Apple Unveils New iPad Pro with LiDAR Scanner & Trackpad Support

Apple has unveiled its most advanced iPad Pro with the A12Z Bionic chip which it says is faster and more powerful than most Windows PC laptops.

The eight-core GPU in the A12Z Bionic, along with an enhanced thermal architecture and tuned performance controllers, gives iPad Pro the highest performance ever in an iPad. 

The new iPad Pro has an edge-to-edge Liquid Retina display  in both 11-inch and 12.9-inch sizes. The ProMotion technology automatically adjusts the display refresh rate up to 120 Hz for ultra-smooth scrolling and responsiveness.

With battery life lasting up to 10 hours, Apple says the new iPad Pro has faster Wi-Fi connectivity and gigabit-class LTE that’s 60 percent faster with support for more LTE bands than any other tablet.

The iPad Pro features a 12MP Wide camera for capturing photos and 4K video, and now includes a 10MP Ultra-Wide camera that zooms out two times to capture a much wider field of view.

Apples new iPad Pro now also features five studio-quality microphones for capturing super clean audio and the quietest details, and delivers an immersive sound experience with four-speaker audio that automatically adjusts to any orientation, no matter how it is held. creators.

Apple also announced the LiDAR Scanner  on the iPad Pro which 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.

New depth frameworks in iPadOS combine depth points measured by the LiDAR Scanner, data from both cameras and motion sensors, and is enhanced by computer vision algorithms on the A12Z Bionic for a more detailed understanding of a scene.

Every existing ARKit app automatically gets instant AR placement, improved motion capture and people occlusion. Using the latest update to ARKit with a new Scene Geometry API, developers can harness the power of the new LiDAR Scanner to unleash scenarios never before possible.

The LiDAR Scanner improves the Measure app, making it faster and easier to automatically calculate someone’s height, while helpful vertical and edge guides automatically appear to let users more quickly and accurately measure objects.

The Measure app also now comes with Ruler View for more granular measurements and allows users to save a list of all measurements, complete with screenshots for future use.

iPadOS 13.4 brings trackpad support to iPad for the first time for a more natural typing experience and added precision for tasks such as writing and selecting text, working with spreadsheets and pro workflows.

Most third-party apps work with no change at all, and developers can go even further with new APIs that let them deliver unique experiences in their apps.

Joining the second-generation Apple Pencil4 and an updated Smart Keyboard Folio5 is the new Magic Keyboard. Attaching magnetically to iPad Pro, the Magic Keyboard puts the Multi-Touch screen on display with its floating design, working equally well on a lap or on a desk.

Unique cantilevered hinges allow  adjustments of the viewing angle up to 130 degrees. The portable and protective design of the Magic Keyboard delivers a full-size keyboard with backlit keys and a scissor mechanism that delivers 1mm travel.

The Magic Keyboard features USB-C pass-through charging, keeping the USB-C port on iPad Pro free for accessories including external drives and displays. The click-anywhere trackpad on the Magic Keyboard complements the touch-first design of iPad for easy navigation and precise adjustments, adding even more versatility and productivity to the iPad Pro experience.

The new iPad Pro is available to order starting today on apple.com and in the Apple Store app in 30 countries and regions, including the UK. iPad Pro will be available in stores starting next week.

The new 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro will be available in silver and space grey finishes with 128GB, 256GB, 512GB and 1TB configurations.

The 11-inch iPad Pro starts at £769 (R 15,430) for the Wi-Fi model and £919 (R 18,439)for the Wi-Fi + Cellular model, and the 12.9-inch iPad Pro starts at £969 (R 19,442) for the Wi-Fi model and £1119 (R 22,452) for the Wi-Fi + Cellular model from apple.com/uk. 

The Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro will be available for purchase in May for £299 (R 5,999) for the 11-inch iPad Pro and £349 (R 7,022) for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro with layouts for over 30 languages, including simplified Chinese, French, German, Japanese and Spanish. 

The second-generation Apple Pencil for iPad Pro is available for £119 (R2,387). The new Smart Keyboard Folio for the new iPad Pro is available in space grey for £179 (R 3,591) for the 11-inch iPad Pro and £199 (R 3,992) for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro with layouts for over 30 languages, including simplified Chinese, French, German, Japanese and Spanish.