Background
I work in tech and was in software engineering and related with some hardware, etc. for quite some time.
My normal setup at home office has been a 34” and now 38” widescreen QHD+ display + a MBP15, now a MBP 16 32GB, open lid, UHK Keyboard, and an Elecom trackball wheel (Logitech M920 clone but lasts more than 3 months, unlike Logitechs nowadays
).
Work office is identical but with 2x27” LCDs. My MBP is set up well for my use with Alfred and a few custom scripts now, VMs, etc. At times I’ve also had a Monoprice drawing tablet attached to it, mainly for occasional whiteboard sessions, but not replicated in both places, and was forced to move to a Dell surfacebook clone for a bit as my prior MBP 2015 was out of both storage(1TB) and RAM for my use, until Apple finally made something I wanted, so picked up the MBP 16 32GB, 2TB, ..
Using the IPP (scroll down for just MKB part..)
My iPad for ages has been a now-getting-old iPad Air 2. I had bought a keyboard case for it, but iPadOS was just too overall meh to take it seriously, so I just kept the non-KB portion (Zagg rugged with weird hinge clamps from rugged case to keyboard). So it was time to retire the iPad Air 2. Much waffling and said might as well go for it and give the iPad as travel or kitchen table ‘kind of computer’ a try. I also wanted to really use sidecar and Pencil for various work-relevant activity, and when then 2020 iPad ‘bumps’ were announced, I got an OK deal on a refurbed 256GB 2-18 12.9 IPP from Apple, as I really don’t care about LIDAR..
Sidecar has been mostly very nice, although I’d really dig an option to use home wifi vs private device to WiFi connection, and the weird behavior with display arrangement with the iPad below my 38” screen forcing the entire dock to the iPad... but has been overall nice as a third screen to send stuff to that I want to use the Pencil on to the IPP, and otherwise to have my task mgmt app (Things) on, etc.
I also set my wife up with a 2020 IPP 11” and walked her through how to use it much more effectively teaching vs what she’d been doing, and that worked really well for her, paired to her MBA.
So - I really needed a case. I sort of still do. The glass screen protector on there now literally will vibrate/slide off of my nightstand - not great, but I also needed a usable keyboard. Before pulling the trigger on the MKB, I bought a much cheaper (like $45) case on Amazon with removable magnetic keyboard, just to see if I could actually see using it/typing on it at all.
That case was actually decent, held the pencil securely, was well worth the $ for it, IMO, and the keyboard wasn’t too bad. It did have function row keys and an ESC key, along with a few case angle options for when in typing mode, and a magnetic closing flap. Not terrible, but plugging in/out the cable for power was of course, kind of goofy going into the side of the iPad, which needed to happen considering the long hours I do at the comp, etc.
IPadOS did make a nice jump overall IMO. I can CMD-tab through apps and use some of my normal non-trackball/pad/touch shortcuts from the keyboard, sidecar works well but isn’t ‘done yet’ IMO, so I saw enough use overall to basically say screw it, I can’t believe the Apple keyboard is going to cost more than my mechanical key, split UHK, but OK - I guess. Yeah, I really thought to wait to see if Logitech did something at half the price, but considering the # of M920 trackballs I’ve blown through, I’m not sure what I think of Logitech nowadays, and the various Apple videos and pics did a good job, so I went for it.
Magic Keyboard impressions
Packaging is typical Apple, smooth and like nested Xmas presents.
It feels sturdy.
The USB-C port is nice to have, as is the ‘put on magnet to charge,’ as I know there are reasons (power draw) magnetic charging wasn’t done on the iPads, but still - really annoying to not have, so ‘kind of wireless charging’ via the smart connector is nice.
I do however, wish they had extended the hinge with the USB-C the full length of the keyboard, as it’s slightly fiddle inserting it the iPad and keyboard are in place for use, but can live with it. If using the Smart Keyboard as a desk fixture, and not also as a mobile case moving around, it’s not an issue at all.
