Apple has historically been generous with the creative options available in its products out of the box. While not considered “professional” by the respective industries, iMovie and Garageband are solid applications on which many creatives cut their teeth. The professional versions of these programs – Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro – have also been popular among creatives for the last two decades, thanks to the reasonable prices compared to other premium software and the intuitive workflow. Most of Apple’s products are seeing significant upgrades since the transition from Intel chips to the in-house M1 and M2 chips, so adding these programs to the iPad was inevitable. And now Apple announced that Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro will be available on iPad this month.
Not only are they coming to (newer) iPad devices, but they are also getting some added features. In Final Cut Pro, creators can film straight into the project file to capture ideas quickly. On the M2 iPad Pro, users can take advantage of the Apple Pencil with live drawing, which lets creators write or draw directly on the video and navigate through the project. The iPad can be used similarly in Logic Pro, capturing audio that can be edited on the fly.
Additional features exclusive to Logic Pro on the iPad include touch-screen instruments. Although it might look silly to strum a tablet, the utility of features like this help new ideas get off the ground. The Apple Pencil can also be used here for precise automation, and the pitch-morphing effect – “Beat Breaker” – lets musicians manipulate samples easily. Combining the portability of Apple’s tablets with its flagship creative programs, Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro have made it to iPad.
Final Cut Pro will be available for M1 iPads and later, with Logic Pro being offered on A12 iPads – requiring at least iOS 16.4 for both programs. A subscription service for $4.99 monthly or $49 a year will be available on Apple’s app store starting May 23rd.
