The Mac Pro is obviously the big news out of WWDC this year. But, along with a host of privacy upgrades to iOS and HomeKit, Apple also released a whole host of upgrades to the iPad that might actually be really useful to filmmakers who don't have a spare $5999 laying around to buy a new tower. In fact, they rolled out so many new sets of features that they split the operating system off into it's own being, ipadOS (instead of iOS).

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Apple has been working on beefing the iPad up to a "Pro" level machine for a while now, with the iPad Pro rolling out last October with a USB-C port, multi-tasking, and enough horsepower to do some amazing photoshop work. However, it still lacked a really robust file structure, and even though it had a USB-C port, it was pretty limited in what it can do. 

With iPadOS, however, we finally start to see some real features that will make file management tasks, one of the big jobs of any professional, become easier on iPad.  This kicks off with a new file browser interface in the "files" application that feels very mac like and should make life much easier by moving away from the world were all files were siloed into their original launch or capture apps.

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In the presentation was a photo of an iPad tethered to a camera.  While it's likely only for file browsing, it does open up the possibility of some more sophisticated tethering possibilities including a dedicated app on the iPad for camera control, or capturing photos or maybe even video through the USB-C connector from the camera. That, and the announcement that thumb drives would be supported for the iPad Pro in the new iPadOS, are possibly the most massive changes we see the new OS offering to make day to day live for filmmakers easier.

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On top of that, The Verge reported that iOS developer Steve Troughton-Smith has discovered support for USB and BlueTooth mouse controllers in the new iPadOS.  This is truly a massive change for the platform and will turn the device into something that many more pro's are likely to consider as a real laptop replacement.

Tech Specs

  • External and Thumb Drive and SD card reading over USB
  • Dark Mode
  • "Today" screen
  • Ability to load custom typefaces
  • New gestures for cut/copy/paste
  • Floating Keyboard
  • Curated Photo Library

The iPad Pro is out now and starts at $799. iPadOS will be out this fall.

Source: Apple

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