Apple iPad Pro (2020): Mouse and Trackpad Support

The new Apple iPad Pro isn’t a major improvement over the 2018 model, but there’s been a big change in the iPad experience since then: mouse and trackpad support. That vaults the tablet into working a lot more like a computer than it previously did.

- SASCHA SEGAN

Of course, the iPad line does a lot of things that a Mac or PC doesn’t: Apple’s Pencil stylus and its approach to augmented reality applications are leaps and bounds beyond the competition, at least if you aren’t into getting a bulky add-on drawing tablet for your computer. And the 2020 iPad Pro is gorgeous, superbly built, and powerful. But I can’t shake the idea that if you can afford to spend this much on an Apple device, you’re better off with a Mac.

PRICING AND DESIGN

As I reviewed the new 12.9-inch iPad, I kept running into the roadblock of its towering price. The absolute base model 12.9-inch unit, with Wi-Fi and 128GB of storage, costs $999. That’s the same as a MacBook Air. You can upgrade storage in three steps, as far as 1TB for another $400; 4G LTE connectivity adds $150, and then it’s $179 to $199 for the standard keyboard case, $299 to $349 for a keyboard with a trackpad, and $129 for the Pencil. So let’s say you want a go-anywhere LTE tablet with a keyboard and Pencil. In the 12.9-inch size, that will run you $1,557—about the price of a new 13inch MacBook Pro with 256GB of storage.

If you want a new iPad Pro, I highly recommend the 11-inch model, which starts at $200 less than the 12.9inch model and is easier to handle.

The new 12.9-inch iPad Pro looks, feels, and works like the 2018 unit, at 11.04 by 8.46 by 0.23 inches (HWD) and 1.41 pounds. It’s clad in metal, with a slate-gray or silverback and quad speakers at the top and bottom that make for excellent stereo separation.