12 Pro Max won’t charge as quickly as it does with a MagSafe charger, but I don’t mind since I see the built-in mat as a way to keep my iPhone topped up throughout the day while I’m working. Rather than leaving my iPhone on the desk without charging or in the other room attached to the MagSafe Duo Charger, I can keep it in front me and make sure its battery is always full.\nWireless charging is built into the StudioDock.\nHere are some additional notes on the StudioDock:\nKensington also makes a separate Apple Watch charging module that attaches to the main USB-C connector on the side of the iPad Pro. This “accessory for the accessory” is sold separately and wasn’t included in my review unit.\nBefore knowing I’d receive a review unit, I tried to purchase a StudioDock myself, but Kensington’s website returned an error saying that purchases were restricted to the United States. For this reason, I was surprised when I noticed that a variety of international wall plugs are included in the box, including standard European (Schuko) and UK plugs.\nThere is a power button on the left side of the stand that cuts off power to all USB ports of the StudioDock, including the primary USB-C one that connects to the iPad Pro. I appreciate the inclusion of this button since I know my girlfriend would be bothered by the blue LED lights at night.\nI didn’t test HDMI for two reasons: my UltraFine 4K display doesn’t have built-in HDMI and I don’t currently have an adapter for it; and given the current limitations of display mirroring on iPadOS, I don’t think it makes a lot of sense to use a StudioDock with an external monitor. This is the kind of accessory that begs for real external display support for iPadOS and the ability to drag and drop apps between displays.\nWrap Up\nAs I noted at the beginning of this article, there are two key issues that prevent me from recommending the Kensington StudioDock for iPad Pro without reservations: at $400 for the 12.9” version, it’s one expensive accessory for your tablet; and considering recent rumors, there’s a chance this device may be obsolete in a few weeks if Apple brings considerable changes to the iPad Pro’s physical design. The StudioDock’s ultimate downside is the timing of its release and the fact that any change to the placement of the iPad Pro’s USB-C port may make this newly released product already incompatible with a potential iPad Pro revision. We can’t know for sure right now; if you’re interested in the StudioDock but are also in the market for a new iPad Pro, my advice is to wait and see what happens.\nLet’s assume, however, that the 2021 iPad Pro refresh isn’t an issue (either because it’ll be compatible with the StudioDock or because you don’t want to upgrade to a newer iPad Pro model). You’d still be looking at a $400/$380 purchase in which you have to factor in the cost of an external keyboard and, let’s face it, a Magic Trackpad, which provides the best external trackpad experience for iPadOS 14 at the moment. If you want to replicate the same setup I have but don’t own a Magic Keyboard and Magic Trackpad, building a new setup around the StudioDock suddenly becomes a $600+ expense for what is, arguably, an iPad stand with an integrated fast charger and hub. It’s impossible for me to genuinely recommend spending that kind of money if you don’t already own a keyboard and Magic Trackpad.\nAt the same time, I won’t lie: if you don’t see price as an issue, have a spare trackpad and keyboard, and aren’t concerned about potential compatibility problems with future iPad models, then yes – there’s something fundamentally nice about working with an iPad Pro and StudioDock at a desk. I love the ability to plug wired headphones and USB devices into a stand that’s also a hub; Qi charging built into the base of the stand is practical and convenient; being able to choose whether I want to work in portrait and landscape provides me with the extra flexibility I don’t have when I’m working with Apple’s Magic Keyboard. More than any other iPad accessory I’ve tested so far, the StudioDock was built with the iPad’s intrinsic modularity in mind and is itself a modular device that can be expanded via its many included ports. Considered in a vacuum while ignoring its price tag and release date, the StudioDock represents the ideal all-in-one accessory to turn the iPad Pro into a desktop workstation with the main downside being the lack of height adjustability.4\nPersonally, since I consider my iPad Pro more important than the Mac mini in my daily workflow, I know the StudioDock is an accessory I’d like to purchase (I already tried!) and use as the foundation for my modular desktop setup. (I’d go as far as saying this is the kind of product I’d like Apple to Sherlock and rethink as a ‘Magic Stand for iPad Pro’.) But I also know the majority of MacStories readers who are iPad users don’t have my same requirements.\nFor all these reasons, here’s what I’d recommend based on my 24 hours with the StudioDock: if you plan on purchasing a new iPad Pro in the near future, wait a while to confirm whether or not it’ll be compatible with the StudioDock. Additionally, keep this in mind: Kensington’s accessory is designed for people who consider the iPad Pro their primary computer, who spend several hours working on it every day, and who would like to transform it into an expandable desktop workstation (even if it doesn’t support the latest and greatest USB 3.2 standards). If you fall within that group and are willing to save money for it, the StudioDock provides a solid all-in-one, integrated experience; everyone else is probably better served by cheaper stand + hub alternatives or a Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro.\n\n\n$380 for the 11” iPad Pro/iPad Air version. ↩︎\n\n\nKensington provided me with a StudioDock review unit for the 12.9” iPad Pro, which I received yesterday. ↩︎\n\n\nThe left side of the pad (which comes with an embedded outline to suggest that’s where you’ll place the AirPods case) supports up to 5W charging; the other side (intended for iPhones) can use Qi’s faster 7.5W charging rate. ↩︎\n\n\nSome could also argue that the StudioDock doesn’t support the latest standards for USB and SD connections. For SD cards, the StudioDock only supports UHS-II instead of the newer and faster UHS-III (which maxes out at a theoretical 624 MB/s bus speed as opposed to 312 MB/s for UHS-II); similarly, USB 3.2 Gen. 1 (which used to be called USB 3.1 Gen. 1 – don’t even get me started here) is limited to 5Gbps, but the Gen. 2 and Gen. 2x2 (seriously) flavors of USB 3.2 can max out at 10Gbps and 20Gbps transfers, respectively. Here are two examples of standalone USB hubs that come with superior specs and cost less than the StudioDock (obviously though, they’re just hubs and don’t include a stand with a built-in Qi charging pad). ↩︎\n\n\nSupport MacStories and Unlock ExtrasFounded in 2015, Club MacStories has delivered exclusive content every week for over six years.\nIn that time, members have enjoyed nearly 400 weekly and monthly newsletters packed with more of your favorite MacStories writing as well as Club-only podcasts, eBooks, discounts on apps, icons, and services. Join today, and you’ll get everything new that we publish every week, plus access to our entire archive of back issues and downloadable perks.\nThe Club expanded in 2021 with Club MacStories+ and Club Premier. Club MacStories+ members enjoy even more exclusive stories, a vibrant Discord community, a rotating roster of app discounts, and more. And, with Club Premier, you get everything we offer at every Club level plus an extended, ad-free version of our podcast AppStories that is delivered early each week in high-bitrate audio.\nJoin Now", "date_published": "2021-03-16T08:00:03-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-03-16T16:18:16-04:00", "authors": [ { "name": "Federico Viticci", "url": "https://www.macstories.net/author/viticci/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/94a9aa7c70dbeb9440c6759bd2cebc2a?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "tags": [ "iPad Pro", "reviews" ] }, { "id": "https://www.macstories.net/?p=63166", "url": "https://www.macstories.net/stories/my-11-inch-ipad-pro-experiment/", "title": "My 11-inch iPad Pro Experiment", "content_html": "
\"\"

\n

If you’re in the market for an iPad Pro, choosing the ideal model size is not easy. It used to be simpler, back when the big option was made bigger by its bezels, and the small option had a significantly smaller display. I’ve used a 12.9-inch iPad Pro as my primary computer for five years, and have been very happy with it, but as the smaller iPad Pro’s display has grown, I’ve become more intrigued by it.

\n

2017’s 10.5-inch iPad Pro was the first smaller model that tempted me. 2016’s 9.7-inch simply wasn’t enough; as an iPad user since 2010, I knew what a 9.7-inch display was like, and it wasn’t suited for my needs as a primary computer. But the screen bump in 2017 was intriguing, so I gave it a test run for a couple weeks. My takeaways: it was a fine device, but Split View was a bit too cramped, and since I mainly used my iPad at home rather than lugging it around regularly, sticking with the larger model made more sense for my needs.

\n

Recently, however, I embarked on another test of the smaller iPad Pro. On the latest episode of Adapt, the iPad-focused podcast I do with Federico, I challenged us both to try doing our work on the 11-inch iPad Pro rather than our usual 12.9-inch setups. In my mind, it was the perfect time to try the smaller size again because a lot has changed since my 2017 experiment.

\n

First, the smaller iPad Pro’s display has gotten larger yet again. The gap between 11 and 12.9 inches is relatively narrow. Also, while the current pandemic has forced me to work from home more than ever, prior to this global crisis I was taking my iPad on the go more regularly. In 2017 I lived in the suburbs of Dallas, whereas now I call Manhattan home, so it’s much easier to just walk out my front door and visit a local coffee shop, park, or some other public space to get work done.

\n

Finally, the concept of the iPad as a modular computer has been another motivator to try the 11-inch model. I normally use my 12.9-inch iPad Pro exclusively in “laptop mode” with a hardware keyboard attached. But lately I’ve been wondering if that approach is too limited, causing me to miss out on the full potential of the device’s versatility. Using my iPad Pro not just as a laptop, but also as a tablet or in a desktop configuration sounds intriguing, and for several reasons I’ll detail later, I think the 11-inch model is better suited to these alternate setups.

\n
\"My

My Apple Store haul.

\n

So a few weeks ago I ordered an 11-inch iPad Pro alongside the Magic Keyboards for both the 11- and 12.9-inch models; I also bought a USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter so I could connect my iPads to an external display. All of these purchases made possible a comprehensive comparison of the two iPad Pro sizes, spanning tablet, laptop, and desktop configurations, for the purpose of determining which iPad was best for me. As I mentioned, I was already pretty happy with my 12.9-inch model, so my focus was especially on trying the 11-inch and evaluating its unique strengths.

\n

Here is what I learned from my experiment, and my decision on the iPad I’ll be using moving forward.

\n

\n

11-inch Split View: Surprisingly Fine

\n

My time with the 11-inch iPad Pro these past weeks has been marked by a lot of surprise, some of which has been positive and some negative. In the surprisingly good arena, Split View on the smaller iPad has been virtually a non-issue for me, which I didn’t at all anticipate.

\n

In the ~12 hours per day that I spend on my iPad Pro, I work in Split View about half that time. As a result, I expected Split View to represent the biggest challenge I would face in adapting to the 11-inch display. The smaller iPad Pro, in a 50/50 Split View, uses compact layouts for apps, while the 12.9-inch device shows two standard iPad-class layouts. Apps on the 11-inch in Split View are essentially iPhone apps, but wider, while apps on the 12.9-inch can include additional features, like displaying a sidebar menu alongside the main content of the app. Here’s a comparison of the two devices side by side.

\n
\"The

The larger iPad Pro can display multiple panels per app.

\n

It’s a stark difference, to be sure. What I’ve realized during this experiment, however, is that when I’m working in Split View on my 12.9-inch model, I almost never have an app’s sidebar menu on-screen alongside its main content area. I find it too cluttered seeing three or four different ‘panels’ at once, as displayed above. So my default practice is to hide those sidebar menus to achieve a cleaner, more focused setup.

\n
\"My

My normal practice on the 12.9-inch iPad Pro is to hide sidebar menus in Split View.

\n

My habit of minimizing sidebars means that in most cases, the difference between Split View on the 12.9- and 11-inch models is minimal. Sure there’s more space to show content on the larger model, but in actual use, I haven’t experienced much of a difference for the work I normally do.

\n

There is one exception app to this, but it would have been two had Apple not cheated the system with one of its apps.

\n

The exception app for my no-sidebar-in-Split-View practice is Slack. Since the chat platform requires a lot of switching back and forth between different channels, DMs, and even the several different workspaces I occupy regularly, Slack is the one app I wish I would enable seeing multiple panels on-screen at once. This is possible if you make Slack the larger app in a 66/33 Split View, but in the 50/50 setup I use more regularly, having to constantly switch to Slack’s menu view, like on an iPhone, is a pain.

\n
\"Safari

Safari in Split View retains tabs, despite using a compact layout.

\n

The second app, which would have been even more of a problem for me than Slack, is Safari. There’s no app I use in Split View more often than Safari. And when I tested the 10.5-inch iPad Pro in 2017, one of the biggest pain points I encountered was Safari’s compact layout in Split View. Back then, as you would expect, the 50/50 Split View layout for Apple’s browser was just like its iPhone companion, where you couldn’t have proper tabs but instead were forced to use the iPhone’s system involving sites presented as a stack of cards. Mercifully, Apple changed this at some point, such that now the smaller iPad Pro can display a proper tab bar in Split View. It’s the only system app I know of that gains this special exception, eschewing the compact layout for something resembling a standard iPad view. Due to my heavy use of Safari, and disdain for the card-based tab system on iPhone, I’m extremely happy about this change. Without it, Safari might be a dealbreaker for me using the 11-inch model, but thanks to Apple’s special exception here, that’s not a problem.

\n

Overall, I’ve been shocked by how well the 11-inch iPad Pro works for me when multitasking. Depending on your own work, or your level of willingness to keep sidebar menus on-screen in Split View, the story may be different for you. But for me, it’s been perfectly fine.

\n

11-inch Fullscreen Views: Surprisingly Limiting

\n
\"The

The two iPad Pro sizes.

\n

Fullscreen views, on the other hand, have proven a more difficult adjustment than I expected.

\n

When I say ‘fullscreen views,’ I’m referring to a wide array of non-Split View setups, usually as relates to the design arrangements inside of apps, but also in spaces like the Home screen where the full 11-inch display is more limited than its 12.9-inch sibling.

\n

Starting with apps, the main issue I’ve faced is the absence of three-column layouts in Apple Notes and Mail, which are exclusive to the larger iPad Pro. I’m a heavy user of both apps, and especially Notes, where I have over 1,500 notes organized among more than 75 folders and sub-folders. Notes is also, unsurprisingly, the app that holds the most open windows for me: as I write, I have seven different Notes windows saved, including one in Slide Over, four in Split View paired with Pages, Ulysses, Books, and Numbers, and the remaining two as fullscreen windows. Since I use this app so much, being able to view my full list of folders, notes in the selected folder, and the body of the selected note is very valuable for me. I’ve mostly grown accustomed to not having this option on the 11-inch iPad Pro, but it’s still missed.

\n
\"Notes’

Notes’ three-column layout is exclusive to the 12.9-inch iPad Pro.

\n

Here are a few other in-app annoyances:

\n

I should also note that, after a few days with the default system text size, I adjusted the text down one notch in Settings ⇾ Display & Brightness ⇾ Text Size. The default size appeared larger than what I’m used to seeing on the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, whereas moving it down slightly looked just right. This brought the added benefit, of course, of displaying more content on-screen than before in apps that support Dynamic Type.

\n
\"The

The 11-inch Home screen has a couple limitations.

\n

The Home screen on the 11-inch iPad Pro is largely the same as on the 12.9-inch, fitting the same number of icons in your grid, but there are a couple notable differences. Despite the grid slots being consistent across devices, with the 11-inch model you lose a couple slots in the dock, the most important space for apps. Not counting the three suggested/recent apps on the right side, the larger iPad’s dock has 15 slots, while the smaller has 13. Two fewer slots isn’t a major problem by any means, especially if you keep a folder in your dock, but it’s worth noting nonetheless.

\n

The other change is the number of widgets you can keep pinned to the Home screen. When using compact layouts, the larger iPad can display four widgets at all times, while the smaller can only display three. Again, it’s not the end of the world, but it could make a meaningful difference to you.

\n

Tablet Mode

\n
\"The

The 12.9- and 11-inch iPad Pro models.

\n

The iPad, despite its evolution over the last decade, is still at its core a tablet. As I mentioned at the start, however, I haven’t used my 12.9-inch iPad Pro as a tablet in the five years it’s been my primary computer. Yet pre-iPad Pro, I used either an iPad or iPad mini as a tablet and loved it. It wasn’t my primary computer, but it didn’t need to be. Once I had the larger screen of the iPad Pro, and the attached Smart Keyboard, the device became a laptop for me and nothing else. On the rare occasions when I tried using it as a tablet, it felt clunky; I simply found it too big to be a good tablet.

\n

There was also the matter of regularly attaching and detaching the Smart Keyboard Folio. While it’s not exactly difficult to remove the iPad from that case, it certainly takes real intention and effort to do so; it’s just a little more cumbersome than I’d like. One of my favorite details about the new Magic Keyboard, by contrast, is that its floating design invites you to grab the iPad and take it with you. The bottom area of the iPad remains detached from the case, so you can easily reach out and enter ‘tablet mode.’

\n
\"The

The Magic Keyboard makes transitioning to tablet mode easy.

\n

The absence of any tablet mode use in my life hasn’t historically bothered me much, because I found the trade-off of getting a great ‘laptop’ worthwhile. But with the 11-inch iPad Pro, and the tablet-friendly design of the new Magic Keyboard, I wondered if I could continue enjoying the iPad as a laptop while rediscovering its tablet identity as well.

\n

What I’ve discovered these last few weeks is that, while the 11-inch iPad Pro is certainly a fantastic tablet, the very concept of tablet – for my use cases – is not as compelling as it used to be.

\n

When I first started using my 11-inch iPad Pro and Magic Keyboard, I struggled trying to think of situations when I would want to grab the iPad and use it as a tablet. I attributed this to a simple lack of habit and assumed that in time it would change. Since my testing period with the device was limited to mere weeks, however, I tried finding immediate inspiration for tablet mode uses by going back to the beginning: Steve Jobs’ introduction of the first iPad.

\n
\"Steve

Steve Jobs on the iPad’s unique strengths.

\n

That brilliant 2010 keynote was Apple’s way of proving to the world that a ‘third device’ deserved to exist, even in a world where we already had smartphones and laptops. The crux of the argument is that this third device, the iPad, had to be “far better at some key things” than either a phone or laptop. Seven such things were named:

\n

In using the 11-inch iPad Pro as a tablet, I evaluated the device in each of these seven categories.

\n

Browsing

\n

The iPad remains an excellent tool for web browsing. When holding the device in portrait orientation, you can see a full web layout in your hand, and it feels great.

\n
\"The

The web feels great on a tablet (left), but most of my “browsing” now happens in Apple News (right).

\n

However, my web browsing habits have changed significantly in the last decade. Whereas I used to daily browse sites for fun or from sheer interest, these days my browsing is primarily limited to work matters. I’ll browse sites as ways of keeping apprised of any Apple news that may need covering, but in those situations my best iPad setup involves using it in laptop mode because if there’s news to cover, I’ll quickly find myself needing an attached keyboard.

\n

It’s not that I never enjoy the web recreationally anymore, only that my habits for how I consume web content have changed. A few of my interests, for example, are TV, movies, books, football, and popular news. In 2010 I would have visited individual websites to pursue these interests, but in recent years I’ve moved that kind of browsing into the Apple News app.

\n

While Apple News does work well on iPad, it’s similarly great on the iPhone, and that’s where I’ve grown accustomed to using the app most often. If I were comparing browsing in Safari on iPad vs. iPhone, the iPad would easily win. Standard web layouts look great on the iPad in tablet mode, and that’s often not true on the iPhone – some sites aren’t responsive, and even on the ones that are, ads can quickly clutter the experience on such a small display. But in Apple News, with one minor caveat,1 everything reads just as well on the iPhone’s smaller display, and I love that I can comfortably hold my iPhone with one hand while reading, whereas with the iPad, even at the smaller 11-inch size, one-handed use is only comfortable for a brief period of time.

\n

In summary, Jobs’ claim that the iPad is better at web browsing remains true, but for me it’s become an irrelevant advantage. My work-related browsing necessitates having a hardware keyboard on standby, and my recreational browsing is better done in Apple News on my iPhone.

\n

Email

\n
\"In

In landscape the software keyboard takes too much screen space, and in portrait it remains too wide to comfortably thumb type.

\n

This one’s easy: I’d much rather use a Magic Keyboard when processing email than the iPad’s software keyboard. This might be mere personal preference, but I find that in any scenario that involves typing text – beyond micro bursts of typing, such as responding to an iMessage – I want a hardware keyboard.

\n

Perhaps email could be more enjoyable using only touch while sitting back in a lounge chair, but what sounds more enjoyable to me is getting through my inbox faster so I can spend as little time on email as possible, and for that, a hardware keyboard is needed. The iPad in laptop mode easily beats tablet mode when it comes to email.

\n

Photos

\n
\"Nothing

Nothing beats the 11-inch iPad Pro for viewing photos.

\n

Here’s one area I can unequivocally say the iPad as a tablet is better than any alternative. Browsing and managing photos on the naked iPad is absolutely delightful. I love seeing my images on the 11-inch display as I hold it in my hand.

\n

I’m one of those people who still manually sorts through photos after taking them to see which ones I want to keep, and which ones can be deleted. Typically I’ll do this on my iPhone, though sometimes on my iPad in laptop mode, but the best experience is certainly the iPad in tablet mode.

\n

Video

\n

The 11-inch iPad Pro’s aspect ratio is a better fit for most video than the 12.9-inch model, but I never watch video in tablet mode nor do I have any desire to. If I’m watching something on the iPad’s display, I’d rather not have to hold the display while I watch. My ideal setup involves placing the iPad in front of me in the Magic Keyboard or Smart Keyboard Folio, and in those scenarios the 12.9-inch iPad Pro is a better option for video simply because it’s bigger. Maybe I’m just lazy, but I’d rather kick back and relax while watching rather than manage holding or propping up the iPad by hand.

\n
\"MKBHD

MKBHD on the 11-inch iPad Pro.


\"Same

Same video, but on the 12.9-inch iPad Pro.

\n

Music

\n

In the pre-Apple Watch era, maybe the iPad was better for music in some respects, since it provided more screen real estate for browsing and managing your library. But now, nearly all of my music listening is managed on my iPhone (which connects to either my AirPods Pro or HomePod).

\n

The main reason for preferring the iPhone, as I hinted, is that the Apple Watch’s automatic Now Playing view enables me to easily control music playback from my iPhone right on my wrist. If I’m playing something from my iPad, my Watch won’t give me playback controls, so I would have to interact with the iPad directly to make adjustments or see what’s playing. It makes more sense for me to do everything through the iPhone, so that whether I’m home or away, listening through my AirPods or HomePod, I always have immediate access to playback controls via my Apple Watch and Now Playing.

\n

Games

\n
\"For

For games that play best with a controller, bigger is better.

\n

This is yet another area where I find that either my iPhone or the 12.9-inch iPad Pro is a better fit than the 11-inch iPad in tablet mode. My thinking is simple: if I’m playing a game designed for touch, it will almost certainly work best on the iPhone, and I love playing one-handed when possible; if it’s not a touch-optimized game, I’ll likely use a connected Bluetooth controller to play, in which case I’ll put my iPad in the Magic Keyboard rather than in tablet mode. And while both sizes of iPad work well in this setup, the larger screen gets an edge.

\n

eBooks

\n

There’s no area of tablet use that was a bigger disappointment to me than eBook reading. I read a lot of books, and ever since getting the large iPad Pro, I’ve grown accustomed to reading on my iPhone rather than my iPad, even though pre-2015 I would always read on my iPad or iPad mini. My hope is that using the 11-inch iPad Pro would enable me to do tablet reading again, but I found the experience frustrating.

\n
\"Apple

Apple Books’ problematic small margins.

\n

Perhaps the biggest barrier to reading comfortably has been the lack of sufficient margin in Apple Books, my reading app of choice. Apple provides no margin settings in its app, and while I knew that already, I was expecting that portrait orientation on the 11-inch iPad would have healthy margin defaults; instead, margin levels are at a bare minimum, which causes each line to be longer than I would like. This might sound like a nitpick, but in practice longer lines cause me to read slower, because my eyes have to move back and forth across farther distances. I’ve found that reading on my iPhone, where I can read on pace with a near-constant scroll, is the fastest way to consume books. The only way to replicate this on the iPad is to put Books in Split View with another app, which I could simply do on the 12.9-inch iPad Pro.

\n
\"The

The iPhone reading experience.

\n

Besides the issue of poor margins, I’ve found that I prefer reading on my iPhone for two other reasons: one-handed use and true black backgrounds. I can hold my iPhone for extended reading sessions without any discomfort, while with the 11-inch iPad Pro I’ve found myself needing to regularly reposition my setup to stay comfortable. Also, I love reading with the true black background that’s enabled by my iPhone’s OLED display. Unless I’m reading outside in daylight, I always keep Books’ night theme activated because I find the true black so beautiful – it’s a nice battery saver too.

\n

Tablet Summary

\n

Overall, using the iPad as a tablet has been a mixed bag for me, and less compelling than I expected. So many of the things that used to be best on iPad I now find better suited to the iPhone, or to the iPad in laptop mode. If I did any drawing, sketching, or handwriting those would be excellent uses for tablet mode, but I don’t, so the possible uses I’m left with are minimal.

\n
\"Apple

Apple Pencil getting in the way.

\n

Even the simple matter of holding the 11-inch iPad Pro in my hand has been a disappointment in that the Apple Pencil constantly gets in the way. When the iPad is attached to a keyboard in landscape, having the Pencil sit along the top of the device is perfect. But when holding the device in-hand, it’s difficult to get a comfortable grip; I could simply rotate the iPad so my grip is opposite the Pencil, but I regularly switch hands when holding it, so doing constant device rotations isn’t a great solution.

\n

Laptop Mode

\n
\"Comparing

Comparing the two Magic Keyboards.

\n

Most of the day I need a keyboard attached, so I’ve been using a Magic Keyboard with my 11-inch iPad Pro heavily. I went into detail on my experience with the Magic Keyboard with both iPad sizes in the April Monthly Log for Club MacStories members, so you can read that full piece in the Club archive.

\n


\n

To summarize, the Magic Keyboard for the 11-inch iPad Pro is a compromised experience, but it’s livable for me. The trackpad is just slightly shorter than that of the 12.9-inch model, but the biggest problem is that nearly every key besides the alphanumeric ones is reduced in size compared to a standard keyboard. There are exceptions, such as the Command, Option, and Control keys left of the spacebar, and the arrow keys, but practically everything else is smaller – and in some cases much smaller – than standard sizes. This has definitely resulted in more typing mistakes for me, but that’s likely an issue that will be resolved with time.

\n

Besides the problem with smaller keys, I also have an issue with the Magic Keyboard for both iPad sizes where I can’t make it sufficiently balance on my lap. Because of that, I now set the Magic Keyboard on top of the closed Smart Keyboard Folio, which acts as a perfect leveling surface and solves the problem entirely. For the full story behind this solution, see my Club MacStories piece.

\n
\"Using

Using the 12.9-inch Smart Keyboard Folio, folded up, as a level surface for the 11-inch Magic Keyboard.

\n

Desktop Mode

\n

Unfortunately I don’t have much to say about using the iPad connected to an external monitor other than that this experiment confirmed my preference for avoiding desks when possible.

\n

My home desk is currently occupied by my wife the majority of the day as she’s temporarily working from home, but I used the space for a while one day to connect both the 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPads in succession to my external monitor. It’s a budget monitor, so it isn’t 4K, and it’s slightly wider than a standard monitor so the aspect ratio wasn’t ideal for either iPad. Both had significant black bars on the tops and sides when connected.

\n

While I’m glad that desktop use is a legitimate option for iPads now, especially since mice and trackpads are properly supported, the software experience when connecting to monitors remains extremely limited. Very few apps support the years-old APIs that enable an optimized experience on external displays, and until Apple improves those APIs I don’t think that’s going to change.

\n
\"Maybe

Maybe if I had one of these, I could grow used to a desk.

\n

Even if the software was better, working from a desk still may not be for me; I simply prefer having more flexibility in my working arrangement. That might change if I made the investment of building out a desk setup that’s more tailored for my needs, but I don’t currently have the space in my tiny Manhattan apartment for anything like that. I also don’t like the notion of having separate keyboards and trackpads for my iPad Pro and Mac mini, or sticking with a single accessory set and having to constantly unpair and repair when changing devices. Some third-party accessories offer hardware buttons to quickly switch between Bluetooth connections, but Apple doesn’t offer anything like that presently. So for the time being, desktop use of the iPad is at the bottom of my priority list.

\n

I went into this experiment with no strong sense how it would turn out. And the findings surprised me in both positive and negative ways. A quick overview of this article reveals that lots of the surprises were negative: tablet mode wasn’t as appealing as I’d hoped, fullscreen views were limiting, and connecting to an external monitor is something I have no desire to revisit anytime soon.

\n

However, despite all of these drawbacks, there remains something very endearing to me about the 11-inch size. Besides the positive fact of Split View working fine for me on the smaller display, there’s something compelling about the device that’s hard to pinpoint. Maybe it’s the wonder of seeing so much computing power present in such a small package. Or perhaps the way that the limited screen space reflects a minimalist ethos, making the 12.9-inch display feel excessive by comparison.

\n

I’m amazed at how easy it’s been for me to switch back and forth between the two iPad sizes. Every time that I’ve changed sizes, I very quickly adapted to the iPad in front of me. In fact, after those switches my first impression when moving to the 12.9-inch size has often been that it’s felt too big, whereas moving to the 11-inch often gives me a feeling of delight. Maybe that’s just because the 11-inch is so new to me still, but I don’t think it can be explained away that easily. There’s simply something very nice about the smaller size.

\n

If I had just purchased both of these devices, and could return whichever one didn’t suit me, that would be a very hard decision to make. As it stands though, since I already had a 2018 12.9-inch model, and had to buy a 2020 version of the 11-inch, the decision is made a lot easier.

\n
\"My

My 12.9-inch iPad Pro.

\n

The 11-inch iPad Pro is a fantastic device, and I may revisit it in the future, but for now retaining my 2018 12.9-inch model seems best. Primarily because it means saving a lot of money, since I can simply return the 2020 11-inch for a full refund. I’m also interested to see if Apple’s continued evolution of iPadOS will involve features that better take advantage of larger displays.

\n

My ease in adapting to each screen size makes clear to me that you really can’t go wrong with either model. The two devices are close enough in size that both can function well as primary computers for most people.

\n

This is probably too general of advice, but I’d recommend that if you expect to regularly use your iPad Pro as a tablet, the 11-inch will likely be your best option. If, however, you expect to use it almost entirely with a Magic Keyboard attached, the 12.9-inch is a good bet. Both devices can work in both modes, but the 11-inch is a better tablet, and the 12.9-inch is a better laptop.

\n
\n
  1. \nMagazines in Apple News+ that don’t support the Apple News Format, but are simple PDFs, definitely offer a better reading experience on iPad. But it’s very rare for me to read a News+ magazine that still uses PDFs, so my iPhone does just fine. ↩︎\n
    2. \n
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In that time, members have enjoyed nearly 400 weekly and monthly newsletters packed with more of your favorite MacStories writing as well as Club-only podcasts, eBooks, discounts on apps, icons, and services. Join today, and you’ll get everything new that we publish every week, plus access to our entire archive of back issues and downloadable perks.

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The Club expanded in 2021 with Club MacStories+ and Club Premier. Club MacStories+ members enjoy even more exclusive stories, a vibrant Discord community, a rotating roster of app discounts, and more. And, with Club Premier, you get everything we offer at every Club level plus an extended, ad-free version of our podcast AppStories that is delivered early each week in high-bitrate audio.

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Join Now", "content_text": "If you’re in the market for an iPad Pro, choosing the ideal model size is not easy. It used to be simpler, back when the big option was made bigger by its bezels, and the small option had a significantly smaller display. I’ve used a 12.9-inch iPad Pro as my primary computer for five years, and have been very happy with it, but as the smaller iPad Pro’s display has grown, I’ve become more intrigued by it.\n2017’s 10.5-inch iPad Pro was the first smaller model that tempted me. 2016’s 9.7-inch simply wasn’t enough; as an iPad user since 2010, I knew what a 9.7-inch display was like, and it wasn’t suited for my needs as a primary computer. But the screen bump in 2017 was intriguing, so I gave it a test run for a couple weeks. My takeaways: it was a fine device, but Split View was a bit too cramped, and since I mainly used my iPad at home rather than lugging it around regularly, sticking with the larger model made more sense for my needs.\nRecently, however, I embarked on another test of the smaller iPad Pro. On the latest episode of Adapt, the iPad-focused podcast I do with Federico, I challenged us both to try doing our work on the 11-inch iPad Pro rather than our usual 12.9-inch setups. In my mind, it was the perfect time to try the smaller size again because a lot has changed since my 2017 experiment.\nFirst, the smaller iPad Pro’s display has gotten larger yet again. The gap between 11 and 12.9 inches is relatively narrow. Also, while the current pandemic has forced me to work from home more than ever, prior to this global crisis I was taking my iPad on the go more regularly. In 2017 I lived in the suburbs of Dallas, whereas now I call Manhattan home, so it’s much easier to just walk out my front door and visit a local coffee shop, park, or some other public space to get work done.\nFinally, the concept of the iPad as a modular computer has been another motivator to try the 11-inch model. I normally use my 12.9-inch iPad Pro exclusively in “laptop mode” with a hardware keyboard attached. But lately I’ve been wondering if that approach is too limited, causing me to miss out on the full potential of the device’s versatility. Using my iPad Pro not just as a laptop, but also as a tablet or in a desktop configuration sounds intriguing, and for several reasons I’ll detail later, I think the 11-inch model is better suited to these alternate setups.\nMy Apple Store haul.\nSo a few weeks ago I ordered an 11-inch iPad Pro alongside the Magic Keyboards for both the 11- and 12.9-inch models; I also bought a USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter so I could connect my iPads to an external display. All of these purchases made possible a comprehensive comparison of the two iPad Pro sizes, spanning tablet, laptop, and desktop configurations, for the purpose of determining which iPad was best for me. As I mentioned, I was already pretty happy with my 12.9-inch model, so my focus was especially on trying the 11-inch and evaluating its unique strengths.\nHere is what I learned from my experiment, and my decision on the iPad I’ll be using moving forward.\n\n11-inch Split View: Surprisingly Fine\nMy time with the 11-inch iPad Pro these past weeks has been marked by a lot of surprise, some of which has been positive and some negative. In the surprisingly good arena, Split View on the smaller iPad has been virtually a non-issue for me, which I didn’t at all anticipate.\nIn the ~12 hours per day that I spend on my iPad Pro, I work in Split View about half that time. As a result, I expected Split View to represent the biggest challenge I would face in adapting to the 11-inch display. The smaller iPad Pro, in a 50/50 Split View, uses compact layouts for apps, while the 12.9-inch device shows two standard iPad-class layouts. Apps on the 11-inch in Split View are essentially iPhone apps, but wider, while apps on the 12.9-inch can include additional features, like displaying a sidebar menu alongside the main content of the app. Here’s a comparison of the two devices side by side.\nThe larger iPad Pro can display multiple panels per app.\nIt’s a stark difference, to be sure. What I’ve realized during this experiment, however, is that when I’m working in Split View on my 12.9-inch model, I almost never have an app’s sidebar menu on-screen alongside its main content area. I find it too cluttered seeing three or four different ‘panels’ at once, as displayed above. So my default practice is to hide those sidebar menus to achieve a cleaner, more focused setup.\nMy normal practice on the 12.9-inch iPad Pro is to hide sidebar menus in Split View.\nMy habit of minimizing sidebars means that in most cases, the difference between Split View on the 12.9- and 11-inch models is minimal. Sure there’s more space to show content on the larger model, but in actual use, I haven’t experienced much of a difference for the work I normally do.\nThere is one exception app to this, but it would have been two had Apple not cheated the system with one of its apps.\nThe exception app for my no-sidebar-in-Split-View practice is Slack. Since the chat platform requires a lot of switching back and forth between different channels, DMs, and even the several different workspaces I occupy regularly, Slack is the one app I wish I would enable seeing multiple panels on-screen at once. This is possible if you make Slack the larger app in a 66/33 Split View, but in the 50/50 setup I use more regularly, having to constantly switch to Slack’s menu view, like on an iPhone, is a pain.\nSafari in Split View retains tabs, despite using a compact layout.\nThe second app, which would have been even more of a problem for me than Slack, is Safari. There’s no app I use in Split View more often than Safari. And when I tested the 10.5-inch iPad Pro in 2017, one of the biggest pain points I encountered was Safari’s compact layout in Split View. Back then, as you would expect, the 50/50 Split View layout for Apple’s browser was just like its iPhone companion, where you couldn’t have proper tabs but instead were forced to use the iPhone’s system involving sites presented as a stack of cards. Mercifully, Apple changed this at some point, such that now the smaller iPad Pro can display a proper tab bar in Split View. It’s the only system app I know of that gains this special exception, eschewing the compact layout for something resembling a standard iPad view. Due to my heavy use of Safari, and disdain for the card-based tab system on iPhone, I’m extremely happy about this change. Without it, Safari might be a dealbreaker for me using the 11-inch model, but thanks to Apple’s special exception here, that’s not a problem.\nOverall, I’ve been shocked by how well the 11-inch iPad Pro works for me when multitasking. Depending on your own work, or your level of willingness to keep sidebar menus on-screen in Split View, the story may be different for you. But for me, it’s been perfectly fine.\n11-inch Fullscreen Views: Surprisingly Limiting\nThe two iPad Pro sizes.\nFullscreen views, on the other hand, have proven a more difficult adjustment than I expected.\nWhen I say ‘fullscreen views,’ I’m referring to a wide array of non-Split View setups, usually as relates to the design arrangements inside of apps, but also in spaces like the Home screen where the full 11-inch display is more limited than its 12.9-inch sibling.\nStarting with apps, the main issue I’ve faced is the absence of three-column layouts in Apple Notes and Mail, which are exclusive to the larger iPad Pro. I’m a heavy user of both apps, and especially Notes, where I have over 1,500 notes organized among more than 75 folders and sub-folders. Notes is also, unsurprisingly, the app that holds the most open windows for me: as I write, I have seven different Notes windows saved, including one in Slide Over, four in Split View paired with Pages, Ulysses, Books, and Numbers, and the remaining two as fullscreen windows. Since I use this app so much, being able to view my full list of folders, notes in the selected folder, and the body of the selected note is very valuable for me. I’ve mostly grown accustomed to not having this option on the 11-inch iPad Pro, but it’s still missed.\nNotes’ three-column layout is exclusive to the 12.9-inch iPad Pro.\nHere are a few other in-app annoyances:\nIn Safari, seeing fewer favorites in the favorites bar;\nThe keyboard row not displaying Keychain’s key icon as often, requiring me to open Settings ⇾ Passwords & Accounts to grab a login;\nIn Morning Reader, which I check many times each day, the larger iPad shows all ten tech headlines on-screen at once, while the 11-inch requires scrolling for a full overview.\nI should also note that, after a few days with the default system text size, I adjusted the text down one notch in Settings ⇾ Display & Brightness ⇾ Text Size. The default size appeared larger than what I’m used to seeing on the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, whereas moving it down slightly looked just right. This brought the added benefit, of course, of displaying more content on-screen than before in apps that support Dynamic Type.\nThe 11-inch Home screen has a couple limitations.\nThe Home screen on the 11-inch iPad Pro is largely the same as on the 12.9-inch, fitting the same number of icons in your grid, but there are a couple notable differences. Despite the grid slots being consistent across devices, with the 11-inch model you lose a couple slots in the dock, the most important space for apps. Not counting the three suggested/recent apps on the right side, the larger iPad’s dock has 15 slots, while the smaller has 13. Two fewer slots isn’t a major problem by any means, especially if you keep a folder in your dock, but it’s worth noting nonetheless.\nThe other change is the number of widgets you can keep pinned to the Home screen. When using compact layouts, the larger iPad can display four widgets at all times, while the smaller can only display three. Again, it’s not the end of the world, but it could make a meaningful difference to you.\nTablet Mode\nThe 12.9- and 11-inch iPad Pro models.\nThe iPad, despite its evolution over the last decade, is still at its core a tablet. As I mentioned at the start, however, I haven’t used my 12.9-inch iPad Pro as a tablet in the five years it’s been my primary computer. Yet pre-iPad Pro, I used either an iPad or iPad mini as a tablet and loved it. It wasn’t my primary computer, but it didn’t need to be. Once I had the larger screen of the iPad Pro, and the attached Smart Keyboard, the device became a laptop for me and nothing else. On the rare occasions when I tried using it as a tablet, it felt clunky; I simply found it too big to be a good tablet.\nThere was also the matter of regularly attaching and detaching the Smart Keyboard Folio. While it’s not exactly difficult to remove the iPad from that case, it certainly takes real intention and effort to do so; it’s just a little more cumbersome than I’d like. One of my favorite details about the new Magic Keyboard, by contrast, is that its floating design invites you to grab the iPad and take it with you. The bottom area of the iPad remains detached from the case, so you can easily reach out and enter ‘tablet mode.’\nThe Magic Keyboard makes transitioning to tablet mode easy.\nThe absence of any tablet mode use in my life hasn’t historically bothered me much, because I found the trade-off of getting a great ‘laptop’ worthwhile. But with the 11-inch iPad Pro, and the tablet-friendly design of the new Magic Keyboard, I wondered if I could continue enjoying the iPad as a laptop while rediscovering its tablet identity as well.\nWhat I’ve discovered these last few weeks is that, while the 11-inch iPad Pro is certainly a fantastic tablet, the very concept of tablet – for my use cases – is not as compelling as it used to be.\nWhen I first started using my 11-inch iPad Pro and Magic Keyboard, I struggled trying to think of situations when I would want to grab the iPad and use it as a tablet. I attributed this to a simple lack of habit and assumed that in time it would change. Since my testing period with the device was limited to mere weeks, however, I tried finding immediate inspiration for tablet mode uses by going back to the beginning: Steve Jobs’ introduction of the first iPad.\nSteve Jobs on the iPad’s unique strengths.\nThat brilliant 2010 keynote was Apple’s way of proving to the world that a ‘third device’ deserved to exist, even in a world where we already had smartphones and laptops. The crux of the argument is that this third device, the iPad, had to be “far better at some key things” than either a phone or laptop. Seven such things were named:\nBrowsing\nEmail\nPhotos\nVideo\nMusic\nGames\neBooks\nIn using the 11-inch iPad Pro as a tablet, I evaluated the device in each of these seven categories.\nBrowsing\nThe iPad remains an excellent tool for web browsing. When holding the device in portrait orientation, you can see a full web layout in your hand, and it feels great.\nThe web feels great on a tablet (left), but most of my “browsing” now happens in Apple News (right).\nHowever, my web browsing habits have changed significantly in the last decade. Whereas I used to daily browse sites for fun or from sheer interest, these days my browsing is primarily limited to work matters. I’ll browse sites as ways of keeping apprised of any Apple news that may need covering, but in those situations my best iPad setup involves using it in laptop mode because if there’s news to cover, I’ll quickly find myself needing an attached keyboard.\nIt’s not that I never enjoy the web recreationally anymore, only that my habits for how I consume web content have changed. A few of my interests, for example, are TV, movies, books, football, and popular news. In 2010 I would have visited individual websites to pursue these interests, but in recent years I’ve moved that kind of browsing into the Apple News app.\nWhile Apple News does work well on iPad, it’s similarly great on the iPhone, and that’s where I’ve grown accustomed to using the app most often. If I were comparing browsing in Safari on iPad vs. iPhone, the iPad would easily win. Standard web layouts look great on the iPad in tablet mode, and that’s often not true on the iPhone – some sites aren’t responsive, and even on the ones that are, ads can quickly clutter the experience on such a small display. But in Apple News, with one minor caveat,1 everything reads just as well on the iPhone’s smaller display, and I love that I can comfortably hold my iPhone with one hand while reading, whereas with the iPad, even at the smaller 11-inch size, one-handed use is only comfortable for a brief period of time.\nIn summary, Jobs’ claim that the iPad is better at web browsing remains true, but for me it’s become an irrelevant advantage. My work-related browsing necessitates having a hardware keyboard on standby, and my recreational browsing is better done in Apple News on my iPhone.\nEmail\nIn landscape the software keyboard takes too much screen space, and in portrait it remains too wide to comfortably thumb type.\nThis one’s easy: I’d much rather use a Magic Keyboard when processing email than the iPad’s software keyboard. This might be mere personal preference, but I find that in any scenario that involves typing text – beyond micro bursts of typing, such as responding to an iMessage – I want a hardware keyboard.\nPerhaps email could be more enjoyable using only touch while sitting back in a lounge chair, but what sounds more enjoyable to me is getting through my inbox faster so I can spend as little time on email as possible, and for that, a hardware keyboard is needed. The iPad in laptop mode easily beats tablet mode when it comes to email.\nPhotos\nNothing beats the 11-inch iPad Pro for viewing photos.\nHere’s one area I can unequivocally say the iPad as a tablet is better than any alternative. Browsing and managing photos on the naked iPad is absolutely delightful. I love seeing my images on the 11-inch display as I hold it in my hand.\nI’m one of those people who still manually sorts through photos after taking them to see which ones I want to keep, and which ones can be deleted. Typically I’ll do this on my iPhone, though sometimes on my iPad in laptop mode, but the best experience is certainly the iPad in tablet mode.\nVideo\nThe 11-inch iPad Pro’s aspect ratio is a better fit for most video than the 12.9-inch model, but I never watch video in tablet mode nor do I have any desire to. If I’m watching something on the iPad’s display, I’d rather not have to hold the display while I watch. My ideal setup involves placing the iPad in front of me in the Magic Keyboard or Smart Keyboard Folio, and in those scenarios the 12.9-inch iPad Pro is a better option for video simply because it’s bigger. Maybe I’m just lazy, but I’d rather kick back and relax while watching rather than manage holding or propping up the iPad by hand.\nMKBHD on the 11-inch iPad Pro.Same video, but on the 12.9-inch iPad Pro.\nMusic\nIn the pre-Apple Watch era, maybe the iPad was better for music in some respects, since it provided more screen real estate for browsing and managing your library. But now, nearly all of my music listening is managed on my iPhone (which connects to either my AirPods Pro or HomePod).\nThe main reason for preferring the iPhone, as I hinted, is that the Apple Watch’s automatic Now Playing view enables me to easily control music playback from my iPhone right on my wrist. If I’m playing something from my iPad, my Watch won’t give me playback controls, so I would have to interact with the iPad directly to make adjustments or see what’s playing. It makes more sense for me to do everything through the iPhone, so that whether I’m home or away, listening through my AirPods or HomePod, I always have immediate access to playback controls via my Apple Watch and Now Playing.\nGames\nFor games that play best with a controller, bigger is better.\nThis is yet another area where I find that either my iPhone or the 12.9-inch iPad Pro is a better fit than the 11-inch iPad in tablet mode. My thinking is simple: if I’m playing a game designed for touch, it will almost certainly work best on the iPhone, and I love playing one-handed when possible; if it’s not a touch-optimized game, I’ll likely use a connected Bluetooth controller to play, in which case I’ll put my iPad in the Magic Keyboard rather than in tablet mode. And while both sizes of iPad work well in this setup, the larger screen gets an edge.\neBooks\nThere’s no area of tablet use that was a bigger disappointment to me than eBook reading. I read a lot of books, and ever since getting the large iPad Pro, I’ve grown accustomed to reading on my iPhone rather than my iPad, even though pre-2015 I would always read on my iPad or iPad mini. My hope is that using the 11-inch iPad Pro would enable me to do tablet reading again, but I found the experience frustrating.\nApple Books’ problematic small margins.\nPerhaps the biggest barrier to reading comfortably has been the lack of sufficient margin in Apple Books, my reading app of choice. Apple provides no margin settings in its app, and while I knew that already, I was expecting that portrait orientation on the 11-inch iPad would have healthy margin defaults; instead, margin levels are at a bare minimum, which causes each line to be longer than I would like. This might sound like a nitpick, but in practice longer lines cause me to read slower, because my eyes have to move back and forth across farther distances. I’ve found that reading on my iPhone, where I can read on pace with a near-constant scroll, is the fastest way to consume books. The only way to replicate this on the iPad is to put Books in Split View with another app, which I could simply do on the 12.9-inch iPad Pro.\nThe iPhone reading experience.\nBesides the issue of poor margins, I’ve found that I prefer reading on my iPhone for two other reasons: one-handed use and true black backgrounds. I can hold my iPhone for extended reading sessions without any discomfort, while with the 11-inch iPad Pro I’ve found myself needing to regularly reposition my setup to stay comfortable. Also, I love reading with the true black background that’s enabled by my iPhone’s OLED display. Unless I’m reading outside in daylight, I always keep Books’ night theme activated because I find the true black so beautiful – it’s a nice battery saver too.\nTablet Summary\nOverall, using the iPad as a tablet has been a mixed bag for me, and less compelling than I expected. So many of the things that used to be best on iPad I now find better suited to the iPhone, or to the iPad in laptop mode. If I did any drawing, sketching, or handwriting those would be excellent uses for tablet mode, but I don’t, so the possible uses I’m left with are minimal.\nApple Pencil getting in the way.\nEven the simple matter of holding the 11-inch iPad Pro in my hand has been a disappointment in that the Apple Pencil constantly gets in the way. When the iPad is attached to a keyboard in landscape, having the Pencil sit along the top of the device is perfect. But when holding the device in-hand, it’s difficult to get a comfortable grip; I could simply rotate the iPad so my grip is opposite the Pencil, but I regularly switch hands when holding it, so doing constant device rotations isn’t a great solution.\nLaptop Mode\nComparing the two Magic Keyboards.\nMost of the day I need a keyboard attached, so I’ve been using a Magic Keyboard with my 11-inch iPad Pro heavily. I went into detail on my experience with the Magic Keyboard with both iPad sizes in the April Monthly Log for Club MacStories members, so you can read that full piece in the Club archive.\n\nTo summarize, the Magic Keyboard for the 11-inch iPad Pro is a compromised experience, but it’s livable for me. The trackpad is just slightly shorter than that of the 12.9-inch model, but the biggest problem is that nearly every key besides the alphanumeric ones is reduced in size compared to a standard keyboard. There are exceptions, such as the Command, Option, and Control keys left of the spacebar, and the arrow keys, but practically everything else is smaller – and in some cases much smaller – than standard sizes. This has definitely resulted in more typing mistakes for me, but that’s likely an issue that will be resolved with time.\nBesides the problem with smaller keys, I also have an issue with the Magic Keyboard for both iPad sizes where I can’t make it sufficiently balance on my lap. Because of that, I now set the Magic Keyboard on top of the closed Smart Keyboard Folio, which acts as a perfect leveling surface and solves the problem entirely. For the full story behind this solution, see my Club MacStories piece.\nUsing the 12.9-inch Smart Keyboard Folio, folded up, as a level surface for the 11-inch Magic Keyboard.\nDesktop Mode\nUnfortunately I don’t have much to say about using the iPad connected to an external monitor other than that this experiment confirmed my preference for avoiding desks when possible.\nMy home desk is currently occupied by my wife the majority of the day as she’s temporarily working from home, but I used the space for a while one day to connect both the 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPads in succession to my external monitor. It’s a budget monitor, so it isn’t 4K, and it’s slightly wider than a standard monitor so the aspect ratio wasn’t ideal for either iPad. Both had significant black bars on the tops and sides when connected.\nWhile I’m glad that desktop use is a legitimate option for iPads now, especially since mice and trackpads are properly supported, the software experience when connecting to monitors remains extremely limited. Very few apps support the years-old APIs that enable an optimized experience on external displays, and until Apple improves those APIs I don’t think that’s going to change.\nMaybe if I had one of these, I could grow used to a desk.\nEven if the software was better, working from a desk still may not be for me; I simply prefer having more flexibility in my working arrangement. That might change if I made the investment of building out a desk setup that’s more tailored for my needs, but I don’t currently have the space in my tiny Manhattan apartment for anything like that. I also don’t like the notion of having separate keyboards and trackpads for my iPad Pro and Mac mini, or sticking with a single accessory set and having to constantly unpair and repair when changing devices. Some third-party accessories offer hardware buttons to quickly switch between Bluetooth connections, but Apple doesn’t offer anything like that presently. So for the time being, desktop use of the iPad is at the bottom of my priority list.\nI went into this experiment with no strong sense how it would turn out. And the findings surprised me in both positive and negative ways. A quick overview of this article reveals that lots of the surprises were negative: tablet mode wasn’t as appealing as I’d hoped, fullscreen views were limiting, and connecting to an external monitor is something I have no desire to revisit anytime soon.\nHowever, despite all of these drawbacks, there remains something very endearing to me about the 11-inch size. Besides the positive fact of Split View working fine for me on the smaller display, there’s something compelling about the device that’s hard to pinpoint. Maybe it’s the wonder of seeing so much computing power present in such a small package. Or perhaps the way that the limited screen space reflects a minimalist ethos, making the 12.9-inch display feel excessive by comparison.\nI’m amazed at how easy it’s been for me to switch back and forth between the two iPad sizes. Every time that I’ve changed sizes, I very quickly adapted to the iPad in front of me. In fact, after those switches my first impression when moving to the 12.9-inch size has often been that it’s felt too big, whereas moving to the 11-inch often gives me a feeling of delight. Maybe that’s just because the 11-inch is so new to me still, but I don’t think it can be explained away that easily. There’s simply something very nice about the smaller size.\nIf I had just purchased both of these devices, and could return whichever one didn’t suit me, that would be a very hard decision to make. As it stands though, since I already had a 2018 12.9-inch model, and had to buy a 2020 version of the 11-inch, the decision is made a lot easier.\nMy 12.9-inch iPad Pro.\nThe 11-inch iPad Pro is a fantastic device, and I may revisit it in the future, but for now retaining my 2018 12.9-inch model seems best. Primarily because it means saving a lot of money, since I can simply return the 2020 11-inch for a full refund. I’m also interested to see if Apple’s continued evolution of iPadOS will involve features that better take advantage of larger displays.\nMy ease in adapting to each screen size makes clear to me that you really can’t go wrong with either model. The two devices are close enough in size that both can function well as primary computers for most people.\nThis is probably too general of advice, but I’d recommend that if you expect to regularly use your iPad Pro as a tablet, the 11-inch will likely be your best option. If, however, you expect to use it almost entirely with a Magic Keyboard attached, the 12.9-inch is a good bet. Both devices can work in both modes, but the 11-inch is a better tablet, and the 12.9-inch is a better laptop.\n\n\nMagazines in Apple News+ that don’t support the Apple News Format, but are simple PDFs, definitely offer a better reading experience on iPad. But it’s very rare for me to read a News+ magazine that still uses PDFs, so my iPhone does just fine. ↩︎\n\n\nSupport MacStories and Unlock ExtrasFounded in 2015, Club MacStories has delivered exclusive content every week for over six years.\nIn that time, members have enjoyed nearly 400 weekly and monthly newsletters packed with more of your favorite MacStories writing as well as Club-only podcasts, eBooks, discounts on apps, icons, and services. Join today, and you’ll get everything new that we publish every week, plus access to our entire archive of back issues and downloadable perks.\nThe Club expanded in 2021 with Club MacStories+ and Club Premier. Club MacStories+ members enjoy even more exclusive stories, a vibrant Discord community, a rotating roster of app discounts, and more. And, with Club Premier, you get everything we offer at every Club level plus an extended, ad-free version of our podcast AppStories that is delivered early each week in high-bitrate audio.\nJoin Now", "date_published": "2020-05-07T12:00:12-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-11-23T09:19:36-05:00", "authors": [ { "name": "Ryan Christoffel", "url": "https://www.macstories.net/author/ryanchristoffel/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/6f92854b21cbef25629d7efb809a9de7?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "tags": [ "iPad Pro", "iPadOS", "stories" ] }, { "id": "https://www.macstories.net/?p=63008", "url": "https://www.macstories.net/stories/magic-keyboard-for-ipad-pro-a-new-breed-of-laptop/", "title": "Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro: A New Breed of Laptop", "content_html": "
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The Magic Keyboard and my iPad Pro, featuring the iVisor matte screen protector.

