Apple Launches new iPad Pro With Magic Keyboard and Touchpad

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Things I wasn’t expecting yesterday: a new iPad Pro with LiDAR and a floating keyboard dock with scissor switches, backlit keys, pass through USB-C, and a trackpad. Things Apple dropped on us yesterday: that. I know, I’m still surprised. And yes, it makes your iPad “float” like an iMac.

Really.

This was a surprise announcement, and didn’t come with a presentation, so, let’s just jump into the new features.

Cameras and LiDAR (ToF Sensor)

Apple’s using LIDAR, that is, laser imaging, as a time of flight sensor for the rear camera. We had heard rumors of this evolution to Apple’s cameras, but expected it to be a key feature of the new iPhone. Instead, it’s showing up early on the iPad Pro.

This allows it to map out your surroundings using a laser in three dimensions. It can improve photos, such as portrait mode, allow apple to make AI improvements on lighting and other quick changes done while processing photos, and make augmented reality (AR) incredibly accurate. With this, the iPad Pro is the best device for AR that Apple offers. It may make the iPad Pro a better camera than the iPhone 11 as well.

Oh, and Cameras Too

Apple also took the cameras from the iPhone 11 and brought them to the iPad Pro. The shape of the camera bump is the same as the one on the iPhone 11 Pro. This is because of the LiDAR sensor, which sits where the telephoto camera sits on the iPhone 11 Pro. That means the next “pro” iPhone is going to look a lot different.

The cameras on the iPad always seemed out of place. After all, when was the last time you decided to take a photo and only had your iPad on hand? Still, the idea is to shorten the process—if someone wanted to—from iPad to editing photos and videos. I still never thought it was all too useful to have them there. It’s a “nice to have,” not a “must.” Still, the cameras on the back of the iPad are as good as the iPhone 11, and have the potential to be even better due to advanced 3D processing through LiDAR.

Power

This is a pro device. Surely it has the power to keep up with pro tasks, right? Of course. It has the most powerful mobile processor in Apple’s lineup, featuring the most memory as well. The new iPad Pro is a powerhouse, and will compare in performance to desktop computers.

A13Z Bionic?

The new A13Z Bionic is the most powerful A-series chip Apple has ever released. Apple claims it “outpaces most PC laptops available today.” It features an 8-core GPU and presumably, a faster clock rate for the main cores. The end result is a tablet that can do 4K video editing, 3D design, and more.

Memory Boost

Apple didn’t just give the processor a boost. They also gave the new iPad more memory. Every model of the new iPad Pro has 6GB of RAM. That’ll enable it to keep more items running in the background. It’ll also improve multitasking, as users can have many apps on the screen at the same time under the latest version of iPadOS.

New Mouse Support

The next update to iPadOS will also bring a new cursor to the iPad. While Apple introduced mouse support with iOS 13, the new update takes it further, outside of the Accessibility settings. The cursor is smart. Hover over text and it changes into a text based cursor, like it would on a desktop computer. However, hovering over buttons does something else. It highlights the area, allowing you to easily jump to nearby controls. It’s a visual cue that still makes your iPad feel like a touch device, even when you’re using a cursor. It’ll make what you’re interacting with clearer. I actually thought of this a while ago after being frustrated with how the mouse doesn’t always seem to click on what you would expect it to when it’s between two elements. I’m not saying Apple stole my idea, but I’m on to you, Craig.

This also comes with new gesture and trackpad support. Why? Because this new iPad Pro accessory has one!

The Magic Keyboard (with Trackpad!)

The iPad has always been a touch-first device. In fact, when it first came out, there were no keyboards for it. You just used the Smart Cover to prop it up so you could type on the screen. Then Bluetooth keyboards came out, and people like them. Apple introduced the first iPad Pro with the Smart Keyboard. As someone who had a few, it’s anything but. It was flimsy, and broke frequently. I’m currently back to typing on the screen. Then Apple introduced the new Smart Keyboard Folio last year, which has a connection on the back, and appears to be more robust.

Now they’ve got something better than all the rest, and it makes your iPad look a little like an iMac.

Magic Keyboard

The Magic Keyboard for the iPad augments the features of the Smart Keyboard Folio from last year. This uses a full keyboard with hard scissor switch keys, like what you’d find on the 16″ MacBook Pro. And just like those MacBook keys, there’s back lighting, so  you can see the keys in the dark. Also like the MacBook Pro, you can find a trackpad under that keyboard. Yes, a trackpad, from Apple.

This works much like the trackpad on your MacBook, but made for a touch environment. There’s two finger scrolling, and three finger swipe gestures, most of which will feel at home to anyone who has used a MacBook or Magic Touchpad recently. You can also click anywhere on the trackpad, just as you can on a MacBook.

The Magic Keyboard also makes your iPad float above the keyboard. You can adjust it and it’ll stay in place, so you can always look directly at the screen, no matter where it is. It’s nice to have adjustability, and it certainly looks cool.

Finally, you’ll find a USB-C port on the hinge. This seems to only allow pass through charging of your iPad. However, the USB-C port on the iPad Pro is still free for any accessories.

This Changes Everything

The Magic Keyboard really changes the iPad in a grand way. The iPad is still a touch device, but now it has blurred the lines between an iPad and a Mac, while simultaneously becoming something unique all on its own. It reminds me of the Surface Studio. Apple may not be willing to get creative with Mac hardware design yet, but that creativity still comes out of the box when the iPad is in play.

The Magic Keyboard will work with the new iPad Pro as well as last year’s model. It’ll be $299(!) for the 11-inch iPad Pro, and $349(!!) for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro. The Magic Keyboard will be out in May.

And the Rest

There were other small updates as well. For example, it’s now using WiFi 6, and has a new U1 chip.This should allow for better wireless speeds as well as tracking Apple’s upcoming Apple Tag. The Tag will help you locate things you lose frequently, much like a Tile.

The Apple Pencil is unchanged. It still charges wirelessly when you attach it to the side of your iPad. The size and shape of it is the same as last year’s model as well.

The biggest change to this iPad will be the way people use it. The Magic Keyboard might be too expensive for some, but other manufacturers will have solutions coming out soon. The iPad is changing. It’s encroaching in on the Mac’s territory without actually stepping over the line. It’s becoming something entirely different than it was. You should still get a Mac if you’re developing software or video editing. Giant RAW photos? Likely best left to a beefy GPU. But now the iPad can do some video editing, photo editing, 3D design, and much more. It brings the screen closer to the keyboard so you can mix your note taking styles. The iPad’s a better all-around device than ever before, and it might just be your next computer. In fact, I think for most people, this is a better option than a Mac.