M1 iPad Pro Selfie Camera Can Automatically Pan and Zoom to Keep You in Frame During Video Calls

Apple's brand new M1 iPad Pro features drastically improved performance thanks to the new chipset and an improved TrueDepth camera system with a new "Center Stage" mode.

f1618940831
The new 11-inch and 12.9-inch ‌iPad Pro‌ features a 12MP Ultra Wide front-facing camera with a 120° field of view, compared to the standard 7MP wide-angle front-facing camera on the previous generation.

The new TrueDepth camera system enables new capabilities on the ‌iPad Pro‌, including Portrait mode selfies with the ability to adjust bokeh and Depth Control, and Portrait Lighting effects including Natural, Studio, Contour, Stage, Stage Mono, and High-Key Mono.

While notably spec and feature upgrades on paper, the Ultra Wide camera enables a new feature that Apple calls "Center Stage." Thanks to the TrueDepth camera's wide viewing angle, the ‌iPad Pro‌ can now use machine learning to automatically detect people in the frame, and pan and zoom to ensure they’re always visible. As Apple explains:

The all-new Center Stage uses the Ultra Wide camera and machine learning to change the way you participate in video calls. As you move around, it automatically pans to keep you center in the frame. When others join in or leave the call, the view expands or zooms in. Center Stages works with FaceTime and other video conferencing app for an even more engaging experience.

The new iPad Pros were one of a handful of new announcements Apple made during its "Spring Loaded" event.

Related Roundup: iPad Pro
Buyer's Guide: iPad Pro (Buy Now)

Popular Stories

iOS 26

15 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.2

Friday December 5, 2025 9:40 am PST by
Apple is about to release iOS 26.2, the second major point update for iPhones since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least 15 notable changes and improvements worth checking out. We've rounded them up below. Apple is expected to roll out iOS 26.2 to compatible devices sometime between December 8 and December 16. When the update drops, you can check Apple's servers for the ...
Intel Inside iPhone Feature

Apple's Return to Intel Rumored to Extend to iPhone

Friday December 5, 2025 10:08 am PST by
Intel is expected to begin supplying some Mac and iPad chips in a few years, and the latest rumor claims the partnership might extend to the iPhone. In a research note with investment firm GF Securities this week, obtained by MacRumors, analyst Jeff Pu said he and his colleagues "now expect" Intel to reach a supply deal with Apple for at least some non-pro iPhone chips starting in 2028....
ive and altman

Jony Ive's OpenAI Device Barred From Using 'io' Name

Friday December 5, 2025 6:22 am PST by
A U.S. appeals court has upheld a temporary restraining order that prevents OpenAI and Jony Ive's new hardware venture from using the name "io" for products similar to those planned by AI audio startup iyO, Bloomberg Law reports. iyO sued OpenAI earlier this year after the latter announced its partnership with Ive's new firm, arguing that OpenAI's planned "io" branding was too close to its...
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

10 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Monday December 1, 2025 2:40 am PST by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...
Photos App Icon Liquid Glass

John Gruber Shares Scathing Commentary About Apple's Departing Software Design Chief

Thursday December 4, 2025 9:30 am PST by
In a statement shared with Bloomberg on Wednesday, Apple confirmed that its software design chief Alan Dye will be leaving. Apple said Dye will be succeeded by Stephen Lemay, who has been a software designer at the company since 1999. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that Dye will lead a new creative studio within the company's AR/VR division Reality Labs. On his blog Daring Fireball,...
maxresdefault

iPhone Fold: Launch, Pricing, and What to Expect From Apple's Foldable

Monday December 1, 2025 3:00 am PST by
Apple is expected to launch a new foldable iPhone next year, based on multiple rumors and credible sources. The long-awaited device has been rumored for years now, but signs increasingly suggest that 2026 could indeed be the year that Apple releases its first foldable device. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Below, we've collated an updated set of key details that ...
Apple John Ternus 2019

Will John Ternus Really Be Apple's Next CEO?

Friday December 5, 2025 9:01 am PST by
There is uncertainty about Apple's head of hardware engineering John Ternus succeeding Tim Cook as CEO, The Information reports. Some former Apple executives apparently hope that a new "dark-horse" candidate will emerge. Ternus is considered to be the most likely candidate to succeed Cook as CEO. The report notes that he is more likely to become CEO than software head chief Craig Federighi, ...
ios 18 to ios 26 upgrade

Apple Pushes iPhone Users Still on iOS 18 to Upgrade to iOS 26

Tuesday December 2, 2025 11:09 am PST by
Apple is encouraging iPhone users who are still running iOS 18 to upgrade to iOS 26 by making the iOS 26 software upgrade option more prominent. Since iOS 26 launched in September, it has been displayed as an optional upgrade at the bottom of the Software Update interface in the Settings app. iOS 18 has been the default operating system option, and users running iOS 18 have seen iOS 18...
iOS 26

Apple Seeds iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 Release Candidates to Developers and Public Beta Testers

Wednesday December 3, 2025 10:33 am PST by
Apple today seeded the release candidate versions of upcoming iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 updates to developers and public beta testers, with the software coming two weeks after Apple seeded the third betas. The release candidates represent the final versions of iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 that will be provided to the public if no further bugs are found during this final week of testing....
Johny Srouji

Apple Chip Chief Johny Srouji Could Be Next to Go as Exodus Continues

Sunday December 7, 2025 10:41 am PST by
Apple's senior vice president of hardware technologies Johny Srouji could be the next leading executive to leave the company amid an alarming exodus of leading employees, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports. Srouji apparently recently told CEO Tim Cook that he is "seriously considering leaving" in the near future. He intends to join another company if he departs. Srouji leads Apple's chip design ...

Top Rated Comments

jclardy Avatar
61 months ago
It is incredible to me that the $799 iPad gets this feature, yet the $1299 iMac does not.

iMac has essentially the same internals, a larger display and a few extra ports. Yet it gets a 1080P webcam...

Of course they have to save Face ID for next year's model.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
alexandr Avatar
61 months ago
and if you put it on those mac pro wheels — it will follow you around the house.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DevNull0 Avatar
61 months ago

I don’t think I would want to use a $1,000 plus iPad in the kitchen.
That oven the guy is using is $30,000 CDN. I guess Apple's target audience here is people who see $1,000 as a cheap disposable item. Like $1,000 for a set of casters.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jmgregory1 Avatar
61 months ago
This face tracking is cool, but the issue I have with the Zoom / Teams / FaceTime calls on the iPad Pro is I almost exclusively use it in landscape mode, so I’m never looking directly at the camera, since it’s on the side. The question I do have is, will this tracking work while the iPad is in landscape mode - such as what it would be if attached to the Magic Keyboard? Seems to me that it would be tracking in the vertical direction only when in landscape.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Brookzy Avatar
61 months ago
I think this is what Gurman was on about when he was talking of weird HomePod-iPad combos.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
gsmornot Avatar
61 months ago
You will have to walk behind the screen to clear a boogie. No more leaning over. Ha. Really through, great feature. I can see this in my kitchen just like in the ad.

Side note: The range in the back with the red knobs, Wolf maybe, looks sweet. As someone that cooks often I would love one of those.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)