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Following the surprise early release of the Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro, I’ve been waiting to get my hands on Apple’s highly anticipated accessory and evaluate it from the perspective of someone who uses the iPad Pro as a tablet, laptop, and desktop workstation.

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I received the Magic Keyboard for my 12.9” iPad Pro yesterday afternoon; fortunately, I was able to order one in the US English keyboard layout from the Italian Apple Store last week, and the keyboard arrived three days ahead of its original scheduled delivery date. Obviously, less than a day of usage isn’t enough time to provide you with a comprehensive review; however, given that plenty of iPad users are still waiting for their Magic Keyboards to arrive, I thought it’d be useful to share some first impressions and thoughts based on my initial 24 hours with the keyboard.

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Let’s dive in.

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Laptop Mode and iPad Modularity

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From the get-go, it’s apparent that the Magic Keyboard was primarily designed to enable a native laptop mode for the iPad Pro. Unlike the Smart Keyboard Folio, the Magic Keyboard comes with a built-in 5x10cm multi-touch trackpad; because of its hinge-based floating design, you can’t fully fold the Magic Keyboard on itself, hiding it in the back of the iPad Pro like you can with the Smart Keyboard Folio. This is Apple’s answer to users who have been asking for years for a “pro Smart Keyboard” to turn the iPad into a quasi-laptop device, and it doesn’t try to replicate all the features from the Smart Keyboard Folio or regular Smart Folio. I would have liked to see the option to fold the Magic Keyboard in the back of the iPad; I’m just not sure how that could be physically possible given Apple’s design direction for the Magic Keyboard (more on this later).

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The first thing I noticed when setting up the Magic Keyboard is that, when laying flat on a desk, you can’t open the iPad Pro with one hand: you can easily lift the screen from the Magic Keyboard’s inner magnetic cover, but if you want to fully open it to start typing, you have to keep at least one finger on the keyboard’s base while lifting the rest of the unit – just like most laptops.

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Here’s where the Magic Keyboard’s design differs from traditional laptops though: when lifting the iPad’s display, you’ll feel a first snap when the bottom hinge (the cylinder-shaped one that comes with a built-in USB-C port) has reached its open position; keep pushing on the iPad’s display, and the iPad will detach from the second hinge, which is located in the Magic Keyboard’s back cover and lets you adjust the iPad’s viewing angle. It’s the horizontal line that separates the two halves of the Magic Keyboard’s cover. In a nice act of design symmetry, the second hinge runs exactly across the antenna line of the 12.9” iPad Pro:

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The Magic Keyboard’s second hinge.

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What’s even nicer about this opening procedure is how the iPad’s software knows when to turn on the display and activate Face ID. If you pay attention when lifting the iPad, you’ll notice that the display turns on as soon as the iPad is detached from one half of the Magic Keyboard’s back cover; a few moments later, the Face ID sensor is activated and starts scanning. In practice, this isn’t just a delightful detail that proves Apple’s proverbial integration of hardware and software – it also means that by the time you’re done adjusting the iPad’s viewing angle, the iPad will have already authenticated you. At that point, it’s just a matter of pressing the space bar to dismiss the Lock screen and start working.

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Over the last 24 hours, I’ve used the iPad Pro with the Magic Keyboard at my desk, at the kitchen table, on my lap, and in bed. In all circumstances, I found the Magic Keyboard’s two-hinge system strong and reliable. I wouldn’t describe the hinges as overly stiff; they require just the right amount of pressure to lift the iPad and put it in place, and once that’s done, they’re sturdy enough to maintain the viewing angle you set and prevent the iPad from tipping over. As with the Smart Keyboard Folio, the magnetic connection between the cover and the back of the iPad is also strong – so much, in fact, that it allows the iPad to float above the keyboard.

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I was somewhat skeptical of Apple’s floating design initially and wondered whether the whole structure could be stable enough to type with a Magic Keyboard on your lap. I’m happy to be proven wrong: I find the Magic Keyboard very comfortable to use on my lap; its footprint is smaller than a 13” MacBook Pro, but it feels stable and the iPad’s screen doesn’t wobble when typing thanks to the array of magnets that keep it locked in-place to the back cover. No matter how I was using the Magic Keyboard, I never second-guessed the stability of its hinge-based floating design.

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The iPad does wobble back and forth a little if you’re using the Apple Pencil or tapping your fingers on the display with a moderate amount of force (perhaps because you’re playing a game or liking certain tweets with particular emphasis); however, this is to be expected given the keyboard’s flexible design, and they’re not activities I’d recommend you perform while the iPad is inside the Magic Keyboard anyway. Plus, any laptop screen would wobble a little if you tried to interact with it via touch.

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In terms of viewing angles, while the Smart Keyboard Folio only supported two fixed positions, the Magic Keyboard lets you manually adjust the display’s angle thanks to its secondary hinge in the back.

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\"The

The Magic Keyboard’s most open angle is roughly comparable to the Smart Keyboard Folio’s (pictured in the back), but the iPad floats higher.

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\"The

The Smart Keyboard Folio’s other viewing angle. The Magic Keyboard can also be adjusted to this position and can create an even steeper angle.

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The best way to think about it is this: at its most open position, the Magic Keyboard essentially replicates the largest viewing angle of the Smart Keyboard Folio, only the iPad’s screen floats higher. I like to type with the display tilted a bit further back into the Magic Keyboard’s case, and it’s nice that I can adjust the angle to get it just right instead of being limited to two preset angles. What’s even better is that I no longer have to hear the horrible noise the Smart Keyboard Folio makes when locking the iPad into a viewing angle, which would routinely wake up my girlfriend or dogs at night.

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Based on my experience in these first 24 hours, I would go as far as saying that, because of the adjustable viewing angle, robust design, and built-in trackpad, using the Magic Keyboard on my lap has been my favorite mode so far. Thanks to the improvements in iPadOS 13.4 and adoption from third-party developers, I very rarely have to touch the iPad’s display; because of the Magic Keyboard’s design and integration with iPadOS, I can work with the iPad Pro in a variety of contexts without ever worrying about pairing, charging, or having a subpar trackpad experience. I’ll probably follow up on this in a few months, but I have a feeling I must have really missed using a portable computer on my lap after years with the Brydge keyboard and Smart Keyboard Folio.

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Which brings me to the point I believe most people are not seeing when comparing the iPad Pro with Magic Keyboard to other laptops or tablets. The Magic Keyboard is an accessory that fully embraces Apple’s modular approach to the iPad Pro: it enables a reliable, functional laptop mode while at the same time encouraging you to detach the iPad at any time and use it as a tablet when you no longer need a keyboard and trackpad. This is, I believe, the key differentiator for the iPad Pro and Magic Keyboard: when paired together, you have a useful, credible laptop mode for your iPad; pick up the iPad – which you can even do with one hand by just pulling it from the cover without knocking it loose1 – and you still have a fantastic tablet with a vibrant ecosystem of tablet-optimized apps and a multi-touch OS. For the same price and weight, yes, you could get a MacBook Air (or even a MacBook Pro) instead of an iPad Pro with Magic Keyboard; however, I wouldn’t recommend trying to pull a MacBook’s display away from the keyboard when you’d like to use a tablet instead.

\n

The Magic Keyboard turns an iPad Pro into a laptop, but it does so in a way that isn’t definitive – the transformation can always be reversed by the simple act of pulling the “computing core” away from it. This is also where the Magic Keyboard differs from competing accessories such as the Brydge keyboard: aside from Brydge’s poor trackpad implementation, I always found their design discouraged a constant alternation of roles – from laptop to tablet, and vice versa. It could be done, but carefully putting the iPad inside the Brydge’s keyboard clips and pulling it out was a chore. As a result, I found myself leaving the iPad Pro inside the Brydge keyboard at all times and never using it as a tablet. The Magic Keyboard feels like it was designed with the opposite principle in mind: it enables a laptop mode for the iPad, but you can always undo it and return to the iPad’s pure tablet form in two seconds. And when you’re done using the iPad as a tablet, you can just as easily re-align it with the Magic Keyboard (thanks to magnets in the case) and go back to using the physical keyboard and trackpad.

\n

Based on what I’ve seen and tested so far, the Magic Keyboard is the only laptop-like accessory that strikes a perfect balance between altering the iPad’s nature and keeping it intact at the same time.

\n

Typing and Trackpad

\n

The Magic Keyboard is powered by the Smart Connector, so it’s always ready to type as soon as you unlock the iPad since it requires no pairing. The absence of Bluetooth was one of my favorite aspects of the Smart Keyboard Folio, and I’m glad Apple was able to continue down this road with the Magic Keyboard as well.

\n

Keyboards – especially Apple’s – are best judged over time, but right now I can say that typing on this keyboard feels great. The keys are larger than the ones on the Smart Keyboard Folio and have a more traditional square shape, which is a welcome change; despite the size increase, there’s enough space between them. The keyboard is backlit (finally!), which allows me to more easily edit articles at night2; the return of the inverted-T layout for arrow keys is also nice. As far as comparisons to other Apple keyboards go, the Magic Keyboard for iPad has less travel than my old external Magic Keyboard, but I find it vastly superior to the infamous butterfly keyboard (which I tested on my girlfriend’s 13” MacBook Pro). In short: I like the keyboard, and I find its layout more comfortable than the Smart Keyboard Folio.

\n

That said, I’m still adjusting to typing on the Magic Keyboard because one of my initial concerns has proven true: the bottom edge of the iPad’s display occasionally gets in the way of my fingers, resulting in accidental touches on the screen. I believe this is due to a combination of the way I type and how, at its widest viewing angle, the iPad’s bottom edge floats right above the keyboard’s number row. I’ve had similar issues with other keyboards in the past, and I usually get used to it by adjusting the way I type over time; I’ll have to report back on this in a few weeks. For now, tweaking the iPad’s angle so it floats farther away from the keyboard seems to do the trick.

\n
\"It's

It’s a small trackpad, but I’ve already grown used to it.

\n

The trackpad is fairly small at 5x10cm (compared to the Brydge keyboard’s 6x10cm), and I was afraid it would be too cramped for my hands, but in practice it feels great to use. Scrolling and swiping across the iPadOS UI is smooth and responsive; you can press down anywhere on the trackpad to physically click (which isn’t true of other keyboard cases), but tap to click is also supported. Just like Apple’s Magic Trackpad 2, multi-touch gestures are activated instantly; based on the size of my hands, three-finger gestures (which are needed to navigate the iPadOS multitasking interface) are fine; 4-finger gestures require a bit more dexterity and precision. Making good trackpads is hard; the Magic Keyboard’s trackpad feels like a mini version of the excellent Magic Trackpad 2 – quite the accomplishment given its diminutive form factor.

\n

The trackpad’s most important feat is that it allows you to navigate the iPadOS UI entirely with the system-wide pointer. As I explained weeks ago, this is turning out to be a transformational addition to the iPad experience that I wouldn’t have expected to witness within the iPadOS 13 release cycle. In editing this story last night, I was laying in bed, iPad Pro on my lap with the Magic Keyboard, and dark mode enabled in iA Writer; it was just so nice to be able to see the keys in front of me in the dark and control the iPad’s interface without lifting my hands off the keyboard. I know – none of this comes as a surprise to laptop owners; but as a longtime iPad user who has long struggled trying to use the device in a traditional laptop configuration, especially when the lights are out, the Magic Keyboard feels like a game changer already.

\n

Materials, Size, and Weight Comparisons

\n

The Magic Keyboard is made of the same material as the Smart Keyboard Folio’s outer case. The keyboard and trackpad are made of plastic, of course, and keys aren’t covered in fabric; everything else has the same texture as the Smart (Keyboard) Folio’s outer layer. Time will tell how this material will age after intense use; what’s for certain today is that you can’t freely spill water or crumbs on the Magic Keyboard and hope to wipe everything away as you could with the Smart Keyboard Folio.

\n

As was widely expected, the Magic Keyboard is heavier than the Smart Keyboard Folio, and when you pair the 12.9” iPad Pro with it, the combined weight is comparable to a MacBook. This doesn’t shock me. After all, this is a laptop keyboard with backlit keys, two adjustable hinges, and a trackpad; it’d be foolish to think Apple could replicate a laptop configuration (and support the structure of a floating design that facilitates pulling the iPad away) with the same design of the Smart Keyboard Folio – nor would I want them to. The Magic Keyboard feels just right for what it is and does. The MacBook comparison fails to acknowledge the basic premise of this entire story: some people prefer working on iPadOS and like having a computer that transforms into a tablet or laptop when necessary. Perhaps a better comparison would be to consider how much a bag would weigh if you carried both a MacBook and iPad at the same time.

\n

That said, if you really wanted to know about the Magic Keyboard’s numbers, here you go. I weighed my iPad Pro and various keyboards with my kitchen scale, so pardon the margin of error.

\n
\"The

The Magic Keyboard’s base is thinner than the Brydge keyboard (right), but Apple’s accessory adds thickness by covering the iPad in the back.

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As you can see, the Brydge Pro+ Keyboard paired with the 12.9” iPad Pro actually weighs slightly less than the Magic Keyboard + iPad combo (when closed, both configurations have the same thickness at 1.5cm). In practice, however, carrying the iPad Pro around with the Magic Keyboard feels more “portable” than the Brydge Pro+ keyboard. I don’t know why, exactly, but I feel like the Brydge’s aluminum body and blocky design makes it feel heftier overall. In any case, despite the weight increase over the Smart Keyboard Folio, using the iPad Pro inside the Magic Keyboard on my lap doesn’t feel like I’m using a heavy laptop.

\n

Miscellaneous Notes

\n

Here’s a collection of assorted notes and details I’ve noticed since I started testing the Magic Keyboard yesterday.

\n

The Apple logo is very faint. Unlike the Smart Keyboard Folio, the Magic Keyboard features an embedded Apple logo (placed horizontally) on the back cover, facing out from the iPad when in laptop mode. However, you can barely see it. I still find Apple’s only color choice for this keyboard boring, so I’m probably going to cover up the whole thing with stickers very soon.

\n

The camera cutout is fine, even if you have an older iPad Pro. I’m testing the Magic Keyboard with a 2018 iPad Pro, and the larger camera cutout (designed to accomodate the additional sensors in the 2020 iPad Pro) doesn’t bother me. I never look at it anyway. This is not something worth being concerned about.

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\"My

My 2018 iPad Pro inside the Magic Keyboard.

\n

No media keys. My biggest criticism of the Magic Keyboard so far (aside from accidentally touching the iPad’s bottom edge) is that the keyboard doesn’t come with a function row for media keys, system shortcuts, and an ESC key. This is a disappointment given that other keyboard manufacturers figured out how to embed an additional row in keyboards of the same footprint. I wonder if a future revision of the Magic Keyboard – or perhaps a Magic Keyboard for a larger 15” iPad Pro – could solve this.

\n

As a general tip, you can always use the system-wide ⌘. (Command-period) keyboard shortcut on iPadOS to replicate the functionality of a physical ESC key.

\n

You can manually adjust the keyboard’s backlight illumination. The Magic Keyboard’s backlit keys automatically adjust via the iPad’s ambient sensor, but if you want to manually tweak the keyboard’s brightness, you can do so with a slider in Settings ⇾ General ⇾ Keyboard ⇾ Hardware Keyboard.

\n

If you want an easier way to get to this page, I created a shortcut that launches the Hardware Keyboard section of Settings directly. The shortcut is best used as a widget on the iPad Home screen, and you can download it below.

\n
\n
\n \"\"
\n

Hardware Keyboard Settings

Open the Hardware Keyboard section of the Settings app. Useful to tweak the brightness level of the Magic Keyboard for iPad.

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Get the shortcut here.

\n\n
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\n
\n

The USB-C port is for charging only. The embedded USB-C port in the Magic Keyboard’s hinge doesn’t support any data transfer – it’s a charging-only port. As others have shown on Twitter, and as I was also able to confirm with my USB-C power meter, the port lets you charge the iPad Pro at full-speed (although I haven’t personally tested fast charging yet). I like that I will be able to connect my Sony Walkman to the iPad Pro’s USB-C port and charge the device from the keyboard’s pass-through port at the same time.

\n

The CoverBuddy case fits, but the Magic Keyboard doesn’t close. I tested the Magic Keyboard with my existing SwitchEasy CoverBuddy case for the 2018 iPad Pro and, while the case fits and can be attached to the Magic Keyboard, it prevents the keyboard from staying attached to the iPad when closed. I hope SwitchEasy will come up with a Magic Keyboard-compatible design soon.

\n

Hybrid Laptop

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\"\"

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As I noted at the outset, it’s impossible to come up with a comprehensive review of a major new iPad accessory and consider its effect on the ecosystem in 24 hours. For instance, I still don’t know where the Magic Keyboard fits in my modular desktop setup (but I have some ideas), and, given the current circumstances, I haven’t been able to use the Magic Keyboard outside the house yet.

\n

What I can say right now, however, is that it only took me a couple hours of working with my iPad Pro – writing, doing some research, talking with my colleagues, building some shortcuts and editing code – to get the feeling the Magic Keyboard is the best external keyboard experience I’ve had on iPad to date.

\n

The Magic Keyboard is, at least for me, superior to the Smart Keyboard Folio for a handful of reasons: the keyboard itself is more comfortable to type on; it’s backlit, which helps me get work done at night; the adjustable hinges let me get the iPad’s angle just right; I can stop reaching out to touch the display because there’s a trackpad built-in. The Magic Keyboard offers a professional typing experience and seamless integration with the iPadOS UI; it’s a pro keyboard for pro iPad users who demanded more than a Smart Keyboard Folio.

\n

At the same time, the Magic Keyboard underlines the iPad’s nature as a modular computer by enabling me to pick it up and resume using it as a tablet whenever I want, with a simple gesture. More than any other iPad accessory, the Magic Keyboard reinforces the idea that the same computer can transform into two radically different form factors at any given time. This philosophy goes beyond the design of a keyboard alone: it’s supported by the iPad’s hardware (with a magnet-based system that simplifies attaching the iPad and encourages pulling it out), software (with the new system pointer that disappears when not in use), and app ecosystem (with apps that can be used with multi-touch and the pointer). Considered through this lens, the Magic Keyboard delivers on the kind of hybrid computing experience I hoped the iPad would eventually achieve, and it’s here today.

\n

24 hours in, the Magic Keyboard feels like an entirely new class of accessory for the iPad Pro, and it’s the keyboard + trackpad combo I’ve been waiting for. Let’s check back on this in a few months.

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  1. \nMy method: hold the bottom right corner of the iPad with my thumb and apply pressure in the back of the iPad with my index finger to detach it from the case. It’s very easy to do. ↩︎\n
    2. \n
  2. \nI know I shouldn’t, but hey, you’re also reading this story today. ↩︎\n
    3. \n
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Join Now", "content_text": "The Magic Keyboard and my iPad Pro, featuring the iVisor matte screen protector.\nFollowing the surprise early release of the Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro, I’ve been waiting to get my hands on Apple’s highly anticipated accessory and evaluate it from the perspective of someone who uses the iPad Pro as a tablet, laptop, and desktop workstation.\nI received the Magic Keyboard for my 12.9” iPad Pro yesterday afternoon; fortunately, I was able to order one in the US English keyboard layout from the Italian Apple Store last week, and the keyboard arrived three days ahead of its original scheduled delivery date. Obviously, less than a day of usage isn’t enough time to provide you with a comprehensive review; however, given that plenty of iPad users are still waiting for their Magic Keyboards to arrive, I thought it’d be useful to share some first impressions and thoughts based on my initial 24 hours with the keyboard.\nLet’s dive in.\n\nLaptop Mode and iPad Modularity\nFrom the get-go, it’s apparent that the Magic Keyboard was primarily designed to enable a native laptop mode for the iPad Pro. Unlike the Smart Keyboard Folio, the Magic Keyboard comes with a built-in 5x10cm multi-touch trackpad; because of its hinge-based floating design, you can’t fully fold the Magic Keyboard on itself, hiding it in the back of the iPad Pro like you can with the Smart Keyboard Folio. This is Apple’s answer to users who have been asking for years for a “pro Smart Keyboard” to turn the iPad into a quasi-laptop device, and it doesn’t try to replicate all the features from the Smart Keyboard Folio or regular Smart Folio. I would have liked to see the option to fold the Magic Keyboard in the back of the iPad; I’m just not sure how that could be physically possible given Apple’s design direction for the Magic Keyboard (more on this later).\nThe first thing I noticed when setting up the Magic Keyboard is that, when laying flat on a desk, you can’t open the iPad Pro with one hand: you can easily lift the screen from the Magic Keyboard’s inner magnetic cover, but if you want to fully open it to start typing, you have to keep at least one finger on the keyboard’s base while lifting the rest of the unit – just like most laptops.\nHere’s where the Magic Keyboard’s design differs from traditional laptops though: when lifting the iPad’s display, you’ll feel a first snap when the bottom hinge (the cylinder-shaped one that comes with a built-in USB-C port) has reached its open position; keep pushing on the iPad’s display, and the iPad will detach from the second hinge, which is located in the Magic Keyboard’s back cover and lets you adjust the iPad’s viewing angle. It’s the horizontal line that separates the two halves of the Magic Keyboard’s cover. In a nice act of design symmetry, the second hinge runs exactly across the antenna line of the 12.9” iPad Pro:\nThe Magic Keyboard’s second hinge.\nWhat’s even nicer about this opening procedure is how the iPad’s software knows when to turn on the display and activate Face ID. If you pay attention when lifting the iPad, you’ll notice that the display turns on as soon as the iPad is detached from one half of the Magic Keyboard’s back cover; a few moments later, the Face ID sensor is activated and starts scanning. In practice, this isn’t just a delightful detail that proves Apple’s proverbial integration of hardware and software – it also means that by the time you’re done adjusting the iPad’s viewing angle, the iPad will have already authenticated you. At that point, it’s just a matter of pressing the space bar to dismiss the Lock screen and start working.\nOver the last 24 hours, I’ve used the iPad Pro with the Magic Keyboard at my desk, at the kitchen table, on my lap, and in bed. In all circumstances, I found the Magic Keyboard’s two-hinge system strong and reliable. I wouldn’t describe the hinges as overly stiff; they require just the right amount of pressure to lift the iPad and put it in place, and once that’s done, they’re sturdy enough to maintain the viewing angle you set and prevent the iPad from tipping over. As with the Smart Keyboard Folio, the magnetic connection between the cover and the back of the iPad is also strong – so much, in fact, that it allows the iPad to float above the keyboard.\n\nI was somewhat skeptical of Apple’s floating design initially and wondered whether the whole structure could be stable enough to type with a Magic Keyboard on your lap. I’m happy to be proven wrong: I find the Magic Keyboard very comfortable to use on my lap; its footprint is smaller than a 13” MacBook Pro, but it feels stable and the iPad’s screen doesn’t wobble when typing thanks to the array of magnets that keep it locked in-place to the back cover. No matter how I was using the Magic Keyboard, I never second-guessed the stability of its hinge-based floating design.\nThe iPad does wobble back and forth a little if you’re using the Apple Pencil or tapping your fingers on the display with a moderate amount of force (perhaps because you’re playing a game or liking certain tweets with particular emphasis); however, this is to be expected given the keyboard’s flexible design, and they’re not activities I’d recommend you perform while the iPad is inside the Magic Keyboard anyway. Plus, any laptop screen would wobble a little if you tried to interact with it via touch.\nIn terms of viewing angles, while the Smart Keyboard Folio only supported two fixed positions, the Magic Keyboard lets you manually adjust the display’s angle thanks to its secondary hinge in the back.\nThe Magic Keyboard’s most open angle is roughly comparable to the Smart Keyboard Folio’s (pictured in the back), but the iPad floats higher.\nThe Smart Keyboard Folio’s other viewing angle. The Magic Keyboard can also be adjusted to this position and can create an even steeper angle.\nThe best way to think about it is this: at its most open position, the Magic Keyboard essentially replicates the largest viewing angle of the Smart Keyboard Folio, only the iPad’s screen floats higher. I like to type with the display tilted a bit further back into the Magic Keyboard’s case, and it’s nice that I can adjust the angle to get it just right instead of being limited to two preset angles. What’s even better is that I no longer have to hear the horrible noise the Smart Keyboard Folio makes when locking the iPad into a viewing angle, which would routinely wake up my girlfriend or dogs at night.\nBased on my experience in these first 24 hours, I would go as far as saying that, because of the adjustable viewing angle, robust design, and built-in trackpad, using the Magic Keyboard on my lap has been my favorite mode so far. Thanks to the improvements in iPadOS 13.4 and adoption from third-party developers, I very rarely have to touch the iPad’s display; because of the Magic Keyboard’s design and integration with iPadOS, I can work with the iPad Pro in a variety of contexts without ever worrying about pairing, charging, or having a subpar trackpad experience. I’ll probably follow up on this in a few months, but I have a feeling I must have really missed using a portable computer on my lap after years with the Brydge keyboard and Smart Keyboard Folio.\nWhich brings me to the point I believe most people are not seeing when comparing the iPad Pro with Magic Keyboard to other laptops or tablets. The Magic Keyboard is an accessory that fully embraces Apple’s modular approach to the iPad Pro: it enables a reliable, functional laptop mode while at the same time encouraging you to detach the iPad at any time and use it as a tablet when you no longer need a keyboard and trackpad. This is, I believe, the key differentiator for the iPad Pro and Magic Keyboard: when paired together, you have a useful, credible laptop mode for your iPad; pick up the iPad – which you can even do with one hand by just pulling it from the cover without knocking it loose1 – and you still have a fantastic tablet with a vibrant ecosystem of tablet-optimized apps and a multi-touch OS. For the same price and weight, yes, you could get a MacBook Air (or even a MacBook Pro) instead of an iPad Pro with Magic Keyboard; however, I wouldn’t recommend trying to pull a MacBook’s display away from the keyboard when you’d like to use a tablet instead.\n\nThe Magic Keyboard strikes a perfect balance between altering the iPad’s nature and keeping it intact at the same time.\n\nThe Magic Keyboard turns an iPad Pro into a laptop, but it does so in a way that isn’t definitive – the transformation can always be reversed by the simple act of pulling the “computing core” away from it. This is also where the Magic Keyboard differs from competing accessories such as the Brydge keyboard: aside from Brydge’s poor trackpad implementation, I always found their design discouraged a constant alternation of roles – from laptop to tablet, and vice versa. It could be done, but carefully putting the iPad inside the Brydge’s keyboard clips and pulling it out was a chore. As a result, I found myself leaving the iPad Pro inside the Brydge keyboard at all times and never using it as a tablet. The Magic Keyboard feels like it was designed with the opposite principle in mind: it enables a laptop mode for the iPad, but you can always undo it and return to the iPad’s pure tablet form in two seconds. And when you’re done using the iPad as a tablet, you can just as easily re-align it with the Magic Keyboard (thanks to magnets in the case) and go back to using the physical keyboard and trackpad.\nBased on what I’ve seen and tested so far, the Magic Keyboard is the only laptop-like accessory that strikes a perfect balance between altering the iPad’s nature and keeping it intact at the same time.\nTyping and Trackpad\nThe Magic Keyboard is powered by the Smart Connector, so it’s always ready to type as soon as you unlock the iPad since it requires no pairing. The absence of Bluetooth was one of my favorite aspects of the Smart Keyboard Folio, and I’m glad Apple was able to continue down this road with the Magic Keyboard as well.\nKeyboards – especially Apple’s – are best judged over time, but right now I can say that typing on this keyboard feels great. The keys are larger than the ones on the Smart Keyboard Folio and have a more traditional square shape, which is a welcome change; despite the size increase, there’s enough space between them. The keyboard is backlit (finally!), which allows me to more easily edit articles at night2; the return of the inverted-T layout for arrow keys is also nice. As far as comparisons to other Apple keyboards go, the Magic Keyboard for iPad has less travel than my old external Magic Keyboard, but I find it vastly superior to the infamous butterfly keyboard (which I tested on my girlfriend’s 13” MacBook Pro). In short: I like the keyboard, and I find its layout more comfortable than the Smart Keyboard Folio.\nThat said, I’m still adjusting to typing on the Magic Keyboard because one of my initial concerns has proven true: the bottom edge of the iPad’s display occasionally gets in the way of my fingers, resulting in accidental touches on the screen. I believe this is due to a combination of the way I type and how, at its widest viewing angle, the iPad’s bottom edge floats right above the keyboard’s number row. I’ve had similar issues with other keyboards in the past, and I usually get used to it by adjusting the way I type over time; I’ll have to report back on this in a few weeks. For now, tweaking the iPad’s angle so it floats farther away from the keyboard seems to do the trick.\nIt’s a small trackpad, but I’ve already grown used to it.\nThe trackpad is fairly small at 5x10cm (compared to the Brydge keyboard’s 6x10cm), and I was afraid it would be too cramped for my hands, but in practice it feels great to use. Scrolling and swiping across the iPadOS UI is smooth and responsive; you can press down anywhere on the trackpad to physically click (which isn’t true of other keyboard cases), but tap to click is also supported. Just like Apple’s Magic Trackpad 2, multi-touch gestures are activated instantly; based on the size of my hands, three-finger gestures (which are needed to navigate the iPadOS multitasking interface) are fine; 4-finger gestures require a bit more dexterity and precision. Making good trackpads is hard; the Magic Keyboard’s trackpad feels like a mini version of the excellent Magic Trackpad 2 – quite the accomplishment given its diminutive form factor.\nThe trackpad’s most important feat is that it allows you to navigate the iPadOS UI entirely with the system-wide pointer. As I explained weeks ago, this is turning out to be a transformational addition to the iPad experience that I wouldn’t have expected to witness within the iPadOS 13 release cycle. In editing this story last night, I was laying in bed, iPad Pro on my lap with the Magic Keyboard, and dark mode enabled in iA Writer; it was just so nice to be able to see the keys in front of me in the dark and control the iPad’s interface without lifting my hands off the keyboard. I know – none of this comes as a surprise to laptop owners; but as a longtime iPad user who has long struggled trying to use the device in a traditional laptop configuration, especially when the lights are out, the Magic Keyboard feels like a game changer already.\nMaterials, Size, and Weight Comparisons\nThe Magic Keyboard is made of the same material as the Smart Keyboard Folio’s outer case. The keyboard and trackpad are made of plastic, of course, and keys aren’t covered in fabric; everything else has the same texture as the Smart (Keyboard) Folio’s outer layer. Time will tell how this material will age after intense use; what’s for certain today is that you can’t freely spill water or crumbs on the Magic Keyboard and hope to wipe everything away as you could with the Smart Keyboard Folio.\nAs was widely expected, the Magic Keyboard is heavier than the Smart Keyboard Folio, and when you pair the 12.9” iPad Pro with it, the combined weight is comparable to a MacBook. This doesn’t shock me. After all, this is a laptop keyboard with backlit keys, two adjustable hinges, and a trackpad; it’d be foolish to think Apple could replicate a laptop configuration (and support the structure of a floating design that facilitates pulling the iPad away) with the same design of the Smart Keyboard Folio – nor would I want them to. The Magic Keyboard feels just right for what it is and does. The MacBook comparison fails to acknowledge the basic premise of this entire story: some people prefer working on iPadOS and like having a computer that transforms into a tablet or laptop when necessary. Perhaps a better comparison would be to consider how much a bag would weigh if you carried both a MacBook and iPad at the same time.\nThat said, if you really wanted to know about the Magic Keyboard’s numbers, here you go. I weighed my iPad Pro and various keyboards with my kitchen scale, so pardon the margin of error.\niPad Pro 12.9”, cellular: 640g\nMagic Keyboard: 710g\niPad Pro and Magic Keyboard: 1350g\nSmart Keyboard Folio: 455g\niPad Pro and Smart Keyboard Folio: 1095g\nBrydge Pro+ keyboard: 685g\niPad Pro and Brydge Pro+ keyboard: 1325g\nThe Magic Keyboard’s base is thinner than the Brydge keyboard (right), but Apple’s accessory adds thickness by covering the iPad in the back.\nAs you can see, the Brydge Pro+ Keyboard paired with the 12.9” iPad Pro actually weighs slightly less than the Magic Keyboard + iPad combo (when closed, both configurations have the same thickness at 1.5cm). In practice, however, carrying the iPad Pro around with the Magic Keyboard feels more “portable” than the Brydge Pro+ keyboard. I don’t know why, exactly, but I feel like the Brydge’s aluminum body and blocky design makes it feel heftier overall. In any case, despite the weight increase over the Smart Keyboard Folio, using the iPad Pro inside the Magic Keyboard on my lap doesn’t feel like I’m using a heavy laptop.\nMiscellaneous Notes\nHere’s a collection of assorted notes and details I’ve noticed since I started testing the Magic Keyboard yesterday.\nThe Apple logo is very faint. Unlike the Smart Keyboard Folio, the Magic Keyboard features an embedded Apple logo (placed horizontally) on the back cover, facing out from the iPad when in laptop mode. However, you can barely see it. I still find Apple’s only color choice for this keyboard boring, so I’m probably going to cover up the whole thing with stickers very soon.\nThe camera cutout is fine, even if you have an older iPad Pro. I’m testing the Magic Keyboard with a 2018 iPad Pro, and the larger camera cutout (designed to accomodate the additional sensors in the 2020 iPad Pro) doesn’t bother me. I never look at it anyway. This is not something worth being concerned about.\nMy 2018 iPad Pro inside the Magic Keyboard.\nNo media keys. My biggest criticism of the Magic Keyboard so far (aside from accidentally touching the iPad’s bottom edge) is that the keyboard doesn’t come with a function row for media keys, system shortcuts, and an ESC key. This is a disappointment given that other keyboard manufacturers figured out how to embed an additional row in keyboards of the same footprint. I wonder if a future revision of the Magic Keyboard – or perhaps a Magic Keyboard for a larger 15” iPad Pro – could solve this.\nAs a general tip, you can always use the system-wide ⌘. (Command-period) keyboard shortcut on iPadOS to replicate the functionality of a physical ESC key.\nYou can manually adjust the keyboard’s backlight illumination. The Magic Keyboard’s backlit keys automatically adjust via the iPad’s ambient sensor, but if you want to manually tweak the keyboard’s brightness, you can do so with a slider in Settings ⇾ General ⇾ Keyboard ⇾ Hardware Keyboard.\nIf you want an easier way to get to this page, I created a shortcut that launches the Hardware Keyboard section of Settings directly. The shortcut is best used as a widget on the iPad Home screen, and you can download it below.\n\n \n \n Hardware Keyboard SettingsOpen the Hardware Keyboard section of the Settings app. Useful to tweak the brightness level of the Magic Keyboard for iPad.\nGet the shortcut here.\n\n \n \n\nThe USB-C port is for charging only. The embedded USB-C port in the Magic Keyboard’s hinge doesn’t support any data transfer – it’s a charging-only port. As others have shown on Twitter, and as I was also able to confirm with my USB-C power meter, the port lets you charge the iPad Pro at full-speed (although I haven’t personally tested fast charging yet). I like that I will be able to connect my Sony Walkman to the iPad Pro’s USB-C port and charge the device from the keyboard’s pass-through port at the same time.\nThe CoverBuddy case fits, but the Magic Keyboard doesn’t close. I tested the Magic Keyboard with my existing SwitchEasy CoverBuddy case for the 2018 iPad Pro and, while the case fits and can be attached to the Magic Keyboard, it prevents the keyboard from staying attached to the iPad when closed. I hope SwitchEasy will come up with a Magic Keyboard-compatible design soon.\nHybrid Laptop\n\nAs I noted at the outset, it’s impossible to come up with a comprehensive review of a major new iPad accessory and consider its effect on the ecosystem in 24 hours. For instance, I still don’t know where the Magic Keyboard fits in my modular desktop setup (but I have some ideas), and, given the current circumstances, I haven’t been able to use the Magic Keyboard outside the house yet.\nWhat I can say right now, however, is that it only took me a couple hours of working with my iPad Pro – writing, doing some research, talking with my colleagues, building some shortcuts and editing code – to get the feeling the Magic Keyboard is the best external keyboard experience I’ve had on iPad to date.\nThe Magic Keyboard is, at least for me, superior to the Smart Keyboard Folio for a handful of reasons: the keyboard itself is more comfortable to type on; it’s backlit, which helps me get work done at night; the adjustable hinges let me get the iPad’s angle just right; I can stop reaching out to touch the display because there’s a trackpad built-in. The Magic Keyboard offers a professional typing experience and seamless integration with the iPadOS UI; it’s a pro keyboard for pro iPad users who demanded more than a Smart Keyboard Folio.\nAt the same time, the Magic Keyboard underlines the iPad’s nature as a modular computer by enabling me to pick it up and resume using it as a tablet whenever I want, with a simple gesture. More than any other iPad accessory, the Magic Keyboard reinforces the idea that the same computer can transform into two radically different form factors at any given time. This philosophy goes beyond the design of a keyboard alone: it’s supported by the iPad’s hardware (with a magnet-based system that simplifies attaching the iPad and encourages pulling it out), software (with the new system pointer that disappears when not in use), and app ecosystem (with apps that can be used with multi-touch and the pointer). Considered through this lens, the Magic Keyboard delivers on the kind of hybrid computing experience I hoped the iPad would eventually achieve, and it’s here today.\n24 hours in, the Magic Keyboard feels like an entirely new class of accessory for the iPad Pro, and it’s the keyboard + trackpad combo I’ve been waiting for. Let’s check back on this in a few months.\n\n\nMy method: hold the bottom right corner of the iPad with my thumb and apply pressure in the back of the iPad with my index finger to detach it from the case. It’s very easy to do. ↩︎\n\n\nI know I shouldn’t, but hey, you’re also reading this story today. ↩︎\n\n\nSupport MacStories and Unlock ExtrasFounded in 2015, Club MacStories has delivered exclusive content every week for over six years.\nIn that time, members have enjoyed nearly 400 weekly and monthly newsletters packed with more of your favorite MacStories writing as well as Club-only podcasts, eBooks, discounts on apps, icons, and services. Join today, and you’ll get everything new that we publish every week, plus access to our entire archive of back issues and downloadable perks.\nThe Club expanded in 2021 with Club MacStories+ and Club Premier. Club MacStories+ members enjoy even more exclusive stories, a vibrant Discord community, a rotating roster of app discounts, and more. And, with Club Premier, you get everything we offer at every Club level plus an extended, ad-free version of our podcast AppStories that is delivered early each week in high-bitrate audio.\nJoin Now", "date_published": "2020-04-21T10:30:45-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-11-23T09:51:13-05:00", "authors": [ { "name": "Federico Viticci", "url": "https://www.macstories.net/author/viticci/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/94a9aa7c70dbeb9440c6759bd2cebc2a?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "tags": [ "iPad Pro", "keyboard", "stories" ] }, { "id": "https://www.macstories.net/?p=62970", "url": "https://www.macstories.net/linked/halide-team-experiments-with-ipad-pros-lidar-scanner/", "title": "Halide Team Experiments with iPad Pro\u2019s LiDAR Scanner", "content_html": "
\"Source:

Source: Halide Blog

\n

Sebastiaan de With, on the Halide blog, goes deep on the 2020 iPad Pro’s camera module. His examination reveals that the device’s wide camera is virtually identical to that of the 2018 model. And the ultra-wide camera, unfortunately, isn’t quite up to the quality level of what’s found in the iPhone 11 and 11 Pro.

