Is Apple’s Magic keyboard for the iPad actually magical?
Magic? Really???
I am the proud owner of a 12.9 inch (2018), iPad Pro. It is a device that I have loved for some time now. But it’s not perfect. I find that when I need precision, I gravitate towards the more traditional, and well established input method we all know and love. A mouse and keyboard. Does the magic keyboard change my thoughts on the iPad Pro’s shortcomings?
First, let's get this out of the way: Yes, you can pair a bluetooth mouse and keyboard to an iPad. And yes, I have actually tried working like this. Unfortunately, the process is not seamless or ideal. If you are a tech head like me, you may be pairing these peripherals to more than just the iPad. That will require reestablishing that connection, by going into settings and bluetooth in iOS. Kind of a pain in the ass each time, but it’s doable. Just not ideal. But if you are the average consumer, and are not swapping between devices on a regular basis, this may work for you
Design
When the Magic keyboard arrived, I, like many who were eagerly awaiting to see and feel this thing in person, was a bit taken aback by it’s heft. It’s a chunky monkey. It adds noticeable weight and thickness to the iPad. You get used to it.
Connecting the iPad to this keyboard case (I use the term lightly), is easy as pie. Simply take your iPad and align it to the top portion (be sure to line up the camera cutout), until…*snap. Magnets are cool. What you will notice about this new found home for your iPad, is that the magnets only cover part of it. That’s because there is a hinge halfway down. More on that later.
They are hard to see, but there are three little dots to power it all.
Another neat thing about magnets? They help power the keyboard through the Apple’s smart connector. Those are the three magnetic dots on the back of the iPad pro. No need to pair. No need to dig through settings. It just started working for me as soon as I connected my iPad. The drain on the iPad’s battery has been very minimal in my experience, though I have seen some reports of folks experiencing significant drain, likely due to a bug in the software, which will undoubtedly be patched soon enough. It’s been smooth sailing for me though.
Seeing as how this device is powered through the iPad itself, you may wonder, well, what’s the heft for? Typically, in portable devices, heft usually translates into a large battery or internal components. Well, the iPad isn’t a traditional laptop, where the guts are all tucked inside the keyboard portion of a clamshell design. All the brains and internals of the iPad (if we are looking at it in comparison to a traditional laptop), are in the screen portion. What does that mean? This sucker is top heavy. You need a counter weight to keep it from toppling over.
And it works. I haven’t had any issue with it falling off my lap. The magnets are strong and there is no fear of the iPad slipping out. It does make it a little awkward to open one handed though. Protip: If you want to open it one handed, make sure you flip it so the keyboard is on top. Otherwise you will need both hands to pry this thing open.
Hardware
The keyboard and trackpad are, well, simply put: amazing. Apple has done a complete 180 with it’s butterfly switch fiasco from a few years ago. This keyboard is using scissor switches with 1mm of travel. It sounds great, and it feels great to type on. The trackpad is an actual button, there is no force touch here, and it takes the same amount of force to register a click through the entire trackpad; it’s just great. It is also backlit. If I had to nitpick at something, it’s the lack of media controls on the keyboard, but that’s not a deal breaker.
Cringe…I mean hinge
So, about that hinge… it makes this thing seem as though the iPad is floating above the keyboard. It looks cool, but if you have longer fingers, you may have some difficulty reaching the number line at the top, without touching the bottom of the iPad (not so magical). Something else to note, is the limitation of the viewing angles. The angle is definitely more restrictive than what I get on my Pixelbook go. So if you are planning on reclining pretty far back while attempting to be somewhat productive in this new telework first world, you’re probably not going to have a good time. Also, it’s not a deal breaker, but you cannot flip this thing around and use it as a tablet while the iPad is docked. You need to separate the two, in order to use it like a proper tablet.
Is it actually magic?
If you have a 12.9 inch version of the iPad Pro, Apple is asking you to contribute $350 of your hard earned dollars to the “we want to continue being disgustingly rich” fund, for this Magic keyboard. And it’s $300 for the 11 inch version. My answer is, no. It is not THAT magical. It’s great in its ease of use. The keyboard is great to type on. If your iPad is your primary machine, and you don’t want to bother with having to carry a totally separate keyboard and mouse, and you have the funds, then sure, go for it. But what is actually magical here is iOS software being more friendly toward a different method of input. Having the capability to use a mouse, makes the iPad feel even closer to being an actual laptop. Using a cursor to edit documents is a joy. It’s still there, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see the line between tablet and laptop, begin to really blur in the next few years.