As the new 2021 iPad Pro equipped with the M1 Apple Silicon chip just came out we are getting questions about Thunderbolt compatibility. This article will give you our current information, however, things will likely change over time, so check back!
Apogee Thunderbolt audio devices are NOT COMPATIBLE with iPad Pro M1.
Though the port on the iPad Pro M1 is Thunderbolt 4, our devices require a proprietary Apogee Thunderbolt driver and control software to run, which cannot be written into the iPad OS at this time.
Can I use a Thunderbolt hub with my Apogee USB device and M1 iPad Pro?
This will depend on the specific hub you choose.
There are a small select number of Thunderbolt hubs on the market which specifically state they are for iPad Pro M1, as shown here.
https://www.techietech.tech/best-thunderbolt-usb-c-adapters-for-m1-ipad-pro/
However, we tested a CalDigit TS3+, a popular Thunderbolt 3 hub for Mac/Windows computers, and got an error message saying "Thunderbolt accessory not supported". That hub was unable to pass audio to its own Audio In/Out ports, or connect our USB Microphones like HypeMiC.
This article noted similar results with the same CalDigit TS3+ hub.
https://www.theverge.com/22442084/ipad-pro-2021-review-features-screen-mini-led-m1-processor
It would be best to check with the brand who makes the hub you are interested to see what testing they have done with it on iPad Pro M1. They will be able to confirm if it works well, and supports USB Audio Devices connected through it.
As mentioned in the article above, another big issue is that there is no way to select your desired audio device on iPad OS, like there is in macOS. iPad OS always will use the most recently connected audio device. So if you do have a compatible hub which has it's own Audio I/O ports you will have to connect hub to iPad first, then the USB Audio device, to override the one build into the hub. If you plug the USB audio device to the hub, and then the hub to the iPad, it is hard to be sure which device will be considered "most recent" by the iOS, and thus unclear which one will be passing audio. Thus, if you intend to use a USB audio device with the hub, it is best to get a hub that doesn't also have it's own Audio I/O on it.