The keyboard itself. Well - one of the numerous reasons I didn’t upgrade my 2015 MBP once 32GB RAM became an option was the butterfly keyboard failure rates along with the touch bar removal of the ESC key. I did wind up having to replace my wife’s comp just before the latest MBA refresh, so she has the last gen butterfly keyboard and I don’t hate typing on it entirely, although much prefer the MBP16 or better, my UHK with Cherry Blue switch equivalents, but I’m kind of picky on keyboards...
The keyboard as far as actual key feel - is quite nice for a laptop keyboard. It sort of feels like a cross between the butterfly and the scissor in feel as well as key travel. The backlighting is nice, although yes, a hot key is needed to adjust brightness level or enable/disable it, IMO - something that can be done via future iPadOS updates.
The lack of an ESC key...well, I’m not thrilled, but at least I mapped the Globe key to it and it seems to work. I’m not yet to the point where I can say I’ve fully explored what I can and can’t do on the IPP vs my MBP, and I’m not expecting to be doing a bunch of editing in VIM, but I may consider doing remote access to my MBP from my IPP with MKB and yeah, the lack of an ESC key WILL annoy me.
The lack of a function key row. I’m not thrilled, but can live without it so far I can also see WHY they did it this way.
The videos and marketing makes it seem like there’s a lot more room between the bottom of the iPad and the surface of the keyboard, but there’s not much at all. TO provide more room, you’d need a wider (in landscape dimension) IPad, or some very different case dynamics compared to where Apple was going, to raise the tablet up much higher, or would need to reduce the height of the trackpad even further - or make their case completely different than they have. The way it’s laid out now, they could have put some half-height function keys on it though, and for occasional use or with some trained ‘slip finger under bottom of angled ipad’ - it could have worked, but some would undoubtedly have griped about it.
Closed, the case feeels like quality, everything lines up well, and same for putting the iPad onto the magnets, etc. - ‘it just works’ and that’s a good thing.
The trackpad. Yes, it’s mechanical with actual clicks, and it’s tiny compared to the latest MBPs, but those also dwarfed the trackpad on my 2015 MBP. Actually, just checked and looks like the MKB trackpad is close to or the same width as the MBP 15 2015, but a bit shorter. It feels nice, kind of like a butterfly keyboard or less travel versus some of the various other trackpads out there on laptops. You can also enable tap to click, so I’m sure dedicated Magic Trackpad or those who use their newer MBP trackpads as their only input device vs external mice/trackballs etc. might not be thrilled, but I have no complaints on it myself.
The case does indeed ‘click’ into place when opening from closed, and feels pretty solid.
Drawing or using the Pencil on it when in the ‘laptop mode’ well - is mixed. If you put a finger on the screen and push below the hinge, so roughly on the lower third of the iPad in landscape orientation - it’s pretty solid. Not non-moving, but not much movement. But, pushing above the hinge, it starts moving around more the further up you go away from the case pivot point hinge. If you were going to o use the Pencil to sign the bottom of a document, it would be fine, but probably not ideal for actual drawing or even document markup use - just remove the iPad off the magnets and do it that way instead.
I’m not generally a fan of ‘couch typing,’ but in helping my wife with some stuff, I had grabbed the IPP in full MKB case mode and did it for a bit. I was actually pleasantly surprised at the stability and general usability. Of course, some positions cause more instability due to weight distribution, but keeping the keyboard relatively level was pretty solid and not at all bad.
Of course, since using it, I now can’t use my prior case with it anymore, and the MKB is not a great case for bedtime reading, at least for me. The lack of ability to fold back on itself is a huge limiter in this respect, and while I think it would be fine for e.g. travel Netflix in bed, I’d much prefer a flat but protective-ish case for my normal relaxation/before bed catching up on news, etc. So - I pull it off the magnets, generally at full charge, and don’t worry about plugging it in to charge overnight, but - I’m now back at a bare unprotected $$$ iPad Pro which has already tried to slide off my level nightstand before when I made a mistake of putting it touchscreen-side facing downwards. I don’t know what I’m going to do on this front, as popping it in and out of a case is just well, annoying.
