Apple and team iPads key to return of the MLB

Mlb
Mlb (Image credit: MLB)

What you need to know

  • Apple is helping the MLB get back on its feet.
  • It will provide iPads to each team to help with scouting.
  • They will be used to dissect performances, scout, and show team content.

Apple will play a key part in helping the MLB season when it returns later this week.

As reported by CNBC:

On Monday, the MLB provided a preview of how games will look and sound during the pandemic, with features like artificial crowd noise and an upgraded replay system for fans watching from home.As part of the league's Covid-19 health and safety protocols, the MLB said it would ban traditional video stations shared throughout clubhouses. The league took advantage of its 2016 partnership with Apple to expand the dugout iPad program. It will now distribute 15 iPads to each team for players and staff to dissect performances, scouting reports, and additional team content.

The report notes how teams will also use Google Cloud for MLB's stat-tracking system. Other technological advancements include 4K camera coverage, overhauling the league's replay system, and artificial crowd noise supplied by Sony.

The MLB is not the first sporting league to take advantage of Apple tech during the pandemic. Earlier this year it emerged that Alabama Football was using Apple Watch data to track players as they worked out remotely, as well as using apps on player's iPhones to distribute workout plans, helping the players stay in shape and healthy.

The MLB also plans to run virtual ads this season, using virtual signage at all regular-season games, something it hasn't done previously. In the past, virtual signage was limited to the postseason and the MLB All-Star Game.

Stephen Warwick
News Editor

Stephen Warwick has written about Apple for five years at iMore and previously elsewhere. He covers all of iMore's latest breaking news regarding all of Apple's products and services, both hardware and software. Stephen has interviewed industry experts in a range of fields including finance, litigation, security, and more. He also specializes in curating and reviewing audio hardware and has experience beyond journalism in sound engineering, production, and design. Before becoming a writer Stephen studied Ancient History at University and also worked at Apple for more than two years. Stephen is also a host on the iMore show, a weekly podcast recorded live that discusses the latest in breaking Apple news, as well as featuring fun trivia about all things Apple. Follow him on Twitter @stephenwarwick9