Apple has unveiled a brand new iPad Pro which offers laptop-level power, a new pro-level camera system, a LiDAR scanner and a re-imagined Magic Keyboard that now includes a trackpad.
Usually Apple would hold an event and invite media from around the world to launch a product like this but the coronavirus changed all that.
The new iPad Pro goes on sale on March 25 through the online stores and in Apple Stores once they are re-opened.
Available with edge-to-edge 11-inch and 12.9-inch Liquid Retina displays, the new iPad Pro is powered by the A12Z Bionic chip which makes it faster than most laptops.
It combines an eight-core CPU and a powerful Neural Engine which places remarkable capabilities in the palm of your hands.
The screen has a 120Hz refresh rate for ultra-smooth scrolling and performance as well as P3 wide colour support so photos, videos, apps and websites come to life.
Also onboard is a new dual lens camera system which consists of a 12-megapixel ultrawide lens and a 10-megapixel ultrawide lens.
It is the first time Apple has offered a dual lens camera on the iPad Pro and really ramps up the device’s photo and video credentials.
The new iPad Pro now includes a LiDAR scanner inside the camera module.
It uses both cameras to measure the distance to nearby objects up to 5m and provides a better understanding of the scene before it.
The LiDAR scanner also takes AR to the next level as well for improved geometry and, when combined with the latest version of ARKit, can provide amazing scenarios.
The LiDAR scanner improves the speed and accuracy of the Measure app so it can easily measure a person’s height and other objects.
With iPadOS 13.4, the iPad Pro now has trackpad support which is exactly what the new Magic Keyboard provides.
That also means the iPad Pro now has a cursor which makes writing, selecting text and navigating the system even easier.
The cursor appears as a circle on the screen, similar to how it would work on a laptop, and provides the user with a clear indication of what they can click on.
The trackpad also enables web page scrolling in Safari and within your photo library.
Most third party apps will work without much change at all.
The iPad Pro attaches magnetically to the new Magic Keyboard and actually floats above the full-size backlit keyboard which now includes a scissor mechanism.
A cantilevered hinge also allows you to easily adjust the screen’s viewing angle.
The Magic Keyboard has a USB-C port which allows pass-through charging to keep the USB-C port on the base of the iPad Pro free for other uses including connecting a hard drive or an external display.
The new Apple iPad Pro is available to pre-order now.
The 11-inch iPad Pro starts at $1,329 for the Wi-Fi model and $1,579 for the Wi-Fi + Cellular model.
The 12.9-inch iPad Pro starts at $1,649 (Wi-Fi) and $1,899 ( Wi-Fi + Cellular).
They go on sale on March 25.
