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Apple has announced the most advanced iPad Pro ever. Now with the A12Z Bionic chip, iPad Pro is faster and more powerful than most Windows laptops. It features an ultra-wide camera, professional-quality microphones, and a revolutionary LiDAR scanner that offers advanced depth-sensing capabilities, to support even more professional workflows as well as professional photography and video apps. The LiDAR scanner, professional cameras and audio, motion sensors, high-performance, Liquid Retina display, and powerful apps make the new iPad Pro the best device in the world for augmented reality (AR).

With iPadOS 13.4, Apple brings trackpad support to iPad, offering customers a whole new way to interact with their device. Instead of replicating the macOS user experience, trackpad support has been completely reimagined for iPad. As the user moves their finger across the trackpad surface, the cursor elegantly transforms to highlight interface elements. And with Multi-Touch gestures on the trackpad, users can navigate the entire operating system easily and quickly without ever having to lift their hand from the surface.

Today, Apple also introduced the new Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro. With a free-angle design that's easy to adjust, backlit keys, and a trackpad, typing on iPad has never been so comfortable. The Magic Keyboard will be available in May.

“The new iPad Pro encloses advanced technologies never seen before on a mobile device,” explains Phil Schiller, Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing at Apple. “It has the most advanced mobile display ever, extraordinary performance, professional cameras and audio, the revolutionary LiDAR scanner, and the new Magic Keyboard with trackpad. Once again, iPad takes a huge leap forward. There is no other device in the world like the new iPad Pro and we are confident that our customers will love it.”

“With the introduction of trackpad support in iPadOS, we are making iPad Pro even more powerful and versatile,” says Craig Federighi, Senior Vice President of Software Engineering at Apple. “We have put a lot of thought into integrating the use of a trackpad in a primarily touch interface while maintaining the characteristics that customers already know and love. We are excited to present this new way of interacting with iPad to the millions of people who are currently using iPadOS.”

Pro performance with the A12Z Bionic chip

Designed for the most demanding workflows, such as editing 4K video or designing 3D models, iPad Pro takes another leap forward in performance with the new A12Z Bionic chip. Thanks to the 8-core GPU of the A12Z Bionic chip, improved thermal architecture, and optimized performance controllers, iPad Pro delivers the highest performance ever on an iPad. Combined with the 8-core CPU and the powerful Neural Engine, which makes a new generation of apps possible, this chip is the only one capable of offering the incredible performance contained in the thin and light design of iPad Pro. Not only that: with a battery that lasts up to 10 hours,1 faster Wi-Fi connections, and LTE technology at Gigabit speed, 60% faster3 and supporting even more bands, customers can continue to work and create all day long.

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Professional display

The edge-to-edge Liquid Retina display, in 11" and 12.9" sizes, is the most advanced mobile display in the world. Thanks to the wide P3 color gamut, photos and videos have a brighter, more detailed, and realistic look, as do apps and games. ProMotion technology automatically adjusts the display refresh rate up to 120Hz, so everything is smooth and responsive. And no matter where users take their iPad Pro or how they choose to interact with it: the high-brightness display with True Tone and anti-reflective coating always offers the best possible view, more than any other mobile device.

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Professional cameras

iPad Pro features a professional camera system consisting of a 12MP wide camera for beautiful photos and 4K video recording, and a 10MP ultra-wide camera with 2x zoom for a much wider field of view. Adding a second camera doubles the possibilities in photography and video, allowing for exploring new perspectives and multi-camera approaches - a revolution for creativity professionals.

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Professional audio and microphones

iPad Pro now has five professional-quality microphones that capture ultra-clear audio down to the smallest detail. It also features four speakers that adjust automatically based on the device's orientation to offer an extraordinarily engaging listening experience. Professional cameras and audio along with the large display transform iPad Pro into a versatile mobile studio for creative professionals involved in film, video, podcasts, content creation, and more.

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Revolutionary LiDAR scanner

The revolutionary LiDAR scanner offers capabilities never before thought possible for a mobile device. The LiDAR scanner, which works indoors and outdoors, measures the distance from surrounding objects up to 5 meters by performing a photon-level reading at nanosecond speed. The new depth frameworks in iPadOS combine the depth points measured by the LiDAR scanner with data sent from the two cameras and motion sensors, also leveraging computer vision algorithms on the A12Z Bionic chip to more accurately detect scene details. The seamless integration of these elements enables a new class of AR experiences on iPad Pro.

All existing ARKit apps can automatically rely on instant AR object positioning and an improved system for movement scanning and occlusion between people and virtual objects. By using the latest ARKit update with a new Scene Geometry API, developers can harness the power of the new LiDAR scanner to explore scenarios never before thought possible.

The LiDAR scanner enhances the Measure app: automatically calculating a person's height is even simpler and quicker, and the helpful vertical and lateral guides that appear automatically allow for quick and accurate measurements. The Measure app now also includes a Ruler view for more intricate measurements, and allows users to save for future use a list of all measurements with related screenshots.

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Trackpad support coming to iPadOS

With iPadOS 13.4, it will be possible for the first time to use a trackpad to interact with iPad: this capability makes typing more natural and offers greater accuracy for selecting text and working with spreadsheets and professional apps. Specifically designed to integrate with the touch interface of iPad, the cursor appears as a circle that highlights apps on the Home screen and in the Dock, interface elements, and text fields, clearly indicating the elements that the user can click on. Furthermore, simple trackpad gestures can be used to switch between apps, open the app switcher, or view the Dock, Control Center, and Slide Over apps.

Trackpad support in iPadOS works great with the apps that customers use every day. Scrolling through web pages in Safari or shots in the Photo library, precisely editing text in Notes, and organizing messages in Mail on iPad will be even easier and more convenient. Most third-party apps will work without any modification, but developers can leverage the new APIs to push even further and create even more unique experiences.

Upcoming updates in Apple's iWork productivity suite - Pages, Numbers, and Keynote - fully utilize the trackpad and offer a completely new way to work with documents on iPad. Writing and editing text is a breeze in Pages, working with multiple objects in Keynote is easier than ever, and the added levels of precision also make working with larger spreadsheets a breeze. Other new features include new beautiful templates in Pages and Keynote, which give users an edge in creating beautiful documents, and for the first time in iWork, users can add a 'drop cap' to highlight a paragraph with a large and decorative initial letter. Collaboration will become easier than ever thanks to support for sharing iCloud folders and the ability to edit shared documents offline.

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Magic Keyboard and other pro accessories

Together with the second-generation Apple Pencil4 and an updated version of the Smart Keyboard Folio,5 there is also the new Magic Keyboard today. It magnetically attaches to iPad Pro, highlighting the splendid Multi-Touch display, and has a free-angle design that always allows you to find the right angle, even when holding the device in your lap. A unique adjustment system allows you to adjust the viewing angle up to 130 degrees. In its compact and protective design, the Magic Keyboard encloses a full-size backlit keyboard with keys featuring a scissor mechanism and 1mm travel: typing on iPad has never been so comfortable.  

The Magic Keyboard has a USB-C port for pass-through charging that allows you to charge iPad Pro without occupying the device's USB-C port, which remains free to connect accessories such as external monitors and disks. The trackpad of the Magic Keyboard, with a surface that allows clicking anywhere, complements the iPad's touch interface by simplifying navigation and allowing you to work with great precision: in this way, iPad Pro becomes an even more versatile and productive tool.

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