\n

The most exciting and impressive aspect of the camera system is the LiDAR Scanner. The Halide team actually went to the trouble of building an entire proof of concept app that utilizes the LiDAR Scanner to capture your surroundings.

\n

\n With Halide, we’d love to use the depth data in interesting ways, even if it’s low resolution. There was only one problem: there are no APIs for us as developers to use to get access to the underlying depth data. They only expose the processed 3D surface.

\n

What if we re-thought photographic capture, though? We built a proof-of-concept we’re calling Esper.

\n

Esper experiments with realtime 3D capture using the cameras and LIDAR sensor at room scale. It’s a fun and useful way to capture a space.\n

\n

I always love reading de With’s in-depth explanations and comparisons of new iPhone or iPad cameras, and this was an especially fun one.

\n

\u2192 Source: blog.halide.cam

", "content_text": "Source: Halide Blog\nSebastiaan de With, on the Halide blog, goes deep on the 2020 iPad Pro’s camera module. His examination reveals that the device’s wide camera is virtually identical to that of the 2018 model. And the ultra-wide camera, unfortunately, isn’t quite up to the quality level of what’s found in the iPhone 11 and 11 Pro.\nThe most exciting and impressive aspect of the camera system is the LiDAR Scanner. The Halide team actually went to the trouble of building an entire proof of concept app that utilizes the LiDAR Scanner to capture your surroundings.\n\n With Halide, we’d love to use the depth data in interesting ways, even if it’s low resolution. There was only one problem: there are no APIs for us as developers to use to get access to the underlying depth data. They only expose the processed 3D surface.\n What if we re-thought photographic capture, though? We built a proof-of-concept we’re calling Esper.\n Esper experiments with realtime 3D capture using the cameras and LIDAR sensor at room scale. It’s a fun and useful way to capture a space.\n\nI always love reading de With’s in-depth explanations and comparisons of new iPhone or iPad cameras, and this was an especially fun one.\n\u2192 Source: blog.halide.cam", "date_published": "2020-04-16T09:25:48-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-04-16T09:25:48-04:00", "authors": [ { "name": "Ryan Christoffel", "url": "https://www.macstories.net/author/ryanchristoffel/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/6f92854b21cbef25629d7efb809a9de7?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "tags": [ "AR", "camera", "iPad Pro", "Linked" ] }, { "id": "https://www.macstories.net/?p=62846", "url": "https://www.macstories.net/stories/modular-computer/", "title": "Modular Computer: iPad Pro as a Tablet, Laptop, and Desktop Workstation", "content_html": "
\"My

My iPad Pro desktop setup.

\n

When I started my iPad-only journey in 2012, I was stuck in a hospital bed and couldn’t use my Mac. It’s a story I’ve told many times before: I had to figure out a way to get work done without a Mac, and I realized the iPad – despite its limited ecosystem of apps and lackluster OS at the time – granted me the computing freedom I sought. At a time when I couldn’t use a desk or connect to a Wi-Fi network, a tablet I could hold in my hands and use to comunicate with remote colleagues over a cellular connection was all I needed. Over time, however, that state of necessity became a choice: for a few years now, I’ve preferred working on my iPad Pro and iPadOS (née iOS) in lieu of my Mac mini, even when I’m home and have access to my desk and macOS workstation.

\n

The more I think about it, the more I come to this conclusion: the iPad, unlike other computers running a “traditional” desktop OS, possesses the unique quality of being multiple things at once. Hold an iPad in your hands, and you can use it as a classic tablet; pair it with a keyboard cover, and it takes on a laptop form; place it on a desk and connect it to a variety of external accessories, and you’ve got a desktop workstation revolving around a single slab of glass. This multiplicity of states isn’t an afterthought, nor is it the byproduct of happenstance: it was a deliberate design decision on Apple’s part based on the principle of modularity.

\n

In looking back at the past decade of iPad and, more specifically, the past two years of the current iPad Pro line, I believe different factors contributed to making the iPad Pro Apple’s first modular computer – a device whose shape and function can optionally be determined by the extra hardware paired with it.

\n

The original iPad Pro showed how Apple was willing to go beyond the old “just a tablet” connotation with the Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard. Three years later, the company followed up on the iPad Pro’s original vision with a switch to USB-C which, as a result, opened the iPad to a wider ecosystem of external accessories and potential configurations. At the same time, even without considerable software enhancements by Apple, the creativity of third-party developers allowed iPad apps to embrace external displays and new file management functionalities. And lastly, just a few weeks ago, Apple unveiled iPadOS’ native cursor mode, finally putting an end to the debate about whether the iPad would ever support the desktop PC’s classic input method.

\n

The intersection of these evolutionary paths is the modern iPad Pro, a device that fills many roles in my professional and personal life. Ever since I purchased the 2018 iPad Pro1, I’ve been regularly optimizing my setup at home and on the go to take advantage of the device’s versatility. I’ve tested dozens of different keyboards, purchased more USB-C hubs than I care to admit, and tried to minimize overhead by designing a system that lets me use the same external display and keyboard with two different computers – the Mac mini and iPad Pro.

\n

At the end of this fun, eye-opening process, I’ve ended up with a computer that is greater than the sum of its parts. By virtue of its modular nature, I find my custom iPad Pro setup superior to a traditional laptop, and more flexible than a regular desktop workstation.

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So how exactly did I transform the iPad Pro into this new kind of modular computer? Let’s dig in.

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[table_of_contents]

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Tablet Mode

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At its core, the iPad Pro is still very much a tablet. And despite the number of desktop-oriented accessories I’m going to cover in this story, I still enjoy the simple act of unplugging everything from my iPad Pro – including its Smart Keyboard Folio cover – and sitting on the couch to read longform articles and books, watch videos, or take care of MacStories admin tasks with the Apple Pencil.

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It may be a trite statement a decade into the iPad’s existence, but no traditional portable computer, from Apple or other companies, beats the iPad’s inherent simplicity when it comes to holding a large screen in your hands and controlling it with multitouch. In spite of such obviousness, I feel like I should reiterate this sentiment as, somewhere along the conversation surrounding post-PC hybrids and “what’s a computer” rhetoric, we may have lost track of the tablet’s basic appeal.

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The 12.9” iPad Pro is not a lightweight tablet: its footprint makes it impossible to operate with one hand, and when you compare it to the sheer portability of an iPad mini or Kindle, you’d be hard-pressed not to consider it an unwieldy affair. At the same time though, the big iPad Pro makes for an amazing “couch tablet” experience: watching YouTube videos2 and reading manga are fantastic activities to perform on a 12.9” display resting on your lap; whenever I need to edit an article that’s going to be published on MacStories, I like to put the iPad Pro in portrait mode on my lap (so I see more text onscreen), load up our team’s GitHub repository as an external location in iA Writer (more details here), and use a custom MacStories preview template to edit and read the piece as it would look on our website. The illusion of holding an article in my hands is reinforced by the iPad Pro’s near edge-to-edge design, a unique trait that I don’t appreciate as much when I use the device as a “computer” on a desk, paired with an external keyboard.

\n
\"The

The large iPad Pro is fantastic for reading longform stories.

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To make the iPad Pro’s tablet experience more enjoyable and flexible, a few months ago I installed an anti-glare screen protector. Initially, I tested version 2 of the popular Paperlike matte screen protector, but didn’t like its somewhat complex installation procedure and rough texture.3 Then, at the recommendation of some MacStories readers, I started testing the Moshi iVisor screen protector and fell in love with it. This screen protector is a thin film that can be applied to the iPad Pro’s display in 30 seconds; amazingly, it leaves no air bubbles, can be washed and reused, has a smooth texture that is much less aggressive than the Paperlike’s, and, more importantly, adds a matte layer on top of the iPad Pro’s display that nearly eliminates all reflections.

\n

I started looking into matte screen protectors for a couple reasons. First, I’ve always found it annoying I couldn’t read with my iPad Pro while sitting outside on our large balcony without seeing all kinds of reflections on the tablet’s screen; additionally, looking ahead at summer 2020 and iOS/iPadOS review season, I didn’t want to be in the same situation as last year – trying to desperately find some shade under a beach umbrella in a vain attempt to edit my annual review on the iPad Pro’s reflective screen. If Apple allowed a more expensive, build-to-order matte display for the iPad Pro, I would absolutely go for it because I like working outside in the spring and summer here in Italy. In the absence of an official option, I had to find a third-party alternative.

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I’ve been using my iPad Pro with the Moshi iVisor matte screen protector for about three months now; not only has this modification vastly improved my experience with using the iPad under direct sunlight or other light sources, but when I look at an iPad without a matte screen protector, I don’t know why I didn’t try this approach years ago. Unlike the Paperlike 2, the iVisor can be installed in seconds and easily re-applied without creating air bubbles, and I can still swipe with my fingers across the display without feeling too much friction. Color fidelity and image crispness is somewhat impacted by the addition of a screen protector, but, again, I’ve found the iVisor to perform better than the Paperlike in this regard too.

\n
\"Image

Image quality remains crisp and vivid even with the Moshi screen protector on.

\n
\"The

The Moshi iVisor up close.

\n

Even though it’s not advertised for those who seek a paper-like experience when handwriting or sketching on iPad Pro, I’ve found the iVisor to add just the right amount of friction for the Apple Pencil too. I’ve never been a heavy user of the Apple Pencil myself (John has far more creative use cases for it when it comes to brainstorming and mind-mapping), but it’s my go-to accessory whenever I have to review and sign PDF documents from my accountant. When I have to do that, I like to grab my iPad Pro and Apple Pencil, relax on the couch (if you have to read boring legal documents, you might as well do it from the comfort of a sofa), and annotate in PDF Viewer. I could do this with my Mac mini, or with a MacBook, but nothing beats the simple act of holding a document and signing it with an Apple Pencil.

\n

Throughout the rest of this story, you’re going to see and read about various pieces of additional hardware I’ve used to unlock different modes for my iPad Pro. I felt it was equally important, however, to emphasize that one of those many modes still is, perhaps surprisingly to some, to use the iPad Pro as a tablet. No keyboard, no trackpad, no external display: just a screen I can hold in my hands – the only way it used to be years ago, and something I don’t ever want the iPad to lose.

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Laptop Mode: Custom Smart Keyboard Folio

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My relationship with Apple’s Smart Keyboard Folio was off to a rocky start in November 2018, but, as I wrote last year, with time I’ve grown to appreciate the simplicity and reliability of Apple’s slim keyboard cover. Unlike Bluetooth keyboards, the Smart Keyboard feels like an integral component of the iPad Pro: by eschewing Bluetooth pairing and battery life concerns, the Smart Keyboard is always ready to type as soon as you open it; like the second-generation Apple Pencil, the act of letting the Smart Keyboard make contact with the iPad Pro means the two can work together. The Smart Keyboard has its limits4, but I’ve enjoyed using it for what it is: a full-size keyboard that requires no pairing and adds minimal bulk to my iPad Pro while also offering essential protection for its display. In my mind, no other keyboard accessory ticks all these boxes.

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That’s not to say I was just willing to accept the Smart Keyboard Folio’s design limitations. As I also detailed last year, I employed the so-called Kickstand Method5 to mod the Smart Keyboard Folio with two small metal kickstands, which allowed me to use the iPad in software keyboard mode (propped up at a slight angle) without removing the Smart Keyboard Folio.

\n

For context:

\n

\n Following a tip from a MacStories reader a few months ago, I came across these metal kickstands by Spigen, which are available for around $10 each on Amazon. These kickstands are designed for smartphones: you attach the base of the kickstand via its built-in adhesive tape to the back of your phone’s case; then, when you need to watch a video or have a video call and would like to keep the screen propped up on a desk, you can just flip open the kickstand – which is sturdy and reliable – and set your phone down. It’s a simple, unobtrusive, robust design that is perhaps a bit more utilitarian than a PopSocket.

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But back to the idea I received on Twitter a while back: what if instead of using a kickstand with an iPhone, I attached two kickstands in parallel to the back of the Smart Keyboard Folio so that, with the cover folded on itself, they would prop up the iPad at an angle, thus creating the “touch mode” Apple didn’t support out of the box?\n

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And here’s what the result looked like at the time:

\n
\"iPad

iPad Pro and kickstands.

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\"Using

Using the iPad Pro in software keyboard mode without removing the Smart Keyboard Folio.

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Now, some of you may have thought that was just an experiment that wouldn’t last long. And I wouldn’t blame you – it is my job, after all, to try multiple accessories and apps, most of which don’t stick around for long. But the Kickstand Method is different: not only have I been using the original set of kickstands to prop up my iPad whenever I want to type with the software keyboard, sign documents with the Apple Pencil, or just change input methods for a while, but I liked the results so much, a few months ago I added a second set of kickstands to the back of the Smart Keyboard Folio. To help you visualize everything, here’s what my Smart Keyboard Folio looks like now:

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\"The

The new stickers are the result of WWDC 2019 plus an order of hundreds of assorted stickers from Amazon.

\n

As you can see, the new kickstands – also placed parallel to each other – sit lower than the original set. With the two additional kickstands, I can now prop up the iPad Pro in “movie mode”: the base of the Smart Keyboard Folio folds on itself so it lays flat on the back of the device; the kickstands rest on the back of the cover, creating a 50-degree angle that is ideal for watching videos, playing games, or FaceTiming with the iPad Pro’s large display.

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\"My

My new angle for the iPad Pro thanks to additional kickstands.

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Together with adding a memory foam layer to the AirPods Pro silicone tips, these kickstands are my favorite mod I’ve ever applied to a tech accessory. As I explained last year, these kickstands have added practically no weight to my iPad Pro and haven’t dented the Smart Keyboard Folio’s back cover at all. In return, they’ve allowed me to get more out of the Smart Keyboard Folio since I can use it in more contexts that wouldn’t otherwise be supported without the additional viewing angles created by the kickstands. Furthermore, these kickstands are also behind my favorite setup (which I’ll describe later): the iPad Pro laying almost flat on my desk next to the UltraFine 4K display.

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My newfound appreciation for the Smart Keyboard Folio notwithstanding, I, like other iPad users, am ready to say goodbye and switch to the upcoming Magic Keyboard, which will feature a freely adjustable viewing angle, built-in trackpad, and backlit keys. But I also have questions.

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Will the Magic Keyboard be moddable enough to support folding it on itself and using the Kickstand Method again? (I don’t think it will.) Will it be too heavy to carry around? (I think it’ll be heavier than the Smart Keyboard Folio, but not incredibly so.) Will it be stable enough to use on my lap? (I believe Apple has figured this out.) I don’t have definite answers to any of these questions yet, but I’m keen to find out next month.

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Until that happens, I wanted to reiterate how much I’ve enjoyed working with my modded Smart Keyboard Folio for the past year. I typed my entire iOS and iPadOS 13 review on it, and I’ve carried it around with me to WWDC, the beach, and countless car trips.6 Two years ago I never thought I’d say this, but the Smart Keyboard Folio has been the best iPad keyboard experience I’ve had to date.

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USB DAC Mode

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This particular configuration of my iPad Pro is an extremely niche one, and I believe the majority of MacStories readers will not be interested in it, but I wanted to mention it because it’s fun, geeky, and, in a way, oddly fascinating.

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As I explained in my recent coverage of Meta for Mac, for the past year I’ve been building a personal music collection by purchasing my favorite albums in the lossless FLAC format. To enjoy these albums, I have a high-resolution Sony Walkman music player which I pair with my absolute favorite over-ear headphones – the Sony MDR-Z1R – via a balanced cable. If you’re curious about all the details behind my setup, I covered everything in the December 2019 episode of the MacStories Unplugged podcast for Club MacStories members; in short, I’ve been discovering sonic details of my favorite songs I never knew existed, and it’s nice to disconnect from the Internet every once in a while and simply enjoy listening to music without the distractions of Twitter or the endless catalog of a music streaming service. It’s pure audio bliss, it’s nice, and we could all use more nice things these days.

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Sometimes, however, I want to listen to music with my good Sony headphones and continue working on my iPad Pro at the same time. So after some research (and thanks to the help of Connected listeners), I realized it was possible to use the Sony Walkman as an external DAC (a digital-to-analog converter) that can drive my headphones with high-res music coming from the iPad Pro’s USB-C port.

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My music library is stored on a Samsung T5 SSD that is connected to my Mac mini server, which is always running in the background and shared on our local network. This means I can access the contents of the T5 drive via SFTP and SMB, allowing me to connect to it from the iPad’s Files app and other iPad file managers as well. To listen to my music library in its original format with my Sony headphones, I can’t use the iPad alone: the MDR-Z1R come with a 4.4mm balanced audio cable, which needs to be plugged into the Walkman. Here’s where things get interesting: the Walkman supports a USB DAC mode, which lets the device connect to a computer and act as an audio passthrough for the headphones connected to it. And as it turns out, the iPad Pro’s USB-C port supports all of this – provided you use the right apps to start music playback.

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Here’s what I did to listen to high-resolution music (both FLAC files in 16/24-bit at 44.1/48/96 kHZ and DSD) from the iPad Pro:

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When I want to listen to an album in high-resolution and work on the iPad at the same time, all I have to do is enable DAC mode on the Walkman and connect it via USB to the iPad Pro; the iPad will see the Walkman as an external audio device and set it as default output. Then, I can open Neutron, browse my external music library, and start playback. Audio will be passed in its original lossless format from the iPad to the Walkman to my headphones, so I can continue working while retaining the ability to control playback from my keyboard’s media keys.

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\"My

My Sony Walkman as an external DAC for the iPad Pro.

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Unfortunately, Neutron is – how can I say this – not the prettiest app around. The app’s UI is…confusing at best, and it doesn’t scale well to the iPad’s large display. But, from an audio engine perspective, Neutron is incredible: the app is powered by a 32/64-bit audio rendering engine that delivers high-resolution audio via Lightning or USB-C without frequency resampling and with all DSP effects applied – even if the audio stream is coming wirelessly from a server.

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\"Neutron

Neutron is not a good-looking app. However, I always leave the app running in the background, so that doesn’t bother me much.

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\"Neutron

Neutron makes up for its poor UI with an incredible audio processing engine.

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Neutron is the only app I’ve found that can source audio files from network locations such as SMB or FTP, and it even offers native DSD and gapless playback. If you’re an audiophile, you know what all this means and, like me, you’d be willing to forgive the app’s poor UI in exchange for its astounding functionality. Just take a look at the list of features on Neutron’s website to see what I mean.

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Using the iPad Pro with an external DAC for high-resolution audio is, quite possibly, the definition of a niche use case. Regardless, this continues to prove my point: it’s also thanks to USB-C that the iPad Pro now supports a variety of accessories, which in turn has allowed the device to fit into new and different setups.

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Desk Mode

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Ever since I upgraded my home office with a new desk, Mac mini, and UltraFine 4K monitor in November 2018, I’ve been working toward a single goal: building a setup that would allow me to use the same external display and keyboard with two different computers and OSes – the Mac mini and iPad Pro. Same desk, two vastly different experiences. It took me a while, but thanks to the improvements in iPadOS 13.4 (and a late realization on my part), I’m happy to say I finally have the “desktop iPad Pro” setup I’ve long desired.

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First, an explanation is in order for those who may land on this section without being familiar with my tastes and needs. Most days, I only turn on my Mac mini to let it run homebridge and Plex in the background, and I primarily get work done on my iPad Pro. A couple times a week, I also record podcasts on my Mac mini; I could do this from my iPad Pro, but because it’s a more involved setup, I only use my iPad Pro to record podcasts when I do not have access to my desk. The Mac is still essential to an important part of my work, but it’s actively used for less than six hours each week.

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In case it wasn’t clear, I enjoy working7 on my iPad Pro more than the Mac mini. Or more specifically, I prefer the design, interactions, and app ecosystem of iPadOS to macOS. For this reason, when I was rethinking my home office two years ago, I had an idea:

\n

What if I could create a – you guessed it – modular setup that supported both macOS and iPadOS with minimal adjustments necessary?

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\"My

My desktop setup.

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Enter the UltraFine 4K display, which, thanks to a single USB-C cable, can work as an external monitor both for my Mac mini and 2018 iPad Pro. I’ve written about this display and my penchant for using an iPad Pro with an external monitor (and all its limitations) several times before, most notably here and here. Here’s a key section from last year:

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\n With a single USB-C cable (compatible with USB 3.1 Gen. 2 speeds), the iPad Pro can mirror its UI to an external 4K monitor, support second-screen experiences for apps that integrate with that API, and be charged at the same time. In the case of the UltraFine 4K display, the monitor can also act as a USB hub for the iPad Pro thanks to its four USB-C ports in the back; as I mentioned last year, this allows me to plug the Magic Keyboard (which I normally use via Bluetooth with the Mac mini) into the UltraFine and use it to type on the iPad Pro. To the best of my knowledge, there are no portable USB-C hubs that support 4K@60 mirroring to an external display via USB-C’s DisplayPort alt mode.

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Despite the fact that I can’t touch the UltraFine to control the iOS interface or use a trackpad to show a pointer on it, I’ve gotten used to working with iOS apps on the big screen while the iPad sits next to the keyboard, effectively acting as a giant trackpad with a screen. For instance, when I want to concentrate on writing while avoiding neck strain or eye fatigue, I just plug the iPad Pro into the UltraFine, connect the Magic Keyboard in the back, and type in iA Writer on a larger screen. No, pillarboxing is not ideal, but the bigger fonts and UI elements are great for my eyesight, and I still get to work on iOS, which is the operating system I prefer for my writing tasks.\n

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Keep in mind the second quoted paragraph, as it’s going to be relevant in a bit.

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Now, the reason I want to use my iPad Pro with an external display is simple enough: even with pillarboxing, it’s bigger and doesn’t cause neck strain if I have to type for several consecutive hours. I get to enjoy the benefits of iPadOS and all my favorite apps while using a large display that sits at eye level and is more comfortable than hunching down at a desk to look at my iPad’s smaller display.

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When I last wrote about using the iPad Pro with an external display last year, I had the one-cable-to-rule-them-all ordeal pretty much figured out (yay USB-C!), but the external keyboard was a problem: I didn’t want to manually unpair the Magic Keyboard from the Mac mini every time I wanted to use it with the iPad Pro. Additionally, the iPad didn’t support mice and trackpads – via AssistiveTouch or otherwise. Suffice to say, a lot has changed over the past few months.

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The first aspect I was able to fix8 is the keyboard. I’ve stopped using the Magic Keyboard and I now use the Logitech MX Keys, a Bluetooth keyboard that supports switching between multiple devices with the press of a button. There’s plenty to like about the MX Keys besides its multi-device pairing: it’s backlit, its build quality is terrific, it charges via USB-C, and keys have a bit more travel than the Magic Keyboard. The only downside, at least for me, is that the MX Keys cannot be purchased in a compact layout that omits the number pad on the right side of the keyboard, which I never use.

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Unlike the Magic Keyboard, the MX Keys comes with media keys to activate specific functions such as volume control and media playback. Source: Logitech.

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The most important feature of the MX Keys, as I mentioned above, is the ability to quickly switch between multiple paired devices – in my case, the Mac mini and iPad Pro. When I want to work with the iPad Pro at my desk, I press the ‘1’ switch button, and the iPad instantly connects to the MX Keys; when it’s time to use the Mac mini, I press ‘2’ and the keyboard pairs with the Mac again. It’s that simple, and I wish Apple’s own extended Magic Keyboard offered a similar function, perhaps based on the company’s proprietary wireless chips.

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Which brings me to pointer support in iPadOS 13.4 and controlling content mirrored from an iPad onto an external display.

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The New Pointer

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In my Beyond the Tablet story last year, which was published before the debut of iPadOS and its support for USB/Bluetooth mice via Accessibility, I described why I enjoyed connecting my iPad Pro to the UltraFine 4K to focus on one task at a time, particularly writing. If I was spending the majority of my time typing in iA Writer, then not having a way to control the iPad’s UI shown on the monitor without touching the iPad’s screen was not an issue – I could just keep typing with the keyboard. I also noted how I could keep the iPad propped up at an angle next to the UltraFine thanks to its custom kickstands and use my right hand or the Apple Pencil for the occasional touch interaction with the display.

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Besides the placement of my iPad Pro, all of this has changed with the release of iPadOS 13.4 and its native integration with mice and, more importantly, the Magic Trackpad 2. I don’t mean to speak ill of last year’s AssistiveTouch-powered mouse integration – a feature designed for the Accessibility community that also garnered mainstream attention – but it never quite clicked for me (no pun intended) since it didn’t allow for full, system-wide control of the iPadOS interface. The new native pointer does, and it’s a game-changer for anyone seeking to turn their iPad Pro into a desktop workstation.

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The most important difference from last year’s Accessibility feature is the pointer: it is deeply embedded within the system’s UI, which has been updated to recognize the pointer and adapt certain UI elements to it. When you control an iPad with a mouse by using it as a pointing device with AssistiveTouch, the indicator displayed onscreen is, effectively, a virtual replica of your finger; the iPadOS UI has no idea that a pointer is moving onscreen because that Accessibility pointer only supports tap events, which prevents it from having access to features such as scrolling inertia, hover state, and multitouch. By contrast, the pointer in iPadOS 13.4 is entirely integrated with UIKit and dynamically adapts to different UI elements and areas by employing a mix of shapes, visual effects, and magnetic snaps.

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By default, iPadOS’ new pointer is a tiny floating dot that moves across the screen and intelligently changes its hue depending on the color of content underneath (a simple touch, but a clever one). The difference between the AssistiveTouch pointer and iPadOS 13.4’s flavor is immediately clear as soon as you start moving it around: all elements of the iPad’s UI can be interacted with using the pointer, from the small separator between apps in Split View and the clock in the status bar to the dock and apps on the Home screen. This is true system-wide integration between the interface and an external input mechanism – a first for Apple’s touch OS. And it’s not just that the pointer can click on any item it hovers over; unlike traditional desktop pointers, there’s a symbiotic relationship between the iPadOS UI and the pointer: interface elements visually react to the pointer, which often changes shape, momentum, color, and behavior based on the target underneath.

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Developers can create custom pointer effects and features (and I’ll cover some examples later in this section), but I want to highlight a couple default behaviors that made me realize how Apple’s iPadOS pointer is the perfect blend of utility and whimsy.

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As soon as the pointer flies over a text field, it quickly squishes – Knight Bus-style – to transform itself into an insertion point. This type of pointer makes it easy to perform fine-grained text selections by clicking and dragging a text selection onscreen; if you pay close attention to it, you’ll notice that the insertion point even “snaps” to individual lines in a block of text, almost as if magnetically attracted to them. The animation is fun, and selecting text becomes much easier and faster than doing so via touch – especially since Apple (bafflingly enough) got rid of the magnification loupe for text selection in iOS and iPadOS 13.

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Selecting text with the system pointer.

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The aforementioned snapping behavior is what Apple has officially labeled pointer magnetism, and it highlights another difference from traditional desktop pointers: an increased visual affordance when navigating the iPadOS UI. Whenever the pointer arrives in the proximity of a UI element that has been updated for this new interaction method, the pointer’s blob transforms again, accelerates toward the element, and snaps to it, usually highlighting it with a translucent, rounded rectangle. There are a variety of visual effects developers can employ for buttons and other elements that react to the pointer, including parallax and color changes. Try hovering with the pointer over the toolbars of Notes and Mail, or perhaps over the multitasking controls in Split View, and you’ll see how it dynamically changes its appearance, all while selected elements bounce, wiggle, and react to the pointer to visually communicate that, yes, they’re selected and waiting for interaction. Once again, whimsical and useful context at the same time.

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Various types of pointer effects.

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In using the new system pointer since the release of iPadOS 13.4, I’ve realized that, unlike others, I appreciate its constant state of transformation because it works well with the underlying aesthetic of the iPadOS UI. Differently from macOS, most buttons in UIKit have no visible shape or contour – they’re just glyphs.9 Arguably, those “buttons” are easier to interact with when you’re not using a mouse or trackpad because you can simply reach out with your finger and touch them to see what happens. But the pointer introduces a layer of abstraction between the interface and user: suddenly you’re not manipulating the screen anymore – you’re controlling a virtual pointer that translates a movement of your finger into an action onscreen. This separation between UI and user is what has stumped novice PC users for decades and why modern smartphones and tablets are generally considered more user-friendly than traditional computers.

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And here lies the core of Apple’s idea with pointer support in iPadOS 13.4, and why I ultimately believe they’ve done an excellent job with it: rather than merely mimicking the macOS pointer, Apple sought to find a middle ground between the inherent usability of a touch UI and the abstraction of a pointer. The result is an adaptive pointer that communicates context and the addition of a new layer between the device’s UI and the user – the visual effects that show you what’s being selected and what may happen if you scroll or perform a click. It may seem obvious in hindsight – the best innovations often do – but I believe this was a massive, multi-year undertaking for the UIKit team at Apple; it’s no surprise the system is mature enough to support a variety of integrations for developers and that the company’s explanation is thoughtful and thorough. They must have spent years getting all these pieces in place.

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In practice, the net result of Apple’s pointer efforts is a comprehensive system that lets me fully control the iPadOS UI mirrored on my UltraFine 4K monitor without ever touching the iPad Pro. This has fundamentally altered the ergonomics of my setup and improved how quickly I can get work done with multiple apps in this configuration.

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With a native pointer, I can finally select text with higher precision than multitouch without taking my hands off the keyboard and trackpad in front of me. iA Writer, my favorite text editor, supported text selection with the pointer without an app update required; obviously, both Mail and Notes (two apps I also use on a daily basis) worked with the pointer right away as soon as I updated to iPadOS 13.4. Even once it transforms into an insertion point, the pointer can perform other functions: if I hold down on the trackpad to left-click then drag, I can drag a text selection somewhere else; if I right-click instead (a two-finger click on the Magic Trackpad 2), the native copy and paste menu comes up. And that’s not all: again without requiring an update, buttons in the enhanced copy and paste menu of iA Writer support the pointer too, so I can hover over them and see which one I selected at a glance.

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iA Writer’s enhanced copy and paste menu works with the pointer out of the box, just like other standard UIKit elements in the app.

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Another interesting side benefit of system-wide pointer support: it’s not unusual for text-heavy iPad apps, particularly those veering toward the “pro” side of the market, to implement their own custom text selection engines. I understand why some developers do this, but it often does more harm than good to the user experience as custom selections always differ in odd ways from the default iPadOS text selection mechanism, breaking muscle memory. Since iPadOS 13.4 came out, I’ve seen a handful of these apps switch back to the native text selection API to fully support the new pointer; for example, the excellent Textastic, whose advanced text editor can now be fully controlled with a mouse or trackpad.

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In my experience with using the iPad Pro through an external display, the most remarkable aspect of pointer integration across the system is how many third-party apps have received support “for free”, without requiring an update, simply by virtue of supporting native frameworks and APIs. This creates a virtuous cycle that encourages developers to adopt modern APIs as soon as possible, thus making the ecosystem stronger and allowing Apple to introduce new functionalities that already work with existing components.

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NetNewsWire, which I’ve been testing as my go-to RSS reader lately, supported the pointer as soon as 13.4 launched: in the app, I can select and click toolbar items, swipe with two fingers on the trackpad to show actions for individual articles, and even right-click to show the context menu. Similarly, in Twitter for iPad I can click on tweets, switch between views in the sidebar, and even right-click on tweets to bring up the native context menu.10 Developers of apps with custom UI elements may want to look into the new pointer API for further customizations; overall, I’ve been impressed by how many third-party apps mostly worked out of the box with the pointer in iPadOS 13.4.

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\"NetNewsWire

NetNewsWire supported the pointer right away.

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Speaking of context menus, I like what Apple has done to adapt them to the pointer. Before iPadOS 13.4, if I wanted to invoke a context menu with my Logitech mouse, I had to assign a long-press gesture to a button, click it, wait for the “fake” gesture to perform, then interact with the menu. The native pointer has brought a much better activation method: by default, right-clicking opens a context menu (or copy and paste menu if in a text field); the menu comes up immediately without waiting (there’s no fake long-press to wait for), and it doesn’t carry the context menu’s preview panel, thus replicating the look of a desktop contextual menu. I love how fast invoking these menus is now, and I appreciate that I can hover over each button in the menu before making a choice. The clunkiness involved with showing context menus was one of the pain points of the old mouse integration based on AssistiveTouch; in iPadOS 13.4, right-clicking in an iPad app to show a context menu feels just as natural as its Mac counterpart.

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When activated via the pointer, context menus come up immediately and don’t embed a preview of the selected item.

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Multitouch and Updated Apps

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What is going to bring the desktop iPad experience even closer to a traditional desktop computer, however, is iPadOS 13.4’s support for multitouch gestures and developers building deeper pointer integrations in their apps.

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As I mentioned above, for the past couple weeks I’ve been using Apple’s Magic Trackpad 2 to control my iPad Pro whenever it’s connected to the UltraFine 4K display. I also own a Logitech MX Master 3 mouse with configurable buttons that can be paired with the iPad Pro; after testing both peripherals, I soon realized the multitouch trackpad was going to help me navigate the system and switch between apps more quickly – something I was discouraged from doing with the old setup last year.

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In addition to the ability to control UI elements in apps with an adaptive pointer, Apple built full support for navigation across the system through a combination of multitouch gestures and swipe gestures toward specific areas of the screen. The three most common actions when working with multiple apps on iPad – opening the app switcher, moving between apps, and going back to the Home screen – can be performed with three-finger swipes:

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I find these gestures intuitive, reliable, and consistent with their touch counterparts when I’m using the iPad without a trackpad. Swiping up with three fingers and pausing to show the app switcher, then scrolling horizontally with two fingers to pick different apps instantly clicked for me – almost as if support for multitouch trackpads had always been part of iPadOS. After having used these gestures, I don’t think I could ever go back to a trackpad without support for three-finger swipes.11

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Other gestures Apple baked into iPadOS 13.4 may need some additional fine-tuning. These are the gestures that require you to quickly “slide” with the pointer into a specific area of the screen: the Home indicator to show the dock; the upper right corner to show Control Center; the right edge of the screen to open Slide Over; the upper left corner to view notifications. In my experience, showing the dock is fine, but Control Center, Slide Over, and notifications often fail to activate on the first slide into the associated corner. To overcome this, I’ve started sliding the pointer into the corner twice – first to place the pointer, then to activate the specific function – which seems to trigger the gesture more consistently. I wonder if Apple could tweak the momentum required to activate these features so they always appear immediately.

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Despite these initial struggles with sliding the pointer into such “hot corners” (different from Hot Corners, an actual feature of macOS and iPadOS’ Accessibility), I also want to call out how nice it is to interact with Slide Over via the Magic Trackpad. Once Slide Over is open, I can use the same three-finger swipe gestures mentioned above to cycle between apps and close individual apps in the Slide Over stack; alternatively, I can hover with the pointer over the pulling indicator at the top of a Slide Over app, let the pointer attach to it, then drag the app to the other side of the screen or drop it into Split View. These interactions are consistent with the iPad’s existing gesture vocabulary, but they can be performed from a trackpad without touching the screen at all – another reason why I can’t imagine using non-multitouch-enabled trackpads with iPadOS.

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Interacting with Slide Over using the pointer.

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Pointer and trackpad integration dramatically improves interactions with apps in the context of an iPad Pro used at a desk. Based on what I’ve seen and tested so far, third-party developers have already begun taking advantage of the pointer and two-finger gestures in useful ways.

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In an upcoming version of iA Writer, my favorite text editor, you’ll be able to swipe horizontally with two fingers anywhere in the text editor to show and hide the document library. This may not seem like a big deal until you realize how much faster it is to do so from a trackpad instead of having to select the ‘Back’ button in the upper left corner of the app to show the library. Furthermore, iA is also adding support for renaming files by clicking on their title in the title bar, which becomes a highlighted element on hover – a great approach I’d love to see in more apps in the future.

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The upcoming version of iA Writer for iPad will let you click the document’s name in the title bar to rename it. I want this pointer interaction in every app now.

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I’ve also been impressed by the deep pointer integration in the latest version of Fantastical for iPad. No matter which view you’re using, you can now hover over events/tasks and they’ll respond to the pointer with a subtle bounce effect that makes the UI feel alive even without touching the screen. But there’s more: you can also select buttons in the upper toolbar and segmented control and – my favorite detail – hover with the pointer over individual days in the sidebar’s mini calendar. As you do that, selected days will be highlighted with a square indicator; do it quickly enough, and you’ll get the result shown in the video below.

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Fantastical’s excellent support for the iPadOS 13.4 pointer.

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Pointer support has added a new dimension to Fantastical on iPad, which allows me to use it on my UltraFine 4K monitor without compromises. Fantastical is a perfect example of the kind of deep integration with custom effects I’d like to see more iPad developers consider going forward.

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Another excellent example is Broadcasts, Steve Troughton-Smith’s new Internet radio app. Broadcasts features both default pointer effects (for instance, when hovering over toolbar buttons to highlight them) as well as custom ones such as the lift animation that occurs when hovering over radio stations in the main grid. Additionally, Troughton-Smith was even able to bring tooltips – a classic Mac feature – to iPadOS when the pointer has snapped and paused on top of a button.

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Broadcasts features rich pointer integration, keyboard shortcuts, and Mac-like context menus.

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\"Broadcasts

Broadcasts also offers a setting screen to choose whether the app should be mirrored on an external display or output full-screen content. More apps should offer a similar option.

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Indeed, besides enabling iPad apps to be fully controlled without touching the device, pointer integration also means developers can easily replicate features from macOS. Nowhere is this more apparent than Screens, Edovia’s popular VNC client that lets you control a Mac/PC from your iPad. Screens has already been updated with pointer integration, and this is where things get kind of amazing in terms of iPadOS and external displays.

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When I work with the iPad Pro at my desk, I may have to occasionally check on my Mac mini to monitor its Plex server or transfer FLAC files to my Walkman. I could unplug the iPad Pro’s USB-C cable from the UltraFine display and plug the Mac mini’s cable in again to do this, but there’s a more elegant way to handle it.

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With my Mac mini running in the background, I can open Screens on the iPad Pro, which instantly logs me into macOS with my credentials. Here’s why this setup is incredible: Screens for iPad supports full-screen output on external displays (more in the next section), which means I can interact with a full-screen macOS UI on the UltraFine display that is actually being transmitted from an iPad app over USB-C. In the latest version of Screens for iPad, I can use the Magic Trackpad to click-and-drag macOS windows, right-click to open contextual menus, and otherwise use the native macOS pointer from my iPad without even seeing the iPadOS pointer on my external display. It’s a mind-bending setup, but it works beautifully – you’d be forgiven if you looked at the photo below and thought I was using macOS and the iPad Pro next to each other. In reality, that’s just my iPad Pro running Screens in external display mode along with a Magic Trackpad 2.

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Not a Mac.

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Effectively, this is macOS as an app. Thanks to the pointer API in iPadOS 13.4, the folks at Edovia have been able to emulate classic macOS interactions from a trackpad connected to the iPad. In my experience, the approximation is close enough: were it not for the loss of image quality due to the VNC protocol, you’d be fooled into thinking you’re using macOS from a Mac physically plugged into the UltraFine display. Still, because performance and image quality are good enough, as a result of this Screens update I’ve only plugged the Mac mini into the external display twice this week to record AppStories and Connected.

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Full-Screen Apps

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In future versions of iPadOS, I would love the ability to get rid of pillarboxing when the iPad is connected to an external display. As I described last year, I’ve grown used to the black bars that appear at the sides of my UltraFine 4K display, and the benefits of this setup, at least for me, outweigh the issue; still, I’d welcome the ability to output full-screen app UIs to the external display and control them with a trackpad.

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While we wait for iPadOS to properly support external displays, however, it is possible to get an idea of what such a system might look like by using apps that take advantage of an existing API to output full-screen content on external displays. I don’t use this particular mode every day, but it has its niche, and a handful of developers have devised some pretty clever implementations for it.

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Originally launched several years ago and primarily designed for gaming purposes, Apple’s second screen API (based on UIScreen) allows iPhone and iPad games to output full-screen content on a display connected via AirPlay or a cable. The idea, as we explored in an old MacStories article, was to let iPhone and iPad users play games on a big screen by using their touch devices as controllers. The API was never really improved by Apple, but that didn’t stop developers of certain productivity apps from exploiting it for potentially unforeseen use cases.

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The iPad apps that integrate with this API are few, and because this technology hasn’t been integrated with the iPadOS pointer yet, it is not possible to “navigate” with the pointer from the iPad’s screen to the external monitor, as you would when using a Mac connected to an additional display. In addition to the aforementioned implementation in Screens, however, I also have a couple other examples I’d like to highlight.

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MindNode, my favorite mind-mapping app (which I use every year to outline my iOS reviews) added support for displaying full-screen map content on a connected monitor last year. If MindNode detects an external monitor, you can choose between two modes: you can mirror the entire app to the external display (with pillarboxing), or output a full-screen map to it. If you pick the latter, you can also decide whether the full-screen map should follow the zoom and scroll levels of the iPad (keeping both versions of the map in lockstep) or if you want to lock the viewport on the external display.

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MindNode’s external display settings.

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MindNode can output a full-screen map to the external display.

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With the ability to control the viewport, I can lock the external display to a specific branch of the map, which lets me focus on the details of an individual section, while the iPad shows me the entire map, and vice versa. Even though I cannot move the pointer to the external display and directly control the map there, I’ve found this feature beneficial for those times when I want to keep a section of a map as reference in front of me, so I can stay in my text editor on the iPad.

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The most impressive implementation of the second screen API, however, is the one in Shiftscreen, a new utility by indie developer Yannik Schrade that’s been entirely built around this technology. Shiftscreen is an iPad app that lets you open webpages and documents – it’s a custom browser and document preview tool. That’s not exciting at all, but here’s the twist: Shiftscreen lets you open these webpages and documents as multiple windows on external monitors, where they’ll be displayed in full-screen, without pillarboxing. On the iPad, you manage these open windows and select different zoom levels to make webpages bigger or smaller; on the external monitor, you see your open webpages and documents (any document that can be previewed with Quick Look is supported by the app) in full-screen.

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At a glance, Shiftscreen may seem like a utility designed for teachers or people who often do presentations and may want to output a webpage or PDF document onto an external display in full-screen. The app’s developer has considered that use case, which is why Shiftscreen, in addition to a virtual touchpad to control content on the connected monitor, also has a laserpoint feature. But the use cases for Shiftscreen go far beyond lectures and presentations, and I’ve been taking advantage of the app in a bunch of interesting ways.

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First, due to a legacy aspect of the iPad’s multitasking system, it is possible to use two apps in Split View and let one of them output full-screen content on an external monitor; however, that app has to be placed on the left side of the Split View.12 With this in mind, I can open iA Writer or Notes on my iPad, create a Split View with Shiftscreen on the left, and take notes while looking at a big, full-screen webpage on my UltraFine 4K display. Shiftscreen doesn’t have native integration with the iPadOS pointer yet (although it should be coming soon), but clicking and dragging on its virtual touchpad is good enough for now.

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You can manage windows open on the external display from the Shiftscreen app on the iPad.

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The full-screen webpage is more comfortable than a tiny Safari window in Split View on my iPad, and I find this an excellent way to get research done on a particular topic. Similarly, because Shiftscreen can also open documents in full-screen, I can open a version of a PDF document in full-screen on the UltraFine and edit a copy of it on my iPad Pro.

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What if my research requires me to watch a video though? Thanks to the most recent update to the app, I can navigate with the Shiftscreen browser to the YouTube website, click on a video, and play it back in full-screen on the external monitor while continuing to work on my iPad Pro. This is nothing revolutionary for Mac users, but it’s never been possible on the iPad before, and developer Yannik Schrade found an ingenious solution to the problem by working around an old API designed for games.

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Watching YouTube videos in full-screen on an external display via Shiftscreen.

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My favorite use of Shiftscreen involves Markdown and a combination of apps. Stay with me, because this is a wild one.

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As I detailed last year, I use Working Copy to save articles from iA Writer and share my drafts with the MacStories team. Working Copy comes with a Preview feature that lets you preview Markdown documents as HTML; in the Preview menu, you can also enable an External URL option that allows Working Copy to create a local web server where the preview will be displayed. This local web server runs at a specific address (something like 192.168.1.1), and you can copy its URL to paste it in Safari and see the preview generated by Working Copy. In the latest version of the app, there’s also the option to let this local web server run in the background, which I’ve unlocked so Working Copy can always keep its local web server active.

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I can use Shiftscreen to open a remote preview generated from Working Copy as a full-screen webpage on an external monitor.

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I think you know where this is going. After copying the local web server URL for a document’s preview in Working Copy, I can put Working Copy in Slide Over and dismiss it. Then, I can put iA Writer and Shiftscreen in Split View, with Shiftscreen on the left so it outputs full-screen content on the external monitor. Because Working Copy is keeping the preview server running in the background, I can paste the preview’s external URL in Shiftscreen, which will open a webpage in full-screen on the external display. This way, I can edit a document in iA Writer and simultaneously look at a styled, full-screen preview13 of it on my UltraFine 4K monitor, which I can scroll with Shiftscreen. I can do all of this with my iPad Pro, a single USB-C cable, and a combination of apps in Slide Over and Split View.

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At this point in the evolution of the iPad and its operating system, I believe Apple is aware of the fact that certain users like to pair their iPads with external displays to get work done. As I noted above, the default UI mirroring system is limited by pillarboxing; at the same time, the API to present full-screen content on external monitors is old, poorly documented, and not integrated with the new reality of iPadOS multiwindow and pointer support. I may have found some ways to take advantage of apps that use the existing full-screen content API, but I look forward to Apple releasing a new, more powerful, fully multitasking- and pointer-enabled version of it in the future.

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In the making of this story, the iPad Pro has been sitting (propped up at a slight angle) on the right side of my desk, connected to the UltraFine 4K display with a single USB-C cable. All my interactions with iPadOS took place from the MX Keys keyboard in front of me and the Magic Trackpad 2 in between the keyboard and the iPad. The only time I had to physically touch the iPad was to confirm a purchase from the App Store by double-clicking the iPad’s side button – that’s how comprehensive the new pointer system is in iPadOS 13.4.

