Yesterday, Apple announced new versions of the iPad Pro, and more importantly, announced updates that will allow current iPad owners to take better advantage of a mouse or trackpad with their iPad. And most importantly of all, thank goodness we have something to talk about other than the Coronavirus. Apple last updated the iPad Pro in late 2018, and for any attorney looking to get a new iPad, now you can get the 2020 version. It's not a major change versus the 2018 version, but if you have an older iPad and are ready to upgrade, now is a good time to do so. I'll begin today by talking about this new model, then I'll talk about the new external keyboard, and I'll finish by talking about the new features that you may get even if you don't buy anything new.
The 2020 iPad Pro
I have been using the 2018 version of the 12.9" iPad Pro for 16 months now. I loved that version when I wrote my hands-on review, and 16 months later I continue to love this device. I love that Apple reduced the bezel in the 2018 model to make the screen even larger, and the second generation version of the Apple Pencil is a fantastic upgrade over the original version.
Apparently, Apple agrees, because the 2020 version of the iPad Pro retains all of those great features. Whether you get the 12.9" or the 11" model, the 2020 version of the iPad Pro is the same size, has the same small bezels, is approximately the same weight, and works with the same accessories including the second generation Apple Pencil.
Of course, Apple has included some new features in the 2020 version, but only a few of them will make a difference for most attorneys:
Processor. The 2020 models use an A12Z chip, versus the A12X chip. I suspect that when we see tests, we will see that the new chip is faster, making the new iPad Pro even more responsive.
Capacity. The entry-level model of the new iPad Pro has 128GB, versus 64GB for the 2018 version. But I don't expect this to make a big difference for most attorneys because both of those are a little small for the needs of attorneys who plan to store a lot of large PDF files and also some videos. I recommend that most attorneys spend the additional $100 for the 256GB model.
Radios. The 2020 model is slightly better than the 2018 model when it comes to radios. It adds support for 802.11ax, which works better than 802.11ac when you are in crowded areas with lots of people using Wi-Fi. It also supports 30 bands of LTS instead of the 29 bands supported by the 2018 version.
Those are not major changes versus the 2018 version of the iPad Pro, so I doubt that any attorney using a 2018 iPad Pro would want to upgrade. But if you have an older iPad and you have been waiting to upgrade, you can now do so and take advantage of these new features.
But that's not all. There are other new features in the 2020 iPad Pro that probably won't help you write your next brief, but they do make this a better iPad and will be particularly useful to certain users.
Cameras. The 2020 iPad Pro adds a new Ultra Wide camera on the back, much like the iPhone 11 that came out in September 2019. While I love having that Ultra Wide camera on my iPhone, I almost never take pictures on my iPad Pro. But if you do so, this is a nice feature.
LiDAR Scanner. Apple is investing a lot of resources into AR (augmented reality), the ability to view the outside world through your iPhone or iPad and see additional virtual elements just as if they are in your real world. The new iPad Pro is the first Apple product to include a LiDAR scanner, which users lasers to scan the outside world so that the screen of the iPad Pro can more quickly display the outside world along with more accurate graphics simulating an object added to the outside world. For now, AR remains mostly just a cool gimmick, but Apple is planning for the day when AR is a huge part of our everyday life. Watch almost any science fiction show, such as the newest season of Westworld that just started on HBO, to see the potential of AR.
Better microphone. The new iPad Pro features an improved microphone array. This may be important to folks creating media, but won't be a big change for attorneys.
Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro
One of the big advantages of the 2020 iPad Pro is that it works with Apple's new Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro. The 2018 versions of the iPad Pro also work with this device, which is good news for many attorneys who own that model.
The engineers who came up with this new keyboard were very creative. The keyboard folds around the iPad Pro to act as a case, which is nothing new. But when you unfold it, it has an interesting design that allows the iPad Pro to float in the air above the keyboard. This means that you can adjust the viewing angle of the iPad as a screen when you are using the keyboard. Better yet, the hinge to this keyboard cover contains a USB-C port, giving you a more elegant spot to charge your iPad Pro while you are using it, eliminating the need for a charging port coming out of the side of the iPad. Alternatively, you can charge while using the USB-C port on the keyboard and use the iPad Pro's built-in USB-C port on the side for some other accessory, such as a thumb drive.
But the biggest new feature of the Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro is that it includes a trackpad, the first trackpad that Apple has ever supported for the iPad.
The trackpad means that when are using your iPad on the keyboard, you often won't need to reach up to touch the screen. Instead, you can select objects and changing the cursor for editing just using the trackpad.
The new keyboard includes backlit keys so that you can see what you are typing even if the lights are dimmed, and features "real" keys with a traditional butterfly-mechanism keyboard. Once reviewers start to test this new keyboard, I suspect that they will be impressed.
The new keyboard will not be cheap. Apple is selling it for $300 for the 11" model and 350 for the 12.9" model. If you are like me and only use a keyboard occasionally with your iPad, then you probably don't want to have a keyboard built-in to your case. But if you frequently use a keyboard with an iPad, this looks like an amazing solution, even though it is costly. Of course it works with the new 2020 iPad Pro models, but it also works with the 2018 iPad Pro models.
Note that if you don't have an iPad Pro, Apple worked with Logitech to create another keyboard, the Logitech Combo Touch. This $150 keyboard includes a trackpad and it works with the 7th generation iPad introduced in September 2019, the iPad Air (3rd generation) introduced March 2019, and the iPad Pro 10.5" introduced in June 2017.
Mouse and Trackpad support in iPad OS 13.4
For me, the very best announcement that Apple made yesterday was that iOS 13.4 is coming out next week (March 24, 2020) with vastly improved support for a mouse or trackpad. You can currently use a mouse with an iPad, but it is clunky, as discussed in a post last October. Nevertheless, using a mouse with an iPad can be so useful that I still to it a few times a month, even though it currently doesn't work great.
It looks like Apple is going to vastly improve mouse support in iOS 13.4, and also create support for a trackpad — not only the trackpad included with Apple's new Magic Keyboard, but also the Magic Trackpad that Apple has been selling with its computers for ten years.
First, Apple has done some creative things with the cursor. When you use a mouse/trackpad, the cursor is usually a small circle but it changes to other shapes as you move over objects.
Second, just like on a computer, the cursor changes based upon what you are doing. For example, when over text, it changes to an I-beam to edit text.
In a video from Apple supplied to the Six Colors website, Apple VP for Software Engineering Craig Federighi shows how this works:
This looks fantastic, and I cannot wait to start trying it next week.
The new iPad Pro is great for folks looking to upgrade, the new keyboards with trackpads are great for iPad users who get a lot of use out of a keyboard, and the new support for a mouse or trackpad in iPad OS 13.4 is great news for almost anyone who uses an iPad to get work done.
