Astropad, an awesome app by former Apple engineers that basically turns the screen of your iOS device into a graphics tablet for the Mac, has received an important update this morning with expanded support for Apple’s new 12.9-inch iPad Pro and the Apple Pencil. Coupled with the iPad Pro and Apple Pencil, Astropad is now truly a Wacom Cintiq replacement that’s wireless.
“We’ve spent significant time with iPad Pro and we’ve rethought, tweaked and tuned Astropad to make the most of this powerful device,” developers tell me via email.
The refreshed app is about pairing the power of the Mac with the precision of the Apple Pencil to give artists a 12.9-inch canvas to draw on naturally.
Specifically, the refreshed app includes tilt support and better pressure curve and stroke quality for the Apple Pencil. Check out Astropad’s enhanced iPad Pro and Apple Pencil features in a promotional video embedded below.
The full list of changes is below.
Astropad Graphics tablet changelog
Here’s what version 1.3 includes:
- Stylus Tilt support for Apple Pencil
- Better pressure curve for Apple Pencil
- Better stroke quality for Apple Pencil
- iPad Pro fixes
- Updated AdonitSDK
Astropad Mini has been bumped to version 1.3 as well, with the official changelog mentioning only performance improvements and an updated Adonit SDK. The team is already working on more iPad Pro-specific features.
Astropad works with any Mac app, including Adobe Photoshop, with very low latency over Wi-Fi and virtually no lag. It supports a range of styli, such as Adonit products, FiftyThree’s Pencil, the Jot Touch Pixelpoint stylus and Adobe Ink.
You can read my review of Astropad apps here.
Availability
Astropad Graphics Tablet, a $19.99 download from the App Store, requires an iPad with iOS 8.0 or later. Astropad Mini for iPhone and iPod touch is available at no charge in the App Store. The updated Mac helper app is available through the Astropad website.