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For someone with a setup similar to mine – an iPad Pro, a keyboard, and an external monitor – the Magic Trackpad 2 is, right now, the single best accessory that can be paired with iPadOS. The combination of the trackpad, pointer system designed by Apple, and support from third-party developers makes working with the iPad Pro at a desk not only feasible, but fun even – with a level of precision and nimble interactions that were previously inconceivable for iPadOS.

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Modular Future

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Looking ahead at the next decade of iPad, I believe Apple will continue to evolve the iPad Pro line with a focus on modularity. A modular computer enables a new kind of fluid, versatile user interaction – one that can scale across different contexts, input systems, and form factors. Take a look at the existing iPad Pro and its support for USB-C, keyboards, displays, and trackpads – as I did in this story – and you can already see this strategy at play today, right now.

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For this ideal modular future to come to fruition, however, the iPadOS platform will need to grow in some key areas. As I explained above, the iPad’s support for external monitors needs proper integration with the pointer and multiple windows, allowing users to freely move windows across displays and interact with apps on an external display using a pointing device. The fact that Apple added a full-featured system-wide pointer this year makes me think this will happen sooner rather than later. On a similar note, while extensive, iPadOS’ trackpad options could learn a few things from macOS, where all trackpad settings are exposed in one preference panel with clear instructions; the Mac also supports Hot Corners, a feature that is not integrated with iPadOS’ native pointer yet, and which could further simplify iPad multitasking.

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More broadly speaking, I expect Apple to continue opening up the iPad’s USB-C port to more types of devices. Whether it’s a scanner, printer, MIDI interface, game controller, or multitrack audio interface, iPad users should be able to plug any USB accessory into the iPad Pro and have it work just like on macOS. Apple has an opportunity to rethink how the necessary drivers for these accessories should be installed (could they be extensions delivered via the App Store?). Regardless of the company’s approach, it should happen; when it comes to USB-C, I don’t see why the iPad Pro shouldn’t be as flexible as the Mac.

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If my journey with the iPad over the last eight years – and more specifically with the 2018 iPad Pro – has taught me anything, it’s this: I love working with a modular computer that can be a tablet, laptop, and desktop workstation at the appropriate time. The freedom to choose how I want to hold, touch, or type on my iPad Pro is unparalleled. No other computer lends itself to being used at the beach, at a desk, on the couch, or in my hands as seamlessly and elegantly as the iPad Pro does.

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At its core, the iPad Pro is still a tablet; with the right additions, however, it’s also become the modular computer I didn’t know I needed – and now I can’t imagine using anything else. I can’t wait to see where this approach takes me over the next 10 years.

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You can also follow all of our iPad at 10 coverage through our iPad at 10 hub, or subscribe to the dedicated iPad at 10 RSS feed.

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  1. \nI bought the 1 TB model because it offered two extra GBs of RAM. In hindsight, that was a good call. ↩︎\n
    2. \n
  2. \nFor those times when I don’t want to take control of the living room TV because someone else is watching it. ↩︎\n
    3. \n
  3. \nThe Paperlike is, well, supposed to feel like real paper for users who write and sketch with the Apple Pencil a lot, but I’m not one of those people. ↩︎\n
    4. \n
  4. \nTwo of them, backlight illumination and adjustable viewing angles, will be fixed by the upcoming Magic Keyboard. ↩︎\n
    5. \n
  5. \nIsn’t it fun when you can just make up a nickname for something and slap the so-called qualifier on it? ↩︎\n
    6. \n
  6. \nRemember when we could freely go out and drive around? Good times. ↩︎\n
    7. \n
  7. \nWhere by work I also mean “business tasks” that are typically involved with running a company that go beyond “just typing in a text editor”. Some people seem to think that running MacStories only involves “being a blogger”; I wish they were right. ↩︎\n
    8. \n
  8. \nUntil a few weeks ago, I couldn’t get any third-party Bluetooth keyboards to be recognized by macOS’ login screen after a system shutdown. As it turns out, many third-party keyboards don’t work after a Mac has been shut down if you have FileVault enabled since the startup disk is encrypted and doesn’t have access to the necessary Bluetooth drivers to recognize a third-party keyboard. After disabling FileVault on my Mac mini, I can now type my password with the MX Keys at startup just fine. ↩︎\n
    9. \n
  9. \nYes, there is an Accessibility setting to enable button shapes, but that’s optional. ↩︎\n
    10. \n
  10. \nNote how, because of Mac Catalyst, the Twitter team achieved feature parity across its iPad and Mac apps for features such as context menus and keyboard shortcuts. ↩︎\n
    11. \n
  11. \nWhich is why, unfortunately, I can’t recommend the new Brydge Pro+ keyboard for now – its trackpad is limited to two-finger swipes. ↩︎\n
    12. \n
  12. \nBack in the days of iOS 9, the app on the left was considered the “primary” one. ↩︎\n
    13. \n
  13. \nIn Working Copy, you can put a file called md-styles.css in a repo, and all Markdown documents in that repo will use it as a default stylesheet when previewed. ↩︎\n
    14. \n
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Join Now", "content_text": "My iPad Pro desktop setup.\nWhen I started my iPad-only journey in 2012, I was stuck in a hospital bed and couldn’t use my Mac. It’s a story I’ve told many times before: I had to figure out a way to get work done without a Mac, and I realized the iPad – despite its limited ecosystem of apps and lackluster OS at the time – granted me the computing freedom I sought. At a time when I couldn’t use a desk or connect to a Wi-Fi network, a tablet I could hold in my hands and use to comunicate with remote colleagues over a cellular connection was all I needed. Over time, however, that state of necessity became a choice: for a few years now, I’ve preferred working on my iPad Pro and iPadOS (née iOS) in lieu of my Mac mini, even when I’m home and have access to my desk and macOS workstation.\nThe more I think about it, the more I come to this conclusion: the iPad, unlike other computers running a “traditional” desktop OS, possesses the unique quality of being multiple things at once. Hold an iPad in your hands, and you can use it as a classic tablet; pair it with a keyboard cover, and it takes on a laptop form; place it on a desk and connect it to a variety of external accessories, and you’ve got a desktop workstation revolving around a single slab of glass. This multiplicity of states isn’t an afterthought, nor is it the byproduct of happenstance: it was a deliberate design decision on Apple’s part based on the principle of modularity.\nIn looking back at the past decade of iPad and, more specifically, the past two years of the current iPad Pro line, I believe different factors contributed to making the iPad Pro Apple’s first modular computer – a device whose shape and function can optionally be determined by the extra hardware paired with it.\nThe original iPad Pro showed how Apple was willing to go beyond the old “just a tablet” connotation with the Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard. Three years later, the company followed up on the iPad Pro’s original vision with a switch to USB-C which, as a result, opened the iPad to a wider ecosystem of external accessories and potential configurations. At the same time, even without considerable software enhancements by Apple, the creativity of third-party developers allowed iPad apps to embrace external displays and new file management functionalities. And lastly, just a few weeks ago, Apple unveiled iPadOS’ native cursor mode, finally putting an end to the debate about whether the iPad would ever support the desktop PC’s classic input method.\nSupported By\nConcepts\n\nConcepts: Where ideas take shape\nThe intersection of these evolutionary paths is the modern iPad Pro, a device that fills many roles in my professional and personal life. Ever since I purchased the 2018 iPad Pro1, I’ve been regularly optimizing my setup at home and on the go to take advantage of the device’s versatility. I’ve tested dozens of different keyboards, purchased more USB-C hubs than I care to admit, and tried to minimize overhead by designing a system that lets me use the same external display and keyboard with two different computers – the Mac mini and iPad Pro.\nAt the end of this fun, eye-opening process, I’ve ended up with a computer that is greater than the sum of its parts. By virtue of its modular nature, I find my custom iPad Pro setup superior to a traditional laptop, and more flexible than a regular desktop workstation.\nSo how exactly did I transform the iPad Pro into this new kind of modular computer? Let’s dig in.\n\n[table_of_contents]\nTablet Mode\nAt its core, the iPad Pro is still very much a tablet. And despite the number of desktop-oriented accessories I’m going to cover in this story, I still enjoy the simple act of unplugging everything from my iPad Pro – including its Smart Keyboard Folio cover – and sitting on the couch to read longform articles and books, watch videos, or take care of MacStories admin tasks with the Apple Pencil.\nIt may be a trite statement a decade into the iPad’s existence, but no traditional portable computer, from Apple or other companies, beats the iPad’s inherent simplicity when it comes to holding a large screen in your hands and controlling it with multitouch. In spite of such obviousness, I feel like I should reiterate this sentiment as, somewhere along the conversation surrounding post-PC hybrids and “what’s a computer” rhetoric, we may have lost track of the tablet’s basic appeal.\nThe 12.9” iPad Pro is not a lightweight tablet: its footprint makes it impossible to operate with one hand, and when you compare it to the sheer portability of an iPad mini or Kindle, you’d be hard-pressed not to consider it an unwieldy affair. At the same time though, the big iPad Pro makes for an amazing “couch tablet” experience: watching YouTube videos2 and reading manga are fantastic activities to perform on a 12.9” display resting on your lap; whenever I need to edit an article that’s going to be published on MacStories, I like to put the iPad Pro in portrait mode on my lap (so I see more text onscreen), load up our team’s GitHub repository as an external location in iA Writer (more details here), and use a custom MacStories preview template to edit and read the piece as it would look on our website. The illusion of holding an article in my hands is reinforced by the iPad Pro’s near edge-to-edge design, a unique trait that I don’t appreciate as much when I use the device as a “computer” on a desk, paired with an external keyboard.\nThe large iPad Pro is fantastic for reading longform stories.\nTo make the iPad Pro’s tablet experience more enjoyable and flexible, a few months ago I installed an anti-glare screen protector. Initially, I tested version 2 of the popular Paperlike matte screen protector, but didn’t like its somewhat complex installation procedure and rough texture.3 Then, at the recommendation of some MacStories readers, I started testing the Moshi iVisor screen protector and fell in love with it. This screen protector is a thin film that can be applied to the iPad Pro’s display in 30 seconds; amazingly, it leaves no air bubbles, can be washed and reused, has a smooth texture that is much less aggressive than the Paperlike’s, and, more importantly, adds a matte layer on top of the iPad Pro’s display that nearly eliminates all reflections.\nI started looking into matte screen protectors for a couple reasons. First, I’ve always found it annoying I couldn’t read with my iPad Pro while sitting outside on our large balcony without seeing all kinds of reflections on the tablet’s screen; additionally, looking ahead at summer 2020 and iOS/iPadOS review season, I didn’t want to be in the same situation as last year – trying to desperately find some shade under a beach umbrella in a vain attempt to edit my annual review on the iPad Pro’s reflective screen. If Apple allowed a more expensive, build-to-order matte display for the iPad Pro, I would absolutely go for it because I like working outside in the spring and summer here in Italy. In the absence of an official option, I had to find a third-party alternative.\nI’ve been using my iPad Pro with the Moshi iVisor matte screen protector for about three months now; not only has this modification vastly improved my experience with using the iPad under direct sunlight or other light sources, but when I look at an iPad without a matte screen protector, I don’t know why I didn’t try this approach years ago. Unlike the Paperlike 2, the iVisor can be installed in seconds and easily re-applied without creating air bubbles, and I can still swipe with my fingers across the display without feeling too much friction. Color fidelity and image crispness is somewhat impacted by the addition of a screen protector, but, again, I’ve found the iVisor to perform better than the Paperlike in this regard too.\nImage quality remains crisp and vivid even with the Moshi screen protector on.\nThe Moshi iVisor up close.\nEven though it’s not advertised for those who seek a paper-like experience when handwriting or sketching on iPad Pro, I’ve found the iVisor to add just the right amount of friction for the Apple Pencil too. I’ve never been a heavy user of the Apple Pencil myself (John has far more creative use cases for it when it comes to brainstorming and mind-mapping), but it’s my go-to accessory whenever I have to review and sign PDF documents from my accountant. When I have to do that, I like to grab my iPad Pro and Apple Pencil, relax on the couch (if you have to read boring legal documents, you might as well do it from the comfort of a sofa), and annotate in PDF Viewer. I could do this with my Mac mini, or with a MacBook, but nothing beats the simple act of holding a document and signing it with an Apple Pencil.\nThroughout the rest of this story, you’re going to see and read about various pieces of additional hardware I’ve used to unlock different modes for my iPad Pro. I felt it was equally important, however, to emphasize that one of those many modes still is, perhaps surprisingly to some, to use the iPad Pro as a tablet. No keyboard, no trackpad, no external display: just a screen I can hold in my hands – the only way it used to be years ago, and something I don’t ever want the iPad to lose.\nLaptop Mode: Custom Smart Keyboard Folio\nMy relationship with Apple’s Smart Keyboard Folio was off to a rocky start in November 2018, but, as I wrote last year, with time I’ve grown to appreciate the simplicity and reliability of Apple’s slim keyboard cover. Unlike Bluetooth keyboards, the Smart Keyboard feels like an integral component of the iPad Pro: by eschewing Bluetooth pairing and battery life concerns, the Smart Keyboard is always ready to type as soon as you open it; like the second-generation Apple Pencil, the act of letting the Smart Keyboard make contact with the iPad Pro means the two can work together. The Smart Keyboard has its limits4, but I’ve enjoyed using it for what it is: a full-size keyboard that requires no pairing and adds minimal bulk to my iPad Pro while also offering essential protection for its display. In my mind, no other keyboard accessory ticks all these boxes.\nThat’s not to say I was just willing to accept the Smart Keyboard Folio’s design limitations. As I also detailed last year, I employed the so-called Kickstand Method5 to mod the Smart Keyboard Folio with two small metal kickstands, which allowed me to use the iPad in software keyboard mode (propped up at a slight angle) without removing the Smart Keyboard Folio.\nFor context:\n\n Following a tip from a MacStories reader a few months ago, I came across these metal kickstands by Spigen, which are available for around $10 each on Amazon. These kickstands are designed for smartphones: you attach the base of the kickstand via its built-in adhesive tape to the back of your phone’s case; then, when you need to watch a video or have a video call and would like to keep the screen propped up on a desk, you can just flip open the kickstand – which is sturdy and reliable – and set your phone down. It’s a simple, unobtrusive, robust design that is perhaps a bit more utilitarian than a PopSocket.\n But back to the idea I received on Twitter a while back: what if instead of using a kickstand with an iPhone, I attached two kickstands in parallel to the back of the Smart Keyboard Folio so that, with the cover folded on itself, they would prop up the iPad at an angle, thus creating the “touch mode” Apple didn’t support out of the box?\n\nAnd here’s what the result looked like at the time:\niPad Pro and kickstands.\nUsing the iPad Pro in software keyboard mode without removing the Smart Keyboard Folio.\nNow, some of you may have thought that was just an experiment that wouldn’t last long. And I wouldn’t blame you – it is my job, after all, to try multiple accessories and apps, most of which don’t stick around for long. But the Kickstand Method is different: not only have I been using the original set of kickstands to prop up my iPad whenever I want to type with the software keyboard, sign documents with the Apple Pencil, or just change input methods for a while, but I liked the results so much, a few months ago I added a second set of kickstands to the back of the Smart Keyboard Folio. To help you visualize everything, here’s what my Smart Keyboard Folio looks like now:\nThe new stickers are the result of WWDC 2019 plus an order of hundreds of assorted stickers from Amazon.\nAs you can see, the new kickstands – also placed parallel to each other – sit lower than the original set. With the two additional kickstands, I can now prop up the iPad Pro in “movie mode”: the base of the Smart Keyboard Folio folds on itself so it lays flat on the back of the device; the kickstands rest on the back of the cover, creating a 50-degree angle that is ideal for watching videos, playing games, or FaceTiming with the iPad Pro’s large display.\nMy new angle for the iPad Pro thanks to additional kickstands.\nTogether with adding a memory foam layer to the AirPods Pro silicone tips, these kickstands are my favorite mod I’ve ever applied to a tech accessory. As I explained last year, these kickstands have added practically no weight to my iPad Pro and haven’t dented the Smart Keyboard Folio’s back cover at all. In return, they’ve allowed me to get more out of the Smart Keyboard Folio since I can use it in more contexts that wouldn’t otherwise be supported without the additional viewing angles created by the kickstands. Furthermore, these kickstands are also behind my favorite setup (which I’ll describe later): the iPad Pro laying almost flat on my desk next to the UltraFine 4K display.\nMy newfound appreciation for the Smart Keyboard Folio notwithstanding, I, like other iPad users, am ready to say goodbye and switch to the upcoming Magic Keyboard, which will feature a freely adjustable viewing angle, built-in trackpad, and backlit keys. But I also have questions.\nWill the Magic Keyboard be moddable enough to support folding it on itself and using the Kickstand Method again? (I don’t think it will.) Will it be too heavy to carry around? (I think it’ll be heavier than the Smart Keyboard Folio, but not incredibly so.) Will it be stable enough to use on my lap? (I believe Apple has figured this out.) I don’t have definite answers to any of these questions yet, but I’m keen to find out next month.\nUntil that happens, I wanted to reiterate how much I’ve enjoyed working with my modded Smart Keyboard Folio for the past year. I typed my entire iOS and iPadOS 13 review on it, and I’ve carried it around with me to WWDC, the beach, and countless car trips.6 Two years ago I never thought I’d say this, but the Smart Keyboard Folio has been the best iPad keyboard experience I’ve had to date.\nUSB DAC Mode\nThis particular configuration of my iPad Pro is an extremely niche one, and I believe the majority of MacStories readers will not be interested in it, but I wanted to mention it because it’s fun, geeky, and, in a way, oddly fascinating.\nAs I explained in my recent coverage of Meta for Mac, for the past year I’ve been building a personal music collection by purchasing my favorite albums in the lossless FLAC format. To enjoy these albums, I have a high-resolution Sony Walkman music player which I pair with my absolute favorite over-ear headphones – the Sony MDR-Z1R – via a balanced cable. If you’re curious about all the details behind my setup, I covered everything in the December 2019 episode of the MacStories Unplugged podcast for Club MacStories members; in short, I’ve been discovering sonic details of my favorite songs I never knew existed, and it’s nice to disconnect from the Internet every once in a while and simply enjoy listening to music without the distractions of Twitter or the endless catalog of a music streaming service. It’s pure audio bliss, it’s nice, and we could all use more nice things these days.\nSometimes, however, I want to listen to music with my good Sony headphones and continue working on my iPad Pro at the same time. So after some research (and thanks to the help of Connected listeners), I realized it was possible to use the Sony Walkman as an external DAC (a digital-to-analog converter) that can drive my headphones with high-res music coming from the iPad Pro’s USB-C port.\nMy music library is stored on a Samsung T5 SSD that is connected to my Mac mini server, which is always running in the background and shared on our local network. This means I can access the contents of the T5 drive via SFTP and SMB, allowing me to connect to it from the iPad’s Files app and other iPad file managers as well. To listen to my music library in its original format with my Sony headphones, I can’t use the iPad alone: the MDR-Z1R come with a 4.4mm balanced audio cable, which needs to be plugged into the Walkman. Here’s where things get interesting: the Walkman supports a USB DAC mode, which lets the device connect to a computer and act as an audio passthrough for the headphones connected to it. And as it turns out, the iPad Pro’s USB-C port supports all of this – provided you use the right apps to start music playback.\nHere’s what I did to listen to high-resolution music (both FLAC files in 16/24-bit at 44.1/48/96 kHZ and DSD) from the iPad Pro:\nFirst, I purchased Sony’s micro USB adapter for the Walkman’s proprietary port;\nI bought a cheap and short USB-C to micro USB cable from Amazon;\nI experimented with different audio players for iPad, and eventually settled on Neutron.\nWhen I want to listen to an album in high-resolution and work on the iPad at the same time, all I have to do is enable DAC mode on the Walkman and connect it via USB to the iPad Pro; the iPad will see the Walkman as an external audio device and set it as default output. Then, I can open Neutron, browse my external music library, and start playback. Audio will be passed in its original lossless format from the iPad to the Walkman to my headphones, so I can continue working while retaining the ability to control playback from my keyboard’s media keys.\nMy Sony Walkman as an external DAC for the iPad Pro.\nUnfortunately, Neutron is – how can I say this – not the prettiest app around. The app’s UI is…confusing at best, and it doesn’t scale well to the iPad’s large display. But, from an audio engine perspective, Neutron is incredible: the app is powered by a 32/64-bit audio rendering engine that delivers high-resolution audio via Lightning or USB-C without frequency resampling and with all DSP effects applied – even if the audio stream is coming wirelessly from a server.\nNeutron is not a good-looking app. However, I always leave the app running in the background, so that doesn’t bother me much.\nNeutron makes up for its poor UI with an incredible audio processing engine.\nNeutron is the only app I’ve found that can source audio files from network locations such as SMB or FTP, and it even offers native DSD and gapless playback. If you’re an audiophile, you know what all this means and, like me, you’d be willing to forgive the app’s poor UI in exchange for its astounding functionality. Just take a look at the list of features on Neutron’s website to see what I mean.\nUsing the iPad Pro with an external DAC for high-resolution audio is, quite possibly, the definition of a niche use case. Regardless, this continues to prove my point: it’s also thanks to USB-C that the iPad Pro now supports a variety of accessories, which in turn has allowed the device to fit into new and different setups.\nDesk Mode\nEver since I upgraded my home office with a new desk, Mac mini, and UltraFine 4K monitor in November 2018, I’ve been working toward a single goal: building a setup that would allow me to use the same external display and keyboard with two different computers and OSes – the Mac mini and iPad Pro. Same desk, two vastly different experiences. It took me a while, but thanks to the improvements in iPadOS 13.4 (and a late realization on my part), I’m happy to say I finally have the “desktop iPad Pro” setup I’ve long desired.\nFirst, an explanation is in order for those who may land on this section without being familiar with my tastes and needs. Most days, I only turn on my Mac mini to let it run homebridge and Plex in the background, and I primarily get work done on my iPad Pro. A couple times a week, I also record podcasts on my Mac mini; I could do this from my iPad Pro, but because it’s a more involved setup, I only use my iPad Pro to record podcasts when I do not have access to my desk. The Mac is still essential to an important part of my work, but it’s actively used for less than six hours each week.\nIn case it wasn’t clear, I enjoy working7 on my iPad Pro more than the Mac mini. Or more specifically, I prefer the design, interactions, and app ecosystem of iPadOS to macOS. For this reason, when I was rethinking my home office two years ago, I had an idea:\nWhat if I could create a – you guessed it – modular setup that supported both macOS and iPadOS with minimal adjustments necessary?\nMy desktop setup.\nEnter the UltraFine 4K display, which, thanks to a single USB-C cable, can work as an external monitor both for my Mac mini and 2018 iPad Pro. I’ve written about this display and my penchant for using an iPad Pro with an external monitor (and all its limitations) several times before, most notably here and here. Here’s a key section from last year:\n\n With a single USB-C cable (compatible with USB 3.1 Gen. 2 speeds), the iPad Pro can mirror its UI to an external 4K monitor, support second-screen experiences for apps that integrate with that API, and be charged at the same time. In the case of the UltraFine 4K display, the monitor can also act as a USB hub for the iPad Pro thanks to its four USB-C ports in the back; as I mentioned last year, this allows me to plug the Magic Keyboard (which I normally use via Bluetooth with the Mac mini) into the UltraFine and use it to type on the iPad Pro. To the best of my knowledge, there are no portable USB-C hubs that support 4K@60 mirroring to an external display via USB-C’s DisplayPort alt mode.\n Despite the fact that I can’t touch the UltraFine to control the iOS interface or use a trackpad to show a pointer on it, I’ve gotten used to working with iOS apps on the big screen while the iPad sits next to the keyboard, effectively acting as a giant trackpad with a screen. For instance, when I want to concentrate on writing while avoiding neck strain or eye fatigue, I just plug the iPad Pro into the UltraFine, connect the Magic Keyboard in the back, and type in iA Writer on a larger screen. No, pillarboxing is not ideal, but the bigger fonts and UI elements are great for my eyesight, and I still get to work on iOS, which is the operating system I prefer for my writing tasks.\n\nKeep in mind the second quoted paragraph, as it’s going to be relevant in a bit.\nNow, the reason I want to use my iPad Pro with an external display is simple enough: even with pillarboxing, it’s bigger and doesn’t cause neck strain if I have to type for several consecutive hours. I get to enjoy the benefits of iPadOS and all my favorite apps while using a large display that sits at eye level and is more comfortable than hunching down at a desk to look at my iPad’s smaller display.\nWhen I last wrote about using the iPad Pro with an external display last year, I had the one-cable-to-rule-them-all ordeal pretty much figured out (yay USB-C!), but the external keyboard was a problem: I didn’t want to manually unpair the Magic Keyboard from the Mac mini every time I wanted to use it with the iPad Pro. Additionally, the iPad didn’t support mice and trackpads – via AssistiveTouch or otherwise. Suffice to say, a lot has changed over the past few months.\nThe first aspect I was able to fix8 is the keyboard. I’ve stopped using the Magic Keyboard and I now use the Logitech MX Keys, a Bluetooth keyboard that supports switching between multiple devices with the press of a button. There’s plenty to like about the MX Keys besides its multi-device pairing: it’s backlit, its build quality is terrific, it charges via USB-C, and keys have a bit more travel than the Magic Keyboard. The only downside, at least for me, is that the MX Keys cannot be purchased in a compact layout that omits the number pad on the right side of the keyboard, which I never use.\nUnlike the Magic Keyboard, the MX Keys comes with media keys to activate specific functions such as volume control and media playback. Source: Logitech.\nThe most important feature of the MX Keys, as I mentioned above, is the ability to quickly switch between multiple paired devices – in my case, the Mac mini and iPad Pro. When I want to work with the iPad Pro at my desk, I press the ‘1’ switch button, and the iPad instantly connects to the MX Keys; when it’s time to use the Mac mini, I press ‘2’ and the keyboard pairs with the Mac again. It’s that simple, and I wish Apple’s own extended Magic Keyboard offered a similar function, perhaps based on the company’s proprietary wireless chips.\nWhich brings me to pointer support in iPadOS 13.4 and controlling content mirrored from an iPad onto an external display.\nThe New Pointer\nIn my Beyond the Tablet story last year, which was published before the debut of iPadOS and its support for USB/Bluetooth mice via Accessibility, I described why I enjoyed connecting my iPad Pro to the UltraFine 4K to focus on one task at a time, particularly writing. If I was spending the majority of my time typing in iA Writer, then not having a way to control the iPad’s UI shown on the monitor without touching the iPad’s screen was not an issue – I could just keep typing with the keyboard. I also noted how I could keep the iPad propped up at an angle next to the UltraFine thanks to its custom kickstands and use my right hand or the Apple Pencil for the occasional touch interaction with the display.\nBesides the placement of my iPad Pro, all of this has changed with the release of iPadOS 13.4 and its native integration with mice and, more importantly, the Magic Trackpad 2. I don’t mean to speak ill of last year’s AssistiveTouch-powered mouse integration – a feature designed for the Accessibility community that also garnered mainstream attention – but it never quite clicked for me (no pun intended) since it didn’t allow for full, system-wide control of the iPadOS interface. The new native pointer does, and it’s a game-changer for anyone seeking to turn their iPad Pro into a desktop workstation.\nThe most important difference from last year’s Accessibility feature is the pointer: it is deeply embedded within the system’s UI, which has been updated to recognize the pointer and adapt certain UI elements to it. When you control an iPad with a mouse by using it as a pointing device with AssistiveTouch, the indicator displayed onscreen is, effectively, a virtual replica of your finger; the iPadOS UI has no idea that a pointer is moving onscreen because that Accessibility pointer only supports tap events, which prevents it from having access to features such as scrolling inertia, hover state, and multitouch. By contrast, the pointer in iPadOS 13.4 is entirely integrated with UIKit and dynamically adapts to different UI elements and areas by employing a mix of shapes, visual effects, and magnetic snaps.\n\nThere’s a symbiotic relationship between the iPadOS UI and the pointer.\n\nBy default, iPadOS’ new pointer is a tiny floating dot that moves across the screen and intelligently changes its hue depending on the color of content underneath (a simple touch, but a clever one). The difference between the AssistiveTouch pointer and iPadOS 13.4’s flavor is immediately clear as soon as you start moving it around: all elements of the iPad’s UI can be interacted with using the pointer, from the small separator between apps in Split View and the clock in the status bar to the dock and apps on the Home screen. This is true system-wide integration between the interface and an external input mechanism – a first for Apple’s touch OS. And it’s not just that the pointer can click on any item it hovers over; unlike traditional desktop pointers, there’s a symbiotic relationship between the iPadOS UI and the pointer: interface elements visually react to the pointer, which often changes shape, momentum, color, and behavior based on the target underneath.\nDevelopers can create custom pointer effects and features (and I’ll cover some examples later in this section), but I want to highlight a couple default behaviors that made me realize how Apple’s iPadOS pointer is the perfect blend of utility and whimsy.\nAs soon as the pointer flies over a text field, it quickly squishes – Knight Bus-style – to transform itself into an insertion point. This type of pointer makes it easy to perform fine-grained text selections by clicking and dragging a text selection onscreen; if you pay close attention to it, you’ll notice that the insertion point even “snaps” to individual lines in a block of text, almost as if magnetically attracted to them. The animation is fun, and selecting text becomes much easier and faster than doing so via touch – especially since Apple (bafflingly enough) got rid of the magnification loupe for text selection in iOS and iPadOS 13.\n\n \nSelecting text with the system pointer.\n\nThe aforementioned snapping behavior is what Apple has officially labeled pointer magnetism, and it highlights another difference from traditional desktop pointers: an increased visual affordance when navigating the iPadOS UI. Whenever the pointer arrives in the proximity of a UI element that has been updated for this new interaction method, the pointer’s blob transforms again, accelerates toward the element, and snaps to it, usually highlighting it with a translucent, rounded rectangle. There are a variety of visual effects developers can employ for buttons and other elements that react to the pointer, including parallax and color changes. Try hovering with the pointer over the toolbars of Notes and Mail, or perhaps over the multitasking controls in Split View, and you’ll see how it dynamically changes its appearance, all while selected elements bounce, wiggle, and react to the pointer to visually communicate that, yes, they’re selected and waiting for interaction. Once again, whimsical and useful context at the same time.\n\n \nVarious types of pointer effects.\n\nIn using the new system pointer since the release of iPadOS 13.4, I’ve realized that, unlike others, I appreciate its constant state of transformation because it works well with the underlying aesthetic of the iPadOS UI. Differently from macOS, most buttons in UIKit have no visible shape or contour – they’re just glyphs.9 Arguably, those “buttons” are easier to interact with when you’re not using a mouse or trackpad because you can simply reach out with your finger and touch them to see what happens. But the pointer introduces a layer of abstraction between the interface and user: suddenly you’re not manipulating the screen anymore – you’re controlling a virtual pointer that translates a movement of your finger into an action onscreen. This separation between UI and user is what has stumped novice PC users for decades and why modern smartphones and tablets are generally considered more user-friendly than traditional computers.\nAnd here lies the core of Apple’s idea with pointer support in iPadOS 13.4, and why I ultimately believe they’ve done an excellent job with it: rather than merely mimicking the macOS pointer, Apple sought to find a middle ground between the inherent usability of a touch UI and the abstraction of a pointer. The result is an adaptive pointer that communicates context and the addition of a new layer between the device’s UI and the user – the visual effects that show you what’s being selected and what may happen if you scroll or perform a click. It may seem obvious in hindsight – the best innovations often do – but I believe this was a massive, multi-year undertaking for the UIKit team at Apple; it’s no surprise the system is mature enough to support a variety of integrations for developers and that the company’s explanation is thoughtful and thorough. They must have spent years getting all these pieces in place.\nIn practice, the net result of Apple’s pointer efforts is a comprehensive system that lets me fully control the iPadOS UI mirrored on my UltraFine 4K monitor without ever touching the iPad Pro. This has fundamentally altered the ergonomics of my setup and improved how quickly I can get work done with multiple apps in this configuration.\nWith a native pointer, I can finally select text with higher precision than multitouch without taking my hands off the keyboard and trackpad in front of me. iA Writer, my favorite text editor, supported text selection with the pointer without an app update required; obviously, both Mail and Notes (two apps I also use on a daily basis) worked with the pointer right away as soon as I updated to iPadOS 13.4. Even once it transforms into an insertion point, the pointer can perform other functions: if I hold down on the trackpad to left-click then drag, I can drag a text selection somewhere else; if I right-click instead (a two-finger click on the Magic Trackpad 2), the native copy and paste menu comes up. And that’s not all: again without requiring an update, buttons in the enhanced copy and paste menu of iA Writer support the pointer too, so I can hover over them and see which one I selected at a glance.\niA Writer’s enhanced copy and paste menu works with the pointer out of the box, just like other standard UIKit elements in the app.\nAnother interesting side benefit of system-wide pointer support: it’s not unusual for text-heavy iPad apps, particularly those veering toward the “pro” side of the market, to implement their own custom text selection engines. I understand why some developers do this, but it often does more harm than good to the user experience as custom selections always differ in odd ways from the default iPadOS text selection mechanism, breaking muscle memory. Since iPadOS 13.4 came out, I’ve seen a handful of these apps switch back to the native text selection API to fully support the new pointer; for example, the excellent Textastic, whose advanced text editor can now be fully controlled with a mouse or trackpad.\nIn my experience with using the iPad Pro through an external display, the most remarkable aspect of pointer integration across the system is how many third-party apps have received support “for free”, without requiring an update, simply by virtue of supporting native frameworks and APIs. This creates a virtuous cycle that encourages developers to adopt modern APIs as soon as possible, thus making the ecosystem stronger and allowing Apple to introduce new functionalities that already work with existing components.\nNetNewsWire, which I’ve been testing as my go-to RSS reader lately, supported the pointer as soon as 13.4 launched: in the app, I can select and click toolbar items, swipe with two fingers on the trackpad to show actions for individual articles, and even right-click to show the context menu. Similarly, in Twitter for iPad I can click on tweets, switch between views in the sidebar, and even right-click on tweets to bring up the native context menu.10 Developers of apps with custom UI elements may want to look into the new pointer API for further customizations; overall, I’ve been impressed by how many third-party apps mostly worked out of the box with the pointer in iPadOS 13.4.\nNetNewsWire supported the pointer right away.\nSpeaking of context menus, I like what Apple has done to adapt them to the pointer. Before iPadOS 13.4, if I wanted to invoke a context menu with my Logitech mouse, I had to assign a long-press gesture to a button, click it, wait for the “fake” gesture to perform, then interact with the menu. The native pointer has brought a much better activation method: by default, right-clicking opens a context menu (or copy and paste menu if in a text field); the menu comes up immediately without waiting (there’s no fake long-press to wait for), and it doesn’t carry the context menu’s preview panel, thus replicating the look of a desktop contextual menu. I love how fast invoking these menus is now, and I appreciate that I can hover over each button in the menu before making a choice. The clunkiness involved with showing context menus was one of the pain points of the old mouse integration based on AssistiveTouch; in iPadOS 13.4, right-clicking in an iPad app to show a context menu feels just as natural as its Mac counterpart.\nWhen activated via the pointer, context menus come up immediately and don’t embed a preview of the selected item.\nStand Mode\nThis different mode for my iPad Pro doesn’t take place at my desk, but because it is largely based on the same accessories, it’s worth a mention here. For those times when I want to work at the kitchen table but retain the ability to keep the iPad at eye level and avoid neck strain, I put the device in a Klearlook vertical stand and use it with the MX Keys keyboard and Magic Trackpad 2. The setup looks like this:\nThe iPad Pro and a vertical stand.\nI bought the Klearlook stand at the recommendation of my friend Myke Hurley last year: it is a minimal, relatively sturdy piece of hardware with a weighted base that lets me adjust the height of the screen in front of me and work on the iPad Pro without an external monitor and without staring down at it. Before iPadOS 13.4, I would often have to lift my hands off the keyboard to touch the iPad’s display to perform specific functions; now, my hands always stay on the keyboard and trackpad and I can control the entire iPadOS UI with the pointer. This is yet another example of a different mode that would be impossible to achieve with a non-modular computer.\nMultitouch and Updated Apps\nWhat is going to bring the desktop iPad experience even closer to a traditional desktop computer, however, is iPadOS 13.4’s support for multitouch gestures and developers building deeper pointer integrations in their apps.\nAs I mentioned above, for the past couple weeks I’ve been using Apple’s Magic Trackpad 2 to control my iPad Pro whenever it’s connected to the UltraFine 4K display. I also own a Logitech MX Master 3 mouse with configurable buttons that can be paired with the iPad Pro; after testing both peripherals, I soon realized the multitouch trackpad was going to help me navigate the system and switch between apps more quickly – something I was discouraged from doing with the old setup last year.\nIn addition to the ability to control UI elements in apps with an adaptive pointer, Apple built full support for navigation across the system through a combination of multitouch gestures and swipe gestures toward specific areas of the screen. The three most common actions when working with multiple apps on iPad – opening the app switcher, moving between apps, and going back to the Home screen – can be performed with three-finger swipes:\nA three-finger vertical swipe goes back to the Home screen;\nA three-finger vertical swipe and hold shows the app switcher;\nA three-finger horizontal swipe switches between apps.\nI find these gestures intuitive, reliable, and consistent with their touch counterparts when I’m using the iPad without a trackpad. Swiping up with three fingers and pausing to show the app switcher, then scrolling horizontally with two fingers to pick different apps instantly clicked for me – almost as if support for multitouch trackpads had always been part of iPadOS. After having used these gestures, I don’t think I could ever go back to a trackpad without support for three-finger swipes.11\nOther gestures Apple baked into iPadOS 13.4 may need some additional fine-tuning. These are the gestures that require you to quickly “slide” with the pointer into a specific area of the screen: the Home indicator to show the dock; the upper right corner to show Control Center; the right edge of the screen to open Slide Over; the upper left corner to view notifications. In my experience, showing the dock is fine, but Control Center, Slide Over, and notifications often fail to activate on the first slide into the associated corner. To overcome this, I’ve started sliding the pointer into the corner twice – first to place the pointer, then to activate the specific function – which seems to trigger the gesture more consistently. I wonder if Apple could tweak the momentum required to activate these features so they always appear immediately.\nDespite these initial struggles with sliding the pointer into such “hot corners” (different from Hot Corners, an actual feature of macOS and iPadOS’ Accessibility), I also want to call out how nice it is to interact with Slide Over via the Magic Trackpad. Once Slide Over is open, I can use the same three-finger swipe gestures mentioned above to cycle between apps and close individual apps in the Slide Over stack; alternatively, I can hover with the pointer over the pulling indicator at the top of a Slide Over app, let the pointer attach to it, then drag the app to the other side of the screen or drop it into Split View. These interactions are consistent with the iPad’s existing gesture vocabulary, but they can be performed from a trackpad without touching the screen at all – another reason why I can’t imagine using non-multitouch-enabled trackpads with iPadOS.\n\n \nInteracting with Slide Over using the pointer.\n\nPointer and trackpad integration dramatically improves interactions with apps in the context of an iPad Pro used at a desk. Based on what I’ve seen and tested so far, third-party developers have already begun taking advantage of the pointer and two-finger gestures in useful ways.\nIn an upcoming version of iA Writer, my favorite text editor, you’ll be able to swipe horizontally with two fingers anywhere in the text editor to show and hide the document library. This may not seem like a big deal until you realize how much faster it is to do so from a trackpad instead of having to select the ‘Back’ button in the upper left corner of the app to show the library. Furthermore, iA is also adding support for renaming files by clicking on their title in the title bar, which becomes a highlighted element on hover – a great approach I’d love to see in more apps in the future.\nThe upcoming version of iA Writer for iPad will let you click the document’s name in the title bar to rename it. I want this pointer interaction in every app now.\nI’ve also been impressed by the deep pointer integration in the latest version of Fantastical for iPad. No matter which view you’re using, you can now hover over events/tasks and they’ll respond to the pointer with a subtle bounce effect that makes the UI feel alive even without touching the screen. But there’s more: you can also select buttons in the upper toolbar and segmented control and – my favorite detail – hover with the pointer over individual days in the sidebar’s mini calendar. As you do that, selected days will be highlighted with a square indicator; do it quickly enough, and you’ll get the result shown in the video below.\n\n \nFantastical’s excellent support for the iPadOS 13.4 pointer.\n\nPointer support has added a new dimension to Fantastical on iPad, which allows me to use it on my UltraFine 4K monitor without compromises. Fantastical is a perfect example of the kind of deep integration with custom effects I’d like to see more iPad developers consider going forward.\nAnother excellent example is Broadcasts, Steve Troughton-Smith’s new Internet radio app. Broadcasts features both default pointer effects (for instance, when hovering over toolbar buttons to highlight them) as well as custom ones such as the lift animation that occurs when hovering over radio stations in the main grid. Additionally, Troughton-Smith was even able to bring tooltips – a classic Mac feature – to iPadOS when the pointer has snapped and paused on top of a button.\n\n \nBroadcasts features rich pointer integration, keyboard shortcuts, and Mac-like context menus.\n\nBroadcasts also offers a setting screen to choose whether the app should be mirrored on an external display or output full-screen content. More apps should offer a similar option.\nIndeed, besides enabling iPad apps to be fully controlled without touching the device, pointer integration also means developers can easily replicate features from macOS. Nowhere is this more apparent than Screens, Edovia’s popular VNC client that lets you control a Mac/PC from your iPad. Screens has already been updated with pointer integration, and this is where things get kind of amazing in terms of iPadOS and external displays.\nWhen I work with the iPad Pro at my desk, I may have to occasionally check on my Mac mini to monitor its Plex server or transfer FLAC files to my Walkman. I could unplug the iPad Pro’s USB-C cable from the UltraFine display and plug the Mac mini’s cable in again to do this, but there’s a more elegant way to handle it.\nWith my Mac mini running in the background, I can open Screens on the iPad Pro, which instantly logs me into macOS with my credentials. Here’s why this setup is incredible: Screens for iPad supports full-screen output on external displays (more in the next section), which means I can interact with a full-screen macOS UI on the UltraFine display that is actually being transmitted from an iPad app over USB-C. In the latest version of Screens for iPad, I can use the Magic Trackpad to click-and-drag macOS windows, right-click to open contextual menus, and otherwise use the native macOS pointer from my iPad without even seeing the iPadOS pointer on my external display. It’s a mind-bending setup, but it works beautifully – you’d be forgiven if you looked at the photo below and thought I was using macOS and the iPad Pro next to each other. In reality, that’s just my iPad Pro running Screens in external display mode along with a Magic Trackpad 2.\nNot a Mac.\nEffectively, this is macOS as an app. Thanks to the pointer API in iPadOS 13.4, the folks at Edovia have been able to emulate classic macOS interactions from a trackpad connected to the iPad. In my experience, the approximation is close enough: were it not for the loss of image quality due to the VNC protocol, you’d be fooled into thinking you’re using macOS from a Mac physically plugged into the UltraFine display. Still, because performance and image quality are good enough, as a result of this Screens update I’ve only plugged the Mac mini into the external display twice this week to record AppStories and Connected.\nBut wait, there’s more\nBackup Files to USB Drives from iPad Pro\n\nBy subscribing to Club MacStories you’ll receive MacStories Weekly, our Club-exclusive email newsletter. This week, we’ve got a special iPad at 10 issue that expands on the stories we’re publishing this week including:\nA deep dive into John’s iPad mini Home screen and why it’s organized the way it is\nA collection of favorite iPad games\nAnd more\nAdditionally, I’ve also come up with a system to easily back up files from an iPad Pro to a folder stored on an external USB drive. This system requires two taps to run, and files are always backed up in the same destination folder on an external USB drive without having to select the folder every time. This system is based on Scriptable; in today’s issue of MacStories Weekly (#218), Club members will be able to download the script that makes this possible and read more details about my implementation.\nYou can unlock all of these perks with a Club MacStories subscription, starting at $5/month. And in doing so, you’ll also get access to the complete archive of Club MacStories with over four years worth of exclusive content.\nFull-Screen Apps\nIn future versions of iPadOS, I would love the ability to get rid of pillarboxing when the iPad is connected to an external display. As I described last year, I’ve grown used to the black bars that appear at the sides of my UltraFine 4K display, and the benefits of this setup, at least for me, outweigh the issue; still, I’d welcome the ability to output full-screen app UIs to the external display and control them with a trackpad.\nWhile we wait for iPadOS to properly support external displays, however, it is possible to get an idea of what such a system might look like by using apps that take advantage of an existing API to output full-screen content on external displays. I don’t use this particular mode every day, but it has its niche, and a handful of developers have devised some pretty clever implementations for it.\nOriginally launched several years ago and primarily designed for gaming purposes, Apple’s second screen API (based on UIScreen) allows iPhone and iPad games to output full-screen content on a display connected via AirPlay or a cable. The idea, as we explored in an old MacStories article, was to let iPhone and iPad users play games on a big screen by using their touch devices as controllers. The API was never really improved by Apple, but that didn’t stop developers of certain productivity apps from exploiting it for potentially unforeseen use cases.\nThe iPad apps that integrate with this API are few, and because this technology hasn’t been integrated with the iPadOS pointer yet, it is not possible to “navigate” with the pointer from the iPad’s screen to the external monitor, as you would when using a Mac connected to an additional display. In addition to the aforementioned implementation in Screens, however, I also have a couple other examples I’d like to highlight.\nMindNode, my favorite mind-mapping app (which I use every year to outline my iOS reviews) added support for displaying full-screen map content on a connected monitor last year. If MindNode detects an external monitor, you can choose between two modes: you can mirror the entire app to the external display (with pillarboxing), or output a full-screen map to it. If you pick the latter, you can also decide whether the full-screen map should follow the zoom and scroll levels of the iPad (keeping both versions of the map in lockstep) or if you want to lock the viewport on the external display.\nMindNode’s external display settings.\nMindNode can output a full-screen map to the external display.\nWith the ability to control the viewport, I can lock the external display to a specific branch of the map, which lets me focus on the details of an individual section, while the iPad shows me the entire map, and vice versa. Even though I cannot move the pointer to the external display and directly control the map there, I’ve found this feature beneficial for those times when I want to keep a section of a map as reference in front of me, so I can stay in my text editor on the iPad.\nThe most impressive implementation of the second screen API, however, is the one in Shiftscreen, a new utility by indie developer Yannik Schrade that’s been entirely built around this technology. Shiftscreen is an iPad app that lets you open webpages and documents – it’s a custom browser and document preview tool. That’s not exciting at all, but here’s the twist: Shiftscreen lets you open these webpages and documents as multiple windows on external monitors, where they’ll be displayed in full-screen, without pillarboxing. On the iPad, you manage these open windows and select different zoom levels to make webpages bigger or smaller; on the external monitor, you see your open webpages and documents (any document that can be previewed with Quick Look is supported by the app) in full-screen.\nAt a glance, Shiftscreen may seem like a utility designed for teachers or people who often do presentations and may want to output a webpage or PDF document onto an external display in full-screen. The app’s developer has considered that use case, which is why Shiftscreen, in addition to a virtual touchpad to control content on the connected monitor, also has a laserpoint feature. But the use cases for Shiftscreen go far beyond lectures and presentations, and I’ve been taking advantage of the app in a bunch of interesting ways.\nFirst, due to a legacy aspect of the iPad’s multitasking system, it is possible to use two apps in Split View and let one of them output full-screen content on an external monitor; however, that app has to be placed on the left side of the Split View.12 With this in mind, I can open iA Writer or Notes on my iPad, create a Split View with Shiftscreen on the left, and take notes while looking at a big, full-screen webpage on my UltraFine 4K display. Shiftscreen doesn’t have native integration with the iPadOS pointer yet (although it should be coming soon), but clicking and dragging on its virtual touchpad is good enough for now.\nYou can manage windows open on the external display from the Shiftscreen app on the iPad.\nThe full-screen webpage is more comfortable than a tiny Safari window in Split View on my iPad, and I find this an excellent way to get research done on a particular topic. Similarly, because Shiftscreen can also open documents in full-screen, I can open a version of a PDF document in full-screen on the UltraFine and edit a copy of it on my iPad Pro.\nWhat if my research requires me to watch a video though? Thanks to the most recent update to the app, I can navigate with the Shiftscreen browser to the YouTube website, click on a video, and play it back in full-screen on the external monitor while continuing to work on my iPad Pro. This is nothing revolutionary for Mac users, but it’s never been possible on the iPad before, and developer Yannik Schrade found an ingenious solution to the problem by working around an old API designed for games.\nWatching YouTube videos in full-screen on an external display via Shiftscreen.\nMy favorite use of Shiftscreen involves Markdown and a combination of apps. Stay with me, because this is a wild one.\nAs I detailed last year, I use Working Copy to save articles from iA Writer and share my drafts with the MacStories team. Working Copy comes with a Preview feature that lets you preview Markdown documents as HTML; in the Preview menu, you can also enable an External URL option that allows Working Copy to create a local web server where the preview will be displayed. This local web server runs at a specific address (something like 192.168.1.1), and you can copy its URL to paste it in Safari and see the preview generated by Working Copy. In the latest version of the app, there’s also the option to let this local web server run in the background, which I’ve unlocked so Working Copy can always keep its local web server active.\nI can use Shiftscreen to open a remote preview generated from Working Copy as a full-screen webpage on an external monitor.\nI think you know where this is going. After copying the local web server URL for a document’s preview in Working Copy, I can put Working Copy in Slide Over and dismiss it. Then, I can put iA Writer and Shiftscreen in Split View, with Shiftscreen on the left so it outputs full-screen content on the external monitor. Because Working Copy is keeping the preview server running in the background, I can paste the preview’s external URL in Shiftscreen, which will open a webpage in full-screen on the external display. This way, I can edit a document in iA Writer and simultaneously look at a styled, full-screen preview13 of it on my UltraFine 4K monitor, which I can scroll with Shiftscreen. I can do all of this with my iPad Pro, a single USB-C cable, and a combination of apps in Slide Over and Split View.\nAt this point in the evolution of the iPad and its operating system, I believe Apple is aware of the fact that certain users like to pair their iPads with external displays to get work done. As I noted above, the default UI mirroring system is limited by pillarboxing; at the same time, the API to present full-screen content on external monitors is old, poorly documented, and not integrated with the new reality of iPadOS multiwindow and pointer support. I may have found some ways to take advantage of apps that use the existing full-screen content API, but I look forward to Apple releasing a new, more powerful, fully multitasking- and pointer-enabled version of it in the future.\nIn the making of this story, the iPad Pro has been sitting (propped up at a slight angle) on the right side of my desk, connected to the UltraFine 4K display with a single USB-C cable. All my interactions with iPadOS took place from the MX Keys keyboard in front of me and the Magic Trackpad 2 in between the keyboard and the iPad. The only time I had to physically touch the iPad was to confirm a purchase from the App Store by double-clicking the iPad’s side button – that’s how comprehensive the new pointer system is in iPadOS 13.4.\nFor someone with a setup similar to mine – an iPad Pro, a keyboard, and an external monitor – the Magic Trackpad 2 is, right now, the single best accessory that can be paired with iPadOS. The combination of the trackpad, pointer system designed by Apple, and support from third-party developers makes working with the iPad Pro at a desk not only feasible, but fun even – with a level of precision and nimble interactions that were previously inconceivable for iPadOS.\nModular Future\nLooking ahead at the next decade of iPad, I believe Apple will continue to evolve the iPad Pro line with a focus on modularity. A modular computer enables a new kind of fluid, versatile user interaction – one that can scale across different contexts, input systems, and form factors. Take a look at the existing iPad Pro and its support for USB-C, keyboards, displays, and trackpads – as I did in this story – and you can already see this strategy at play today, right now.\nFor this ideal modular future to come to fruition, however, the iPadOS platform will need to grow in some key areas. As I explained above, the iPad’s support for external monitors needs proper integration with the pointer and multiple windows, allowing users to freely move windows across displays and interact with apps on an external display using a pointing device. The fact that Apple added a full-featured system-wide pointer this year makes me think this will happen sooner rather than later. On a similar note, while extensive, iPadOS’ trackpad options could learn a few things from macOS, where all trackpad settings are exposed in one preference panel with clear instructions; the Mac also supports Hot Corners, a feature that is not integrated with iPadOS’ native pointer yet, and which could further simplify iPad multitasking.\nMore broadly speaking, I expect Apple to continue opening up the iPad’s USB-C port to more types of devices. Whether it’s a scanner, printer, MIDI interface, game controller, or multitrack audio interface, iPad users should be able to plug any USB accessory into the iPad Pro and have it work just like on macOS. Apple has an opportunity to rethink how the necessary drivers for these accessories should be installed (could they be extensions delivered via the App Store?). Regardless of the company’s approach, it should happen; when it comes to USB-C, I don’t see why the iPad Pro shouldn’t be as flexible as the Mac.\nIf my journey with the iPad over the last eight years – and more specifically with the 2018 iPad Pro – has taught me anything, it’s this: I love working with a modular computer that can be a tablet, laptop, and desktop workstation at the appropriate time. The freedom to choose how I want to hold, touch, or type on my iPad Pro is unparalleled. No other computer lends itself to being used at the beach, at a desk, on the couch, or in my hands as seamlessly and elegantly as the iPad Pro does.\nAt its core, the iPad Pro is still a tablet; with the right additions, however, it’s also become the modular computer I didn’t know I needed – and now I can’t imagine using anything else. I can’t wait to see where this approach takes me over the next 10 years.\nYou can also follow all of our iPad at 10 coverage through our iPad at 10 hub, or subscribe to the dedicated iPad at 10 RSS feed.\n\n\nI bought the 1 TB model because it offered two extra GBs of RAM. In hindsight, that was a good call. ↩︎\n\n\nFor those times when I don’t want to take control of the living room TV because someone else is watching it. ↩︎\n\n\nThe Paperlike is, well, supposed to feel like real paper for users who write and sketch with the Apple Pencil a lot, but I’m not one of those people. ↩︎\n\n\nTwo of them, backlight illumination and adjustable viewing angles, will be fixed by the upcoming Magic Keyboard. ↩︎\n\n\nIsn’t it fun when you can just make up a nickname for something and slap the so-called qualifier on it? ↩︎\n\n\nRemember when we could freely go out and drive around? Good times. ↩︎\n\n\nWhere by work I also mean “business tasks” that are typically involved with running a company that go beyond “just typing in a text editor”. Some people seem to think that running MacStories only involves “being a blogger”; I wish they were right. ↩︎\n\n\nUntil a few weeks ago, I couldn’t get any third-party Bluetooth keyboards to be recognized by macOS’ login screen after a system shutdown. As it turns out, many third-party keyboards don’t work after a Mac has been shut down if you have FileVault enabled since the startup disk is encrypted and doesn’t have access to the necessary Bluetooth drivers to recognize a third-party keyboard. After disabling FileVault on my Mac mini, I can now type my password with the MX Keys at startup just fine. ↩︎\n\n\nYes, there is an Accessibility setting to enable button shapes, but that’s optional. ↩︎\n\n\nNote how, because of Mac Catalyst, the Twitter team achieved feature parity across its iPad and Mac apps for features such as context menus and keyboard shortcuts. ↩︎\n\n\nWhich is why, unfortunately, I can’t recommend the new Brydge Pro+ keyboard for now – its trackpad is limited to two-finger swipes. ↩︎\n\n\nBack in the days of iOS 9, the app on the left was considered the “primary” one. ↩︎\n\n\nIn Working Copy, you can put a file called md-styles.css in a repo, and all Markdown documents in that repo will use it as a default stylesheet when previewed. ↩︎\n\n\nSupport MacStories and Unlock ExtrasFounded in 2015, Club MacStories has delivered exclusive content every week for over six years.\nIn that time, members have enjoyed nearly 400 weekly and monthly newsletters packed with more of your favorite MacStories writing as well as Club-only podcasts, eBooks, discounts on apps, icons, and services. Join today, and you’ll get everything new that we publish every week, plus access to our entire archive of back issues and downloadable perks.\nThe Club expanded in 2021 with Club MacStories+ and Club Premier. Club MacStories+ members enjoy even more exclusive stories, a vibrant Discord community, a rotating roster of app discounts, and more. And, with Club Premier, you get everything we offer at every Club level plus an extended, ad-free version of our podcast AppStories that is delivered early each week in high-bitrate audio.\nJoin Now", "date_published": "2020-04-03T10:30:20-04:00", "date_modified": "2021-11-23T09:12:45-05:00", "authors": [ { "name": "Federico Viticci", "url": "https://www.macstories.net/author/viticci/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/94a9aa7c70dbeb9440c6759bd2cebc2a?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "tags": [ "iPad", "iPad at 10", "iPad Pro", "stories" ] }, { "id": "https://www.macstories.net/?p=62802", "url": "https://www.macstories.net/stories/full-of-potential-developers-on-the-ipads-past-present-and-future/", "title": "Full of Potential: Developers on the iPad\u2019s Past, Present, and Future", "content_html": "
\"\"

