Apple has touted iPad as a pro-level device for years, but despite the impressive power under the hood of the iPad Pro, a lack of true desktop-class apps has held back professional creatives. If you want to do serious video editing or music-making, Mac has long reigned supreme thanks to two extremely popular pieces of software: Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro.
That’s all changing, as Apple has now released new versions of both apps for iPadOS. Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro are both available to download from the App Store, and both come with one-month free trials if you want to see what the fuss is about.
“We’re excited to introduce Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro for iPad, allowing creators to unleash their creativity in new ways and in even more places,” said Bob Borchers, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “With a powerful set of intuitive tools designed for the portability, performance, and touch-first interface of iPad, Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro deliver the ultimate mobile studio.”
Final Cut Pro
These aren’t watered-down mobile versions, either. Although some changes have been made to suit a touch-based interface, these are powerful desktop-class apps that finally mean creative pros can work on video and audio projects on the go. Attach a keyboard and all the usual shortcuts and key combos are intact, while multi-touch gestures and newly-designed browsing features should make it an easy transition for those used to working on Mac. Projects created on one device can be continued on another.
Logic Pro
All this power doesn’t come free, though. Each new app will charge a subscription fee of $5/£5 monthly or $49/£49 annually, with a month’s free trial available. That’s considerably cheaper than Adobe’s alternatives (Premiere Pro and Audition), and also compares fairly well to the Mac versions of Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro, which currently cost $499 and $299 respectively. But some users might not like the idea of Apple starting to normalize subscriptions for software it once charged single fees for.
You’ll also need a fairly recent device to handle these new apps. Final Cut Pro will require an M1 or M2-powered iPad, while Logic Pro needs at minimum the 4th-gen iPad Pro from 2020. You can read more about both apps and their capabilities here.