Announced in mid-March, the new trackpad-enabled Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro went on sale earlier this month. Though a bit on the pricey side, we think this accessory is worth every cent due to its smart design and rich pointer support in iPadOS working together to transform and elevate your tablet computing to the next level. In trying to help our readers make informed purchasing decisions, your favorite blog asked our young videographer Harris Craycraft to put together a quick video outlining the key reasons why Magic Keyboard changes everything.
Video review: Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro
Without further ado, watch our video review included right ahead.
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By the way — nice quarantine haircut, Harris! When do you plan on getting it finished?
7 reasons why Magic Keyboard makes sense
Here’s a quick list of the seven reasons mentioned in the video.
1. A more rigid tablet platform
The Magic Keyboard + iPad Pro combo is more rigid and sturdy when used for typing, content editing, etc. Because of the nature of this case, your iPad becomes a little bit more rigid in terms of where and how it can be used, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
2. iMac-like design
Your iPad now floats on a Magic Keyboard, how about that? In other words, you finally get flexible viewing angles like with a typical laptop! Mind blown.
3. Passthrough USB-C charging
The USB-C port built into the case keeps the USB-C port on your iPad free for accessories including external drives, displays and much more. It’s for charging only so you won’t be able to plug things such as USB thumb drives into it. The Magic Keyboard port also won’t let you charge other devices off of it like you can, say, charge your iPhone from your iPad Pro.
4. It’s a joy to type on
Unlike Apple’s Smart Folio case that uses fabric and small keys, this accessory gives you a full-size keyboard featuring the tried-and-tested scissor mechanism that delivers 1mm key travel. Honestly, the iPad typing experience doesn’t get much better than that.
5. The click-anywhere trackpad is magical
Apple cut its professional teeth by building smooth, precise Multi-Touch trackpads for Mac notebooks for years now so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that this trackpad is equally impressive and reliable. While not as tall or large as Mac trackpads, it doesn’t get in the way and works flawlessly with all the new trackpad gestures in iPadOS.
6. It doesn’t wrap around your iPad
Unlike with Apple’s more affordable Smart Folio case, this case cannot be folded all the way behind your tablet. One reason is to protect the keys which are exposed because they’re not covered with fabric like on the Smart Folio case. This dictates how you use your iPad: with the case on, you’re motivated to work on the tablet like you would on your laptop or an iMac.
In order to use your iPad naked, however, or draw with your Apple Pencil on it, you’ll want to take it out of the case. Thankfully, putting the case on and taking it off couldn’t be simpler thanks to the integrated magnets that do the heavy lifting for you.
7. It changes the look, the feel — and the price.
The look — you do get a horizontal Apple logo on the back of the case, and that’s something. The feel — the combination of that black keyboard along with the trackpad and the rest of the case not only looks super stealthy, but feels very smooth to the touch as well.
Pricing and availability
The price — the 11-inch version is $299 and the 13-incher is $349. The high price does change the value proposition somewhat, but it also brings a lot of never-before-possible use cases to the table so you get a near desktop-like experience, and that has gotta be worth something.
Check out Apple’s keyboards for iPad at apple.com/ipad-keyboards.
For those wondering, the new Magic Keyboard is available for the first and second-generation 11-inch iPad Pro and the third and fourth-generation 12.9‑inch iPad Pro.
Your opinion
Have you tried the Magic Keyboard yet?
If so, what did you think of it?
Chime in with your observations in the comments down below!