This artfully executed setup is supposedly in someone's home, not a design museum. Photo: diotav@Reddit
It’s only Monday, but Dutch videographer, designer and web production artist Dion Tavenier probably wins this week’s award for setup design. Cool, spare, architectural — get the Museum of Modern Setups on the phone!
If only there was such a museum. Or such an award.
Get yours before the discounts disappear! Photo: Apple
Amazon is currently offering some hugely generous discounts — some of the biggest we’ve seen anywhere so far — on the 2020 iPad Pro. You can save up to $199.01 on many models, but only if you act fast.
The M1 processor in the 2021 iPad Pro has the tablet running faster than any Intel-based MacBook ever. Photo: Apple
The first iPad Pro with an M-series processor is apparently going to be as fast as many had hoped. Benchmark tests for the upcoming tablet show that it’s almost as speedy as the Macs released in late 2020. And faster than any Intel-based MacBook ever.
The 2021 model is more than 50% faster than the iPad Pro Apple introduced in 2020.
iPad users would be pleased if all these proposed features make it into iPadOS 15. Photo: The Hacker 34
A pair of concept artists want Apple to bring dramatic improvements in iPadOS 15. They separately created videos with specific suggestions on how iPad could become a more useful computer with the operating system update expected this autumn.
Both agree that the iPad should gain better support for external screens — though they came up with different ways to implement the feature.
Woot’s latest sale on iPad refurbs gives you the chance to bag a new slate for as little as $194.99. Various models are on offer, from iPad mini to iPad Pro.
iPhone 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max, thanks to their built-in LiDAR Scanners, have a handy feature that lets you quickly (and surprisingly accurately) measure someone’s height — without the need for third-party apps.
Demand for the 2021 iPad Pro far outstrips supply. Photo: Apple
Order the 12.9-inch version of the 2021 iPad Pro today and it won‘t arrive before late June. And maybe not until July. Apple started taking pre-orders for the first M1-powered tablet on Friday, and anyone who didn’t move quickly could wait almost 10 weeks for the device.
The delay is apparently caused by the new mini-LED screen.
Demand for iPad and all tablets remains robust. Screenshot: Apple
iPad shipments increased a whopping 75% during the first quarter of the year over same period of 2020, according a market analysis firm. It’s the result of people needing computers to work and learn from home as the pandemic drags on.
Other tablet makers saw strong Q1 2021 growth as well, but iPad continues to dominate the market.
Apple says only that the new iMacs will become available in the "second half of May." Photo: Apple
According to (generally) reliable Apple tipster Jon Prosser, Apple will release the new iPad Pros with M1 chips and the faster Apple TV 4K with redesigned Siri Remote on May 21. And a leak straight outta Cupertino indicates the new M1-powered iMacs will arrive that day as well.
Apple showed off the new devices during last week’s Spring Loaded event. However, at the time, Apple kept the launch date vague, saying only that they would be available sometime in the second half of May. The devices will be available for preorder starting Friday, April 30.
Even beyond the better screen and processor, there’s a lot to like about the 2021 iPad Pro. But not every change is good. Photo: Apple
There are some changes in the 2021 iPad Pro that shouldn’t be overlooked, even as most of the attention has gone to the speedy M1 processor and gorgeous mini-LED display. Some of the differences are good, but not all.
Here are five things you shouldn’t miss about Apple’s new top-tier tablet.
When Apple said its spring event would be "loaded," it wasn't kidding. Cover: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac Magazine
iMac … iPad Pro … Apple TV 4K … AirTag …
So much new Apple hardware, so little time!
And that’s not to mention the purple iPhone or the upgrades and updates coming to Apple Podcasts, Apple Card and more. Jump right into all our coverage of this week’s big “Spring Loaded” Apple event in Cult of Mac Magazine. (And if you’re already caught up on that, you’ll find plenty of other Apple news, reviews and how-tos.)
Our iOS mag is free and makes reading easy and fun, but you also can find the headlines below.
Seems there’s might not be quite enough room in the original Apple Magic Keyboard for an iPad Pro that’s 0.5 mm thicker. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
The 12.9-inch 2021 iPad Pro unveiled April 20 is slightly thicker than its predecessor. And that’s enough to prevent the latest tablet from being a good fit with the Apple Magic Keyboard released last year. But apparently the fit is just close enough.
