So we spoke to co-founder Matt about his potentially revolutionary product. Below he talks about replacing people's Wacom tablets, creating the software that makes Astropad possible, and why older styluses may actually work better with Astropad than the most recent ones.
What's new about Astropad, and what's the appeal to digital artists?
Astropad finally allows artists to use their iPad as a graphics tablet for their Mac. They can use the tools they know and love (like Photoshop, Illustrator, etc.) with the touch input of the iPad. Plus Astropad is more natural to use because you have the pen-on-screen experience, unlike traditional graphics tablets.
So this a Wacom tablet killer?
We'll have to let our users decide. I will say that we would love to someday replace people's Wacom tablets. If the rumoured iPad Pro and stylus come out this summer we'll be in a much stronger position to do just that.
Can the iPad really compete with stylus-specific graphic tablets like the Intuos?
Yes, we think it can. As I'm sure you know, traditional graphic tablets like the Intuos have a very frustrating learning curve.
The Cintiq line is a much more natural experience, but it's priced way outside of most artist's budgets.
With the iPad and Astropad we can deliver a pen-on-screen experience, like the Cintiq, at a fraction of the cost ($49.99). Also, unlike a Cintiq we are wireless and ultra portable.
Created by the two engineers, LIQUID claims to be quicker and clearer than other data transfering art apps
What's LIQUID and is there anything out there that's comparable?
There are other companies that have tried building graphic tablet apps for the iPad. However, they have suffered from poor image quality and terrible lag. They've used off-the-shelf components that aren't designed specifically for the needs of artists and designers.
As a result we built LIQUID, and with it we've been able deliver stunning image quality and very very minimal lag. We were able to do this because we built our technology specifically to the workflow of artists and designers.
Next page: more from the engineers who turn iPads into Wacom killers
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