AutoCAD Returns To Apple After 18 Years, Comes To Mac, iOS

AutoCAD, the high-end engineering software that is near industry standard, has been absent from Apple products for almost two decades. It’s now poised for a return to both iOS and MacOS.

The OS X version of the app will be a complete native build, created from scratch:

AutoCAD for Mac takes full advantage of Mac OS X, including graphical browsing of design files with Cover Flow and use of multitouch gestures on Mac notebooks, the Magic Mouse, and the Magic Trackpad for intuitive pan and zoom features, a spokesman said. User-experience design patterns, such as the visual approach to drawing and layout management, have also been incorporated into AutoCAD for Mac.

This isn’t something you buy on a whim. It’ll go for $3,995 without support, $4,445 with. The toned down iPad/iPhone version will be free:

…dubbed AutoCAD WS, for the iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch that lets users review, edit, and share AutoCAD files on those popular mobile devices.