So you’ve got a brand spanking new iPad Pro. You’re probably going to want to take advantage of the 12.9-inch display, the four speakers, and the souped up A9x processor. We’ve made a list of the coolest, most beautiful apps you can get, whether you’re a designer or just someone who appreciates big screens.
AU Editor’s Note: We’ve checked that these apps are available in Australia, and have updated pricing where available. If you have any other recommendations, let us know in the comments below! — Cam
Art & Design
Procreate 3
Take advantage of all that processing power with Procreate, an app that gives users a lot of control over their sketches and paintings. The new Apple Pencil lets you take full advantage of over 100 different brushes, and the giant screen really expands your canvas. While it’s $5.99, it’s well worth it for the customisation options you get.
UMake
If your job is to make 3D renderings of products or you’re an artist looking to make your sketches a little less flat, UMake is there to make it a lot easier. All you have to do is draw something, anything in 2D, and then UMake just makes it 3D. It’s kind of amazing. It’s free to make 10 designs, but if you’re looking for something more long-term with greater capabilities, you’ll have to shell out some cash- $17.99/month.
Paper
While the Apple Pencil’s debut may cause some problems for 53, the company that makes its own stylus, their app, Paper works really well. Visually, Paper’s UI is stunning, and it’s pretty easy to use. There are several tutorials loaded onto the app with tips on how to annotate screenshots or make flow charts, and it’s added more features since its first launch that takes your imperfect line and makes it straight. Best of all, it’s free.
Enlight
That selfie isn’t going to become a five-star selfie by itself, so you’re probably going to want a powerful editor. At $3.99, Enlight can be that app for you. There are a ton of filters, frames and reshaping tools, and you can superimpose images on top of each other without being a Photoshop expert. It’s even easier with the iPad Pro.
Reading and Watching
PDF Expert
If you’re swamped with PDFs like I am, it’s really frustrating to work on all of them on to the go. PDF Expert makes it easier, keeping all your PDFs in one place, whether you’re using iCloud Drive, Google Drive, Dropbox or any combination of them. That big iPad Pro screen makes reading anything easier, but if you’re bogged down in annotation of that journal article about recombinant memetrics, PDF Expert takes it to the next level. The app is normally $14.99, but it’s free this week, so get on it!
Vrse
The New York Times sent Google Cardboard out to 1.2 million people last weekend so they could experience virtual reality with their phones. Vrse lets you do the same, and you don’t even need Cardboard or Oculus to do so. The free app is a really easy way to take advantage of your new large screen to watch something beautiful (or Bono for some reason?) and immerse yourself in places you wouldn’t be able to go personally.
Complete Anatomy
If you’re a doctor, resident, or just someone who’s fascinated by the human body, Complete Anatomy is ready to make your iPad Pro anatomically correct. It’s 3D and includes 12 systems, including the skeletal, muscular and nervous systems for free. Upgrade to Premium to get 3D cut and draw tools and enhanced skeletal and muscular layers for $7.99/month. Finally, you’ll be able to verify that the knee bone is, in fact, connected to the thigh bone.
Games
Smash Hit
I am so addicted to this free game, and rightly so. You travel through a futuristic, 3D world, aiming steel balls at the obstacles in your way and the pyramids that add more balls to your arsenal. It’s so satisfying to hear the breaking glass sounds that go along with it, and the four speakers of the iPad Pro will just suck you into the game even further.
Geometry Wars 3
Beat bosses in style with Geometry Wars 3, a 3D game that pushes you to destroy enemy ships to futuristic, techno beats. Activision is the company behind Geometry Wars 3, so it’s designed really well, and there are a ton of ways to customise your play. $9.99 and it’s yours.
The Room Three
You’re going to want an iPad Pro after playing The Room Three, a detail-intensive puzzle game and the latest addition to the award-winning game family. Move room-to-room in a variety of environments, picking up artifacts and examining them in detail with refined controls. You can train your brain for $7.99.
Broken Age
Broken Age is a fully hand-painted game that keeps you entertained and motivated as you work through the stories of Vella and Shay, two teenagers who work their way through new worlds and adventures. For $14.99, you’re getting a unique art style, a dark, sci-fi story, and famous celebrities like Elijah Wood and Jack Black voicing characters.
Top image by Michael Hession