“The first generation of the Magic Keyboard (A1998) is functionally compatible with the new iPad Pro 12.9-inch (5th generation) with Liquid Retina XDR display. Due to the slightly thicker dimensions of this new iPad Pro, it’s possible that the Magic Keyboard may not precisely fit when closed, especially when screen protectors are applied.”
Two Apple executives threw cold water on the idea of an iPad running macOS. Photo: Cult of Mac
The M1 Mac processor in the recently-revealed 2021 iPad Pro forced Apple to reiterate that it’s not planning to combine macOS and iPadOS. According to two top-level executives, the company is producing the best Mac and the best iPad it can make. Not a mashup of them.
Xcode is just one of the Mac applications that should be available for iPad now that it has an M1 processor. Photo: Cult of Mac
The Apple M1 processor in the 2021 iPad Pro could make it the most productive tablet ever. But only if Apple takes the logical next step and lets iPads run Mac apps.
M1-powered Macs can run iPadOS applications. The reverse should be true.
The Brydge 12.9 Max+ turns your iPad Pro into a clamshell laptop. Photo: Brydge
The Brydge 12.9 Max+ is a magnetic clip-on keyboard for the largest iPad Pro models. It includes a sizable trackpad, and a design that mimics a clamshell laptop.
It uses some of the features of the popular Apple Magic Keyboard, but goes in a different direction.
Buyers of the 2021 iPad Pro will have keyboards and cases to choose from when the tablet launches, including the Logitech Combo Touch. Photo: Logitech
For all its many improvements, the basic design of the 2021 iPad Pro changed hardly at all. That’s good news for anyone in the market for a case or keyboard for Apple’s new tablet, as it means there’s a wide variety available.
But a change in the thickness of the 12.9-inch version mans that many existing products aren‘t compatible. That said, there are already options from Logitech, Brydge, Otterbox and Apple itself that are confirmed to work with the new computer. And likely more that’ll still fit.
We finally got our first legit look at an AirTag, but that was just the beginning! Photo: Apple
Wow, that was the speediest, most jam-packed Apple event in recent memory.
It was so quick-moving, we all got whiplash. There was barely time to catch your breath between announcements: Here’s a new purple iPhone. Fuggedaboutit, here’s a new Apple TV, and new AirTags. Oh, and hers’s new iMacs — and iPads!!
In an hour, Tim Cook and Co. managed to introduce a raft of products with dozens of new features and technologies while dazzling us with some pretty jaw-dropping promo videos.
Once again, the prerecorded format worked well. The promo videos in Tuesday’s “Spring Loaded” event looked super. They hit us with a great mix of head-spinning effects and angles, humor and product placement.
Here are some thoughts and initial reactions to some of the major announcements:
Man, that was one powerful presentation. Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
It’s 4/20 and Apple’s big iMac and iPad Pro launch event was a total trip. The new Mac desktop comes in a rainbow of colors, and the M1 processor in the latest tablet will blow you away. And there’s AirTag too, at long last.
Grab some snacks and get ready to find out what the new products mean for Apple users and for the company’s future.
The 2021 iPad Pro offers can be configured with a whopping 16GB of RAM. Yes, 16GB. Photo: Apple
The just-announced 2021 iPad Pro packs at least 8GB of RAM and can be configured with 16GB. The days when Apple’s tablets got an anemic amount of RAM are over.
There’s so much, Apple stopped hiding the amount. It now proudly announces how much RAM is in its latest professional-grade tablets.
2021 iPad Pro makes huge strides forward in its processor, screen, port, storage and RAM. Photo: Apple
The 2021 iPad Pro is built around an Apple M1 processor that brings a tremendous speed boost. And the USB-C has been upgraded with Thunderbolt, leading to faster connections to external drives. Plus, there’s a version with 5G.
But the latest top-tier iPadOS tablet more than fast — it looks great too. The 12.9-inch version includes a mini-LED display that both improves the look and uses less power.
Usually, Apple takes the entire Apple Online Store down ahead of its special events. Today that doesn’t appear to have happened. (Although this could change as the day progresses.)
Nonetheless, this highlights that Apple is expecting to make some changes to the products on offer — likely including a new iPad Pro, iMac, and possible other products like Apple’s location-tracking AirTags. There may also be more information about Apple’s rumored Podcasts+ service.
Amazon is still offering by far the biggest discount we’ve seen on the brilliant Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro. You can save a whopping $100 on the 11-inch model, which is also compatible with the latest iPad Air.
We don’t expect this discount to last much longer now, so grab it before it’s gone.