\n

From the start, the iPad has always been rife with potential. This is partly because it launched as a new type of product category, with unexplored use cases prompting users towards a different computing experience. But it’s also because the device’s very nature – a slab of glass that becomes its software – evokes countless possibilities.

\n

To celebrate 10 years of iPad, I spoke to the developers of many of the device’s best apps across areas of productivity and creative work. They’re the people who make that slab of glass into something new, realizing the iPad’s potential but also showing, by their constant work of iteration and reinvention, that there’s always more that can be done.

\n

In sharing their stories from the last decade, the people I spoke with outlined some of the best and worst things about iPad development, memories of their reactions to the product’s introduction, and dreams for where its future might lead. All throughout, it’s clear how much excitement remains for the iPad’s potential even 10 years on.

\n

\n

Hopeful Beginnings

\n
\"The

The early days of the iPad’s App Store.

\n

Several of the developers I spoke with created iPad apps right when the device launched. Cultured Code (makers of Things) CEO Werner Jainek, for example, shared:

\n

\n “I remember the excitement we all felt when the iPad first came out. We were blown away. We put everything else on pause and worked straight for four weeks to get Things for iPad ready. It was a lot of fun!”\n

\n

Similarly from Alexander Griekspoor, Co-Founder at Momenta B.V., the team behind Agenda:

\n

\n “I still have fond memories of the initial iPad launch, and how keen we were to be in the App Store on launch day. We had the tools to build the app, but we didn’t have an iPad! Apple invited us to go to the labs and try it out on a device, but we are based in Europe, so it wasn’t really an option. Instead, we sent our colleague Charles, who happened to live in Silicon Valley, and he communicated problems back to us. The app launched in the App Store before we had ever touched an iPad, and Charles was made to stand in line to buy and FedEx one to us as soon as it was available.”\n

\n

For many, the iPad represented an opportunity to create a brand new property that wasn’t possible before. That’s the story of Procreate, according to Savage Interactive’s CEO & Co-Founder James Cuda:

\n

\n “It’s safe to say without iPad, we would not have developed Procreate. Before iPad, there wasn’t an accessible digital drawing platform you could recommend to your grandma or your children. There were a fair amount of desktop painting simulation applications, and of course there was Photoshop, but there was nothing around that had been designed from inception as a focused and natural digital drawing application. Ten years ago, no platform existed that was capable of supporting such an experience.”\n

\n

The Highs and Lows of iPad Development

\n
\"\"

\n

Bright beginnings quickly gave way to the expected mix of joys and frustrations found in long-term platform development.

\n

On the positive side, the iPad in many respects has lived up to its potential of enabling new, more accessible computing experiences for users. Canis, the Wooji Juice Lead Developer behind Ferrite Recording Studio, shared:

\n

\n “I hear a lot from people producing podcasts on iPad, who have either switched from desktop and are enjoying the way audio editing feels on iOS, or [those] for whom editing on desktop was too high of a wall to climb at all.

\n

Being able to play a chord on the touchscreen while also adjusting the dials of a synthesiser, for example (Gorillaz and The Flaming Lips have both produced albums using some of my software). Or moving an audio or video clip, which can feel a lot better when you just pick it up with a finger and place it where you want it to go, instead of using your finger on a trackpad to steer a virtual finger around the screen, to do the same thing, but indirectly.”\n

\n
\n

Momenta B.V.’s Griekspoor echoed the iPad’s distinctness from other platforms:

\n

\n “The best part of developing for iPad is still the magic of the device itself. There’s something very nice about seeing your app come alive on a lightweight piece of glass, and being able to directly interact with it using your fingers. It’s very different to running the app on your Mac.

\n

For our app, Agenda, the iPad is a great fit, particularly in meetings, where the device is less intrusive than a laptop.”\n

\n

For Ulysses’ team, it’s the iPad’s commonalities with other platforms, rather than its differences, that help it fill a key role in their development process. Founder and Executive Director Max Seelemann explains:

\n

\n “For our development, iPad is the bridge between the desktop and the mobile world. When working on new interfaces, we often start at either end of the scale – on iPhone or on the Mac. More often than not, we then conceptualize for the iPad before moving to the other end of the scale. The iPad is a great step in-between the two, because it resembles the available screen real estate of a Mac application but uses interaction models like on the iPhone.”\n

\n

Unsurprisingly, there is also plenty that developers wish was different about iPad development. The big common theme among those I spoke with surrounded OS limitations that seem outdated a decade into the device’s life. Cultured Code’s Jainek illustrates this with an example where Things has been an iPad pioneer: keyboard navigation.

\n

\n “We have a very active user base on the iPad, and we’re keen to deliver an outstanding experience for them. Sometimes, the OS makes this harder than it should be. For example, when we set out to build powerful keyboard support for Things, we realized that we had to build it all from scratch. All of the keyboard navigation, selection logic, use of modifier keys – all of it. It’s important that the OS provides this kind of functionality to developers. It ensures consistency and leads to a much higher adoption rate.”\n

\n
\n

Ideas on Canvas’ Engineering Lead for MindNode, Matthias Tretter, picks up that thread:

\n

\n “Many of the things you see in modern iPad apps have to be implemented manually by each developer team, even across Apple’s own apps. This not only takes a lot of time, but the implementations are also all-so-slightly different, resulting in small inconsistencies across apps. Take the currently highly popular sheets presented from the bottom as an example. These sheets originated in Apple’s Maps app and a few others, and are now found everywhere across iOS. Sometimes you can swipe them up to make them bigger, sometimes you can swipe them down to move them to the bottom of the screen, sometimes you can swipe them down to dismiss them. If the developers sweat the details, the movement of the sheet follows the movement of your finger and has a nice spring-based bounce animation once you let it go. If not, movement might feel a bit unnatural or off.

\n

In the end this unfortunately often is a lose-lose situation: developers need to invest a lot of time to create these components that could easily be provided by the OS. Time that – especially in small teams – can’t be invested into the core experience of your product. The user loses by having to face inconsistencies. And if the user loses, Apple loses as well.”\n

\n

Much of the time, users are unaware of these OS-produced “losses” because they simply result in features or apps that can never be created. That’s what happened with one pro-focused project from the Pixelmator team. Here’s Tomas Andrijauskas, Lead Developer on Pixelmator Photo, with the story:

\n

\n “Even though in terms of its raw compute power, iPad competes with and even surpasses consumer desktop hardware, the current memory limitations constrain things quite a lot. So, with every decision we make in terms of features and updates, we have to keep memory in mind.

\n

The decision to create Pixelmator Photo was made pretty much on a whim – we had been working on Pixelmator Pro for iPad but the memory limitations meant we couldn’t bring the same nondestructive editing experience from the Mac to iPad. We persevered but, when it became obvious that there were too many technical hurdles to overcome, one day we decided to take a subset of the tools (the colors adjustments + repair tool + crop tool) from the app, refine the workflow for photo editing, and add as much machine learning magic as we could manage. We had never done anything like this and had no idea what to expect but, about six months later, we had won ourselves our second Apple Design Award. That was definitely pretty cool!”\n

\n

Although the story had a happy ending, I can’t help but think of what a full-fledged Pixelmator Pro on the iPad could have looked like if iPadOS made it possible.

\n
\"Pixelmator

Pixelmator Photo was originally intended to be a full iPad version of Pixelmator Pro.

\n

Canis of Wooji Juice summarizes well how the iPad and its OS can be both a blessing and a curse:

\n

\n “A platform that operates under a lot of constraints can be both limiting and freeing; the App Store can be both great, and immensely frustrating, as can the iOS APIs; iOS 13 brought many much-needed updates, but was also plagued with bugs, a number of which still haven’t been fixed. The APIs are higher quality than many other platforms I’ve developed for, but the documentation is often lacking and Apple itself is largely a black box.”\n

\n

The Next 10 Years

\n
\"\"

\n

Despite these drawbacks of iPad development, there remains a strong sense of enthusiasm for where the device might go next. As Savage’s James Cuda said, “The iPad was the catalyst for us, and as a platform it’s still as thrilling and packed with promise in 2020 as it was in 2010.”

\n

He’s not alone. The team behind GoodNotes shared:

\n

\n “Now that people are more comfortable leaving their laptop or desktop behind and truly relying on iPad as their main productivity tool, the best thing about developing for iPad for us is being part of this transformation, and having a chance to be creative and come up with ways to improve how people work and study.”\n

\n

Ideas on Canvas’ Tretter:

\n

\n “iOS and iPadOS are still wonderful platforms to develop for. Especially on the iPad there is so much potential to explore, experiment, and drive the platform forward as a community. While it’s not like in the early days anymore, there are still many novel ideas born on iPad, spreading across apps and even back into the OS. This often sparks joy – I love playing around with new paradigms, discovering hidden gems in apps, as well as adding them to MindNode.”\n

\n
\"MindNode

MindNode was the first iPad app to implement multiple modular panels.

\n

Cultured Code’s Jainek:

\n

\n “The first time I held [an iPad] in my hands it felt so natural, so perfectly adapted in size and weight to us humans, that it really felt like the computing device of the future. I still feel that way today. Despite its shortcomings, developing for the iPad is developing for the future.

\n

I think the iPad is about to enter a whole new phase. Apple voiced a strong commitment to the platform last summer by introducing iPadOS, and we’re beginning to see the first benefits: new keyboard APIs, mouse support, etc.”\n

\n

Not to say there aren’t new challenges created by the iPad’s recent advancements. Ole Zorn, Creator of Editorial, shared an insightful concern:

\n

\n “I think it has become a lot harder to justify making iPad-only apps, and that tends to limit some ideas that just wouldn’t work very well on iPhone (but would perhaps need the additional audience). iPad development used to be much more distinct from iPhone development, but if you want to support e.g. Split View, you basically have to build an iPhone app as well. In a lot of ways, that’s also a good thing of course, because the experience is consistent across platforms, but there’s a risk that the iPad platform loses a bit of its uniqueness that way.”\n

\n

It’s rare to see iPad-only experiences these days, and now that Mac Catalyst makes cross-platform development easier than ever, that trend is likely to continue. Hopefully as the iPad Pro’s market grows, that larger user base will enable more developers to pursue building experiences unique to the platform, such as the recent app Looom.

\n
\"The

The Apple Pencil is one of several catalysts in the iPad’s evolution.

\n

The first half of the iPad’s life was marked by massive success, but not much continued innovation; 2015’s iPad Pro debut started moving the device in a new direction, one that’s seen a lot more change. Developers have followed that shift, going all-in on helping chart new territory for what’s possible on iPad. Savage’s James Cuda shares:

\n

\n “In 2013 we started an initiative to develop Procreate for other platforms. We even went so far as to invest a considerable amount of capital and developed a prototype for one particular platform. It was exciting to see Procreate evolve, however by 2015 Apple released the incredible iPad Pro and Apple Pencil combination, which changed everything.

\n

Overnight Apple had created the single most compelling solution for creative content creation. This moment was a seismic shift for us. We threw everything out the window and embarked on an entirely new strategy, because it was so incredibly clear developing for alternate platforms was a monumental step backwards. This was the future. iPad Pro and Apple Pencil. A beautiful large multitouch surface coupled with the most accurate stylus ever.”\n

\n

The iPad Pro is crucial to understanding the iPad’s direction moving into its second decade, because every ounce of innovation from Apple in both iPad hardware and software is Pro-focused. It’s great that regular iPads still gain features like mouse and trackpad support, and can use accessories like the Apple Pencil now, but there’s no doubt that the most exciting iPad developments are happening on and optimized for the Pro line.

\n

Hardware like the Magic Keyboard and software like iPadOS 13.4 are significant investments in the iPad Pro’s future. The one area we haven’t seen much effort from Apple is in pro-focused apps. The iWork suite is strong, but there’s nothing that compares to Final Cut Pro or Logic Pro on the iPad. Which leaves the work of building pro-level experiences to the developer community.

\n

As Apple continues evolving the hardware and OS, developers will be empowered to do what they do best: build experiences that turn that slab of glass into something altogether new. Which, in turn, will empower users to go and make something wonderful themselves.

\n

10 years in, the iPad – and particularly the iPad Pro – is still full of potential.

\n

You can also follow all of our iPad at 10 coverage through our iPad at 10 hub, or subscribe to the dedicated iPad at 10 RSS feed.

\n

Support MacStories and Unlock Extras

Founded in 2015, Club MacStories has delivered exclusive content every week for over six years.

\n

In that time, members have enjoyed nearly 400 weekly and monthly newsletters packed with more of your favorite MacStories writing as well as Club-only podcasts, eBooks, discounts on apps, icons, and services. Join today, and you’ll get everything new that we publish every week, plus access to our entire archive of back issues and downloadable perks.

\n

The Club expanded in 2021 with Club MacStories+ and Club Premier. Club MacStories+ members enjoy even more exclusive stories, a vibrant Discord community, a rotating roster of app discounts, and more. And, with Club Premier, you get everything we offer at every Club level plus an extended, ad-free version of our podcast AppStories that is delivered early each week in high-bitrate audio.

\n

Join Now", "content_text": "From the start, the iPad has always been rife with potential. This is partly because it launched as a new type of product category, with unexplored use cases prompting users towards a different computing experience. But it’s also because the device’s very nature – a slab of glass that becomes its software – evokes countless possibilities.\nTo celebrate 10 years of iPad, I spoke to the developers of many of the device’s best apps across areas of productivity and creative work. They’re the people who make that slab of glass into something new, realizing the iPad’s potential but also showing, by their constant work of iteration and reinvention, that there’s always more that can be done.\nSupported By\nConcepts\n\n\nConcepts: Where ideas take shape\nIn sharing their stories from the last decade, the people I spoke with outlined some of the best and worst things about iPad development, memories of their reactions to the product’s introduction, and dreams for where its future might lead. All throughout, it’s clear how much excitement remains for the iPad’s potential even 10 years on.\n\nHopeful Beginnings\nThe early days of the iPad’s App Store.\nSeveral of the developers I spoke with created iPad apps right when the device launched. Cultured Code (makers of Things) CEO Werner Jainek, for example, shared:\n\n “I remember the excitement we all felt when the iPad first came out. We were blown away. We put everything else on pause and worked straight for four weeks to get Things for iPad ready. It was a lot of fun!”\n\nSimilarly from Alexander Griekspoor, Co-Founder at Momenta B.V., the team behind Agenda:\n\n “I still have fond memories of the initial iPad launch, and how keen we were to be in the App Store on launch day. We had the tools to build the app, but we didn’t have an iPad! Apple invited us to go to the labs and try it out on a device, but we are based in Europe, so it wasn’t really an option. Instead, we sent our colleague Charles, who happened to live in Silicon Valley, and he communicated problems back to us. The app launched in the App Store before we had ever touched an iPad, and Charles was made to stand in line to buy and FedEx one to us as soon as it was available.”\n\nFor many, the iPad represented an opportunity to create a brand new property that wasn’t possible before. That’s the story of Procreate, according to Savage Interactive’s CEO & Co-Founder James Cuda:\n\n “It’s safe to say without iPad, we would not have developed Procreate. Before iPad, there wasn’t an accessible digital drawing platform you could recommend to your grandma or your children. There were a fair amount of desktop painting simulation applications, and of course there was Photoshop, but there was nothing around that had been designed from inception as a focused and natural digital drawing application. Ten years ago, no platform existed that was capable of supporting such an experience.”\n\nThe Highs and Lows of iPad Development\n\nBright beginnings quickly gave way to the expected mix of joys and frustrations found in long-term platform development.\nOn the positive side, the iPad in many respects has lived up to its potential of enabling new, more accessible computing experiences for users. Canis, the Wooji Juice Lead Developer behind Ferrite Recording Studio, shared:\n\n “I hear a lot from people producing podcasts on iPad, who have either switched from desktop and are enjoying the way audio editing feels on iOS, or [those] for whom editing on desktop was too high of a wall to climb at all.\n Being able to play a chord on the touchscreen while also adjusting the dials of a synthesiser, for example (Gorillaz and The Flaming Lips have both produced albums using some of my software). Or moving an audio or video clip, which can feel a lot better when you just pick it up with a finger and place it where you want it to go, instead of using your finger on a trackpad to steer a virtual finger around the screen, to do the same thing, but indirectly.”\n\n\nMomenta B.V.’s Griekspoor echoed the iPad’s distinctness from other platforms:\n\n “The best part of developing for iPad is still the magic of the device itself. There’s something very nice about seeing your app come alive on a lightweight piece of glass, and being able to directly interact with it using your fingers. It’s very different to running the app on your Mac.\n For our app, Agenda, the iPad is a great fit, particularly in meetings, where the device is less intrusive than a laptop.”\n\nFor Ulysses’ team, it’s the iPad’s commonalities with other platforms, rather than its differences, that help it fill a key role in their development process. Founder and Executive Director Max Seelemann explains:\n\n “For our development, iPad is the bridge between the desktop and the mobile world. When working on new interfaces, we often start at either end of the scale – on iPhone or on the Mac. More often than not, we then conceptualize for the iPad before moving to the other end of the scale. The iPad is a great step in-between the two, because it resembles the available screen real estate of a Mac application but uses interaction models like on the iPhone.”\n\nUnsurprisingly, there is also plenty that developers wish was different about iPad development. The big common theme among those I spoke with surrounded OS limitations that seem outdated a decade into the device’s life. Cultured Code’s Jainek illustrates this with an example where Things has been an iPad pioneer: keyboard navigation.\n\n “We have a very active user base on the iPad, and we’re keen to deliver an outstanding experience for them. Sometimes, the OS makes this harder than it should be. For example, when we set out to build powerful keyboard support for Things, we realized that we had to build it all from scratch. All of the keyboard navigation, selection logic, use of modifier keys – all of it. It’s important that the OS provides this kind of functionality to developers. It ensures consistency and leads to a much higher adoption rate.”\n\n\nIdeas on Canvas’ Engineering Lead for MindNode, Matthias Tretter, picks up that thread:\n\n “Many of the things you see in modern iPad apps have to be implemented manually by each developer team, even across Apple’s own apps. This not only takes a lot of time, but the implementations are also all-so-slightly different, resulting in small inconsistencies across apps. Take the currently highly popular sheets presented from the bottom as an example. These sheets originated in Apple’s Maps app and a few others, and are now found everywhere across iOS. Sometimes you can swipe them up to make them bigger, sometimes you can swipe them down to move them to the bottom of the screen, sometimes you can swipe them down to dismiss them. If the developers sweat the details, the movement of the sheet follows the movement of your finger and has a nice spring-based bounce animation once you let it go. If not, movement might feel a bit unnatural or off.\n In the end this unfortunately often is a lose-lose situation: developers need to invest a lot of time to create these components that could easily be provided by the OS. Time that – especially in small teams – can’t be invested into the core experience of your product. The user loses by having to face inconsistencies. And if the user loses, Apple loses as well.”\n\nMuch of the time, users are unaware of these OS-produced “losses” because they simply result in features or apps that can never be created. That’s what happened with one pro-focused project from the Pixelmator team. Here’s Tomas Andrijauskas, Lead Developer on Pixelmator Photo, with the story:\n\n “Even though in terms of its raw compute power, iPad competes with and even surpasses consumer desktop hardware, the current memory limitations constrain things quite a lot. So, with every decision we make in terms of features and updates, we have to keep memory in mind.\n The decision to create Pixelmator Photo was made pretty much on a whim – we had been working on Pixelmator Pro for iPad but the memory limitations meant we couldn’t bring the same nondestructive editing experience from the Mac to iPad. We persevered but, when it became obvious that there were too many technical hurdles to overcome, one day we decided to take a subset of the tools (the colors adjustments + repair tool + crop tool) from the app, refine the workflow for photo editing, and add as much machine learning magic as we could manage. We had never done anything like this and had no idea what to expect but, about six months later, we had won ourselves our second Apple Design Award. That was definitely pretty cool!”\n\nAlthough the story had a happy ending, I can’t help but think of what a full-fledged Pixelmator Pro on the iPad could have looked like if iPadOS made it possible.\nPixelmator Photo was originally intended to be a full iPad version of Pixelmator Pro.\nCanis of Wooji Juice summarizes well how the iPad and its OS can be both a blessing and a curse:\n\n “A platform that operates under a lot of constraints can be both limiting and freeing; the App Store can be both great, and immensely frustrating, as can the iOS APIs; iOS 13 brought many much-needed updates, but was also plagued with bugs, a number of which still haven’t been fixed. The APIs are higher quality than many other platforms I’ve developed for, but the documentation is often lacking and Apple itself is largely a black box.”\n\nThe Next 10 Years\n\nDespite these drawbacks of iPad development, there remains a strong sense of enthusiasm for where the device might go next. As Savage’s James Cuda said, “The iPad was the catalyst for us, and as a platform it’s still as thrilling and packed with promise in 2020 as it was in 2010.”\nHe’s not alone. The team behind GoodNotes shared:\n\n “Now that people are more comfortable leaving their laptop or desktop behind and truly relying on iPad as their main productivity tool, the best thing about developing for iPad for us is being part of this transformation, and having a chance to be creative and come up with ways to improve how people work and study.”\n\nIdeas on Canvas’ Tretter:\n\n “iOS and iPadOS are still wonderful platforms to develop for. Especially on the iPad there is so much potential to explore, experiment, and drive the platform forward as a community. While it’s not like in the early days anymore, there are still many novel ideas born on iPad, spreading across apps and even back into the OS. This often sparks joy – I love playing around with new paradigms, discovering hidden gems in apps, as well as adding them to MindNode.”\n\nMindNode was the first iPad app to implement multiple modular panels.\nCultured Code’s Jainek:\n\n “The first time I held [an iPad] in my hands it felt so natural, so perfectly adapted in size and weight to us humans, that it really felt like the computing device of the future. I still feel that way today. Despite its shortcomings, developing for the iPad is developing for the future.\n I think the iPad is about to enter a whole new phase. Apple voiced a strong commitment to the platform last summer by introducing iPadOS, and we’re beginning to see the first benefits: new keyboard APIs, mouse support, etc.”\n\nNot to say there aren’t new challenges created by the iPad’s recent advancements. Ole Zorn, Creator of Editorial, shared an insightful concern:\n\n “I think it has become a lot harder to justify making iPad-only apps, and that tends to limit some ideas that just wouldn’t work very well on iPhone (but would perhaps need the additional audience). iPad development used to be much more distinct from iPhone development, but if you want to support e.g. Split View, you basically have to build an iPhone app as well. In a lot of ways, that’s also a good thing of course, because the experience is consistent across platforms, but there’s a risk that the iPad platform loses a bit of its uniqueness that way.”\n\nIt’s rare to see iPad-only experiences these days, and now that Mac Catalyst makes cross-platform development easier than ever, that trend is likely to continue. Hopefully as the iPad Pro’s market grows, that larger user base will enable more developers to pursue building experiences unique to the platform, such as the recent app Looom.\nThe Apple Pencil is one of several catalysts in the iPad’s evolution.\nThe first half of the iPad’s life was marked by massive success, but not much continued innovation; 2015’s iPad Pro debut started moving the device in a new direction, one that’s seen a lot more change. Developers have followed that shift, going all-in on helping chart new territory for what’s possible on iPad. Savage’s James Cuda shares:\n\n “In 2013 we started an initiative to develop Procreate for other platforms. We even went so far as to invest a considerable amount of capital and developed a prototype for one particular platform. It was exciting to see Procreate evolve, however by 2015 Apple released the incredible iPad Pro and Apple Pencil combination, which changed everything.\n Overnight Apple had created the single most compelling solution for creative content creation. This moment was a seismic shift for us. We threw everything out the window and embarked on an entirely new strategy, because it was so incredibly clear developing for alternate platforms was a monumental step backwards. This was the future. iPad Pro and Apple Pencil. A beautiful large multitouch surface coupled with the most accurate stylus ever.”\n\nThe iPad Pro is crucial to understanding the iPad’s direction moving into its second decade, because every ounce of innovation from Apple in both iPad hardware and software is Pro-focused. It’s great that regular iPads still gain features like mouse and trackpad support, and can use accessories like the Apple Pencil now, but there’s no doubt that the most exciting iPad developments are happening on and optimized for the Pro line.\nHardware like the Magic Keyboard and software like iPadOS 13.4 are significant investments in the iPad Pro’s future. The one area we haven’t seen much effort from Apple is in pro-focused apps. The iWork suite is strong, but there’s nothing that compares to Final Cut Pro or Logic Pro on the iPad. Which leaves the work of building pro-level experiences to the developer community.\nAs Apple continues evolving the hardware and OS, developers will be empowered to do what they do best: build experiences that turn that slab of glass into something altogether new. Which, in turn, will empower users to go and make something wonderful themselves.\n10 years in, the iPad – and particularly the iPad Pro – is still full of potential.\nYou can also follow all of our iPad at 10 coverage through our iPad at 10 hub, or subscribe to the dedicated iPad at 10 RSS feed.\nSupport MacStories and Unlock ExtrasFounded in 2015, Club MacStories has delivered exclusive content every week for over six years.\nIn that time, members have enjoyed nearly 400 weekly and monthly newsletters packed with more of your favorite MacStories writing as well as Club-only podcasts, eBooks, discounts on apps, icons, and services. Join today, and you’ll get everything new that we publish every week, plus access to our entire archive of back issues and downloadable perks.\nThe Club expanded in 2021 with Club MacStories+ and Club Premier. Club MacStories+ members enjoy even more exclusive stories, a vibrant Discord community, a rotating roster of app discounts, and more. And, with Club Premier, you get everything we offer at every Club level plus an extended, ad-free version of our podcast AppStories that is delivered early each week in high-bitrate audio.\nJoin Now", "date_published": "2020-03-31T11:00:13-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-04-01T13:07:42-04:00", "authors": [ { "name": "Ryan Christoffel", "url": "https://www.macstories.net/author/ryanchristoffel/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/6f92854b21cbef25629d7efb809a9de7?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "tags": [ "developers", "iPad", "iPad at 10", "iPad Pro", "stories" ] }, { "id": "https://www.macstories.net/?p=62705", "url": "https://www.macstories.net/news/apple-releases-ios-and-ipados-134-with-ipad-cursor-support-and-keyboard-improvements-icloud-drive-shared-folders-and-more/", "title": "Apple Releases iOS and iPadOS 13.4 with iPad Cursor Support and Keyboard Improvements, iCloud Drive Shared Folders, and More", "content_html": "
\"\"

\n

Today Apple released the latest updates for its suite of software platforms, most notable of which are iOS and iPadOS 13.4. Timed with the release of the latest iPad Pro models, the hallmark features include brand new systemwide support for mouse and trackpad on iPad, plus a handful of external keyboard enhancements. Shared folders for iCloud Drive is the other big addition – first announced at WWDC last June then delayed out of the initial 13.0 release, iCloud users may finally be able to consider reducing their Dropbox dependency. Beyond those highlights, Apple has also included smaller OS tweaks in a variety of areas.

\n

\n

Mouse and Trackpad Support on iPad

\n
\"Mouse

Mouse and trackpad support is available today, but the new Magic Keyboard won’t arrive until May.

\n

Announced last week as part of the narrative around the new iPad Pro and Magic Keyboard, iPadOS now fully supports input from a mouse or trackpad. This is an entirely separate feature from the pointing device support that was an accessibility addition in iPadOS 13. iPadOS 13.4’s mouse and trackpad support enables connecting either a Magic Trackpad or Magic Mouse, or even a third-party Bluetooth or USB mouse, to gain a whole new input paradigm on the iPad. This feature will be utilized especially well by the new Magic Keyboard accessory, but that doesn’t launch until May, so dedicated pointing devices are the only option for using it in the meantime.

\n

Apple has entirely optimized iPadOS such that UI elements respond to having a cursor hover over and select them. Home screen icons magnify and follow the cursor’s movement when hovered over, and buttons and controls inside apps now similarly respond to the cursor; this is true in Apple’s own apps, but also in many third-party apps with no developer work whatsoever. However, for the best, most consistent cursor experience, Apple has provided new APIs developers can adopt.

\n

Rather than simply copying the Mac’s own cursor implementation, Apple has designed something new for iPadOS. Beyond the simple aesthetic change of the cursor being a circle on iPad rather than a pointer, iPadOS’ cursor also adapts to different types of content: when hovering over an app icon on the Home screen, the cursor doesn’t actually sit above the icon, rather it merges with the icon such that the visual circle disappears, and your movement of the cursor is reflected in the icon itself moving around. Similarly, in the case of certain other UI elements the cursor merges with those elements while hovering over them.

\n
\"iPadOS'

iPadOS’ new cursor at work.

\n

The design effect is similar to what happens on tvOS when an object is selected, with user input causing that object to wiggle around as it follows your motion.

\n

Though any average Bluetooth or USB mouse or trackpad should work on iPadOS, if you use Apple’s own Magic Trackpad 2 or Magic Mouse 2 you’ll also gain the ability to perform several gestures, which Apple outlines in 13.4’s release notes:

\n

\n Multi-Touch gestures on Magic Keyboard for iPad and Magic Trackpad 2 enable you to scroll, swipe between app spaces, go Home, access App Switcher, zoom in or out, tap to click, secondary click (right-click), and swipe between pages

\n

Multi-Touch gestures on Magic Mouse 2 enable you to scroll, secondary click (right-click), and swipe between pages\n

\n

Apple’s work supporting mouse and trackpad input is absolutely extensive. It represents a major new input option for iPad users, and the company has done something truly special with the way it’s been implemented.

\n

Keyboard Improvements for iPad

\n
\"Modifier

Modifier key remapping.

\n

There are also several nice improvements in iPadOS 13.4 that relate to using hardware keyboards. First, you can remap modifier keys to perform the specific actions you prefer; from Settings ⇾ General ⇾ Keyboard ⇾ Hardware Keyboard ⇾ Modifier Keys you’ll see all of the available options. Smart Keyboard users will be glad about the chance to set a custom method for hitting Escape, but anyone wishing for rich customization will be disappointed – the options are essentially limited to rearranging existing modifier actions, rather than offering access to new functionality altogether.

\n

Full keyboard access is a new option in the Accessibility area of Settings. Exactly as its name indicates, the feature enables performing any action system-wide on your iPad via a keyboard. When activated, a blue box highlights whichever element on-screen has the keyboard’s focus, so you can use arrow keys to navigate different UI elements. Full keyboard access isn’t a substitute for richer keyboard controls across iPadOS, since it’s designed for accessibility purposes, but it does lay the groundwork for future improvement in this area.

\n
\"Full

Full keyboard access is a new Accessibility feature.

\n

Another change introduced in iPadOS 13.4 will require developer adoption before users benefit from it: key up/down events.

\n
\n
\n

UIKey! Are we finally getting keyboard key up/down events on iOS and Catalyst? https://t.co/hkMAeWWb1L

\n

— Steve Troughton-Smith (@stroughtonsmith) February 5, 2020

\n

\n

Before now, Apple didn’t provide developers a standard way of knowing whether iPad users were pressing keys or not, outside of areas like text editing or when the Command key was also held down. Some developers found workarounds for this limitation, but now there’s an API for everyone to employ – which is an especially nice enhancement for Mac Catalyst apps, since Mac apps have never had the same limitation, and now their iPad counterparts can match the same behavior.

\n

Finally in the realm of keyboards, the Photos app has introduced some limited keyboard shortcuts, primarily for switching between different navigation tabs and views.

\n

iCloud Drive Shared Folders

\n
\"\"

\n

It’s become common practice for at least one noteworthy feature announced at WWDC to not make it to public release until shortly before the following year’s WWDC. This year, that feature is iCloud Drive shared folders.

\n

Similar to how file sharing works in iCloud Drive, you can now share a folder via the Add People button inside the share sheet. Shared folders will automatically sync changes to files they contain among every user they’re shared with, and are accessible across iPhone, iPad, and the Mac on all devices updated to the latest OS versions. When you share a folder with someone, you’re sharing a link they can tap to add that folder to their own iCloud Drive. As the owner of the folder, you can determine whether people with access can make changes to the folder’s contents or have view-only privileges; there’s also a sharing setting that enables anyone with the link to access the folder, rather than the default of only specific people.

\n

When a folder’s been shared with someone, its contents will only take up their owner’s iCloud Drive storage space. I tested this by sharing a folder containing audio files from Adapt recordings with Federico – after he added the folder, which took up 1.5 GB of storage on my end, he didn’t see any change in available iCloud Drive storage himself. Downloading individual files impacted his local storage, of course, but his amount of remaining iCloud Drive storage was still unchanged.

\n

Time will tell if iCloud Drive’s shared folders are reliable enough to replace alternative options like Dropbox, but it’s certainly good to see this feature finally arrive.

\n

Miscellaneous Features

\n

Mail toolbar tweaks. In iOS 13.0, the Mail app’s toolbar was scaled back to include only two options: a reply button, and one for archive/trash. The reply button, oddly, hid all other actions behind it in a pop-up menu. Now the toolbar has re-added move and compose buttons, restoring it closer to its iOS 12 iteration. You still get a pop-up menu when hitting reply, but now at least you won’t have to use it as often.

\n
\"Mail's

Mail’s tweaked toolbar.

\n

New Memoji sticker reactions. If you’re someone who uses Memoji stickers, Apple has just the update for you: nine new Memoji reactions are available in sticker form, including eye-rolling, hearts, sitting behind a Mac, and more.

\n
\"Image

Image credit: Rene Ritchie

\n

Family Sharing in TV app. In iOS 13.4 the TV app has gained a new Family Sharing section inside the Library tab. This enables easy access to iTunes movie and TV show purchases that a family member has made. Before, in order to access a family member’s purchased content, you would need to visit the iTunes Store app to download the videos there.

\n

Resume Arcade games from the App Store. Though I haven’t seen this yet in the 13.4 beta, today’s release notes from Apple mention that the Arcade tab inside the App Store will now display Arcade titles you’ve recently played so you can quickly resume playing without needing to find a game on your Home screen.

\n

CarKey. Discovered by the team at 9to5Mac, iOS 13.4’s code references a new CarKey API which would enable an iPhone or Apple Watch to be used to unlock, lock, and start compatible cars, as well as share vehicle privileges with other people via iMessage. CarKey may or may not become an active feature immediately following iOS 13.4’s launch, but one way or another we should find out shortly.

\n

iOS and iPadOS 13.4 arrive representing a semblance of normalcy in an otherwise very uncertain time. Before this past week, we had no idea whether Apple would be announcing new products any time soon, and the only sure thing for the future was that an online WWDC would be held in June.

\n

Now, however, Apple has debuted a new MacBook Air, iPad Pro, and accessories, plus significant software updates. Amid all the world’s present unknowns, it’s comforting that Apple can at least continue to push new hardware and software; it’s a reminder that some of the rhythms we’ve all grown used to can continue on as before.

\n

Support MacStories and Unlock Extras

Founded in 2015, Club MacStories has delivered exclusive content every week for over six years.

\n

In that time, members have enjoyed nearly 400 weekly and monthly newsletters packed with more of your favorite MacStories writing as well as Club-only podcasts, eBooks, discounts on apps, icons, and services. Join today, and you’ll get everything new that we publish every week, plus access to our entire archive of back issues and downloadable perks.

\n

The Club expanded in 2021 with Club MacStories+ and Club Premier. Club MacStories+ members enjoy even more exclusive stories, a vibrant Discord community, a rotating roster of app discounts, and more. And, with Club Premier, you get everything we offer at every Club level plus an extended, ad-free version of our podcast AppStories that is delivered early each week in high-bitrate audio.

