Apple has been pushing the iPad Pro as a replacement for the humble laptop for a number of years, offering greater versatility and flexibility when it comes to mobile working.
The problem for many has been the lack of support for some of the things you’d expect from a laptop, like a trackpad support. That’s not only been added in iPadOS 13.4, but the introduction of the Magic Keyboard integrates a trackpad, especially for your iPad.
The new keyboard moves on from the Smart Keyboard that’s been offered previously, essentially turning your iPad into a MacBook. It has a backlit keyboard, with the scissor mechanism offering 1mm of travel, so it should make for a great typing experience.
The stand itself is designed to hold the iPad floating so there’s a better separation between the screen and the keys making it easier to work with. The cantilevered hinges will offer a viewing angle of 130 degrees.
Importantly, using the trackpad on the Magic Keyboard will mean you don’t have to touch the screen all the time, which is often the drawback of using a tablet as your main working device. Of course, you’ll be perfectly free to grab the screen, use the Apple Pencil or take advantage of any of the other skills that the iPad Pro offers.
The Magic Keyboard also supports USB Type-C passthrough charging, meaning you can then use the USB-C port on the iPad itself for further accessories.
The new Magic Keyboard launches alongside the new iPad Pro, which adds an ultra-wide camera to the back as well as a Lidar scanner – designed for advanced depth sensing for AR functions – and will come in 11 or 12.9-inch sizes with a new A12Z Bionic chip.
The new Magic Keyboard will be available to purchase in May and it will cost $/£299 for the 11-inch model and $/£349 for the 12.9-inch model. It will work with the new iPad Pro and the 2018 iPad Pro as it connects using the Smart Connector.
