As countries around the world are fighting the coronavirus outbreak, on Wednesday Apple released a brand-new iPad Pro and a new keyboard with a trackpad. It also released a less expensive MacBook Air that you can load up with up to 2 TERABYTES of storage and a beefed-up Mac Mini, but seriously, the iPad Pro and that new Magic Keyboard are the real stars of today.
The new iPad Pro doesn't look very different from last year's model, but it now has a faster processor and a new camera system inside.
The highlight of the new system is a “LiDAR” scanner, which, according to Apple, improves the way the camera captures depth and improves augmented reality features.
If you want to geek out, you can read more about the feature on Apple’s website, but let’s just say it means that converting your living room into a lava-filled obstacle course will look a lot better.
There are also more new features for pro users, like five studio-quality microphones to capture sound better and four speakers that Apple says deliver an "immersive sound experience."
The brand-new Magic Keyboard that now includes a trackpad is backlit and supports a "scissor" mechanism, which means that unlike Apple's laptop keyboards, the keys should be satisfyingly clicky.
Most importantly, it now makes your iPad float above it for a better viewing angle that just looks cool.
The new iPadOS, the software that powers the iPad, will now include trackpad support, meaning you can finally mouse around your iPad just like you do on an actual laptop.
You don't have to buy Apple's fancy new keyboard to get this feature — it will work with any mouse that you connect to the iPad over Bluetooth or USB.
You can buy the new iPad Pro on Apple's website starting today. It will be available in stores next week — but all Apple retail locations outside China are closed indefinitely in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
The new iPad Pro comes in two sizes (11 inches and 12.9 inches) and two colors (space gray and silver). The cheapest, Wi-Fi-only model costs $799, while the cheapest cellular model costs $949.
The Magic Keyboard with trackpad will be available in May and will cost $299 for the smaller iPad Pro and $349 for the larger iPad Pro.