\n

Join Now", "content_text": "Today Apple released the latest updates for its suite of software platforms, most notable of which are iOS and iPadOS 13.4. Timed with the release of the latest iPad Pro models, the hallmark features include brand new systemwide support for mouse and trackpad on iPad, plus a handful of external keyboard enhancements. Shared folders for iCloud Drive is the other big addition – first announced at WWDC last June then delayed out of the initial 13.0 release, iCloud users may finally be able to consider reducing their Dropbox dependency. Beyond those highlights, Apple has also included smaller OS tweaks in a variety of areas.\n\nMouse and Trackpad Support on iPad\nMouse and trackpad support is available today, but the new Magic Keyboard won’t arrive until May.\nAnnounced last week as part of the narrative around the new iPad Pro and Magic Keyboard, iPadOS now fully supports input from a mouse or trackpad. This is an entirely separate feature from the pointing device support that was an accessibility addition in iPadOS 13. iPadOS 13.4’s mouse and trackpad support enables connecting either a Magic Trackpad or Magic Mouse, or even a third-party Bluetooth or USB mouse, to gain a whole new input paradigm on the iPad. This feature will be utilized especially well by the new Magic Keyboard accessory, but that doesn’t launch until May, so dedicated pointing devices are the only option for using it in the meantime.\nApple has entirely optimized iPadOS such that UI elements respond to having a cursor hover over and select them. Home screen icons magnify and follow the cursor’s movement when hovered over, and buttons and controls inside apps now similarly respond to the cursor; this is true in Apple’s own apps, but also in many third-party apps with no developer work whatsoever. However, for the best, most consistent cursor experience, Apple has provided new APIs developers can adopt.\nRather than simply copying the Mac’s own cursor implementation, Apple has designed something new for iPadOS. Beyond the simple aesthetic change of the cursor being a circle on iPad rather than a pointer, iPadOS’ cursor also adapts to different types of content: when hovering over an app icon on the Home screen, the cursor doesn’t actually sit above the icon, rather it merges with the icon such that the visual circle disappears, and your movement of the cursor is reflected in the icon itself moving around. Similarly, in the case of certain other UI elements the cursor merges with those elements while hovering over them.\niPadOS’ new cursor at work.\nThe design effect is similar to what happens on tvOS when an object is selected, with user input causing that object to wiggle around as it follows your motion.\nThough any average Bluetooth or USB mouse or trackpad should work on iPadOS, if you use Apple’s own Magic Trackpad 2 or Magic Mouse 2 you’ll also gain the ability to perform several gestures, which Apple outlines in 13.4’s release notes:\n\n Multi-Touch gestures on Magic Keyboard for iPad and Magic Trackpad 2 enable you to scroll, swipe between app spaces, go Home, access App Switcher, zoom in or out, tap to click, secondary click (right-click), and swipe between pages\n Multi-Touch gestures on Magic Mouse 2 enable you to scroll, secondary click (right-click), and swipe between pages\n\nApple’s work supporting mouse and trackpad input is absolutely extensive. It represents a major new input option for iPad users, and the company has done something truly special with the way it’s been implemented.\nKeyboard Improvements for iPad\nModifier key remapping.\nThere are also several nice improvements in iPadOS 13.4 that relate to using hardware keyboards. First, you can remap modifier keys to perform the specific actions you prefer; from Settings ⇾ General ⇾ Keyboard ⇾ Hardware Keyboard ⇾ Modifier Keys you’ll see all of the available options. Smart Keyboard users will be glad about the chance to set a custom method for hitting Escape, but anyone wishing for rich customization will be disappointed – the options are essentially limited to rearranging existing modifier actions, rather than offering access to new functionality altogether.\nFull keyboard access is a new option in the Accessibility area of Settings. Exactly as its name indicates, the feature enables performing any action system-wide on your iPad via a keyboard. When activated, a blue box highlights whichever element on-screen has the keyboard’s focus, so you can use arrow keys to navigate different UI elements. Full keyboard access isn’t a substitute for richer keyboard controls across iPadOS, since it’s designed for accessibility purposes, but it does lay the groundwork for future improvement in this area.\nFull keyboard access is a new Accessibility feature.\nAnother change introduced in iPadOS 13.4 will require developer adoption before users benefit from it: key up/down events.\n\n\nUIKey! Are we finally getting keyboard key up/down events on iOS and Catalyst? https://t.co/hkMAeWWb1L\n— Steve Troughton-Smith (@stroughtonsmith) February 5, 2020\n\nBefore now, Apple didn’t provide developers a standard way of knowing whether iPad users were pressing keys or not, outside of areas like text editing or when the Command key was also held down. Some developers found workarounds for this limitation, but now there’s an API for everyone to employ – which is an especially nice enhancement for Mac Catalyst apps, since Mac apps have never had the same limitation, and now their iPad counterparts can match the same behavior.\nFinally in the realm of keyboards, the Photos app has introduced some limited keyboard shortcuts, primarily for switching between different navigation tabs and views.\niCloud Drive Shared Folders\n\nIt’s become common practice for at least one noteworthy feature announced at WWDC to not make it to public release until shortly before the following year’s WWDC. This year, that feature is iCloud Drive shared folders.\nSimilar to how file sharing works in iCloud Drive, you can now share a folder via the Add People button inside the share sheet. Shared folders will automatically sync changes to files they contain among every user they’re shared with, and are accessible across iPhone, iPad, and the Mac on all devices updated to the latest OS versions. When you share a folder with someone, you’re sharing a link they can tap to add that folder to their own iCloud Drive. As the owner of the folder, you can determine whether people with access can make changes to the folder’s contents or have view-only privileges; there’s also a sharing setting that enables anyone with the link to access the folder, rather than the default of only specific people.\nWhen a folder’s been shared with someone, its contents will only take up their owner’s iCloud Drive storage space. I tested this by sharing a folder containing audio files from Adapt recordings with Federico – after he added the folder, which took up 1.5 GB of storage on my end, he didn’t see any change in available iCloud Drive storage himself. Downloading individual files impacted his local storage, of course, but his amount of remaining iCloud Drive storage was still unchanged.\nTime will tell if iCloud Drive’s shared folders are reliable enough to replace alternative options like Dropbox, but it’s certainly good to see this feature finally arrive.\nMiscellaneous Features\nMail toolbar tweaks. In iOS 13.0, the Mail app’s toolbar was scaled back to include only two options: a reply button, and one for archive/trash. The reply button, oddly, hid all other actions behind it in a pop-up menu. Now the toolbar has re-added move and compose buttons, restoring it closer to its iOS 12 iteration. You still get a pop-up menu when hitting reply, but now at least you won’t have to use it as often.\nMail’s tweaked toolbar.\nNew Memoji sticker reactions. If you’re someone who uses Memoji stickers, Apple has just the update for you: nine new Memoji reactions are available in sticker form, including eye-rolling, hearts, sitting behind a Mac, and more.\nImage credit: Rene Ritchie\nFamily Sharing in TV app. In iOS 13.4 the TV app has gained a new Family Sharing section inside the Library tab. This enables easy access to iTunes movie and TV show purchases that a family member has made. Before, in order to access a family member’s purchased content, you would need to visit the iTunes Store app to download the videos there.\nResume Arcade games from the App Store. Though I haven’t seen this yet in the 13.4 beta, today’s release notes from Apple mention that the Arcade tab inside the App Store will now display Arcade titles you’ve recently played so you can quickly resume playing without needing to find a game on your Home screen.\nCarKey. Discovered by the team at 9to5Mac, iOS 13.4’s code references a new CarKey API which would enable an iPhone or Apple Watch to be used to unlock, lock, and start compatible cars, as well as share vehicle privileges with other people via iMessage. CarKey may or may not become an active feature immediately following iOS 13.4’s launch, but one way or another we should find out shortly.\niOS and iPadOS 13.4 arrive representing a semblance of normalcy in an otherwise very uncertain time. Before this past week, we had no idea whether Apple would be announcing new products any time soon, and the only sure thing for the future was that an online WWDC would be held in June.\nNow, however, Apple has debuted a new MacBook Air, iPad Pro, and accessories, plus significant software updates. Amid all the world’s present unknowns, it’s comforting that Apple can at least continue to push new hardware and software; it’s a reminder that some of the rhythms we’ve all grown used to can continue on as before.\nSupport MacStories and Unlock ExtrasFounded in 2015, Club MacStories has delivered exclusive content every week for over six years.\nIn that time, members have enjoyed nearly 400 weekly and monthly newsletters packed with more of your favorite MacStories writing as well as Club-only podcasts, eBooks, discounts on apps, icons, and services. Join today, and you’ll get everything new that we publish every week, plus access to our entire archive of back issues and downloadable perks.\nThe Club expanded in 2021 with Club MacStories+ and Club Premier. Club MacStories+ members enjoy even more exclusive stories, a vibrant Discord community, a rotating roster of app discounts, and more. And, with Club Premier, you get everything we offer at every Club level plus an extended, ad-free version of our podcast AppStories that is delivered early each week in high-bitrate audio.\nJoin Now", "date_published": "2020-03-24T12:58:37-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-03-24T13:07:16-04:00", "authors": [ { "name": "Ryan Christoffel", "url": "https://www.macstories.net/author/ryanchristoffel/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/6f92854b21cbef25629d7efb809a9de7?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "tags": [ "iOS 13", "iPad Pro", "iPadOS", "keyboard", "news" ] }, { "id": "https://www.macstories.net/?p=62721", "url": "https://www.macstories.net/roundups/2020-ipad-pro-review-roundup/", "title": "2020 iPad Pro Review Roundup", "content_html": "
\"\"

\n

Ahead of its release Wednesday, the first reviews for the latest iPad Pro models went live today. Apple’s marketing for the new device has centered around its forthcoming accessory, the Magic Keyboard. Unfortunately, reviewers didn’t receive an advance version of the Magic Keyboard for testing, so the reviews have to focus on what’s available today.

\n

The general consensus is that while the 2020 iPad Pro is a fantastic device in many ways, it doesn’t offer much improvement over the 2018 models.

\n

\n

Dieter Bohn at The Verge details the strengths of the iPad’s LiDAR addition:

\n

\n The main benefit AR apps will get right away is that LIDAR is able to nearly instantaneously map the surfaces in a room. Instead of having to wave your iPad around until the cameras can recognize objects, the LIDAR just measures them directly.

\n

That spatial map is also more accurate — so the Measure app, for example, can show a ruler when you get in close to a line you’ve measured.

\n

The other immediate benefit you get is with something called “occlusion.” That’s when something gets in between your iPad and the virtual object you’ve set on the floor or table or whatever. If somebody walks in between you and the virtual chair and the chair doesn’t get partially hidden, it breaks the illusion.\n

\n

Jason Snell at Six Colors similarly praises the new LiDAR sensor’s improvements to the AR experience, while also highlighting some perplexing absences from the iPad’s other camera features:

\n

\n There’s no portrait mode, despite the presence of two cameras and a depth sensor. You also don’t get the option to integrate images that are just outside the frame of the wide camera but within the field of view of the ultrawide, presumably because that feature requires the A13 processor found in the iPhone, and doesn’t work on the A12X processor found in the iPad Pro. There’s also no Night Mode. Basically, the iPad Pro is a state-of-the-art Apple camera—from 2018.\n

\n

Lauren Goode at Wired loved iPadOS’ new mouse and trackpad support, but rightly pointed out it’s available on all iPads:

\n

\n I used the new iPad with a $129 Apple Magic Trackpad. The cursor appears as a bubble on the home screen and over media, and as a vertical line when scrolling through text. The same gestures that work on the iPad’s screen also work on the trackpad; swiping up with three fingers shows all of your open apps, and using two fingers to swipe to the side lets you pan across. Casual games and apps with endless thumbnail options, like Netflix, were also a lot more enjoyable to use with a trackpad.\n

\n

Matthew Panzarino at TechCrunch details how the A12Z is almost identical to the 2018 model’s A12X:

\n

\n This version adds an additional GPU core and ‘enhanced thermal architecture’ — presumably better heat distribution under load but that was not especially evident given that the iPad Pro has rarely run hot for me. I’m interested to see what teardowns turn up here. New venting, piping or component distribution perhaps. Or something on-die.

\n

It’s interesting, of course, that this processor is so close in performance (at least at a CPU level) to the A12X Bionic chip. Even at a GPU level Apple says nothing more than that it is faster than the A12X with none of the normal multipliers it typically touts.\n

\n

MKBHD, after one of the funniest video intros I’ve seen from him, says this iPad Pro puts Apple even further ahead of its competition than before.

\n
\n

Rene Ritchie’s review provides a great overview of everything that’s changed and what’s stayed the same, in video form.

\n
\n

Support MacStories and Unlock Extras

Founded in 2015, Club MacStories has delivered exclusive content every week for over six years.

\n

In that time, members have enjoyed nearly 400 weekly and monthly newsletters packed with more of your favorite MacStories writing as well as Club-only podcasts, eBooks, discounts on apps, icons, and services. Join today, and you’ll get everything new that we publish every week, plus access to our entire archive of back issues and downloadable perks.

\n

The Club expanded in 2021 with Club MacStories+ and Club Premier. Club MacStories+ members enjoy even more exclusive stories, a vibrant Discord community, a rotating roster of app discounts, and more. And, with Club Premier, you get everything we offer at every Club level plus an extended, ad-free version of our podcast AppStories that is delivered early each week in high-bitrate audio.

\n

Join Now", "content_text": "Ahead of its release Wednesday, the first reviews for the latest iPad Pro models went live today. Apple’s marketing for the new device has centered around its forthcoming accessory, the Magic Keyboard. Unfortunately, reviewers didn’t receive an advance version of the Magic Keyboard for testing, so the reviews have to focus on what’s available today.\nThe general consensus is that while the 2020 iPad Pro is a fantastic device in many ways, it doesn’t offer much improvement over the 2018 models.\n\nDieter Bohn at The Verge details the strengths of the iPad’s LiDAR addition:\n\n The main benefit AR apps will get right away is that LIDAR is able to nearly instantaneously map the surfaces in a room. Instead of having to wave your iPad around until the cameras can recognize objects, the LIDAR just measures them directly.\n That spatial map is also more accurate — so the Measure app, for example, can show a ruler when you get in close to a line you’ve measured.\n The other immediate benefit you get is with something called “occlusion.” That’s when something gets in between your iPad and the virtual object you’ve set on the floor or table or whatever. If somebody walks in between you and the virtual chair and the chair doesn’t get partially hidden, it breaks the illusion.\n\nJason Snell at Six Colors similarly praises the new LiDAR sensor’s improvements to the AR experience, while also highlighting some perplexing absences from the iPad’s other camera features:\n\n There’s no portrait mode, despite the presence of two cameras and a depth sensor. You also don’t get the option to integrate images that are just outside the frame of the wide camera but within the field of view of the ultrawide, presumably because that feature requires the A13 processor found in the iPhone, and doesn’t work on the A12X processor found in the iPad Pro. There’s also no Night Mode. Basically, the iPad Pro is a state-of-the-art Apple camera—from 2018.\n\nLauren Goode at Wired loved iPadOS’ new mouse and trackpad support, but rightly pointed out it’s available on all iPads:\n\n I used the new iPad with a $129 Apple Magic Trackpad. The cursor appears as a bubble on the home screen and over media, and as a vertical line when scrolling through text. The same gestures that work on the iPad’s screen also work on the trackpad; swiping up with three fingers shows all of your open apps, and using two fingers to swipe to the side lets you pan across. Casual games and apps with endless thumbnail options, like Netflix, were also a lot more enjoyable to use with a trackpad.\n\nMatthew Panzarino at TechCrunch details how the A12Z is almost identical to the 2018 model’s A12X:\n\n This version adds an additional GPU core and ‘enhanced thermal architecture’ — presumably better heat distribution under load but that was not especially evident given that the iPad Pro has rarely run hot for me. I’m interested to see what teardowns turn up here. New venting, piping or component distribution perhaps. Or something on-die.\n It’s interesting, of course, that this processor is so close in performance (at least at a CPU level) to the A12X Bionic chip. Even at a GPU level Apple says nothing more than that it is faster than the A12X with none of the normal multipliers it typically touts.\n\nMKBHD, after one of the funniest video intros I’ve seen from him, says this iPad Pro puts Apple even further ahead of its competition than before.\n\nRene Ritchie’s review provides a great overview of everything that’s changed and what’s stayed the same, in video form.\n\nSupport MacStories and Unlock ExtrasFounded in 2015, Club MacStories has delivered exclusive content every week for over six years.\nIn that time, members have enjoyed nearly 400 weekly and monthly newsletters packed with more of your favorite MacStories writing as well as Club-only podcasts, eBooks, discounts on apps, icons, and services. Join today, and you’ll get everything new that we publish every week, plus access to our entire archive of back issues and downloadable perks.\nThe Club expanded in 2021 with Club MacStories+ and Club Premier. Club MacStories+ members enjoy even more exclusive stories, a vibrant Discord community, a rotating roster of app discounts, and more. And, with Club Premier, you get everything we offer at every Club level plus an extended, ad-free version of our podcast AppStories that is delivered early each week in high-bitrate audio.\nJoin Now", "date_published": "2020-03-24T09:03:00-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-03-24T09:03:00-04:00", "authors": [ { "name": "Ryan Christoffel", "url": "https://www.macstories.net/author/ryanchristoffel/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/6f92854b21cbef25629d7efb809a9de7?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "tags": [ "iPad Pro", "roundups" ] }, { "id": "https://www.macstories.net/?p=62657", "url": "https://www.macstories.net/linked/how-the-ipads-trackpad-support-works/", "title": "How the iPad\u2019s Trackpad Support Works", "content_html": "

Dieter Bohn at The Verge:

\n

\n We can answer some of your questions about how trackpad support will work today and we’ll get a chance to actually use it ourselves in the public beta. In the meantime, here’s what we definitely know about how it will work based on videos Apple has released publicly and on a video presentation given to reporters this morning.\n

\n

Bohn gives a great bullet-point walkthrough of how iPadOS handles input from a trackpad or mouse, complete with the roster of navigation gestures supported by trackpads.

\n

Best of all, however, the article includes a video Apple created in which Craig Federighi, Apple’s software head, demos the trackpad on the iPad Pro’s new Magic Keyboard. Presumably it’s exactly what Federighi would have done if the company had been able to introduce the iPad Pro at a press event.

\n

\u2192 Source: theverge.com

", "content_text": "Dieter Bohn at The Verge:\n\n We can answer some of your questions about how trackpad support will work today and we’ll get a chance to actually use it ourselves in the public beta. In the meantime, here’s what we definitely know about how it will work based on videos Apple has released publicly and on a video presentation given to reporters this morning.\n\nBohn gives a great bullet-point walkthrough of how iPadOS handles input from a trackpad or mouse, complete with the roster of navigation gestures supported by trackpads.\nBest of all, however, the article includes a video Apple created in which Craig Federighi, Apple’s software head, demos the trackpad on the iPad Pro’s new Magic Keyboard. Presumably it’s exactly what Federighi would have done if the company had been able to introduce the iPad Pro at a press event.\n\u2192 Source: theverge.com", "date_published": "2020-03-18T16:17:59-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-03-18T16:17:59-04:00", "authors": [ { "name": "Ryan Christoffel", "url": "https://www.macstories.net/author/ryanchristoffel/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/6f92854b21cbef25629d7efb809a9de7?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "tags": [ "iPad Pro", "iPadOS", "keyboard", "Linked" ] }, { "id": "https://www.macstories.net/?p=62649", "url": "https://www.macstories.net/news/the-new-ipad-pro-and-magic-keyboard-with-trackpad-the-macstories-overview/", "title": "The New iPad Pro and Magic Keyboard with Trackpad: The MacStories Overview", "content_html": "
\"The

The new iPad Pro and Magic Keyboard.

\n

With a press release published earlier today, Apple officially announced the fourth generation of its iPad Pro line. The new iPad Pro models – available, as with the current generation, in 11-inch and 12.9-inch flavors – feature the all-new A12Z Bionic chip, a new camera system that includes an ultra-wide camera and LiDAR scanner for augmented reality, and integration with a long-awaited accessory, which will become available starting in May: the new Magic Keyboard with trackpad.

\n

\n

A12Z Bionic Chip

\n

As is tradition with a major refresh of the iPad Pro line, the new iPad Pro models come with a new SoC, this time called the A12Z Bionic. While we’ll have to wait for benchmarks and tests to get a sense of the actual performance improvements over the current iPad Pros with the A12X Bionic chip, here’s what we know from Apple’s marketing materials today: the A12Z Bionic packs an 8-core CPU and 8-core GPU featuring “enhanced thermal architecture and tuned performance controllers”. The A12Z Bionic supports up to 1 TB of storage (as before) and drives the Liquid Retina display, which appears to be unchanged from the current generation with its support for wide color gamut (P3), ProMotion, and True Tone. Notably, the new iPad Pros still deliver up to 10 hours of battery life.

\n

Cellular

\n

Briefly mentioned in Apple’s announcement today, the new iPad Pros support faster Wi-Fi and gigabit-class LTE connections. The new iPad Pro models fully integrate with the Wi-Fi 6 spec (including 802.11ax) for speeds up to 1.2 Gbps (up from 866 Mbps on the current-generation iPad Pro). On the LTE side, the new iPad Pros support 30 bands instead of the older models’ 29. I’m no LTE expert, but I guess an extra band can’t hurt.

\n

More Microphones

\n
\"\"

\n

Joining the iPad Pro’s current 4-speaker system are 5 studio-quality microphones which, according to Apple, should allow users to capture “super clean audio” with the “quietest details”. Apple’s press release mentions that an update to DoubleTake by FiLMic Pro, available next month, will take advantage of the new microphone system in the updated iPad Pros. Following the studio-quality microphones of last year’s 16-inch MacBook Pro, I’m keen to test the quality of the iPad Pro’s new microphone system with apps such as Skype and FaceTime.

\n

New Camera System

\n
\"Wide,

Wide, ultra-wide, and LiDAR.

\n

As has been widely speculated over the past few months, the new iPad Pros follow in the footsteps of 2019’s iPhone 11 line by offering a 10 MP ultra-wide camera in addition to the 12 MP wide camera. As we’ve seen with the iPhone 11 camera system before, the ultra-wide camera allows you to capture a much larger field of view. I’ve never been an iPad photographer myself, but it’s nice to see consistency in the camera department (which includes the design of the camera bump, pictured above) across the iPhone and iPad lines.

\n

The big addition to the iPad Pro’s camera system – and a feature that is expected to find its way to new iPhone models later this year – is the LiDAR scanner which, according to Apple, makes the new iPad Pro “the world’s best device for augmented reality”. The LiDAR scanner, in short, is a sensor that can more accurately measure the distance between the iPad Pro and surrounding objects with greater precision and higher performance. Here’s how Apple describes it:

\n

\n The LiDAR Scanner measures the distance to surrounding objects up to 5 meters away, works both indoors and outdoors, and operates at the photon level at nano-second speeds.\n

\n

As others have pointed out already, that’s how lasers work. Besides the technical jargon, the addition of a LiDAR scanner is a noteworthy enhancement for Apple’s ARKit developer framework, which feeds into the company’s bigger plans for augmented reality down the road. In the short term, this means that ARKit-enabled apps can integrate with the LiDAR scanner on the new iPad Pro to become considerably more precise, faster, and – potentially – useful: the new iPad Pros can combine depth points captured by the LiDAR scanner with data coming from cameras, motion sensors, and Vision algorithms to assemble a more detailed understanding of a scene in the real world. Practically speaking, here are some examples mentioned by Apple today:

\n
\"The

The upcoming Hot Lava update.

\n

Apple has been betting big on AR over the past few years, and while it is somewhat surprising to see a major addition such as a LiDAR scanner find its way to the iPad Pro before the iPhone, it’s not that surprising if you consider how this gives iPhone app and game developers several months to play around with new APIs before – if the rumors are correct – the next iPhone also receives a LiDAR scanner with faster, more precise AR support.

\n

Magic Keyboard and Trackpad Support

\n
\"The

The new Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro.

\n

Along with the new iPad Pro, Apple also announced a new Magic Keyboard with trackpad specifically designed for the iPad Pro line. The Magic Keyboard ships in May, is available at $299 for the 11-inch iPad Pro and $349 for the 12.9-inch model, and will be backward-compatible with the 2018 iPad Pro line.

\n

Unlike other external keyboards with trackpads by third-party manufacturers we’ve seen on iPad so far, Apple’s new Magic Keyboard doesn’t use a traditional clamshell design. Instead, the Magic Keyboard relies on a so-called “floating cantilever design” that lets you attach the iPad magnetically to the keyboard (which also doubles as a protective case when closed, just like the Smart Keyboard Folio) and adjust the viewing angle. Unlike other keyboard cases, including Apple’s existing one for the iPad Pro, the iPad Pro will float atop the Magic Keyboard thanks to these cantilevered hinges, which support a viewing angle of up to 130 degrees.

\n
\"It

It floats!

\n

But there’s more. The hinge itself contains a USB-C passthrough port which, according to Apple, will be used for charging the iPad Pro. Presumably, power will be transferred from the USB-C port in the keyboard to the Smart Connector on the back of the iPad Pro (I’m curious to hear about charging times when used this way). This also means that, thanks to USB-C passthrough in the Magic Keyboard, you’ll be able to connect external accessories such as drives or monitors to the iPad Pro’s own USB-C port while charging the device at the same time without having to purchase a separate USB hub.

\n

Furthermore, the Magic Keyboard follows the 16-inch MacBook Pro and new MacBook Air in implementing a scissor mechanism with hard key caps and 1 mm travel. For the first time in an iPad keyboard made by Apple, the new Magic Keyboard with trackpad will also offer backlit keys. As I mentioned above, the Magic Keyboard will be compatible with the existing 12.9-inch and 11-inch iPad Pro models, which suggests it will take advantage of the Smart Connector available on those devices.

\n

Along with the new Magic Keyboard, Apple has also announced that iPadOS 13.4, due to be released on March 24, will bring a new system-wide cursor whenever an external trackpad or mouse is connected to any iPad Pro that can run iPadOS 13. This includes the upcoming Magic Keyboard of course, but also the company’s Magic Mouse 2, Magic Trackpad 2, and any third-party mouse connected to the iPad Pro via USB or Bluetooth.

\n
\"The

The new system-wide cursor.

\n

In the weeks leading up to today’s announcements, some speculated that Apple may add cursor support to iPadOS but limit the feature to selecting text in text fields. Instead, iPadOS’ new cursor – which is different from the AssistiveTouch accessibility cursor launched last year – will appear as a circle that can highlight any UI element, text fields, and apps on the Home screen and dock. In short demo videos shared by Apple today, it appears the cursor is a mix of the Mac’s classic cursor and tvOS’ focus engine for selecting UI elements: the cursor appears to automatically “snap” to elements such as toolbar buttons and text fields; Apple says it is contextual and “intelligently adapts to content” shown onscreen. Judging from today’s images and videos, what Apple built is much more than just a cursor for text fields – it appears to be a comprehensive, sophisticated system for controlling a touch-first UI that complements the iPad experience to bring additional versatility, easier navigation, and more precision.

\n
\"More

More examples of iPadOS’ new cursor from Apple.

\n

According to Apple, most third-party apps will work with the new system-wide cursor (which, again, does not require the new Magic Keyboard) with no changes at all. However, there will be specific APIs for developers to fine-tune their apps’ UIs to the cursor (presumably, to better integrate with aspects such as hover states). The company also mentioned that the iWork suite of apps will be updated with full cursor integration soon (plus new features such as more templates, drop caps, and folder-based iCloud Drive collaboration).

\n
\n

In addition to the cursor, the Magic Keyboard’s trackpad will also support multitouch gestures in iPadOS 13.4. The trackpad will let you switch between apps, reveal the dock, open Control Center, interact with apps in Slide Over, and return to the Home screen. As Apple notes, in designing the new Magic Keyboard and adapting it to iPadOS, they’ve done more than replicate the macOS experience:

\n

\n Rather than copying the experience from macOS, trackpad support has been completely reimagined for iPad. As users move their finger across the trackpad, the pointer elegantly transforms to highlight user interface elements.\n

\n
\"Examples

Examples of the various multitouch gestures that will be supported by the trackpad in iPadOS 13.4.

\n

So far, it’s unclear whether iPadOS’ multitouch gestures will be exclusive to the Magic Keyboard or if they’ll work on Apple’s Magic Trackpad 2 as well. We’ll follow up on this once iPadOS 13.4 with cursor support releases next week.

\n

Price and Availability

\n

The new iPad Pro is available to order starting today and will ship next week. Both versions of the new iPad Pro are available in silver and space gray finishes. The new iPad Pro starts at $799 and $999 for the 11-inch and 12.9-inch Wi-Fi-only models, respectively, and $949 and $1,149 for the Wi-Fi + Cellular models. Apple also announced new Smart Folios for the new iPad Pros today.

\n

Flexible Pro

\n
\"\"

\n

I have several questions about the new iPad Pro, its cursor support, and the new Magic Keyboard that can’t be answered today. Will the Magic Keyboard’s floating design be comfortable enough to use the iPad Pro on my lap? Will existing third-party apps really require no changes to support the new system-wide cursor? And will third-party manufacturers like Logitech and Brydge be able to replicate all of the features of Apple’s trackpad, including its multitouch gestures to control multitasking, or will those remain exclusive to Apple’s Magic Keyboard?

\n

What I do know after today’s reveal, however, is that Apple has been listening to iPad Pro users who have been asking for increased versatility and more input options. At its very core, the iPad Pro is still a tablet – a single piece of glass you can hold in your hands and use with multitouch gestures with no external accessories. At the same time, however, the iPad Pro can be a new kind of modular computer that supports a variety of accessories – from an intelligent stylus and external keyboards to external displays and now trackpads. As I argued in my story last year, I see a fundamental beauty in this idea of owning a computer that can adapt to your lifestyle and work requirements and be flexible enough to support multiple use cases.

\n

Ever since the first iPad Pro came out in 2015, Apple has been steadily upending the definition of “computer” for the masses. Today’s announcements are a validation of that vision; I look forward to testing these changes in hardware and software next week.

\n

Support MacStories and Unlock Extras

Founded in 2015, Club MacStories has delivered exclusive content every week for over six years.

\n

In that time, members have enjoyed nearly 400 weekly and monthly newsletters packed with more of your favorite MacStories writing as well as Club-only podcasts, eBooks, discounts on apps, icons, and services. Join today, and you’ll get everything new that we publish every week, plus access to our entire archive of back issues and downloadable perks.

\n

The Club expanded in 2021 with Club MacStories+ and Club Premier. Club MacStories+ members enjoy even more exclusive stories, a vibrant Discord community, a rotating roster of app discounts, and more. And, with Club Premier, you get everything we offer at every Club level plus an extended, ad-free version of our podcast AppStories that is delivered early each week in high-bitrate audio.

\n

Join Now", "content_text": "The new iPad Pro and Magic Keyboard.\nWith a press release published earlier today, Apple officially announced the fourth generation of its iPad Pro line. The new iPad Pro models – available, as with the current generation, in 11-inch and 12.9-inch flavors – feature the all-new A12Z Bionic chip, a new camera system that includes an ultra-wide camera and LiDAR scanner for augmented reality, and integration with a long-awaited accessory, which will become available starting in May: the new Magic Keyboard with trackpad.\n\nA12Z Bionic Chip\nAs is tradition with a major refresh of the iPad Pro line, the new iPad Pro models come with a new SoC, this time called the A12Z Bionic. While we’ll have to wait for benchmarks and tests to get a sense of the actual performance improvements over the current iPad Pros with the A12X Bionic chip, here’s what we know from Apple’s marketing materials today: the A12Z Bionic packs an 8-core CPU and 8-core GPU featuring “enhanced thermal architecture and tuned performance controllers”. The A12Z Bionic supports up to 1 TB of storage (as before) and drives the Liquid Retina display, which appears to be unchanged from the current generation with its support for wide color gamut (P3), ProMotion, and True Tone. Notably, the new iPad Pros still deliver up to 10 hours of battery life.\nCellular\nBriefly mentioned in Apple’s announcement today, the new iPad Pros support faster Wi-Fi and gigabit-class LTE connections. The new iPad Pro models fully integrate with the Wi-Fi 6 spec (including 802.11ax) for speeds up to 1.2 Gbps (up from 866 Mbps on the current-generation iPad Pro). On the LTE side, the new iPad Pros support 30 bands instead of the older models’ 29. I’m no LTE expert, but I guess an extra band can’t hurt.\nMore Microphones\n\nJoining the iPad Pro’s current 4-speaker system are 5 studio-quality microphones which, according to Apple, should allow users to capture “super clean audio” with the “quietest details”. Apple’s press release mentions that an update to DoubleTake by FiLMic Pro, available next month, will take advantage of the new microphone system in the updated iPad Pros. Following the studio-quality microphones of last year’s 16-inch MacBook Pro, I’m keen to test the quality of the iPad Pro’s new microphone system with apps such as Skype and FaceTime.\nNew Camera System\nWide, ultra-wide, and LiDAR.\nAs has been widely speculated over the past few months, the new iPad Pros follow in the footsteps of 2019’s iPhone 11 line by offering a 10 MP ultra-wide camera in addition to the 12 MP wide camera. As we’ve seen with the iPhone 11 camera system before, the ultra-wide camera allows you to capture a much larger field of view. I’ve never been an iPad photographer myself, but it’s nice to see consistency in the camera department (which includes the design of the camera bump, pictured above) across the iPhone and iPad lines.\nThe big addition to the iPad Pro’s camera system – and a feature that is expected to find its way to new iPhone models later this year – is the LiDAR scanner which, according to Apple, makes the new iPad Pro “the world’s best device for augmented reality”. The LiDAR scanner, in short, is a sensor that can more accurately measure the distance between the iPad Pro and surrounding objects with greater precision and higher performance. Here’s how Apple describes it:\n\n The LiDAR Scanner measures the distance to surrounding objects up to 5 meters away, works both indoors and outdoors, and operates at the photon level at nano-second speeds.\n\nAs others have pointed out already, that’s how lasers work. Besides the technical jargon, the addition of a LiDAR scanner is a noteworthy enhancement for Apple’s ARKit developer framework, which feeds into the company’s bigger plans for augmented reality down the road. In the short term, this means that ARKit-enabled apps can integrate with the LiDAR scanner on the new iPad Pro to become considerably more precise, faster, and – potentially – useful: the new iPad Pros can combine depth points captured by the LiDAR scanner with data coming from cameras, motion sensors, and Vision algorithms to assemble a more detailed understanding of a scene in the real world. Practically speaking, here are some examples mentioned by Apple today:\nThe IKEA Place app will gain a new Studio Mode to let you furnish entire rooms with multiple pieces of furniture, more quickly;\nHot Lava, an Apple Arcade game, will have a new AR mode that transforms your room into an obstacle course; \nThe built-in Measure app will make it faster to calculate someone’s height. The app will also gain a new Ruler view for more granular measurements with the ability to save screenshots for future use.\nThe upcoming Hot Lava update.\nApple has been betting big on AR over the past few years, and while it is somewhat surprising to see a major addition such as a LiDAR scanner find its way to the iPad Pro before the iPhone, it’s not that surprising if you consider how this gives iPhone app and game developers several months to play around with new APIs before – if the rumors are correct – the next iPhone also receives a LiDAR scanner with faster, more precise AR support.\nMagic Keyboard and Trackpad Support\nThe new Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro.\nAlong with the new iPad Pro, Apple also announced a new Magic Keyboard with trackpad specifically designed for the iPad Pro line. The Magic Keyboard ships in May, is available at $299 for the 11-inch iPad Pro and $349 for the 12.9-inch model, and will be backward-compatible with the 2018 iPad Pro line.\nUnlike other external keyboards with trackpads by third-party manufacturers we’ve seen on iPad so far, Apple’s new Magic Keyboard doesn’t use a traditional clamshell design. Instead, the Magic Keyboard relies on a so-called “floating cantilever design” that lets you attach the iPad magnetically to the keyboard (which also doubles as a protective case when closed, just like the Smart Keyboard Folio) and adjust the viewing angle. Unlike other keyboard cases, including Apple’s existing one for the iPad Pro, the iPad Pro will float atop the Magic Keyboard thanks to these cantilevered hinges, which support a viewing angle of up to 130 degrees.\nIt floats!\nBut there’s more. The hinge itself contains a USB-C passthrough port which, according to Apple, will be used for charging the iPad Pro. Presumably, power will be transferred from the USB-C port in the keyboard to the Smart Connector on the back of the iPad Pro (I’m curious to hear about charging times when used this way). This also means that, thanks to USB-C passthrough in the Magic Keyboard, you’ll be able to connect external accessories such as drives or monitors to the iPad Pro’s own USB-C port while charging the device at the same time without having to purchase a separate USB hub.\nFurthermore, the Magic Keyboard follows the 16-inch MacBook Pro and new MacBook Air in implementing a scissor mechanism with hard key caps and 1 mm travel. For the first time in an iPad keyboard made by Apple, the new Magic Keyboard with trackpad will also offer backlit keys. As I mentioned above, the Magic Keyboard will be compatible with the existing 12.9-inch and 11-inch iPad Pro models, which suggests it will take advantage of the Smart Connector available on those devices.\nAlong with the new Magic Keyboard, Apple has also announced that iPadOS 13.4, due to be released on March 24, will bring a new system-wide cursor whenever an external trackpad or mouse is connected to any iPad Pro that can run iPadOS 13. This includes the upcoming Magic Keyboard of course, but also the company’s Magic Mouse 2, Magic Trackpad 2, and any third-party mouse connected to the iPad Pro via USB or Bluetooth.\nThe new system-wide cursor.\nIn the weeks leading up to today’s announcements, some speculated that Apple may add cursor support to iPadOS but limit the feature to selecting text in text fields. Instead, iPadOS’ new cursor – which is different from the AssistiveTouch accessibility cursor launched last year – will appear as a circle that can highlight any UI element, text fields, and apps on the Home screen and dock. In short demo videos shared by Apple today, it appears the cursor is a mix of the Mac’s classic cursor and tvOS’ focus engine for selecting UI elements: the cursor appears to automatically “snap” to elements such as toolbar buttons and text fields; Apple says it is contextual and “intelligently adapts to content” shown onscreen. Judging from today’s images and videos, what Apple built is much more than just a cursor for text fields – it appears to be a comprehensive, sophisticated system for controlling a touch-first UI that complements the iPad experience to bring additional versatility, easier navigation, and more precision.\nMore examples of iPadOS’ new cursor from Apple.\nAccording to Apple, most third-party apps will work with the new system-wide cursor (which, again, does not require the new Magic Keyboard) with no changes at all. However, there will be specific APIs for developers to fine-tune their apps’ UIs to the cursor (presumably, to better integrate with aspects such as hover states). The company also mentioned that the iWork suite of apps will be updated with full cursor integration soon (plus new features such as more templates, drop caps, and folder-based iCloud Drive collaboration).\n\nIn addition to the cursor, the Magic Keyboard’s trackpad will also support multitouch gestures in iPadOS 13.4. The trackpad will let you switch between apps, reveal the dock, open Control Center, interact with apps in Slide Over, and return to the Home screen. As Apple notes, in designing the new Magic Keyboard and adapting it to iPadOS, they’ve done more than replicate the macOS experience:\n\n Rather than copying the experience from macOS, trackpad support has been completely reimagined for iPad. As users move their finger across the trackpad, the pointer elegantly transforms to highlight user interface elements.\n\nExamples of the various multitouch gestures that will be supported by the trackpad in iPadOS 13.4.\nSo far, it’s unclear whether iPadOS’ multitouch gestures will be exclusive to the Magic Keyboard or if they’ll work on Apple’s Magic Trackpad 2 as well. We’ll follow up on this once iPadOS 13.4 with cursor support releases next week.\nPrice and Availability\nThe new iPad Pro is available to order starting today and will ship next week. Both versions of the new iPad Pro are available in silver and space gray finishes. The new iPad Pro starts at $799 and $999 for the 11-inch and 12.9-inch Wi-Fi-only models, respectively, and $949 and $1,149 for the Wi-Fi + Cellular models. Apple also announced new Smart Folios for the new iPad Pros today.\nFlexible Pro\n\nI have several questions about the new iPad Pro, its cursor support, and the new Magic Keyboard that can’t be answered today. Will the Magic Keyboard’s floating design be comfortable enough to use the iPad Pro on my lap? Will existing third-party apps really require no changes to support the new system-wide cursor? And will third-party manufacturers like Logitech and Brydge be able to replicate all of the features of Apple’s trackpad, including its multitouch gestures to control multitasking, or will those remain exclusive to Apple’s Magic Keyboard?\nWhat I do know after today’s reveal, however, is that Apple has been listening to iPad Pro users who have been asking for increased versatility and more input options. At its very core, the iPad Pro is still a tablet – a single piece of glass you can hold in your hands and use with multitouch gestures with no external accessories. At the same time, however, the iPad Pro can be a new kind of modular computer that supports a variety of accessories – from an intelligent stylus and external keyboards to external displays and now trackpads. As I argued in my story last year, I see a fundamental beauty in this idea of owning a computer that can adapt to your lifestyle and work requirements and be flexible enough to support multiple use cases.\nEver since the first iPad Pro came out in 2015, Apple has been steadily upending the definition of “computer” for the masses. Today’s announcements are a validation of that vision; I look forward to testing these changes in hardware and software next week.\nSupport MacStories and Unlock ExtrasFounded in 2015, Club MacStories has delivered exclusive content every week for over six years.\nIn that time, members have enjoyed nearly 400 weekly and monthly newsletters packed with more of your favorite MacStories writing as well as Club-only podcasts, eBooks, discounts on apps, icons, and services. Join today, and you’ll get everything new that we publish every week, plus access to our entire archive of back issues and downloadable perks.\nThe Club expanded in 2021 with Club MacStories+ and Club Premier. Club MacStories+ members enjoy even more exclusive stories, a vibrant Discord community, a rotating roster of app discounts, and more. And, with Club Premier, you get everything we offer at every Club level plus an extended, ad-free version of our podcast AppStories that is delivered early each week in high-bitrate audio.\nJoin Now", "date_published": "2020-03-18T11:56:16-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-03-18T12:06:22-04:00", "authors": [ { "name": "Federico Viticci", "url": "https://www.macstories.net/author/viticci/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/94a9aa7c70dbeb9440c6759bd2cebc2a?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "tags": [ "accessories", "iPad Pro", "keyboard", "news" ] }, { "id": "https://www.macstories.net/?p=62591", "url": "https://www.macstories.net/linked/cursors-on-the-ipad/", "title": "Cursors on the iPad", "content_html": "

Fantastic column by Jason Snell, writing for Macworld, on the rumor that Apple may bring a trackpad to the Smart Keyboard and update the iPadOS UI to support external pointing devices this year:

\n

\n What makes the iPad great is its ultimate flexibility. When I write about iPad keyboards, people inevitably say: Why don’t you just use a MacBook, already?

\n

But the iPad lets me tear off the keyboard when I’m not using it, and a MacBook doesn’t. I can use my same iPad Pro, and all the same apps, when my iPad Pro is completely naked, when it’s attached to a keyboard, when I have an Apple Pencil in my hand, and yes, even when I’ve got a Bluetooth mouse attached.

\n

This is why I love the iPad so much. It’s everything I want it to be, when I want it to be that—and not when I don’t. Yes, there are definitely tasks my Mac is much better at performing, and in those cases using an iPad can be a compromise. But using a MacBook that can’t be transformed into a light touchscreen tablet is also a compromise. And unlike the current Windows experience, I don’t have to retreat into a weird faux-Mac interface to get real work done.\n

\n

As I’ve argued many times before, the iPad’s greatest strength is its ability to transform into different types of computer depending on what you need. Here’s how I concluded my Beyond the Tablet story last year:

\n

\n At a fundamental level, after seven years of daily iPad usage, I believe in the idea of a computer that can transform into different form factors. The iPad is such a device: it gives me the freedom to use it as a tablet with 4G while getting some lightweight work done at the beach, but it becomes a laptop when paired with a keyboard, and it turns into a workstation when hooked up to an external display, a USB keyboard, and a good pair of headphones. For me, the iPad is the ultimate expression of the modern portable computer: a one-of-a-kind device that morphs and scales along with my habits, needs, and lifestyle choices.

\n

A few years ago, I described the iPad as a “liberating” experience that married power to portability and allowed me to work from anywhere. I stand by that concept, but I’ll revise it for 2019: the iPad is a liberating device that transcends its form factor. Its range of configurations, combined with a new generation of powerful iOS apps, delivers a flexible experience that eludes classification.\n

\n

Adding a trackpad and native support for external pointing devices to UIKit wouldn’t turn the iPad into a laptop: it would just add to the list of potential, optional configurations for the device. That’s been true for a while with other accessories; I don’t see why mice and trackpads shouldn’t be next.

\n

\u2192 Source: macworld.com

", "content_text": "Fantastic column by Jason Snell, writing for Macworld, on the rumor that Apple may bring a trackpad to the Smart Keyboard and update the iPadOS UI to support external pointing devices this year:\n\n What makes the iPad great is its ultimate flexibility. When I write about iPad keyboards, people inevitably say: Why don’t you just use a MacBook, already?\n But the iPad lets me tear off the keyboard when I’m not using it, and a MacBook doesn’t. I can use my same iPad Pro, and all the same apps, when my iPad Pro is completely naked, when it’s attached to a keyboard, when I have an Apple Pencil in my hand, and yes, even when I’ve got a Bluetooth mouse attached.\n This is why I love the iPad so much. It’s everything I want it to be, when I want it to be that—and not when I don’t. Yes, there are definitely tasks my Mac is much better at performing, and in those cases using an iPad can be a compromise. But using a MacBook that can’t be transformed into a light touchscreen tablet is also a compromise. And unlike the current Windows experience, I don’t have to retreat into a weird faux-Mac interface to get real work done.\n\nAs I’ve argued many times before, the iPad’s greatest strength is its ability to transform into different types of computer depending on what you need. Here’s how I concluded my Beyond the Tablet story last year:\n\n At a fundamental level, after seven years of daily iPad usage, I believe in the idea of a computer that can transform into different form factors. The iPad is such a device: it gives me the freedom to use it as a tablet with 4G while getting some lightweight work done at the beach, but it becomes a laptop when paired with a keyboard, and it turns into a workstation when hooked up to an external display, a USB keyboard, and a good pair of headphones. For me, the iPad is the ultimate expression of the modern portable computer: a one-of-a-kind device that morphs and scales along with my habits, needs, and lifestyle choices.\n A few years ago, I described the iPad as a “liberating” experience that married power to portability and allowed me to work from anywhere. I stand by that concept, but I’ll revise it for 2019: the iPad is a liberating device that transcends its form factor. Its range of configurations, combined with a new generation of powerful iOS apps, delivers a flexible experience that eludes classification.\n\nAdding a trackpad and native support for external pointing devices to UIKit wouldn’t turn the iPad into a laptop: it would just add to the list of potential, optional configurations for the device. That’s been true for a while with other accessories; I don’t see why mice and trackpads shouldn’t be next.\n\u2192 Source: macworld.com", "date_published": "2020-03-11T15:01:48-04:00", "date_modified": "2020-03-11T15:01:48-04:00", "authors": [ { "name": "Federico Viticci", "url": "https://www.macstories.net/author/viticci/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/94a9aa7c70dbeb9440c6759bd2cebc2a?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "tags": [ "iPad Pro", "keyboard", "Linked" ] }, { "id": "https://www.macstories.net/?p=62319", "url": "https://www.macstories.net/stories/a-fix-for-ipad-multitasking/", "title": "A Fix for iPad Multitasking", "content_html": "
\"Concept

Concept by Silvia Gatta.

\n

The iPad’s primary appeal the last 10 years has been its resemblance to the iPhone. If you can use an iPhone, you can use an iPad – at least in most respects. Where that’s no longer true is multitasking.

\n

I love the functionality enabled by iPad multitasking, but the current system is unnecessarily complex. I don’t believe the iPad should revert to its origins as a one-app-at-a-time device, but I know there’s a better way forward for multitasking.

\n

My proposal for a new multitasking system employs a UI mechanic that already exists across both iPhone and iPad. Without losing any of iPadOS 13’s current functionality, it brings the iPad closer to its iPhone roots again and makes multitasking accessible for the masses.

\n

Context menus are the key to a better multitasking system.

\n

When you long-press an app icon in iOS and iPadOS 13, a context menu appears and provides various options. These menus, I believe, are the perfect home for multitasking controls.

\n

\n

The current multitasking system involves dragging app icons away from their location in the dock, on the Home screen, or in Search, and dropping them different places on-screen to enter Split View or Slide Over modes. This system can be effective once you’ve mastered it, but the vast majority of iPad users will never do that. I won’t spend any time on the particulars of multitasking’s current shortcomings; they’ve been well documented elsewhere.

\n

Apple should abandon the iPad’s drag and drop-centric multitasking system and go all-in on context menus for controlling multitasking. Drag and drop of content inside apps should remain as-is,1 but dragging and dropping app icons to engage multitasking should be retired.

