Mar. 18th 2020 5:08 am

In addition to a new MacBook Air, Apple today has also unveiled a new iPad Pro. The new iPad Pro is powered by the A12Z processor and features a new camera setup on the back. Apple has also unveiled a new Magic Keyboard with trackpad for iPad Pro.

The new iPad Pro models are available to order today — with double the base storage as the 2018 models — and the Magic Keyboard will be available in May.

New iPad Pro + Magic Keyboard unveiled

The new A12Z Bionic chip in the iPad Pro offers the “highest performance ever in an iPad.” There’s an 8-core CPU and 8-core GPU, alongside Apple’s Neural Engine. You’ll also get 10-hours of battery life and LTE that’s up to 60% faster .

Apple describes the new Magic Keyboard as having a “floating design with smooth angle adjustment.” It attaches magnetically to the iPad Pro and features “unique cantilevered hinges” that allow it to adjust up to 130 degrees. The keyboard uses Apple’s scissor switch mechanism and is backlit as well.

Apple today also introduced the new Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro. With a floating design with smooth angle adjustment, a backlit keyboard and trackpad, the Magic Keyboard delivers the best typing experience ever on iPad. The Magic Keyboard will be available for purchase in May.

iPadOS 13.4, which will be released on March 24, includes full trackpad support for the first time. Apple says that it hasn’t simply copied the trackpad experience from macOS, but rather completely “reimagined” it for iPad:

With iPadOS 13.4, Apple brings trackpad support to iPad, giving customers an all-new way to interact with their iPad. Rather than copying the experience from macOS, trackpad support has been completely reimagined for iPad.

The new iPad Pro Magic Keyboard case also features a USB-C port on its hinge. Apple says 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.” Apple also notes that there is an “updated Smart Keyboard Folio” without a trackpad as well.

Apple says it will update its iWork suite of productivity apps to take “full advantage of the trackpad and open up a whole new way to work with documents on iPad.” There will also be new templates in Pages and Keynote.

There’s also a new LiDAR camera array on the back. Apple says this LiDar Scanner measures the distance to surrounding objects up to 5 meters away:

The breakthrough LiDAR Scanner enables capabilities never before possible on any mobile device. 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.

The new camera array on the iPad Pro features a 12MP Wide camera, as well as a 10MP Ultra Wide camera. Apple has also upgraded the microphone system. The iPad Pro now features five “studio-quality” microphones that capture “super clean audio.”

Apple says the new LiDAR Scanner will lend itself to new AR features as well:

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 new iPad Pro models are available to order today from Apple.com and the new Magic Keyboard will be available in May. The Magic Keyboard will cost $299 for the 11-inch iPad Pro and $349 for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro.

Pricing for the new 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro is the same as the previous generation. The 11-inch iPad Pro starts at $799 for the Wi-Fi model and $949 for the Wi-Fi + Cellular model, and the 12.9-inch iPad Pro starts at $999 for the Wi-Fi model and $1,149 for the Wi-Fi + Cellular.

Even though prices are the same, Apple has doubled the starting configuration to include 128GB — up from the previous generation’s 64GB. Other continuations include 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB. The first orders will arrive starting on March 25.

Somewhat surprisingly, the new Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro is backwards compatible with earlier iPad Pro models. Apple says you can use the Magic Keyboard with:

iPad Pro 12.9-inch 3rd and 4th generation

iPad Pro 11-inch 1st and 2nd generation

Read the full announcement here.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Check out 9to5Mac on YouTube for more Apple news: