Using the iPad Pro with Nano-Texture during a game
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Apple has shared how three college football conferences have adopted the iPad Pro, saying the nano-texture display makes it useful on the field.
In May 2024, Apple released the first iPad Pro with a nano-texture display, which was designed to reduce glare. Now Apple says the release was an idea for college football teams due to a ruling by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
The NCAA has approved the use of up to 18 active tablets in the locker room, coaches’ booth, and most importantly, on the bench during games. Apple says the ACC, SEC, and Big Ten conferences have selected the nano-texture iPad Pro.
“The new iPad Pro with nano-texture display technology is incredible,” Doug Aucoin, director of video production at Louisiana State University, said in a statement to Apple. “If the nano-texture glass on the new iPad Pro wasn’t available, it would be nearly impossible to view any footage on the field due to glare from the sun.”
How the SEC uses the iPad Pro
Aucoin oversees a game-day system that uses Catapult sports software to deliver video to SEC coaches seconds after a game ends. The video comes from the teams’ own videographers as well as from the game’s broadcasts.
“As [the team marks plays on downs, distance, etc.], we’re cutting up the video clips in the background, syncing them up,” said Matt Byros, Catapult’s chief product officer, “and sending the video packages to the iPads that are in the coaches’ press box and on the sideline.”
“It’s easy to use, and it’s a familiar interface — there’s no learning curve,” Byros continued. “We can give coaches an iPad with our software and they’re self-sufficient. They understand how to use the iPad, and they understand the touch controls.”
“Having iPads on the sideline makes coaching much more effective in the game,” agrees Mike Saffell, tight ends coach at the University of California, Berkeley. “The immediate feedback allows players and coaches to make corrections quickly. It also makes the game more competitive because both teams can fix problems on game day.”
How the ACC and Big Ten Use the iPad Pro
For the ACC and Big Ten, DVSport has a tech specialist monitoring the play while the home team shoots down the sidelines and in the end zone.
“DVSport’s collaboration with Apple is a great example of how new software and hardware work together to deliver game-changing solutions,” said Brian Lowe, president and CEO of DVSport. “Fairness, speed, and high visibility are key components of the solution, and Apple’s latest iPad Pro and iPad Air truly excel at delivering a simple, elegant experience for the end user.”
Adding an Apple Pencil
Beyond quick access to video footage, Billy Glasscock, general manager of Ole Miss, says the Apple Pencil Pro is an added benefit.
“If we’re ever trying to set up a play based on a look in the game,” he said, “there’s a whiteboard feature in the Catapult app that we can use to draw with the Apple Pencil Pro or our fingertips. There’s also the ability to draw over a video clip.”
“Where’s the iPad? Where’s the iPad?” “That’s the first thing we do when we get on the field,” Miami wide receiver Isaiah Horton said.
“It’s just that we, as coaches, aren’t afraid to let technology continue to permeate the game,” University of Miami offensive line coach Alex Mirabal said. “But I don’t think — I know that using the iPad on the sideline has had a huge positive impact on the game.”
“No coach in America would say it’s negative,” Mirabal continued.
A separate AppleInsider review of the nano-textured iPad Pro concluded that it significantly reduces glare, possibly by creating a slight haze on the screen.
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