Disney Animators Stream Hands-On With iPad Pro Live On Periscope
Just a short while after the Pixar development team got their hands on the iPad Pro and praised the device’s palm rejection, Disney’s design team spent the day testing Apple’s latest tablet. Disney’s team of designers used the iPad Pro to sketch a variety of different characters from Disney classics, including Olaf from Frozen and Mickey Mouse.
The testing seemingly went well for Disney. “Let’s order a bunch,” product manager Paul Hildebrandt said at the end of a Periscope stream showcasing the device. In a separate Periscope stream, Disney animators Jeff Ranjo and Jeremy Spears used the iPad Pro to draw caricatures of each other.
The Periscope focused on the drawing but I think what sets the iPad Pro apart is that its not just a drawing tablet, with stylus support rivalling dedicated graphics hardware. The beauty of iPad Pro is that it can still do everything else an iPad can do — it’s a computer. I think the iPad Pro would be a pretty good product (cue the it’s just a big iPad jokes) even if it didn’t have any of the drawing or stylus features. For companies like Disney, they can justify buying them solely as creative tools. For others, it’s a multipurpose marvel.
The lack of a holster or magnetic attachment for the Pencil is an annoying omission, though. The new Microsoft Surface got this bit right: the pen snaps onto the side of the tablet. Apple has left a gaping hole in the accessories market for an iPad Pro case with integrated stylus holder.