2024-05-07

A few thoughts on Apple's "Let Loose" iPad event

While most are focused on the new iPad hardware I'll start with what I consider the more important bits.

The importance of first and third party creative apps for professionals was highlighted by Apple and I think it's worth a special call out as a counterpoint to the common narrative of the iPad is "Sure, the hardware is powerful but what can I do with it? It's only good for consumption not creating." An unfortunate story that won't go away regardless of the many examples of real world uses by professionals creating a broad range of content.

First, Apple updated both Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro to version 2 with some significant new features. I'll only call out FCP here:

Final Cut Pro for iPad 2 delivers support for projects on external drives and Live Multicam to record multiple angles at once using the new Final Cut Camera app for iPhone and iPad.

The lack of external drive support was a major complaint with version 1. Another, still missing feature, is the ability to round trip FCP projects back to the iPad after editing on the Mac. Regardless, it's a good sign and not a surprise that Apple has continued its investment in its two "Pro" iPad apps.

Second, I was glad to see that as a part of the Apple Pencil Pro announcement Apple gave time to Procreate to show off Procreate and Procreate Dreams. Most non-artist users and tech press don't pay much attention to the professional creative apps available on the iPad. It's that lack of awareness of other people's use cases that allows them to make uninformed statements about the usefulness of the iPad in the real-world. I don't use either of the Procreate apps but boy-howdy! They look amazing and I appreciate that they exist for the users that need them.

Now, about the hardware releases. The iPad Air looks like an excellent deal. I don't expect to update my 2021 M1 for another couple of years but if I were updating today I'd definitely consider the Air over the Pro. Not sure I'd want to lose FaceID though, that's a real convenience.

The new M4 iPad Pros. Wowza. The M4 looks like a fantastic update. For those that need a mobile video editing station the M4 iPad with Final Cut Pro, LumaFusion or DaVinci Resolve is going to be a fantastic device.

Apple is touting the new OLED screen as a big improvement but I'll be honest, my aging eyes don't notice screen improvements at this point. Side-by-side, I can't see the difference between my M1 iPadPro and the newest OLED iPhones. But I'm sure there are folks out there that will see the difference so that's great for them.

Of course moving the FaceTime camera is an improvement. I'm sure that the thinner and lighter form factor will be an appreciable improvement though I think the argument could be made for better battery capacity. I work from home so battery life isn't an issue but for folks that are out working all day the current battery is often net enough. Screen brightness set to 70% and then 5-7 hours of constant use will drain the iPad Pro significantly. A solid upgrade.

The new Magic Keyboard for the Pro looks like a nice improvement the larger trackpad, added function row and the aluminum surface. Maybe it will be slightly heavier on the bottom side, which, given a lighter iPad, might mean more stability? The current Magic Keyboard is somewhat prone to tipping backwards when I'm using it on a pillow.

I'd love to see Apple or a third party make an aluminum keyboard case like the Brydge but with extra ports and a battery that can be used to charge the iPad.

Last, the Pencil Pro looks like it's got some solid improvements that artists will really appreciate.

As expected, some really significant hardware upgrades here and a nice step into the future for the iPad.