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The iPad has never been a \u201creal\u201d computer, but has always challenged the very idea of what a computer is. We have computers on our desks, on our laps, in our pockets, and on our wrists, though we don\u2019t use that term for all of them. The iPad has always been a hybrid: it can work on a desk, with or without a stand, and with an optional keyboard, or we can hold it in our hands, touching, tapping, and swiping. <\/p>\n
It has evolved from Steve Jobs\u2019 original vision to support a stylus, and now Apple\u2019s Magic Keyboard takes the device in ways that couldn\u2019t have been imagined when the first iPad was released ten years ago.<\/p>\n
This new keyboard, with built-in trackpad, blurs the lines between computer and tablet, and between macOS and iOS (or, more correctly, since last year, iPadOS, with it\u2019s unique features that set it apart from the operating system used on the iPhone and iPod touch<\/a>).<\/p>\n The Magic Keyboard is the next step in shifting the definition of what a computer is. This device goes further than the company\u2019s previous iPad keyboard case to include a trackpad, and has a clever way of holding the iPad firmly in the air, allowing it to tilt to different angles (though the tilting is limited), as well as a USB-C passthrough to charge the iPad. <\/p>\n The trackpad is smaller than the ones on laptops, but it\u2019s not a problem; I\u2019ve always felt that the massive trackpads Apple includes on laptops just get in the way. This one is both wide enough and tall enough to let you scroll, tap, and swipe all you need, but it\u2019s narrow enough that you won\u2019t accidentally touch it with your hand. Trackpad support is brilliantly implemented in iPadOS, with the new cursor that changes from a dot to a vertical line, and there are a number of adjustments you can make to the trackpad\u2019s behavior, such as tap to click, in Settings > General > Trackpad. <\/p>\n The keyboard is essentially the same as Apple\u2019s laptop keyboards. The keys are a bit slimmer than on a laptop, and the non-letter keys at either side – tab, caps, caps lock, etc. – are noticeably narrower, so they take getting used to. There\u2019s also no row of function keys, or Touch Bar; there\u2019s not enough room for either. The keys are a bit mushy compared to my MacBook Pro, with a bit more travel, but I found it immediately easy to adapt to. The depth of the 11\u201d keyboard is interesting (I haven\u2019t tried the 12.9\u201d model): if I rest the heels of my hands against its front edge, my fingers are in the perfect position to type, even to get to the top row. (I touch type, and have long fingers.) <\/p>\n One important consideration is the weight of the Magic Keyboard. Apple curiously does not specify this information on its website, but the 11\u201d model weighs about 600g, and the 12.9\u201d model weighs 710g. This means that for the 11\u201d iPad and Magic Keyboard, count about 1,070g, and for the 12\u201d combo about 1,350g. An iPad with the Magic Keyboard could replace a laptop for many of your tasks<\/a>, but the combo won\u2019t be lighter. Compared to a 13\u201d MacBook Pro (1,370g) or MacBook Air (1,290g), those numbers are a bit surprising.<\/p>\n The Magic Keyboard is solid: it has heft, and you feel it even before you unbox it. Connected magnetically to an iPad, it doesn\u2019t feel like a keyboard case, but more like the two are melded into a unified device. Yet it\u2019s easy to pull the iPad off and use it in your hands, giving a new level of flexibility to this tablet. Together with the Apple Pencil, you can do so much more with an iPad than ever before. <\/p>\n I like to watch movies on my iPad in bed, and one thing that I particularly like about the Magic Keyboard is its ability to serve as a stand so I can do this hands free. I can put a pillow on my chest, place the iPad and keyboard on top if it, and tilt it downward, making it the perfect angle for watching videos. Perhaps that\u2019s why Apple has included that slight forward angle option (about 85\u00b0). <\/p>\n The Magic Keyboard isn\u2019t cheap: $299 or $349, for the 11\u201d and 12.9\u201d model. And if you want the full kit – iPad, Apple Pencil, and Magic Keyboard – that will cost a minimum of $1,227 or $1,477, and that\u2019s with the wi-fi only iPad Pro and the base amount of storage, 128 GB. If you want a cellular iPad and more storage, you could pay well north of $2,000. <\/p>\n But it\u2019s hard to express how much this feels like a totally new computing device. It\u2019s nothing more than a combination of three existing devices: a keyboard, trackpad, and iPad, but something about the way it works, together with iPadOS 13\u2019s new features such as multi-tasking and trackpad support, brings the best of both worlds: the flexibility of a laptop together with the simplicity of iOS. Naturally, there will always be people who can\u2019t do everything they want on an iPad, and I certainly cannot, but this new combination is making me rethink much of what I do on a laptop. In recent years I\u2019ve been lamenting the complexity and inflexibility of macOS, and have been looking for more reasons to work on my iPad. I think this new Magic Keyboard has confirmed that the iPad is going in new directions that the Mac can\u2019t follow.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The iPad Pro with Magic Keyboard is a lot more than just an iPad with a keyboard. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":46,"featured_media":91183,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[7],"tags":[3151,8,4564,1240],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.intego.com\/mac-security-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/magic-keyboard-side.jpg\")
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