\n

The current concepts of Split View and Slide Over work well, so I’m not calling for a rethinking of these functions, only the way they’re accessed. Split View and Slide Over should be engaged via context menus.

\n

With a long-press on any app icon, on both iPhone and iPad, a context menu appears. This same gesture works whether the app icon is in your dock, on your Home screen, or in Search. Context menus currently display options like Edit Home Screen, Show All Windows, and any app-specific quick actions. Let’s add a couple new options that relate to multitasking.

\n
\"Concept

Concept by Silvia Gatta.

\n

This is a good start. But these new menu items would need to be dynamic based on your current view.

\n

If you had a single app on-screen, Safari, then pulled up your dock and long-pressed on Notes, you would see what’s pictured above: Pair Left of Safari, Pair Right of Safari, and Open in Slide Over. Do I need to explain any further?

\n

If you already had a Split View on-screen, however, the options would change slightly. While working in a Split View of Mail and Reminders, if you raised the dock and long-pressed Notes, you would see Pair with Mail and Pair with Reminders options, plus Open in Slide Over as before. The Split View actions would need to change to indicate whether you intend to pair the new app, Notes, with Mail or with Reminders.

\n

One common complaint about the current multitasking system is that it’s optimized for apps in the dock and falls flat when adding a Home screen app to Split View or Slide Over. But with context menus, everything works exactly as I’ve already described. The only difference is that, since browsing your Home screen means you don’t have any app views on-screen, the context menu options would reflect your last used app or Split View. So if you were working in Calendar, then went to the Home screen and long-pressed Files, the context menu would include Pair Left of Calendar, Pair Right of Calendar, and Open in Slide Over. If you were using a Split View of Calendar and Messages, then went Home and long-pressed Files, the actions would be Pair with Calendar, Pair with Messages, and Open in Slide Over.

\n

When using an external keyboard, Search has always been a great way to add non-dock apps to Split View or Slide Over. With a context menu-centric system this remains true. App icons already support context menus in Search, they would just need the new multitasking actions added.

\n

What I’ve described so far is the core of the system. If you’re a heavy iPad user, however, you may be wondering about certain multitasking situations I haven’t yet addressed. Read on.

\n

When the app you long-press is already on-screen. In this case context menus would offer multiwindow functionality, but in the same form factor I’ve already covered. If Notes is already on-screen and you long-press the Notes icon in your dock, the Split View actions in the context menu would read Pair Left of Notes and Pair Right of Notes.

\n

The Slide Over actions would need to change slightly, since a simple Open in Slide Over wouldn’t suffice. All you would need are two actions instead of one: Open Current Window in Slide Over and Open New Window in Slide Over. That way, you can convert what’s on-screen into a Slide Over window, or leave the current Notes window alone while adding a new Slide Over window on top.2

\n

When you want in-app content to become a new window. In iPadOS 13, often times if you drag content inside an app, you can turn that content into its own window by dropping it on certain areas of the screen. For consistency, drag and drop of content should no longer be used for creating new windows, only for moving data within an app or between separate apps.

\n

This change would follow a precedent already in place. In iPadOS 13’s Safari, long-pressing a link provides an Open in New Window action in a context menu; Ulysses follows this pattern in its context menus for groups and sheets. Simply extend the same functionality to all apps, add an Open in Slide Over action to the context menu, and problem solved.

\n
\"Apps

Apps like Ulysses already offer an in-app option for creating new windows.

\n

When you want to move a Slide Over app into your current view. I’ve talked about adding apps to Slide Over, but not getting them out of it. This could be done in a variety of ways, none of which involve context menus. My recommendation would be adding buttons for this action to Slide Over’s app switcher, underneath the app panes.

\n

When you want to resize or swap Split View apps. These functions could work exactly as they do today. Nothing about them needs to change.

\n

In closing, context menus for multitasking would:

\n
  1. Remove the need for iPhone users to learn a major new UI mechanic when using the iPad.
    2. \n
  2. Prevent the one-app-at-a-time people from ever accidentally triggering multitasking.
    3. \n
  3. Eliminate convoluted gestures.
    4. \n
  4. Offer all the same functionality available today, but in a much simpler package.
    5. \n

The iPad is at its best when it offers computer-level power that’s iPhone-level accessible. The current multitasking system fails to do that. Context menus would succeed.

\n
\n
  1. \nExcept content should no longer be able to spawn new windows via drag and drop. New multitasking options can be added to context menus accompanying this content instead. More on this later. ↩︎\n
    2. \n
  2. \nIn situations where you have two Notes windows in Split View, and want to convert one of them into a Slide Over window, the context menu action would apply to whichever window is currently selected. ↩︎\n
    3. \n
\n

Support MacStories and Unlock Extras

Founded in 2015, Club MacStories has delivered exclusive content every week for over six years.

\n

In that time, members have enjoyed nearly 400 weekly and monthly newsletters packed with more of your favorite MacStories writing as well as Club-only podcasts, eBooks, discounts on apps, icons, and services. Join today, and you’ll get everything new that we publish every week, plus access to our entire archive of back issues and downloadable perks.

\n

The Club expanded in 2021 with Club MacStories+ and Club Premier. Club MacStories+ members enjoy even more exclusive stories, a vibrant Discord community, a rotating roster of app discounts, and more. And, with Club Premier, you get everything we offer at every Club level plus an extended, ad-free version of our podcast AppStories that is delivered early each week in high-bitrate audio.

\n

Join Now", "content_text": "Concept by Silvia Gatta.\nThe iPad’s primary appeal the last 10 years has been its resemblance to the iPhone. If you can use an iPhone, you can use an iPad – at least in most respects. Where that’s no longer true is multitasking.\nI love the functionality enabled by iPad multitasking, but the current system is unnecessarily complex. I don’t believe the iPad should revert to its origins as a one-app-at-a-time device, but I know there’s a better way forward for multitasking.\nMy proposal for a new multitasking system employs a UI mechanic that already exists across both iPhone and iPad. Without losing any of iPadOS 13’s current functionality, it brings the iPad closer to its iPhone roots again and makes multitasking accessible for the masses.\nContext menus are the key to a better multitasking system.\nWhen you long-press an app icon in iOS and iPadOS 13, a context menu appears and provides various options. These menus, I believe, are the perfect home for multitasking controls.\n\nThe current multitasking system involves dragging app icons away from their location in the dock, on the Home screen, or in Search, and dropping them different places on-screen to enter Split View or Slide Over modes. This system can be effective once you’ve mastered it, but the vast majority of iPad users will never do that. I won’t spend any time on the particulars of multitasking’s current shortcomings; they’ve been well documented elsewhere.\nApple should abandon the iPad’s drag and drop-centric multitasking system and go all-in on context menus for controlling multitasking. Drag and drop of content inside apps should remain as-is,1 but dragging and dropping app icons to engage multitasking should be retired.\nThe current concepts of Split View and Slide Over work well, so I’m not calling for a rethinking of these functions, only the way they’re accessed. Split View and Slide Over should be engaged via context menus.\nWith a long-press on any app icon, on both iPhone and iPad, a context menu appears. This same gesture works whether the app icon is in your dock, on your Home screen, or in Search. Context menus currently display options like Edit Home Screen, Show All Windows, and any app-specific quick actions. Let’s add a couple new options that relate to multitasking.\nConcept by Silvia Gatta.\nThis is a good start. But these new menu items would need to be dynamic based on your current view.\nIf you had a single app on-screen, Safari, then pulled up your dock and long-pressed on Notes, you would see what’s pictured above: Pair Left of Safari, Pair Right of Safari, and Open in Slide Over. Do I need to explain any further?\nIf you already had a Split View on-screen, however, the options would change slightly. While working in a Split View of Mail and Reminders, if you raised the dock and long-pressed Notes, you would see Pair with Mail and Pair with Reminders options, plus Open in Slide Over as before. The Split View actions would need to change to indicate whether you intend to pair the new app, Notes, with Mail or with Reminders.\nOne common complaint about the current multitasking system is that it’s optimized for apps in the dock and falls flat when adding a Home screen app to Split View or Slide Over. But with context menus, everything works exactly as I’ve already described. The only difference is that, since browsing your Home screen means you don’t have any app views on-screen, the context menu options would reflect your last used app or Split View. So if you were working in Calendar, then went to the Home screen and long-pressed Files, the context menu would include Pair Left of Calendar, Pair Right of Calendar, and Open in Slide Over. If you were using a Split View of Calendar and Messages, then went Home and long-pressed Files, the actions would be Pair with Calendar, Pair with Messages, and Open in Slide Over.\nWhen using an external keyboard, Search has always been a great way to add non-dock apps to Split View or Slide Over. With a context menu-centric system this remains true. App icons already support context menus in Search, they would just need the new multitasking actions added.\nMore on the latest episode of Adapt\nFor further discussion of this idea for revamped multitasking, listen to the latest episode of Ryan and Federico’s iPad-focused podcast, Adapt:\n\n\n \n\n \n 0:0001:24:28\n \n \n\n\nEpisode 18: Fixing Multitasking\n\n\n\n\n\n\nWhat I’ve described so far is the core of the system. If you’re a heavy iPad user, however, you may be wondering about certain multitasking situations I haven’t yet addressed. Read on.\nWhen the app you long-press is already on-screen. In this case context menus would offer multiwindow functionality, but in the same form factor I’ve already covered. If Notes is already on-screen and you long-press the Notes icon in your dock, the Split View actions in the context menu would read Pair Left of Notes and Pair Right of Notes.\nThe Slide Over actions would need to change slightly, since a simple Open in Slide Over wouldn’t suffice. All you would need are two actions instead of one: Open Current Window in Slide Over and Open New Window in Slide Over. That way, you can convert what’s on-screen into a Slide Over window, or leave the current Notes window alone while adding a new Slide Over window on top.2\nWhen you want in-app content to become a new window. In iPadOS 13, often times if you drag content inside an app, you can turn that content into its own window by dropping it on certain areas of the screen. For consistency, drag and drop of content should no longer be used for creating new windows, only for moving data within an app or between separate apps.\nThis change would follow a precedent already in place. In iPadOS 13’s Safari, long-pressing a link provides an Open in New Window action in a context menu; Ulysses follows this pattern in its context menus for groups and sheets. Simply extend the same functionality to all apps, add an Open in Slide Over action to the context menu, and problem solved.\nApps like Ulysses already offer an in-app option for creating new windows.\nWhen you want to move a Slide Over app into your current view. I’ve talked about adding apps to Slide Over, but not getting them out of it. This could be done in a variety of ways, none of which involve context menus. My recommendation would be adding buttons for this action to Slide Over’s app switcher, underneath the app panes.\nWhen you want to resize or swap Split View apps. These functions could work exactly as they do today. Nothing about them needs to change.\nSimplifying Long-Press\nIf Apple makes these changes, I think it should also tweak the current long-press gesture so that an extended long-press no longer engages “jiggly mode” where you can rearrange apps. Let a long-press do one thing and one thing only: load a context menu, which stays on-screen until you dismiss it. We’ve already taken a step in this direction with the Edit Home Screen action that was added to context menus last year – it’s time to take that next step.\nIn closing, context menus for multitasking would:\nRemove the need for iPhone users to learn a major new UI mechanic when using the iPad.\nPrevent the one-app-at-a-time people from ever accidentally triggering multitasking.\nEliminate convoluted gestures.\nOffer all the same functionality available today, but in a much simpler package.\nThe iPad is at its best when it offers computer-level power that’s iPhone-level accessible. The current multitasking system fails to do that. Context menus would succeed.\n\n\nExcept content should no longer be able to spawn new windows via drag and drop. New multitasking options can be added to context menus accompanying this content instead. More on this later. ↩︎\n\n\nIn situations where you have two Notes windows in Split View, and want to convert one of them into a Slide Over window, the context menu action would apply to whichever window is currently selected. ↩︎\n\n\nSupport MacStories and Unlock ExtrasFounded in 2015, Club MacStories has delivered exclusive content every week for over six years.\nIn that time, members have enjoyed nearly 400 weekly and monthly newsletters packed with more of your favorite MacStories writing as well as Club-only podcasts, eBooks, discounts on apps, icons, and services. Join today, and you’ll get everything new that we publish every week, plus access to our entire archive of back issues and downloadable perks.\nThe Club expanded in 2021 with Club MacStories+ and Club Premier. Club MacStories+ members enjoy even more exclusive stories, a vibrant Discord community, a rotating roster of app discounts, and more. And, with Club Premier, you get everything we offer at every Club level plus an extended, ad-free version of our podcast AppStories that is delivered early each week in high-bitrate audio.\nJoin Now", "date_published": "2020-02-06T10:45:05-05:00", "date_modified": "2020-02-06T16:05:28-05:00", "authors": [ { "name": "Ryan Christoffel", "url": "https://www.macstories.net/author/ryanchristoffel/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/6f92854b21cbef25629d7efb809a9de7?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "tags": [ "iPad", "iPad Pro", "iPadOS", "stories" ], "attachments": [ { "url": "https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/traffic.libsyn.com/relayadapt/18_Fixing_Multitasking.mp3", "mime_type": "audio/mpeg", "size_in_bytes": 208 } ] }, { "id": "https://www.macstories.net/?p=62015", "url": "https://www.macstories.net/news/brydge-announces-pro-keyboard-with-trackpad-for-the-ipad-pro-and-a-standalone-trackpad/", "title": "Brydge Announces Pro+ Keyboard with Trackpad for the iPad Pro and a Standalone Trackpad", "content_html": "
\"(Source:

(Source: Brydge)

\n

Today Brydge announced the Pro+ keyboard for the iPad Pro, which incorporates a trackpad. The keyboard was first revealed in connection with a lawsuit filed by Brydge against another keyboard maker that Brydge says violated a patent on the company’s keyboard hinge. Although Brydge’s official announcement doesn’t disclose when it will begin taking pre-orders, the company says it will be soon. Brydge also says that the first 500 pre-orders will be shipped in late February, with the remaining pre-orders shipping in late March.

\n

With iPadOS 13, Apple added accessibility support for pointing devices like mice and trackpads. Pointing devices can be connected via USB or Bluetooth using iPadOS’s Assistive Touch Accessibility feature, which permits navigation of the OS’s UI. Although the experience of using a pointing device with an iPad Pro partly resembles using one with a Mac, it’s also different and more limited. As Federico explained in his iOS and iPadOS 13 review:

\n

\n The first and most important difference between iPadOS and macOS is that UIKit is still designed and optimized for touch input. When you enable mouse support in iPadOS, you’ll notice that the system won’t react to the hover state of the pointer: if you hover over a button in a toolbar, you won’t see a tooltip; if you wait with the cursor over the edge of a document, you won’t see a scroll bar; in Safari, hovering over drop down menus of a webpage will not automatically expand and collapse them.\n

\n

I’ve used iPadOS 13 with a Logitech MX Master Mouse 3S and agree with Federico’s assessment that if you go into mouse or trackpad use on iPadOS expecting precisely the same sort of experience as a Mac, you’re likely to be disappointed. Still, the feature opens up exciting possibilities beyond the accessibility needs it addresses, such as the ability to assign shortcuts to button presses.

\n
\"(Source:

(Source: Brydge)

\n

Brydge’s new keyboard closely resembles past models but adds a trackpad to the center of the wrist rest. The keyboard comes in two sizes to accommodate the 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro models, connects via Bluetooth 4.1, has three levels of backlighting, 3-month battery life, and is space gray. With the trackpad, Brydge says users will also be able to open the dock with a two-finger tap on the trackpad and trigger App Exposé with a three-finger tap. Users will also be able to tap the bottom left or right-hand corners of their iPad Pro’s screen to return to the Home screen.

\n

The 11-inch model of the Pro+ will cost $199.99, and the 12.9-inch version will be $229.99. If you are interested in ordering the Pro+, Brydge encourages registering on its website to receive an alert by email when pre-orders begin.

\n
\"The

The Brydge trackpad. (Source: Brydge)

\n

Separately, Brydge announced a standalone trackpad, which should appeal to existing Brydge keyboard owners who want to add a complementary trackpad without purchasing the Pro+. Brydge hasn’t disclosed much about the standalone version of its trackpad, although the company says it is coming soon, will be glass with a ‘Multi-Touch Engine,’ connect using Bluetooth 4.1, and will have a 3-month per charge battery life.

\n

It will be interesting to see how Brydge’s Pro+ keyboard and standalone trackpad do with users. Off-the-shelf pointing device support was an important addition to iPadOS 13 for people who need the feature for accessibility reasons. I’ve experimented with the feature on several occasions, but until it’s more refined, I have a hard time seeing myself using a pointing device with my iPad Pro regularly. As a result, I’m not that interested in the Brydge Pro+, but I’ll withhold my final judgment on that score until I’ve seen reviews by people who have used production models of the device and tried one myself. I also wouldn’t be surprised if iPadOS 14 strengthens mouse and trackpad support, making the Pro+ an even more attractive option later this year.

\n

Support MacStories and Unlock Extras

Founded in 2015, Club MacStories has delivered exclusive content every week for over six years.

\n

In that time, members have enjoyed nearly 400 weekly and monthly newsletters packed with more of your favorite MacStories writing as well as Club-only podcasts, eBooks, discounts on apps, icons, and services. Join today, and you’ll get everything new that we publish every week, plus access to our entire archive of back issues and downloadable perks.

\n

The Club expanded in 2021 with Club MacStories+ and Club Premier. Club MacStories+ members enjoy even more exclusive stories, a vibrant Discord community, a rotating roster of app discounts, and more. And, with Club Premier, you get everything we offer at every Club level plus an extended, ad-free version of our podcast AppStories that is delivered early each week in high-bitrate audio.

\n

Join Now", "content_text": "(Source: Brydge)\nToday Brydge announced the Pro+ keyboard for the iPad Pro, which incorporates a trackpad. The keyboard was first revealed in connection with a lawsuit filed by Brydge against another keyboard maker that Brydge says violated a patent on the company’s keyboard hinge. Although Brydge’s official announcement doesn’t disclose when it will begin taking pre-orders, the company says it will be soon. Brydge also says that the first 500 pre-orders will be shipped in late February, with the remaining pre-orders shipping in late March.\nWith iPadOS 13, Apple added accessibility support for pointing devices like mice and trackpads. Pointing devices can be connected via USB or Bluetooth using iPadOS’s Assistive Touch Accessibility feature, which permits navigation of the OS’s UI. Although the experience of using a pointing device with an iPad Pro partly resembles using one with a Mac, it’s also different and more limited. As Federico explained in his iOS and iPadOS 13 review:\n\n The first and most important difference between iPadOS and macOS is that UIKit is still designed and optimized for touch input. When you enable mouse support in iPadOS, you’ll notice that the system won’t react to the hover state of the pointer: if you hover over a button in a toolbar, you won’t see a tooltip; if you wait with the cursor over the edge of a document, you won’t see a scroll bar; in Safari, hovering over drop down menus of a webpage will not automatically expand and collapse them.\n\nI’ve used iPadOS 13 with a Logitech MX Master Mouse 3S and agree with Federico’s assessment that if you go into mouse or trackpad use on iPadOS expecting precisely the same sort of experience as a Mac, you’re likely to be disappointed. Still, the feature opens up exciting possibilities beyond the accessibility needs it addresses, such as the ability to assign shortcuts to button presses.\n(Source: Brydge)\nBrydge’s new keyboard closely resembles past models but adds a trackpad to the center of the wrist rest. The keyboard comes in two sizes to accommodate the 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro models, connects via Bluetooth 4.1, has three levels of backlighting, 3-month battery life, and is space gray. With the trackpad, Brydge says users will also be able to open the dock with a two-finger tap on the trackpad and trigger App Exposé with a three-finger tap. Users will also be able to tap the bottom left or right-hand corners of their iPad Pro’s screen to return to the Home screen.\nThe 11-inch model of the Pro+ will cost $199.99, and the 12.9-inch version will be $229.99. If you are interested in ordering the Pro+, Brydge encourages registering on its website to receive an alert by email when pre-orders begin.\nThe Brydge trackpad. (Source: Brydge)\nSeparately, Brydge announced a standalone trackpad, which should appeal to existing Brydge keyboard owners who want to add a complementary trackpad without purchasing the Pro+. Brydge hasn’t disclosed much about the standalone version of its trackpad, although the company says it is coming soon, will be glass with a ‘Multi-Touch Engine,’ connect using Bluetooth 4.1, and will have a 3-month per charge battery life.\nIt will be interesting to see how Brydge’s Pro+ keyboard and standalone trackpad do with users. Off-the-shelf pointing device support was an important addition to iPadOS 13 for people who need the feature for accessibility reasons. I’ve experimented with the feature on several occasions, but until it’s more refined, I have a hard time seeing myself using a pointing device with my iPad Pro regularly. As a result, I’m not that interested in the Brydge Pro+, but I’ll withhold my final judgment on that score until I’ve seen reviews by people who have used production models of the device and tried one myself. I also wouldn’t be surprised if iPadOS 14 strengthens mouse and trackpad support, making the Pro+ an even more attractive option later this year.\nSupport MacStories and Unlock ExtrasFounded in 2015, Club MacStories has delivered exclusive content every week for over six years.\nIn that time, members have enjoyed nearly 400 weekly and monthly newsletters packed with more of your favorite MacStories writing as well as Club-only podcasts, eBooks, discounts on apps, icons, and services. Join today, and you’ll get everything new that we publish every week, plus access to our entire archive of back issues and downloadable perks.\nThe Club expanded in 2021 with Club MacStories+ and Club Premier. Club MacStories+ members enjoy even more exclusive stories, a vibrant Discord community, a rotating roster of app discounts, and more. And, with Club Premier, you get everything we offer at every Club level plus an extended, ad-free version of our podcast AppStories that is delivered early each week in high-bitrate audio.\nJoin Now", "date_published": "2020-01-02T10:00:59-05:00", "date_modified": "2020-01-02T14:19:32-05:00", "authors": [ { "name": "John Voorhees", "url": "https://www.macstories.net/author/johnvoorhees/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/5a1475dcd87638ed2f250b6213881115?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "tags": [ "accessories", "iPad Pro", "keyboard", "news" ] }, { "id": "https://www.macstories.net/?p=61658", "url": "https://www.macstories.net/stories/my-modern-ipad-home-screen-apps-widgets-files-folders-and-shortcuts/", "title": "My Modern iPad Home Screen: Apps, Widgets, Files, Folders, and Shortcuts", "content_html": "
\"My

My iPadOS Home screen.

\n

For several years after its launch, one of the best and worst things about the iPad was that it was basically just a blown-up iPhone. This meant the device was extremely easy to use and intuitive, but it also meant lots of “computer-like” tasks were difficult to perform on an iPad. When the iPad Pro debuted in late 2015, that began to change. Features like Split View, Slide Over, Picture in Picture, and drag and drop made the iPad a more capable computer than ever. However, despite those advancements, it took until this fall before one of the iPad’s core iPhone inspirations was altered: the Home screen.

\n

Before iPadOS, the iPad’s Home screen was just a larger version of an iPhone Home screen, with no unique advantages to it. That finally changed mere months ago, when iPadOS 13 brought two primary improvements to the Home screen: it could hold 30 icons rather than 20, and it could include pinned widgets.

\n

These two changes alone weren’t radical departures from the Home screen’s iPhone origins, but combined with other discoveries, they unlocked significant new possibilities.

\n

On a recent episode of Adapt, I challenged Federico to try re-creating a Mac-like desktop environment on the iPad’s Home screen, complete with file and folder launchers. What he came up with is exactly what I’d hoped for. This newfound ability, alongside iPadOS 13’s enhancements to how shortcuts work when added to the Home screen, and the debut of MacStories Shortcuts Icons, meant it was time for me to seriously consider a new approach to my Home screen.

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What I’ve come up with includes apps, app folders, files, file folders, shortcuts, and of course, widgets. It’s a diverse setup, and it all lives on a single page of icons. Let me explain.

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Dock

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\"My

My dock contains 14 apps and a folder.

\n

Like with all modern iPad Home screens, the most important part of my Home screen is the dock. With the exception of some apps in my dock’s folder, the dock only contains apps that I use on a daily basis, typically many times each day. There are some daily-use apps that aren’t in my dock, and instead reside in my Home screen’s grid, but those are apps I typically only use in fullscreen. Since the dock is the easiest way to add apps to Split View or Slide Over, I reserve its limited space for apps I regularly multitask with.

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I won’t go into much detail about the specifics of apps in my dock, because most of them are familiar to you already. I use a lot of first-party apps, partly because I tend to agree with many of Apple’s design decisions, but also because of how seamlessly these apps work across a variety of devices – iPad, iPhone, Watch, HomePod, and Mac.

\n

As for the apps you may not recognize, from left to right:

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My lone dock folder has a slightly humorous backstory. Historically I haven’t used folders in my iPad’s dock, because when I first tried one during the iOS 11 beta cycle, dragging an app icon out of a folder, for the purpose of adding that app to Split View, wouldn’t automatically dismiss the folder. That bothered me, so I stopped using a folder in my dock. Little did I know that Apple fixed this issue years ago.

\n

When I learned this spring that the problem was fixed, I started using a folder in my dock again. Unfortunately, less than a month later, the iPadOS 13 beta re-broke functionality in the same way as before: dragging an app out of a folder would require manually dismissing the folder. Again, I reverted to keeping no folder in my dock…until the issue was fixed again, this time in iPadOS 13.2. So the folder’s back for now. Who knows how long it will last this time.

\n
\"My

My dock’s lone folder.

\n

Inside my dock’s folder I keep apps that I launch a lot and that I use in Split View or Slide Over regularly. If I didn’t multitask with these apps often, they would belong in my Home screen grid instead. Noteworthy apps:

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Widgets

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A fantastic addition to iPadOS, widgets can now be pinned on the Home screen so they’re just a glance away. You can technically pin as many widgets to the Home screen as you’d like, but they’re constrained to a limited area on the left side of the Home screen, and only a few can fit on-screen at once. If you pin more widgets than what’s visible on-screen, you can scroll through the widgets to see any that are hidden. If you keep all your widgets in compact mode, up to four will fit on-screen at a time; you can also optionally keep one or more expanded if you need its additional functionality.

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I keep four widgets on-screen in compact mode at all times: Up Next, Timery, World Clock Widget, and CARROT Weather.

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\"I

I keep four pinned widgets on my Home screen.

\n

Up Next is unique in that it’s built by Apple and isn’t tied to a single app, but rather it pulls data from Calendar, Reminders, and Clock to keep you informed about what’s happening next in your day. Though the widget can only show one, or sometimes two items at a time, I still find it extremely helpful for making sure I don’t forget a scheduled meeting, or to see what my next due reminder is. Up Next’s Clock integration means that near day’s end it will show you what time your morning alarm is set to go off; my alarm doesn’t change often, but it’s still a nice touch.

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Timery is the app I use for time tracking via Toggl. I love its widget because it offers one-tap triggers for the only two timers I ever use, and when a timer’s running I get a live-updating record of it.

\n

World Clock Widget is an app that exists solely to offer a widget featuring clocks from various parts of the world. As someone who lives one or more time zones away from most colleagues and family members, it’s always helpful having immediate access to all relevant clocks. There are plenty of apps on the App Store that offer similar functionality, I just prefer the way World Clock’s widget looks.

\n

CARROT Weather used to be in my Home screen grid itself, but since I added it to my list of pinned widgets, I no longer need it in the grid since I can tap its widget to open the full app. CARROT is, I believe, the best weather app on the App Store, and I appreciate how customizable its widget is.

\n

These four widgets offer everything I need from my iPad widgets, so I don’t even have additional widgets enabled for scrolling through.

\n

Grid

\n

This is where things get really fun. I’ve made a lot of recent changes to my Home screen that take advantage of updates in iPadOS 13. The first major change is that I now have but a single Home screen page: the ability to have 30 icon slots per page, up from the previous limit of 20, means I no longer need to deal with extra pages.

\n

My original plan, in fact, was to keep the bottom row of my Home screen either partially or entirely empty so that new apps I install for the sake of testing or reviewing could live there, in plain sight, ensuring I don’t forget about them. Unfortunately, I discovered that even when the first Home screen page is left partially empty, and it’s the only page you have, iPadOS still installs new apps on a second page. Upon this discovery, I decided to fill my first page completely. When new apps are installed, at least now I’m reminded of them by the page indicator at the bottom of the screen that shows me I have more than a single page active.

\n
\"Up

Up to 30 icons can fill the Home screen grid.

\n

The main reason my new Home screen is noteworthy, however, isn’t its limited page count, but its variety of content types. There are apps, of course, and app folders, but there are also shortcuts, some of which perform actions and others of which open specific files or folders in the Files app.

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Apps

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Google Calendar and Gmail are here not because I want them here, but because they’re requirements for work. I could access them through Safari, but with Gmail in particular the web app doesn’t adapt well in Split View configurations, so I just stick with the native app (even though it somehow doesn’t support Split View itself).

\n

YouTube, News, and Bible Memory are all fairly self-explanatory. Maps is on my Home screen not because I use it for navigation, but because I’m using my iPad all day long, so any time I want to look up a location, or plot out a route, I do that on my iPad.

\n

Folders

\n

I don’t play a lot a games on my iPad, but my Arcade folder exists because there are a lot of games I want to play on my iPad, but haven’t made the time for yet. My latest Arcade Highlights story covered one title I’ve recently enjoyed, Sayonara Wild Hearts, but most other titles in this folder are still waiting to be played.

\n

My Other folder contains every other app contained on my iPad. Most of these are apps that I use, but only rarely, so I typically launch them using Search. The first page of the folder contains apps I use a little more regularly than the rest, but still not too often. However, the folder also has a lot of apps I’m not actively using, but instead keep installed so I can stay apprised of any updates they receive. For example, despite Reminders being my current task manager of choice, I keep Things 3 and Todoist installed because I may want to re-try those apps when they add new features; also, for the sake of covering noteworthy updates on MacStories, it’s easier to just keep extra apps installed on my device rather than deleting them and re-downloading later.

\n

Shortcuts

\n
\"My

My Home screen contains 10 shortcuts.

\n

My final two Home screen rows both contain shortcuts. Before getting into the specifics of these shortcuts, however, it’s worth noting for long-time Shortcuts users that this past year Apple substantially improved the way Home screen shortcuts work. Formerly, launching a shortcut from the Home screen would first open Safari, because behind the scenes Shortcuts was employing web clips. If you, like me, try to keep your Safari tabs to a minimum, this made Home screen shortcuts extremely unappealing, because every time you ran a shortcut you’d be left with a new Safari tab, not to mention the annoying extra step of having to make a pit stop in Safari before arriving in Shortcuts. All of this has been fixed today: Home screen shortcuts now avoid Safari altogether, launching directly in the Shortcuts app as they always should have.

\n

You’ll notice that while a couple of my Home screen shortcut glyphs can be found in the Shortcuts app, most of them cannot. Shortcuts includes a moderate-sized collection of glyph options, but it could stand to double or triple that assortment in the future to better suit common Home screen use cases. In the absence of appropriate options inside Shortcuts itself, nearly all of the glyphs I’m using come from the MacStories Shortcuts Icons, enabling my Home screen icons to more accurately portray the shortcuts they represent.

\n

Action Shortcuts

\n

I’ll start with my fourth row, containing five shortcuts, two of which relate to my work schedule and the other three to audio playback.

\n

The Week icon originally triggered a shortcut that Federico created for Club MacStories members called Agenda Preview. As described near the end of his Toolbox Pro review, Agenda Preview gathers information about your tasks and calendar events over the next week and presents it all in a well-organized view, offering a quick, comprehensive look at your whole week. It’s a great shortcut, but just days ago I actually changed this icon to perform a different, yet related function.

\n

As part of fulfilling a challenge for episode 13 of Adapt, I recently discovered a calendar app called Kalends which offers a single-screen view that, like Agenda Preview, combines events and reminders. What I really like about Kalends’ view is that it puts a full seven days on-screen at once, with no scrolling required. So now, my Week icon simply runs a shortcut that launches Kalends, enabling me with a single tap to instantly see my whole week ahead with no further interaction required. Normally, I’m not in the practice of adding Home screen shortcuts that simply launch a specific app, but in Kalends’ case I’m not a fan of its app icon, and I like thinking of it less as an app and more as a single-screen view of my week, so running it as a shortcut works well.

\n

The second icon, Logged, runs a shortcut that’s almost as simple as my Week icon: it launches the Toggl app directly into the Reports tab so I can see how much time I’ve logged for work during the current calendar week. I have to do this in the official Toggl client because my preferred app, Timery, doesn’t yet offer reports functionality. I have a goal of hitting a certain number of logged hours each week, so I’ve found it helpful to keep a dedicated Home screen icon that immediately informs me of where I stand at any given point in the week.

\n

The next three icons are all audio-related. It’s no coincidence that they sit directly underneath iTunes Store, Podcasts, and Dark Noise, which are all similarly audio-focused.

\n

Music kicks off an advanced shortcut Federico has been working on for some time now, which he plans to share soon, but for today you’ll just have to trust me when I say it’s pretty fantastic.

\n

The Play and Pause icons, as you can tell from their glyphs, have to do with my HomePod. Whenever I’m home, all of my audio playback goes through a HomePod, and these two shortcuts make that more convenient.

\n

The Play shortcut contains two actions: Set Playback Destination and Play/Pause. The former sets the playback destination of my iPad to the HomePod, and the latter simply resumes the latest thing that was played on my iPad. Even though the HomePod is optimized for voice input, I almost never speak to Siri to initiate audio. I prefer manually selecting podcasts and music on my iPad or iPhone, then using AirPlay to stream that audio to the HomePod. Mainly this is so I can adjust volume and other playback controls from my device, rather than using additional voice commands for those things.

\n

The Pause icon is even more simple than the Play one, containing a single Play/Pause action that either plays or pauses whatever my iPad’s currently playing. Typically, the Play shortcut is what I use when I’m first starting to listen to something, and thus need to connect to my HomePod first, while the Pause shortcut is for quickly pausing and resuming that stream throughout the day as needed. Avoiding opening Control Center and fiddling with playback and AirPlay settings from there has been very nice.

\n

File and Folder Shortcuts

\n

The five icons in my bottom row all have something in common: they relate to my university coursework. They also represent the fruit of Federico’s recent experimentation with Shortcuts and Scriptable to enable directly opening files and folders from Apple’s Files app.

\n

This is something I’ve hoped would be possible for a long time, yet despite all the other Mac-inspired concepts the iPad has borrowed, storing files and folders on the desktop/Home screen has never been a built-in feature. Needless to say, I was thrilled that Federico came up with a solution.

\n

Using Federico’s FS Bookmarks shortcut, I created two shortcuts that launch folders in iCloud Drive, and two that launch specific files; the fifth shortcut in my final row launches a specific note in Apple Notes.

\n

The School and Syllabi icons are the two folder-launching shortcuts, offering quick, convenient access to iCloud Drive folders I regularly access inside the Files app. Homework is the Notes launcher I mentioned, opening a note where I keep a running list of all important upcoming assignments. And Vocab and Workbook each launch different PDFs, also stored in iCloud Drive, that relate to my studies. I’m taking a foreign language class, so the Vocab icon gets launched all the time to help me practice the vocabulary repetition I need.

\n

A Tangent on Shortcut Colors

\n

Aesthetics on my Home screen are important to me, so it probably shouldn’t surprise anyone that before committing to the colors of my current Home screen shortcuts, I did some testing.

\n
\"Color

Color options for Home screen shortcuts.

\n

Yes, I made a Home screen icon for every possible color that Shortcuts lets you use, then slowly filtered down to the ones I thought looked best in both light and dark modes with my current iPad wallpaper and with the other app icons in my grid. Part of me wishes Shortcuts offered a lot more flexibility in color choice, but it may be for my own good that a limited number of options are present.

\n

I settled on various shades of blue and purple as my favorite choices for Home screen shortcuts, and decided to use my three favorite shades to differentiate between different types of shortcuts. My bottom row shortcuts, which all relate to school, are the same blue color. The row above that, however, containing my schedule and audio-geared shortcuts, features two distinct colors. The difference is subtle, but my two schedule icons lie more on the blue end of the spectrum, while the audio icons are a bit more purple. I purposely wanted them to look very similar, but with a slight hint of distinction. And both, of course, needed to blend well with the blue icons below them. It was also no coincidence that the row of apps immediately above my blue/purple row have – you guessed it – icons dominated by blue and purple.

\n
\"Matching

Matching colors make me happy.

\n

Gone are the days when an iPad’s Home screen was just a larger version of the iPhone’s. You can now pin widgets, load an omnipresent dock with your most-used apps, and use the extra icon slots to save shortcuts that range from opening files and folders to controlling audio playback to performing more complex actions.

\n

The beautiful thing about all of these changes is that users can completely ignore them if they want to. If you want to use your iPad effectively as a large iPhone, you can still do that, with the classic grid of apps and no further complications. For users who want more, however, iPadOS has a lot of depth to offer.

\n

The iPad’s Home screen can now be a true workspace, flexible and diverse enough to make it whatever you need. It’s fitting that this is the year device rotation finally stopped messing up your icon positioning. If you use the new, expanded icon grid, your arrangement of icons stays in place whether in portrait or landscape orientation. No more having your workspace shuffle around every time you switch modes.

\n

This small, but important tweak is emblematic of the wider changes iPadOS brought to the Home screen: they may seem like minor iterations on paper, but in everyday experience, they solve so many of the pain points and limitations of iPad power users.

\n

After Apple supercharged the iPad’s dock in iOS 11, the Home screen felt superfluous. Many users put all of their apps in the dock and left their Home screens empty, and I understand why: the Home screen simply didn’t have much to offer. With the dawn of iPadOS this year, that’s entirely changed. The dock remains the most important place for apps, but now the rest of the Home screen can bring value too. With pinned widgets plus 30 icon slots to fill with apps, files, folders, and other shortcuts, the Home screen has more potential than ever before. It takes some thought and effort to set up, and involves more workarounds than it should, but iPad users can now build more powerful Home screens than ever before.

\n

iPad computing has never been better than this.

\n

Support MacStories and Unlock Extras

Founded in 2015, Club MacStories has delivered exclusive content every week for over six years.

\n

In that time, members have enjoyed nearly 400 weekly and monthly newsletters packed with more of your favorite MacStories writing as well as Club-only podcasts, eBooks, discounts on apps, icons, and services. Join today, and you’ll get everything new that we publish every week, plus access to our entire archive of back issues and downloadable perks.

\n

The Club expanded in 2021 with Club MacStories+ and Club Premier. Club MacStories+ members enjoy even more exclusive stories, a vibrant Discord community, a rotating roster of app discounts, and more. And, with Club Premier, you get everything we offer at every Club level plus an extended, ad-free version of our podcast AppStories that is delivered early each week in high-bitrate audio.

