84 MACWORLD AUGUST 2021
FEATURE REVIEW: 12.9-INCH i PAD PRO (2021)Since the camera is likely to be
unnaturally located to the left of your
gaze while making a FaceTime call, Apple
has launched a new feature called Center
Stage that somewhat solves that issue.
When you shift out of the center of the
frame, the camera will pan and zoom to
keep you in the center of the frame as if
someone was filming you. It’s a fantastic
feature that works smoothly and without
distraction, and, coupled with Attention
Correction, it does nicely hide the fact
that most people will be looking the
wrong way.
But if that’s the only complaint I have
about the iPad Pro’s design, then Apple
has gotten a lot right. Move the camera
and rotate the Apple logo, and the iPad
Pro’s design is fantastic, if a little stale. The
design of the iPad Pro
hasn’t changed much
at all since the 2018
Liquid Retina
redesign, and there’s
a reason for that—it’s
basically perfect. It’s a
touch heavier and
thicker than last year’s
model, but that’s not a
difference people are
likely to notice,
especially when the
ergonomics are so
good. It’s so similar to
the 2020 model, in fact, that the old
keyboard case folds just fine, even with
0.5mm of extra girth.
The bezels are small enough to not be
distracting yet wide enough to hold
(thanks to top-notch edge rejection), and
the curved corners on the display nicely
reflect the contours of the device itself. I
wouldn’t be opposed to a new color—
once again, silver and space gray are the
only options—but the design of the iPad
Pro is still great years later.A MORE FANTASTIC DISPLAY
If you’ve used the largest iPad Pro before,
the screen is going to seem very similar.
It’s the same 12.9 inches as it’s always
been and doesn’t appear to be much
different at first glance, even though AppleThe design of the iPad Pro is
a bit stale at this point, but it’s
hard to find much fault with it.