Review of the Apple Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro

For years, I have wanted the iPad to serve as my main computer. But, without real mouse support and poor keyboard options, it was generally a secondary device.

That changes with the new Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro. It allows recent versions of Apple’s high-end tablet to work much more like a traditional laptop, with a screen that you can pull out.

Microsoft won the discussion on form factors here. Selling your Surface computers since 2012 with full keyboards, trackpads, and detachable displays, and encourages partners like Dell to do the same. Apple originally focused on touch, while keyboards were an afterthought: it didn’t even offer a keyboard plugin until the Smart Keyboard. in 2017. Now, Apple seems to have come up with Microsoft’s idea that hybrid laptops are something that people want.

The problem with Surface and other PC hybrids is that they are running a full version of Windows, which just doesn’t have the millions of touch-optimized apps that the iPad has. The iPad Pro has the opposite problem: Many of its apps aren’t optimized for keyboard use, and the new keyboard doesn’t solve that. But at least it’s a pleasure to use it.

Previous iPad keyboards, like Apple’s Smart Keyboard, had soft buttons instead of keys, and they always seemed like temporary fixes: They were fine for writing stories and sending longer emails in a hurry, but I always tried to do a job. ” real “on a Mac or PC

But the new Magic Keyboard has Real keys that feel almost exactly like a MacBook Air or MacBook Pro, and are backlit for typing at night. Plus, for the first time, there’s a touchpad to select text more precisely or swipe your finger across apps.

This is what you need to know.

The magic keyboard feels really good for typing. The keys don’t feel as soft as on the Apple Smart Keyboard. They’re plastic with a real, balanced ride when pressed, and they have a similar space to Apple laptops. I tried the 12.9 and 11-inch models and while there is a bit more space and bigger keys on the 12.9-inch option, the 11-inch worked well.

The trackpad is quite useful. I loved being able to swipe it with three fingers to quickly switch between apps. And there are a lot of shortcuts (just hold down the command key in any app to see what they are) depending on the app you’re using. It’s smaller than you’d expect on a MacBook, but there’s plenty of room to move the mouse without your finger running out of space and hitting the edges.

There’s a white backlight on the keys that adjusts based on the brightness of the room (uses the same built-in iPad sensor that controls automatic brightness). This is also an update to the normal smart keyboard that didn’t have that lighting, and makes it easier to see the keys in the dark.

The combination of iPad Pro and Magic Keyboard feels solid as a laptop. IPad Pro connects to Apple’s Smart Connector, which automatically pairs it every time. The grip is good and I like that you can tilt the iPad to adjust viewing angles.

However, it is a bit heavy. It rolled to the side of my bed during testing, for example. At least the keyboard stayed connected.

Finally, there is the so-called “transfer” charge, so connect your iPad to a small USB-C port on the side of the keyboard. That’s more convenient than running the cable into its normal place on the side of the iPad (which otherwise makes it look like you’re charging your laptop by plugging in the screen).

It’s important to know that the Magic Keyboard only works with the latest 2018 and 2020 iPad Pro models, Apple’s most expensive tablet, starting at $ 799 for the 11-inch model and $ 999 for the 12.9-inch model. It won’t do anything with more basic iPads, nor will it work with the original iPad Pros that had home buttons.

The keyboard itself is not perfect. There is no row of function keys to pause or play music, adjust screen brightness or keyboard backlight, or change volume. That would have been useful.

There is also inconsistency in how apps work.

Some apps work really well. Apple Notes, for example, will automatically change the mouse circle (not an arrow like other products) to a cursor to select text when you hover over something you have typed.

But it is more difficult to select text in applications like Microsoft Word, which have not been updated to fully support the new mouse; With Word, simply circle the text you want to change.

Other apps have different problems. I tried an application called Splashtop that allowed me to control my Windows computer (it’s great), for example, and I had to touch a button on the keyboard to recognize it. I would also like Apple Arcade games (and games in general) to support the keyboard so that I can control my character with keys, just like I would on a laptop.

Also, the keyboard is really heavy. Most people buy iPads because they are lightweight and portable, but the keyboard seems to roughly double the weight of the iPad or (anecdotally, since Apple doesn’t list the weight) almost as heavy as a MacBook Air when it combines the 12.9-inch iPad and the magic keyboard. I think it’s worth it, but some people may find it too heavy.

Finally, I wish there was a place to store the optional $ 129 Apple Pencil, which is a nice addition to drawing on the screen and taking notes. You can connect it to the top of the iPad, but it would be nice if there was a small area to store it on the side, so that the Apple Pencil would be saved when you close the iPad, as Microsoft has with its Surface Pro X Otherwise, it seems to me that falls a lot when I move.

The Magic Keyboard costs $ 300 if you buy the model for the 11-inch iPad Pro, or $ 350 for the larger 12.9-inch iPad Pro. That means it costs almost as much as Apple’s $ 329 entry-level iPad. That’s a hefty price tag to add to a tablet that already starts at $ 799.

If you sometimes just need a keyboard and don’t care much about mouse support, get Apple’s Smart Keyboard, which starts at $ 179.

But if you’ve already believed in the idea that an iPad could replace your laptop and spent $ 800 or more on an iPad Pro, this keyboard makes that idea a reality.

It is a difficult time to recommend such an expensive keyboard when millions of people have lost their jobs. But it is also a time when millions of people are also changing the way they work. And if it means the difference between spending hundreds or thousands on a new laptop, or just turning your iPad Pro into a more efficient work computer, then you will love it.