\n

Join Now", "content_text": "My iPadOS Home screen.\nFor several years after its launch, one of the best and worst things about the iPad was that it was basically just a blown-up iPhone. This meant the device was extremely easy to use and intuitive, but it also meant lots of “computer-like” tasks were difficult to perform on an iPad. When the iPad Pro debuted in late 2015, that began to change. Features like Split View, Slide Over, Picture in Picture, and drag and drop made the iPad a more capable computer than ever. However, despite those advancements, it took until this fall before one of the iPad’s core iPhone inspirations was altered: the Home screen.\nBefore iPadOS, the iPad’s Home screen was just a larger version of an iPhone Home screen, with no unique advantages to it. That finally changed mere months ago, when iPadOS 13 brought two primary improvements to the Home screen: it could hold 30 icons rather than 20, and it could include pinned widgets.\nThese two changes alone weren’t radical departures from the Home screen’s iPhone origins, but combined with other discoveries, they unlocked significant new possibilities.\nOn a recent episode of Adapt, I challenged Federico to try re-creating a Mac-like desktop environment on the iPad’s Home screen, complete with file and folder launchers. What he came up with is exactly what I’d hoped for. This newfound ability, alongside iPadOS 13’s enhancements to how shortcuts work when added to the Home screen, and the debut of MacStories Shortcuts Icons, meant it was time for me to seriously consider a new approach to my Home screen.\nWhat I’ve come up with includes apps, app folders, files, file folders, shortcuts, and of course, widgets. It’s a diverse setup, and it all lives on a single page of icons. Let me explain.\n\nDock\nMy dock contains 14 apps and a folder.\nLike with all modern iPad Home screens, the most important part of my Home screen is the dock. With the exception of some apps in my dock’s folder, the dock only contains apps that I use on a daily basis, typically many times each day. There are some daily-use apps that aren’t in my dock, and instead reside in my Home screen’s grid, but those are apps I typically only use in fullscreen. Since the dock is the easiest way to add apps to Split View or Slide Over, I reserve its limited space for apps I regularly multitask with.\nI won’t go into much detail about the specifics of apps in my dock, because most of them are familiar to you already. I use a lot of first-party apps, partly because I tend to agree with many of Apple’s design decisions, but also because of how seamlessly these apps work across a variety of devices – iPad, iPhone, Watch, HomePod, and Mac.\nAs for the apps you may not recognize, from left to right:\nWorking Copy is in the first slot. It’s a Git client the MacStories team uses to collaborate on draft stories that are saved in shared Git repositories; Working Copy is a file provider in Apple’s Files app, so I can easily access Federico or John’s works in progress from any Markdown editor supporting Files’ document browser.\nUlysses is listed second; it’s my writing app of choice for everything that I eventually publish, whether that’s MacStories or Club MacStories articles, Adapt show notes, or even essays for school. I love so many of the design choices Ulysses makes, it would be hard to use anything different if the app ever went away.\nMorning Reader is fourth in my dock, a tech news aggregator that keeps me apprised of the latest noteworthy stories in tech. The app lists five top stories and five recent stories in a single view, which is constantly updating, and tapping one of the stories opens it in Safari. It’s an extremely simple utility, but I use it countless times each day.\nTwitter, the first-party client, is also in my dock. It’s not for everyone, but I love what Twitter’s development team has been doing for the last few years. I switched to the app in April 2017, and it just keeps getting better.\nMy lone dock folder has a slightly humorous backstory. Historically I haven’t used folders in my iPad’s dock, because when I first tried one during the iOS 11 beta cycle, dragging an app icon out of a folder, for the purpose of adding that app to Split View, wouldn’t automatically dismiss the folder. That bothered me, so I stopped using a folder in my dock. Little did I know that Apple fixed this issue years ago.\nWhen I learned this spring that the problem was fixed, I started using a folder in my dock again. Unfortunately, less than a month later, the iPadOS 13 beta re-broke functionality in the same way as before: dragging an app out of a folder would require manually dismissing the folder. Again, I reverted to keeping no folder in my dock…until the issue was fixed again, this time in iPadOS 13.2. So the folder’s back for now. Who knows how long it will last this time.\nMy dock’s lone folder.\nInside my dock’s folder I keep apps that I launch a lot and that I use in Split View or Slide Over regularly. If I didn’t multitask with these apps often, they would belong in my Home screen grid instead. Noteworthy apps:\nSpark is the email client I use for my MacStories email, entirely because of its excellent team-centric features that I haven’t found anywhere else.\nLogos is my most-used app for reading the Bible; it has some serious drawbacks, as does every other Bible app, but I’ve mostly grown to accept Logos’ trade-offs.\nTrello is another app used primarily for collaboration with the MacStories team. We have boards where Club MacStories planning takes place and for editorial assignments during busy times of year.\nPretext, a simple Markdown editor, utilizes Files’ document browser to enable easy access to Markdown files stored in any first- or third-party file provider. I use the app to edit colleagues’ Working Copy drafts.\nCanvas Student is required for my university coursework.\nPixelmator is an app I hope continues receiving regular updates following the launch earlier this year of Pixelmator Photo. The original Pixelmator offers a lot of functionality that the newer Photo does not.\nWidgets\nA fantastic addition to iPadOS, widgets can now be pinned on the Home screen so they’re just a glance away. You can technically pin as many widgets to the Home screen as you’d like, but they’re constrained to a limited area on the left side of the Home screen, and only a few can fit on-screen at once. If you pin more widgets than what’s visible on-screen, you can scroll through the widgets to see any that are hidden. If you keep all your widgets in compact mode, up to four will fit on-screen at a time; you can also optionally keep one or more expanded if you need its additional functionality.\nI keep four widgets on-screen in compact mode at all times: Up Next, Timery, World Clock Widget, and CARROT Weather.\nI keep four pinned widgets on my Home screen.\nUp Next is unique in that it’s built by Apple and isn’t tied to a single app, but rather it pulls data from Calendar, Reminders, and Clock to keep you informed about what’s happening next in your day. Though the widget can only show one, or sometimes two items at a time, I still find it extremely helpful for making sure I don’t forget a scheduled meeting, or to see what my next due reminder is. Up Next’s Clock integration means that near day’s end it will show you what time your morning alarm is set to go off; my alarm doesn’t change often, but it’s still a nice touch.\nTimery is the app I use for time tracking via Toggl. I love its widget because it offers one-tap triggers for the only two timers I ever use, and when a timer’s running I get a live-updating record of it.\nWorld Clock Widget is an app that exists solely to offer a widget featuring clocks from various parts of the world. As someone who lives one or more time zones away from most colleagues and family members, it’s always helpful having immediate access to all relevant clocks. There are plenty of apps on the App Store that offer similar functionality, I just prefer the way World Clock’s widget looks.\nCARROT Weather used to be in my Home screen grid itself, but since I added it to my list of pinned widgets, I no longer need it in the grid since I can tap its widget to open the full app. CARROT is, I believe, the best weather app on the App Store, and I appreciate how customizable its widget is.\nThese four widgets offer everything I need from my iPad widgets, so I don’t even have additional widgets enabled for scrolling through.\nGrid\nThis is where things get really fun. I’ve made a lot of recent changes to my Home screen that take advantage of updates in iPadOS 13. The first major change is that I now have but a single Home screen page: the ability to have 30 icon slots per page, up from the previous limit of 20, means I no longer need to deal with extra pages.\nMy original plan, in fact, was to keep the bottom row of my Home screen either partially or entirely empty so that new apps I install for the sake of testing or reviewing could live there, in plain sight, ensuring I don’t forget about them. Unfortunately, I discovered that even when the first Home screen page is left partially empty, and it’s the only page you have, iPadOS still installs new apps on a second page. Upon this discovery, I decided to fill my first page completely. When new apps are installed, at least now I’m reminded of them by the page indicator at the bottom of the screen that shows me I have more than a single page active.\nUp to 30 icons can fill the Home screen grid.\nThe main reason my new Home screen is noteworthy, however, isn’t its limited page count, but its variety of content types. There are apps, of course, and app folders, but there are also shortcuts, some of which perform actions and others of which open specific files or folders in the Files app.\nApps\nTV: Despite its flaws, which I outlined last week in a column for Club MacStories, I still find the TV app the best single-stop hub for my TV needs.\nMusicHarbor: This app does an excellent job identifying new single and album releases from artists you follow, picking up Apple Music’s slack in this area. For as long as Apple Music fails to keep me informed of new music I care about, MusicHarbor will remain on my Home screen.\nGIPHY: I want to make the world a better place. GIFs make the world a better place. So I keep GIPHY on my Home screen to remind me to send more GIFs.\nWhen Did I…?: One of my favorite new apps of recent memory, When Did I…? serves a very specific purpose: keeping track of the last time I did certain things, such as change my contact lenses, wash the bed sheets, replace the fire alarm batteries, and visit the doctor.\nFerrite Recording Studio: Earlier this year I explained in-depth why Ferrite is my podcast editing app of choice. Every episode of Adapt was edited in Ferrite.\nLuna Display: I don’t use a Mac very often, but the one consistent task I use it for is podcast recording. Since the only Mac I own – a Mac mini – is used so sparingly, I keep it headless and access it exclusively from my iPad via Luna Display.\nGoogle Calendar and Gmail are here not because I want them here, but because they’re requirements for work. I could access them through Safari, but with Gmail in particular the web app doesn’t adapt well in Split View configurations, so I just stick with the native app (even though it somehow doesn’t support Split View itself).\nYouTube, News, and Bible Memory are all fairly self-explanatory. Maps is on my Home screen not because I use it for navigation, but because I’m using my iPad all day long, so any time I want to look up a location, or plot out a route, I do that on my iPad.\nTwitterrific: This may seem like an interesting choice since I already mentioned the first-party Twitter client in my dock. The reason I use two Twitter apps is that I don’t like keeping multiple accounts in a single app; I use Twitter’s client for my personal account, and Twitterrific for the Adapt account. It’s especially handy because thanks to multiwindow, I keep two Twitterrific windows side-by-side in a Split View, such that whenever I tap the app’s icon I get Adapt’s mentions on one side of the screen and a saved search for #AskAdapt on the other.\nTimery: As I already mentioned in covering my widgets, I use Timery for all Toggl time tracking. I’ll likely remove it from my grid at some point since I can launch the app from the widget, but for now it’s staying put.\niTunes Store: As the video streaming wars start to rage, I check the iTunes Store a couple times per week to see if there are good deals on movies or TV shows I’m interested in. I’ve found that buying discounted content from iTunes is a good way to prevent the need for subscribing to more than a few streaming services at once.\nPodcasts: Up until recently, I did all my podcast listening via my iPhone, but two things changed that: first, in iOS 13.2, the HomePod’s new handoff feature unfortunately brought a regression in how streaming from an iPhone to HomePod worked; second, playing podcasts from my iPad works great when paired with some of the Home screen shortcuts I’ve created, which I’ll detail shortly.\nDark Noise: If you need an ambient noise app, this is the one to get.\nFolders\nI don’t play a lot a games on my iPad, but my Arcade folder exists because there are a lot of games I want to play on my iPad, but haven’t made the time for yet. My latest Arcade Highlights story covered one title I’ve recently enjoyed, Sayonara Wild Hearts, but most other titles in this folder are still waiting to be played.\nMy Other folder contains every other app contained on my iPad. Most of these are apps that I use, but only rarely, so I typically launch them using Search. The first page of the folder contains apps I use a little more regularly than the rest, but still not too often. However, the folder also has a lot of apps I’m not actively using, but instead keep installed so I can stay apprised of any updates they receive. For example, despite Reminders being my current task manager of choice, I keep Things 3 and Todoist installed because I may want to re-try those apps when they add new features; also, for the sake of covering noteworthy updates on MacStories, it’s easier to just keep extra apps installed on my device rather than deleting them and re-downloading later.\nShortcuts\nMy Home screen contains 10 shortcuts.\nMy final two Home screen rows both contain shortcuts. Before getting into the specifics of these shortcuts, however, it’s worth noting for long-time Shortcuts users that this past year Apple substantially improved the way Home screen shortcuts work. Formerly, launching a shortcut from the Home screen would first open Safari, because behind the scenes Shortcuts was employing web clips. If you, like me, try to keep your Safari tabs to a minimum, this made Home screen shortcuts extremely unappealing, because every time you ran a shortcut you’d be left with a new Safari tab, not to mention the annoying extra step of having to make a pit stop in Safari before arriving in Shortcuts. All of this has been fixed today: Home screen shortcuts now avoid Safari altogether, launching directly in the Shortcuts app as they always should have.\nYou’ll notice that while a couple of my Home screen shortcut glyphs can be found in the Shortcuts app, most of them cannot. Shortcuts includes a moderate-sized collection of glyph options, but it could stand to double or triple that assortment in the future to better suit common Home screen use cases. In the absence of appropriate options inside Shortcuts itself, nearly all of the glyphs I’m using come from the MacStories Shortcuts Icons, enabling my Home screen icons to more accurately portray the shortcuts they represent.\nAction Shortcuts\nI’ll start with my fourth row, containing five shortcuts, two of which relate to my work schedule and the other three to audio playback.\nThe Week icon originally triggered a shortcut that Federico created for Club MacStories members called Agenda Preview. As described near the end of his Toolbox Pro review, Agenda Preview gathers information about your tasks and calendar events over the next week and presents it all in a well-organized view, offering a quick, comprehensive look at your whole week. It’s a great shortcut, but just days ago I actually changed this icon to perform a different, yet related function.\nAs part of fulfilling a challenge for episode 13 of Adapt, I recently discovered a calendar app called Kalends which offers a single-screen view that, like Agenda Preview, combines events and reminders. What I really like about Kalends’ view is that it puts a full seven days on-screen at once, with no scrolling required. So now, my Week icon simply runs a shortcut that launches Kalends, enabling me with a single tap to instantly see my whole week ahead with no further interaction required. Normally, I’m not in the practice of adding Home screen shortcuts that simply launch a specific app, but in Kalends’ case I’m not a fan of its app icon, and I like thinking of it less as an app and more as a single-screen view of my week, so running it as a shortcut works well.\nThe second icon, Logged, runs a shortcut that’s almost as simple as my Week icon: it launches the Toggl app directly into the Reports tab so I can see how much time I’ve logged for work during the current calendar week. I have to do this in the official Toggl client because my preferred app, Timery, doesn’t yet offer reports functionality. I have a goal of hitting a certain number of logged hours each week, so I’ve found it helpful to keep a dedicated Home screen icon that immediately informs me of where I stand at any given point in the week.\nThe next three icons are all audio-related. It’s no coincidence that they sit directly underneath iTunes Store, Podcasts, and Dark Noise, which are all similarly audio-focused.\nMusic kicks off an advanced shortcut Federico has been working on for some time now, which he plans to share soon, but for today you’ll just have to trust me when I say it’s pretty fantastic.\nThe Play and Pause icons, as you can tell from their glyphs, have to do with my HomePod. Whenever I’m home, all of my audio playback goes through a HomePod, and these two shortcuts make that more convenient.\nThe Play shortcut contains two actions: Set Playback Destination and Play/Pause. The former sets the playback destination of my iPad to the HomePod, and the latter simply resumes the latest thing that was played on my iPad. Even though the HomePod is optimized for voice input, I almost never speak to Siri to initiate audio. I prefer manually selecting podcasts and music on my iPad or iPhone, then using AirPlay to stream that audio to the HomePod. Mainly this is so I can adjust volume and other playback controls from my device, rather than using additional voice commands for those things.\nThe Pause icon is even more simple than the Play one, containing a single Play/Pause action that either plays or pauses whatever my iPad’s currently playing. Typically, the Play shortcut is what I use when I’m first starting to listen to something, and thus need to connect to my HomePod first, while the Pause shortcut is for quickly pausing and resuming that stream throughout the day as needed. Avoiding opening Control Center and fiddling with playback and AirPlay settings from there has been very nice.\nFile and Folder Shortcuts\nThe five icons in my bottom row all have something in common: they relate to my university coursework. They also represent the fruit of Federico’s recent experimentation with Shortcuts and Scriptable to enable directly opening files and folders from Apple’s Files app.\nThis is something I’ve hoped would be possible for a long time, yet despite all the other Mac-inspired concepts the iPad has borrowed, storing files and folders on the desktop/Home screen has never been a built-in feature. Needless to say, I was thrilled that Federico came up with a solution.\nUsing Federico’s FS Bookmarks shortcut, I created two shortcuts that launch folders in iCloud Drive, and two that launch specific files; the fifth shortcut in my final row launches a specific note in Apple Notes.\nThe School and Syllabi icons are the two folder-launching shortcuts, offering quick, convenient access to iCloud Drive folders I regularly access inside the Files app. Homework is the Notes launcher I mentioned, opening a note where I keep a running list of all important upcoming assignments. And Vocab and Workbook each launch different PDFs, also stored in iCloud Drive, that relate to my studies. I’m taking a foreign language class, so the Vocab icon gets launched all the time to help me practice the vocabulary repetition I need.\nA Tangent on Shortcut Colors\nAesthetics on my Home screen are important to me, so it probably shouldn’t surprise anyone that before committing to the colors of my current Home screen shortcuts, I did some testing.\nColor options for Home screen shortcuts.\nYes, I made a Home screen icon for every possible color that Shortcuts lets you use, then slowly filtered down to the ones I thought looked best in both light and dark modes with my current iPad wallpaper and with the other app icons in my grid. Part of me wishes Shortcuts offered a lot more flexibility in color choice, but it may be for my own good that a limited number of options are present.\nI settled on various shades of blue and purple as my favorite choices for Home screen shortcuts, and decided to use my three favorite shades to differentiate between different types of shortcuts. My bottom row shortcuts, which all relate to school, are the same blue color. The row above that, however, containing my schedule and audio-geared shortcuts, features two distinct colors. The difference is subtle, but my two schedule icons lie more on the blue end of the spectrum, while the audio icons are a bit more purple. I purposely wanted them to look very similar, but with a slight hint of distinction. And both, of course, needed to blend well with the blue icons below them. It was also no coincidence that the row of apps immediately above my blue/purple row have – you guessed it – icons dominated by blue and purple.\nMatching colors make me happy.\nGone are the days when an iPad’s Home screen was just a larger version of the iPhone’s. You can now pin widgets, load an omnipresent dock with your most-used apps, and use the extra icon slots to save shortcuts that range from opening files and folders to controlling audio playback to performing more complex actions.\nThe beautiful thing about all of these changes is that users can completely ignore them if they want to. If you want to use your iPad effectively as a large iPhone, you can still do that, with the classic grid of apps and no further complications. For users who want more, however, iPadOS has a lot of depth to offer.\nThe iPad’s Home screen can now be a true workspace, flexible and diverse enough to make it whatever you need. It’s fitting that this is the year device rotation finally stopped messing up your icon positioning. If you use the new, expanded icon grid, your arrangement of icons stays in place whether in portrait or landscape orientation. No more having your workspace shuffle around every time you switch modes.\nThis small, but important tweak is emblematic of the wider changes iPadOS brought to the Home screen: they may seem like minor iterations on paper, but in everyday experience, they solve so many of the pain points and limitations of iPad power users.\nAfter Apple supercharged the iPad’s dock in iOS 11, the Home screen felt superfluous. Many users put all of their apps in the dock and left their Home screens empty, and I understand why: the Home screen simply didn’t have much to offer. With the dawn of iPadOS this year, that’s entirely changed. The dock remains the most important place for apps, but now the rest of the Home screen can bring value too. With pinned widgets plus 30 icon slots to fill with apps, files, folders, and other shortcuts, the Home screen has more potential than ever before. It takes some thought and effort to set up, and involves more workarounds than it should, but iPad users can now build more powerful Home screens than ever before.\niPad computing has never been better than this.\nSupport MacStories and Unlock ExtrasFounded in 2015, Club MacStories has delivered exclusive content every week for over six years.\nIn that time, members have enjoyed nearly 400 weekly and monthly newsletters packed with more of your favorite MacStories writing as well as Club-only podcasts, eBooks, discounts on apps, icons, and services. Join today, and you’ll get everything new that we publish every week, plus access to our entire archive of back issues and downloadable perks.\nThe Club expanded in 2021 with Club MacStories+ and Club Premier. Club MacStories+ members enjoy even more exclusive stories, a vibrant Discord community, a rotating roster of app discounts, and more. And, with Club Premier, you get everything we offer at every Club level plus an extended, ad-free version of our podcast AppStories that is delivered early each week in high-bitrate audio.\nJoin Now", "date_published": "2019-11-19T11:35:16-05:00", "date_modified": "2021-11-23T08:56:56-05:00", "authors": [ { "name": "Ryan Christoffel", "url": "https://www.macstories.net/author/ryanchristoffel/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/6f92854b21cbef25629d7efb809a9de7?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "tags": [ "iPad Pro", "iPadOS", "stories" ] }, { "id": "https://www.macstories.net/?p=61588", "url": "https://www.macstories.net/linked/cnet-interviews-phil-schiller-about-the-new-macbook-pro-ipad-pro-and-more/", "title": "CNET Interviews Phil Schiller About the New MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, and More", "content_html": "

To mark the release of the new 16-inch MacBook Pro, Roger Cheng of CNET interviewed Apple’s Phil Schiller. The interview begins with a discussion of the laptop’s new keyboard but covers the role of the iPad Pro in Apple’s hardware lineup as well as Macs in education too.

\n

According to Schiller, Apple spent a lot of time talking to pro users in the wake of criticisms of the MacBook Pro’s butterfly keyboard and was told that pro users wanted something like the Magic Keyboard available for desktop Macs. Of that process Schiller told CNET:

\n

\n There’s a bunch of learning that happened. Some because of moving the desktop keyboard to the notebook and some because we just learned more along the way and wanted to further advance the technology.\n

\n

Conspicuously absent from the interview though is any mention of changing the keyboard in response to the hardware failures that many users reported.

\n

Cheng also asked Schiller where the iPad Pro fits in Apple’s pro lineup and whether there are plans to merge it with the Mac lineup. As Apple executives have told CNET for years, Schiller was clear that the compromises that a hybrid touch-based Mac would require wouldn’t benefit either platform. Specifically with respect to the iPad Pro, Schiller said:

\n

\n It was literally to create a different product category. A couple years ago, we split off and created the iPad Pro. This has been a wonderful thing because it allowed us to create two models where we can push the technology. It really accelerated the use cases for iPad.

\n

So now there are a lot of cases where people will use iPad, especially with Pencil, as an artist-creation tool or as a field-compute tool. What we find is there’s a fair number of people who actually spend more of their compute time on their iPad than personal computer. They didn’t choose one or the other. That’s just where they spent a lot of their time.\n

\n

It’s refreshing to hear Schiller push back on the notion that Macs and iPads will inevitably merge or that consumers need to choose between the two. As someone who uses a Mac and an iPad Pro, I know that’s nonsense, but I also understand that a ‘winner-takes-all’ narrative is more entertaining.

\n

The interview closes with a short discussion of the Mac in the education market where it has struggled at times against Chromebooks. As a parent who’s seen two of my kids learn to code on a Mac while a cheap, locked-down Chromebook sits idle in my house, except when it’s used to turn in assignments and take tests, this from Schiller resonated with me as true:

\n

\n Kids who are really into learning and want to learn will have better success. It’s not hard to understand why kids aren’t engaged in a classroom without applying technology in a way that inspires them. You need to have these cutting-edge learning tools to help kids really achieve their best results.

\n

Yet Chromebooks don’t do that. Chromebooks have gotten to the classroom because, frankly, they’re cheap testing tools for required testing. If all you want to do is test kids, well, maybe a cheap notebook will do that. But they’re not going to succeed.\n

\n

Don’t miss Roger Cheng’s full interview on CNET with Schiller. It’s one of the best articulations of Apple’s pro hardware perspective and the place of the iPad in the company’s hardware lineup that I’ve read in a long while.

\n

\u2192 Source: cnet.com

", "content_text": "To mark the release of the new 16-inch MacBook Pro, Roger Cheng of CNET interviewed Apple’s Phil Schiller. The interview begins with a discussion of the laptop’s new keyboard but covers the role of the iPad Pro in Apple’s hardware lineup as well as Macs in education too.\nAccording to Schiller, Apple spent a lot of time talking to pro users in the wake of criticisms of the MacBook Pro’s butterfly keyboard and was told that pro users wanted something like the Magic Keyboard available for desktop Macs. Of that process Schiller told CNET:\n\n There’s a bunch of learning that happened. Some because of moving the desktop keyboard to the notebook and some because we just learned more along the way and wanted to further advance the technology.\n\nConspicuously absent from the interview though is any mention of changing the keyboard in response to the hardware failures that many users reported.\nCheng also asked Schiller where the iPad Pro fits in Apple’s pro lineup and whether there are plans to merge it with the Mac lineup. As Apple executives have told CNET for years, Schiller was clear that the compromises that a hybrid touch-based Mac would require wouldn’t benefit either platform. Specifically with respect to the iPad Pro, Schiller said:\n\n It was literally to create a different product category. A couple years ago, we split off and created the iPad Pro. This has been a wonderful thing because it allowed us to create two models where we can push the technology. It really accelerated the use cases for iPad.\n So now there are a lot of cases where people will use iPad, especially with Pencil, as an artist-creation tool or as a field-compute tool. What we find is there’s a fair number of people who actually spend more of their compute time on their iPad than personal computer. They didn’t choose one or the other. That’s just where they spent a lot of their time.\n\nIt’s refreshing to hear Schiller push back on the notion that Macs and iPads will inevitably merge or that consumers need to choose between the two. As someone who uses a Mac and an iPad Pro, I know that’s nonsense, but I also understand that a ‘winner-takes-all’ narrative is more entertaining.\nThe interview closes with a short discussion of the Mac in the education market where it has struggled at times against Chromebooks. As a parent who’s seen two of my kids learn to code on a Mac while a cheap, locked-down Chromebook sits idle in my house, except when it’s used to turn in assignments and take tests, this from Schiller resonated with me as true:\n\n Kids who are really into learning and want to learn will have better success. It’s not hard to understand why kids aren’t engaged in a classroom without applying technology in a way that inspires them. You need to have these cutting-edge learning tools to help kids really achieve their best results.\n Yet Chromebooks don’t do that. Chromebooks have gotten to the classroom because, frankly, they’re cheap testing tools for required testing. If all you want to do is test kids, well, maybe a cheap notebook will do that. But they’re not going to succeed.\n\nDon’t miss Roger Cheng’s full interview on CNET with Schiller. It’s one of the best articulations of Apple’s pro hardware perspective and the place of the iPad in the company’s hardware lineup that I’ve read in a long while.\n\u2192 Source: cnet.com", "date_published": "2019-11-13T14:12:23-05:00", "date_modified": "2019-11-13T14:12:23-05:00", "authors": [ { "name": "John Voorhees", "url": "https://www.macstories.net/author/johnvoorhees/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/5a1475dcd87638ed2f250b6213881115?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "tags": [ "education", "iPad Pro", "macbook pro", "Linked" ] }, { "id": "https://www.macstories.net/?p=60341", "url": "https://www.macstories.net/linked/apple-debuts-new-usb-c-digital-av-multiport-adapter-for-ipad-pro-and-modern-macs/", "title": "Apple Debuts New USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter for iPad Pro and Modern Macs", "content_html": "

Chance Miller of 9to5Mac details a fresh update to an Apple USB-C adapter:

\n

\n Apple this week has quietly released a new version of its USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter. This $69 adapter includes a USB-C port, HDMI port, and USB-A port, with the new version making several notable improvements.

\n

The new USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter adds support for HDMI 2.0, an upgrade from the original model’s HDMI 1.4b. This means you can now drive 4K 3840 x 2160 video at 60Hz\n

\n

4K 60Hz throughput is supported on the iPad Pro, iMac Pro, and 2017 or later versions of the 15-inch MacBook Pro and Retina iMac. Miller also notes that the updated dongle now includes “support for HDR video in HDR10, as well as Dolby Vision.”

\n

I’ve been interested in purchasing the prior version of this adapter for contexts where I’d like to watch a video but don’t have an Internet connection. Since the Apple TV doesn’t support offline downloads, but many apps on the iPad do, connecting my iPad Pro to a TV set via HDMI seems like the best solution. The added flexibility of including a USB-A port, and even a USB-C port to enable power charging, makes this an especially appealing dongle for me.

\n

You can order the new USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter from Apple’s website for $69.

\n

\u2192 Source: 9to5mac.com

", "content_text": "Chance Miller of 9to5Mac details a fresh update to an Apple USB-C adapter:\n\n Apple this week has quietly released a new version of its USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter. This $69 adapter includes a USB-C port, HDMI port, and USB-A port, with the new version making several notable improvements.\n The new USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter adds support for HDMI 2.0, an upgrade from the original model’s HDMI 1.4b. This means you can now drive 4K 3840 x 2160 video at 60Hz\n\n4K 60Hz throughput is supported on the iPad Pro, iMac Pro, and 2017 or later versions of the 15-inch MacBook Pro and Retina iMac. Miller also notes that the updated dongle now includes “support for HDR video in HDR10, as well as Dolby Vision.”\nI’ve been interested in purchasing the prior version of this adapter for contexts where I’d like to watch a video but don’t have an Internet connection. Since the Apple TV doesn’t support offline downloads, but many apps on the iPad do, connecting my iPad Pro to a TV set via HDMI seems like the best solution. The added flexibility of including a USB-A port, and even a USB-C port to enable power charging, makes this an especially appealing dongle for me.\nYou can order the new USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter from Apple’s website for $69.\n\u2192 Source: 9to5mac.com", "date_published": "2019-08-09T08:07:49-04:00", "date_modified": "2019-08-09T11:17:30-04:00", "authors": [ { "name": "Ryan Christoffel", "url": "https://www.macstories.net/author/ryanchristoffel/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/6f92854b21cbef25629d7efb809a9de7?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "tags": [ "accessories", "iPad Pro", "USB-C", "Linked" ] }, { "id": "https://www.macstories.net/?p=60211", "url": "https://www.macstories.net/stories/how-i-edit-podcasts-on-the-ipad-using-ferrite/", "title": "How I Edit Podcasts on the iPad Using Ferrite", "content_html": "
\"\"

\n

This has been a year of new creative projects for me. In addition to some personal endeavors that have yet to see the light of day, I joined Federico as the co-host of Adapt, a new iPad-focused podcast on Relay FM. Learning the art of expressing my Apple takes in speech rather than text has been an adventure in itself, but I’ve also grown to cultivate a very different skill: audio editing.

\n

When I was charged with editing this iPad-focused podcast, I naturally turned to an iPad-based editing tool: every episode of Adapt has been edited in Ferrite Recording Studio, and I’ve never even tried using another app. Most podcasters I’m familiar with edit in Logic, but my Mac mini is purposely utilized as little as possible, so I knew when I dove into podcasting that I wanted an iPad-based solution if at all possible. On multiple occasions I’ve heard and read Jason Snell extol the virtues of Ferrite, so that was the app I turned to.

\n

Getting started with podcast editing, even with an app like Ferrite that’s built for it, can be extremely intimidating. There are lots of settings, and unless you have previous experience working with audio, you likely have no idea what any of them do. I learned a lot from Ferrite’s user guide in the early days, and the aforementioned Jason Snell articles on Six Colors. And before long, I found an editing setup that worked well for me. Now, I want to share it with you.

\n

\n

Everyone has their own preferred methods of editing podcasts, so while I hope documenting my own workflow will be helpful, what I share shouldn’t be taken as prescriptive in any way. Ferrite offers a variety of tools and means of working with it, many of which I don’t use. For example, I’ve heard the app pairs nicely with the Apple Pencil, but I never use my Pencil in editing – I prefer keeping my hands on the keyboard as much as possible, so fumbling with the Pencil would just be cumbersome.

\n
\"Ferrite's

Ferrite’s Library view, including my Adapt template.

\n

Explaining the start of my editing workflow requires going backwards a bit. Every new episode of Adapt begins with creating a project from an existing template I’ve set up. Templates, however, can be only be formed when you first have a project.1 And in Ferrite, you can’t create a project without first having some audio to work with.2 So I start with a new project created from a template, but to create a template in the first place you need an initial project, which requires some audio. It seems confusing at the start, but once you’ve done the initial template setup it’s easy to get going with each new episode.

\n

The template I use for Adapt includes three tracks where audio can live: the top track is where I put my own audio, the middle track holds Federico’s, and the bottom track perpetually contains our intro and outro music. The intro music sits at the start of the episode, while the outro is placed about an hour in because that’s the average length of our show. The other two tracks, while empty at first in the template, importantly retain their respective effect settings that I previously configured.

\n
\"Adjusting

Adjusting the Noise Gate effect for a track.

\n

For both my own track and Federico’s, I’ve applied Ferrite’s Noise Gate effect as part of the Adapt template. Currently the same settings apply to both of our tracks: the Noise Gate has a -14db threshold, 30ms opening time, and 200ms closing time. It’s taken a lot of trial and error making minor tweaks to arrive at these levels, so they may change again, but for now they work well for me. Noise Gate cuts out noise below a certain threshold, which I primarily use to eliminate unwanted breath sounds but it also helps with water gulps and other undesirables.

\n

Besides having all my track needs set up automatically, another benefit of creating new projects from templates is that metadata like the show artwork and show name don’t need to be entered more than once. I set them months ago and they’re saved with my template.

\n

After Federico and I finish recording an episode, I hop into Ferrite, find my Adapt template, and tap the new project button on its left side. I then rename the project with the new episode’s title and update a couple other pieces of metadata, then enter the editor.

\n

My first step from here is importing the appropriate audio files. Tapping on a track presents the Import option, which loads Ferrite’s Library – but my files aren’t there yet, so I hit Import again, add my recording to the Library, and select it from there; I repeat the same process for Federico’s recording.

\n

After the files are loaded in the editor, I tap each one and select the Strip Silence action, which breaks a long, continuous audio stream into a whole bunch of smaller snippets. I find this an essential step for making my life easier during the full edit – cropping clips is a lot quicker when you don’t have to first split them out of a longer track. Once this step is done, I’m ready to truly begin.

\n
\"Customizing

Customizing keyboard shortcuts.

\n

As I already mentioned, I like to keep my hands on the keyboard as much as possible while editing, and I’m able to do that because Ferrite offers an extensive set of keyboard shortcut actions, all of which can be customized to your liking. The full set of actions is far broader than what I actually use, but the ones I do use are invaluable in my editing process. Listed below are the shortcuts I rely on, and the keystrokes I’ve configured for them.

\n

It’s rare to find an iPad app that exposes practically every piece of functionality as a keyboard shortcut; it’s even rarer to find one that lets you customize each of those shortcuts to whatever keystrokes you prefer. These features are common on the Mac, but Ferrite is one of the only iPad apps that exposes this level of power and flexibility.

\n

Some editors of conversational-style shows such as Adapt don’t listen to the full episode in the edit, and instead only remove unwanted bits they made note of while recording. Perhaps some day I’ll do that myself, but for the time being I prefer working through episodes from start to finish, making tweaks as I go based on what I hear.

\n

As I listen through an episode, I’m adding chapters where they’re needed, as well as cutting out moments where we had to stop talking briefly, perhaps due to sirens outside my New York City apartment window. More than those things though, I like to listen through the whole episode so I can make smaller tweaks that result in a better finished product. These smaller tweaks fall into two basic categories: effect-induced aberrations, and speech polishes. The former refers to tiny blips that are typically leftovers from the noise gate’s work. At times the gate will remove most of a breath, but not quite all of it; a tiny bit gets through, resulting in an undesired aberration, which I trim out. Speech polishes are things like shortening excessive pauses between words, when appropriate, and eliminating ‘um’ and ‘uh’ sounds when doing so wouldn’t make the remaining speech sound unnatural.

\n

My process for making these smaller cuts involves some of the keyboard shortcuts mentioned above. When I hear something that needs removing, I’ll do the following:

\n

If all I’m removing is a small aberration in-between words, I can stop there. However, if the audio I deleted leaves an unwanted gap between two clips, I have a few more steps to complete.

\n

Depending on what shape the recording is in, and how much work it needs, I may perform this sequence of actions just a few times per episode, but in some cases I’ve even done it dozens of times during a single edit. It’s become such a habit though that it takes only a few seconds per occurrence.

\n
\"Editing

Editing MP3 chapters, including custom artwork.

\n

After I’ve listened through a full episode, it should have all the edits and chapters it needs to then export and upload to Libsyn, where Relay FM hosts its audio. The only potential work I may still need to do is add chapter-specific artwork or links if the episode calls for it; if so, that’s done from the chapter editing screen, which I have configured as a button in Ferrite’s shortcuts toolbar at the bottom of the screen. After that’s done, then from Ferrite’s Library I hit the share icon and save the finished episode to Apple’s Files app, where it’s ready to add to Libsyn.

\n

Over the past few months of podcast editing, I’ve found that so much of the work involves setting yourself up for success. If you have a poor recording, or you don’t know which effects or automations to use, or you haven’t optimized keyboard shortcuts, Pencil gestures, or a template to your needs, then the editing process can become a major slog of manual work that takes far too long. However, when you land on the right preparation and set up, the edit becomes simpler and less time consuming.

\n

Since I’ve never tried any other app, it’s impossible for me to compare Ferrite Recording Studio to editing alternatives. Taken alone though, while the app can be challenging to navigate at first, as the way it’s organized isn’t the most intuitive or standard for iOS, I quickly grew accustomed to it and have no desire to edit anywhere else. It does exactly what I would hope for: provide tools that I can customize to my liking so each edit is a pleasant experience rather than a frustration.

\n

Developing a new creative skill is always a challenge, but it becomes a lot more manageable when you have the right tools at your disposal.

\n
\n
  1. \nTap the ‘i’ button under that project’s name in your Library, then hit the wrench icon in the top-left corner and tap ‘Make Template.’ ↩︎\n
    2. \n
  2. \nTap the wrench icon in the top-right corner then hit Import Audio, and once it’s been imported, select the audio and tap the pencil icon to create a new project. ↩︎\n
    3. \n
\n

Support MacStories and Unlock Extras

Founded in 2015, Club MacStories has delivered exclusive content every week for over six years.

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In that time, members have enjoyed nearly 400 weekly and monthly newsletters packed with more of your favorite MacStories writing as well as Club-only podcasts, eBooks, discounts on apps, icons, and services. Join today, and you’ll get everything new that we publish every week, plus access to our entire archive of back issues and downloadable perks.

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The Club expanded in 2021 with Club MacStories+ and Club Premier. Club MacStories+ members enjoy even more exclusive stories, a vibrant Discord community, a rotating roster of app discounts, and more. And, with Club Premier, you get everything we offer at every Club level plus an extended, ad-free version of our podcast AppStories that is delivered early each week in high-bitrate audio.

\n

Join Now", "content_text": "This has been a year of new creative projects for me. In addition to some personal endeavors that have yet to see the light of day, I joined Federico as the co-host of Adapt, a new iPad-focused podcast on Relay FM. Learning the art of expressing my Apple takes in speech rather than text has been an adventure in itself, but I’ve also grown to cultivate a very different skill: audio editing.\nWhen I was charged with editing this iPad-focused podcast, I naturally turned to an iPad-based editing tool: every episode of Adapt has been edited in Ferrite Recording Studio, and I’ve never even tried using another app. Most podcasters I’m familiar with edit in Logic, but my Mac mini is purposely utilized as little as possible, so I knew when I dove into podcasting that I wanted an iPad-based solution if at all possible. On multiple occasions I’ve heard and read Jason Snell extol the virtues of Ferrite, so that was the app I turned to.\nGetting started with podcast editing, even with an app like Ferrite that’s built for it, can be extremely intimidating. There are lots of settings, and unless you have previous experience working with audio, you likely have no idea what any of them do. I learned a lot from Ferrite’s user guide in the early days, and the aforementioned Jason Snell articles on Six Colors. And before long, I found an editing setup that worked well for me. Now, I want to share it with you.\n\nEveryone has their own preferred methods of editing podcasts, so while I hope documenting my own workflow will be helpful, what I share shouldn’t be taken as prescriptive in any way. Ferrite offers a variety of tools and means of working with it, many of which I don’t use. For example, I’ve heard the app pairs nicely with the Apple Pencil, but I never use my Pencil in editing – I prefer keeping my hands on the keyboard as much as possible, so fumbling with the Pencil would just be cumbersome.\nFerrite’s Library view, including my Adapt template.\nExplaining the start of my editing workflow requires going backwards a bit. Every new episode of Adapt begins with creating a project from an existing template I’ve set up. Templates, however, can be only be formed when you first have a project.1 And in Ferrite, you can’t create a project without first having some audio to work with.2 So I start with a new project created from a template, but to create a template in the first place you need an initial project, which requires some audio. It seems confusing at the start, but once you’ve done the initial template setup it’s easy to get going with each new episode.\nThe template I use for Adapt includes three tracks where audio can live: the top track is where I put my own audio, the middle track holds Federico’s, and the bottom track perpetually contains our intro and outro music. The intro music sits at the start of the episode, while the outro is placed about an hour in because that’s the average length of our show. The other two tracks, while empty at first in the template, importantly retain their respective effect settings that I previously configured.\nAdjusting the Noise Gate effect for a track.\nFor both my own track and Federico’s, I’ve applied Ferrite’s Noise Gate effect as part of the Adapt template. Currently the same settings apply to both of our tracks: the Noise Gate has a -14db threshold, 30ms opening time, and 200ms closing time. It’s taken a lot of trial and error making minor tweaks to arrive at these levels, so they may change again, but for now they work well for me. Noise Gate cuts out noise below a certain threshold, which I primarily use to eliminate unwanted breath sounds but it also helps with water gulps and other undesirables.\nBesides having all my track needs set up automatically, another benefit of creating new projects from templates is that metadata like the show artwork and show name don’t need to be entered more than once. I set them months ago and they’re saved with my template.\nAfter Federico and I finish recording an episode, I hop into Ferrite, find my Adapt template, and tap the new project button on its left side. I then rename the project with the new episode’s title and update a couple other pieces of metadata, then enter the editor.\nMy first step from here is importing the appropriate audio files. Tapping on a track presents the Import option, which loads Ferrite’s Library – but my files aren’t there yet, so I hit Import again, add my recording to the Library, and select it from there; I repeat the same process for Federico’s recording.\nAfter the files are loaded in the editor, I tap each one and select the Strip Silence action, which breaks a long, continuous audio stream into a whole bunch of smaller snippets. I find this an essential step for making my life easier during the full edit – cropping clips is a lot quicker when you don’t have to first split them out of a longer track. Once this step is done, I’m ready to truly begin.\nCustomizing keyboard shortcuts.\nAs I already mentioned, I like to keep my hands on the keyboard as much as possible while editing, and I’m able to do that because Ferrite offers an extensive set of keyboard shortcut actions, all of which can be customized to your liking. The full set of actions is far broader than what I actually use, but the ones I do use are invaluable in my editing process. Listed below are the shortcuts I rely on, and the keystrokes I’ve configured for them.\nSpacebar = Play/Pause\nLeft/Right Arrow = Rewind/fast forward three seconds\nB = Adds a chapter bookmark with title\nS = Selects what’s under the playhead\nCommand + A = Selects all following audio in all tracks\nCommand + S = Splits the selected track at playhead\nCommand + Delete = Deletes selected track\nIt’s rare to find an iPad app that exposes practically every piece of functionality as a keyboard shortcut; it’s even rarer to find one that lets you customize each of those shortcuts to whatever keystrokes you prefer. These features are common on the Mac, but Ferrite is one of the only iPad apps that exposes this level of power and flexibility.\nSome editors of conversational-style shows such as Adapt don’t listen to the full episode in the edit, and instead only remove unwanted bits they made note of while recording. Perhaps some day I’ll do that myself, but for the time being I prefer working through episodes from start to finish, making tweaks as I go based on what I hear.\nAs I listen through an episode, I’m adding chapters where they’re needed, as well as cutting out moments where we had to stop talking briefly, perhaps due to sirens outside my New York City apartment window. More than those things though, I like to listen through the whole episode so I can make smaller tweaks that result in a better finished product. These smaller tweaks fall into two basic categories: effect-induced aberrations, and speech polishes. The former refers to tiny blips that are typically leftovers from the noise gate’s work. At times the gate will remove most of a breath, but not quite all of it; a tiny bit gets through, resulting in an undesired aberration, which I trim out. Speech polishes are things like shortening excessive pauses between words, when appropriate, and eliminating ‘um’ and ‘uh’ sounds when doing so wouldn’t make the remaining speech sound unnatural.\nMy process for making these smaller cuts involves some of the keyboard shortcuts mentioned above. When I hear something that needs removing, I’ll do the following:\nPause using the spacebar.\nHit S to select the current clip.\nUse Command + S to split the clip at the selection point.\nVia touch, crop the new clip to remove the unwanted audio; if I’m making a very small cut, I’ll first pinch to zoom in so my crop can be more precise.\nIf all I’m removing is a small aberration in-between words, I can stop there. However, if the audio I deleted leaves an unwanted gap between two clips, I have a few more steps to complete.\nHit Command + A so the current and all future clips are selected.\nPick up the selection via drag and drop and move it left to the appropriate spot.\nFinally, I either use Left Arrow to move back a few seconds, or do it manually via touch, before hitting the Spacebar to resume playback and ensure the edits accomplished what I intended.\nDepending on what shape the recording is in, and how much work it needs, I may perform this sequence of actions just a few times per episode, but in some cases I’ve even done it dozens of times during a single edit. It’s become such a habit though that it takes only a few seconds per occurrence.\nEditing MP3 chapters, including custom artwork.\nAfter I’ve listened through a full episode, it should have all the edits and chapters it needs to then export and upload to Libsyn, where Relay FM hosts its audio. The only potential work I may still need to do is add chapter-specific artwork or links if the episode calls for it; if so, that’s done from the chapter editing screen, which I have configured as a button in Ferrite’s shortcuts toolbar at the bottom of the screen. After that’s done, then from Ferrite’s Library I hit the share icon and save the finished episode to Apple’s Files app, where it’s ready to add to Libsyn.\nOver the past few months of podcast editing, I’ve found that so much of the work involves setting yourself up for success. If you have a poor recording, or you don’t know which effects or automations to use, or you haven’t optimized keyboard shortcuts, Pencil gestures, or a template to your needs, then the editing process can become a major slog of manual work that takes far too long. However, when you land on the right preparation and set up, the edit becomes simpler and less time consuming.\nSince I’ve never tried any other app, it’s impossible for me to compare Ferrite Recording Studio to editing alternatives. Taken alone though, while the app can be challenging to navigate at first, as the way it’s organized isn’t the most intuitive or standard for iOS, I quickly grew accustomed to it and have no desire to edit anywhere else. It does exactly what I would hope for: provide tools that I can customize to my liking so each edit is a pleasant experience rather than a frustration.\nDeveloping a new creative skill is always a challenge, but it becomes a lot more manageable when you have the right tools at your disposal.\n\n\nTap the ‘i’ button under that project’s name in your Library, then hit the wrench icon in the top-left corner and tap ‘Make Template.’ ↩︎\n\n\nTap the wrench icon in the top-right corner then hit Import Audio, and once it’s been imported, select the audio and tap the pencil icon to create a new project. ↩︎\n\n\nSupport MacStories and Unlock ExtrasFounded in 2015, Club MacStories has delivered exclusive content every week for over six years.\nIn that time, members have enjoyed nearly 400 weekly and monthly newsletters packed with more of your favorite MacStories writing as well as Club-only podcasts, eBooks, discounts on apps, icons, and services. Join today, and you’ll get everything new that we publish every week, plus access to our entire archive of back issues and downloadable perks.\nThe Club expanded in 2021 with Club MacStories+ and Club Premier. Club MacStories+ members enjoy even more exclusive stories, a vibrant Discord community, a rotating roster of app discounts, and more. And, with Club Premier, you get everything we offer at every Club level plus an extended, ad-free version of our podcast AppStories that is delivered early each week in high-bitrate audio.\nJoin Now", "date_published": "2019-08-01T11:00:30-04:00", "date_modified": "2019-08-02T05:24:57-04:00", "authors": [ { "name": "Ryan Christoffel", "url": "https://www.macstories.net/author/ryanchristoffel/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/6f92854b21cbef25629d7efb809a9de7?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "tags": [ "iPad Pro", "podcasts", "stories" ] }, { "id": "https://www.macstories.net/?p=60216", "url": "https://www.macstories.net/linked/apple-now-selling-lg-ultrafine-5k-display-with-ipad-pro-compatibility/", "title": "Apple Now Selling LG UltraFine 5K Display with iPad Pro Compatibility", "content_html": "

Benjamin Mayo at 9to5Mac noticed a new addition to the Apple Store today:

\n

\n Apple is now selling a new generation of the 5K LG UltraFine display. For the first time, the 5K UltraFine is now compatible with the iPad Pro, finally offering a 5K display option for 2018 iPad Pro users.

\n

Previously, the 5K UltraFine display would only work over Thunderbolt. Now, it can output 5K over USB-C DisplayPort, which means it can now work with any of Apple’s current Mac and iPad Pro lineup.\n

\n

Earlier this year the previous UltraFine 5K was mysteriously discontinued. Many assumed that move was in preparation for Apple introducing its own display option at WWDC. When the Pro Display XDR was unveiled, however, its $4,999 base price meant it clearly didn’t target the same market as LG’s UltraFine. While it’s possible Apple will introduce a lower-cost first-party display at some point in the future, for now the UltraFine is a nice alternative option to have. It’s priced at $1,299, and while nothing else about the monitor has changed, the ability to output from the iPad Pro is a valuable addition.

\n

Update: Since originally publishing, 9to5Mac has discovered a support document from Apple which clarifies that, in fact, this new monitor can only work with the iPad Pro at 4K resolution - 3840 x 2160 at 60Hz – rather than the full 5K available with many Mac models. A disappointing discovery, but perhaps not altogether surprising.

\n

\u2192 Source: 9to5mac.com

", "content_text": "Benjamin Mayo at 9to5Mac noticed a new addition to the Apple Store today:\n\n Apple is now selling a new generation of the 5K LG UltraFine display. For the first time, the 5K UltraFine is now compatible with the iPad Pro, finally offering a 5K display option for 2018 iPad Pro users.\n Previously, the 5K UltraFine display would only work over Thunderbolt. Now, it can output 5K over USB-C DisplayPort, which means it can now work with any of Apple’s current Mac and iPad Pro lineup.\n\nEarlier this year the previous UltraFine 5K was mysteriously discontinued. Many assumed that move was in preparation for Apple introducing its own display option at WWDC. When the Pro Display XDR was unveiled, however, its $4,999 base price meant it clearly didn’t target the same market as LG’s UltraFine. While it’s possible Apple will introduce a lower-cost first-party display at some point in the future, for now the UltraFine is a nice alternative option to have. It’s priced at $1,299, and while nothing else about the monitor has changed, the ability to output from the iPad Pro is a valuable addition.\nUpdate: Since originally publishing, 9to5Mac has discovered a support document from Apple which clarifies that, in fact, this new monitor can only work with the iPad Pro at 4K resolution - 3840 x 2160 at 60Hz – rather than the full 5K available with many Mac models. A disappointing discovery, but perhaps not altogether surprising.\n\u2192 Source: 9to5mac.com", "date_published": "2019-07-30T16:24:46-04:00", "date_modified": "2019-07-31T07:11:59-04:00", "authors": [ { "name": "Ryan Christoffel", "url": "https://www.macstories.net/author/ryanchristoffel/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/6f92854b21cbef25629d7efb809a9de7?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "tags": [ "iPad Pro", "USB-C", "Linked" ] }, { "id": "https://www.macstories.net/?p=59790", "url": "https://www.macstories.net/linked/adobe-previews-new-ipad-drawing-and-painting-app-fresco/", "title": "Adobe Previews New iPad Drawing and Painting App, Fresco", "content_html": "

Last year around the time Adobe began detailing its forthcoming Photoshop for iPad, the company also shared word of another iPad app it was working on, then called Project Gemini. Today in a blog post, Scott Belsky of Adobe announced Adobe Fresco as the official name of the new drawing and painting app, and detailed one of the features that will make the new app special:

\n

\n The result is Live Brushes, which use the artificial intelligence of Adobe Sensei to recreate the behavior of oils and watercolors in an amazingly lifelike way. When you paint with a watercolor Live Brush, you’ll see the color bloom into adjacent areas of the paper. Use red and yellow next to each other and they’ll naturally blend into orange at the border. You can even recreate painting with water to dilute some colors and encourage tints to mix.

\n

With an oil Live Brush, you can slather on a thick coat of paint and see the ridges and brush strokes that give the painting dimension. And you can mix different oil colors together to create a varied swirl of color that no digital color wheel could ever provide.\n

\n

Live Brushes can be seen in action in the video embedded below. Adobe’s aim with Fresco is to provide a tool that scales well in serving users who want a simple drawing tool to those who need the power of features like layers, masking, brush creation, and more. While it’s expected that Creative Cloud subscribers will receive full access to Fresco’s full feature set, Adobe seems to be considering its full spectrum of target users when it comes to pricing. In today’s announcement Belsky notes “anyone with the right hardware will be able to draw and paint in Fresco for free.”

\n
\n

No update was given on Fresco’s release date, other than that it remains “later this year.” With iPadOS 13, Fresco, Photoshop, and the iPad app improvements that are hopefully to come alongside Catalyst projects, it’s going to be an exciting end of the year for iPad.

\n

\u2192 Source: theblog.adobe.com

", "content_text": "Last year around the time Adobe began detailing its forthcoming Photoshop for iPad, the company also shared word of another iPad app it was working on, then called Project Gemini. Today in a blog post, Scott Belsky of Adobe announced Adobe Fresco as the official name of the new drawing and painting app, and detailed one of the features that will make the new app special:\n\n The result is Live Brushes, which use the artificial intelligence of Adobe Sensei to recreate the behavior of oils and watercolors in an amazingly lifelike way. When you paint with a watercolor Live Brush, you’ll see the color bloom into adjacent areas of the paper. Use red and yellow next to each other and they’ll naturally blend into orange at the border. You can even recreate painting with water to dilute some colors and encourage tints to mix.\n With an oil Live Brush, you can slather on a thick coat of paint and see the ridges and brush strokes that give the painting dimension. And you can mix different oil colors together to create a varied swirl of color that no digital color wheel could ever provide.\n\nLive Brushes can be seen in action in the video embedded below. Adobe’s aim with Fresco is to provide a tool that scales well in serving users who want a simple drawing tool to those who need the power of features like layers, masking, brush creation, and more. While it’s expected that Creative Cloud subscribers will receive full access to Fresco’s full feature set, Adobe seems to be considering its full spectrum of target users when it comes to pricing. In today’s announcement Belsky notes “anyone with the right hardware will be able to draw and paint in Fresco for free.”\n\nNo update was given on Fresco’s release date, other than that it remains “later this year.” With iPadOS 13, Fresco, Photoshop, and the iPad app improvements that are hopefully to come alongside Catalyst projects, it’s going to be an exciting end of the year for iPad.\n\u2192 Source: theblog.adobe.com", "date_published": "2019-06-17T12:45:12-04:00", "date_modified": "2019-06-17T12:45:12-04:00", "authors": [ { "name": "Ryan Christoffel", "url": "https://www.macstories.net/author/ryanchristoffel/", "avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/6f92854b21cbef25629d7efb809a9de7?s=512&d=mm&r=g" } ], "tags": [ "Adobe", "Apple Pencil", "iPad Pro", "Linked" ] } ] }