Cover buddy is supposed to have one that ‘should’ work, but their own comments on Amazon (for the 2020 model, which should still fit my 2018 model and just look funny/wrong sized camera hole) stated it won’t work with the MKB, but I’d really like a simple rubber-ish case including a pencil holder, at least minor protrusion beyond the touchscreen/protector surface (so it doesn’t slide and gets minor protection that way), and some level of corner/edge protection - that would also still let me throw it onto the ‘magnetic dock’ of the MKB.
Think I’m going to wait to see if someone gets one or from another vendor and can confirm it works sanely and then go for it, or wait for hopefully someone to release something that doesn’t involve cases going on/off every time I use the MKB or remove it from the MKB magnetically.
Overall, I like it and will probably use it more than I thought I would. It's a nice addition to making the iPad more usable but at a pretty high cost. It's nice if the $$ isn't a concern. If on the fence and the $ is an issue - wait for someone to clone it, and they may well add some of the 'corrections' one might like to see.
Likes
Dislikes
That’s all I’ve got so far.
I work in tech and was in software engineering and related with some hardware, etc. for quite some time.
My normal setup at home office has been a 34” and now 38” widescreen QHD+ display + a MBP15, now a MBP 16 32GB, open lid, UHK Keyboard, and an Elecom trackball wheel (Logitech M920 clone but lasts more than 3 months, unlike Logitechs nowadays
).Work office is identical but with 2x27” LCDs. My MBP is set up well for my use with Alfred and a few custom scripts now, VMs, etc. At times I’ve also had a Monoprice drawing tablet attached to it, mainly for occasional whiteboard sessions, but not replicated in both places, and was forced to move to a Dell surfacebook clone for a bit as my prior MBP 2015 was out of both storage(1TB) and RAM for my use, until Apple finally made something I wanted, so picked up the MBP 16 32GB, 2TB, ..
Using the IPP (scroll down for just MKB part..)
My iPad for ages has been a now-getting-old iPad Air 2. I had bought a keyboard case for it, but iPadOS was just too overall meh to take it seriously, so I just kept the non-KB portion (Zagg rugged with weird hinge clamps from rugged case to keyboard). So it was time to retire the iPad Air 2. Much waffling and said might as well go for it and give the iPad as travel or kitchen table ‘kind of computer’ a try. I also wanted to really use sidecar and Pencil for various work-relevant activity, and when then 2020 iPad ‘bumps’ were announced, I got an OK deal on a refurbed 256GB 2-18 12.9 IPP from Apple, as I really don’t care about LIDAR..
Sidecar has been mostly very nice, although I’d really dig an option to use home wifi vs private device to WiFi connection, and the weird behavior with display arrangement with the iPad below my 38” screen forcing the entire dock to the iPad... but has been overall nice as a third screen to send stuff to that I want to use the Pencil on to the IPP, and otherwise to have my task mgmt app (Things) on, etc.
I also set my wife up with a 2020 IPP 11” and walked her through how to use it much more effectively teaching vs what she’d been doing, and that worked really well for her, paired to her MBA.
So - I really needed a case. I sort of still do. The glass screen protector on there now literally will vibrate/slide off of my nightstand - not great, but I also needed a usable keyboard. Before pulling the trigger on the MKB, I bought a much cheaper (like $45) case on Amazon with removable magnetic keyboard, just to see if I could actually see using it/typing on it at all.
That case was actually decent, held the pencil securely, was well worth the $ for it, IMO, and the keyboard wasn’t too bad. It did have function row keys and an ESC key, along with a few case angle options for when in typing mode, and a magnetic closing flap. Not terrible, but plugging in/out the cable for power was of course, kind of goofy going into the side of the iPad, which needed to happen considering the long hours I do at the comp, etc.
IPadOS did make a nice jump overall IMO. I can CMD-tab through apps and use some of my normal non-trackball/pad/touch shortcuts from the keyboard, sidecar works well but isn’t ‘done yet’ IMO, so I saw enough use overall to basically say screw it, I can’t believe the Apple keyboard is going to cost more than my mechanical key, split UHK, but OK - I guess. Yeah, I really thought to wait to see if Logitech did something at half the price, but considering the # of M920 trackballs I’ve blown through, I’m not sure what I think of Logitech nowadays, and the various Apple videos and pics did a good job, so I went for it.
Magic Keyboard impressions
Packaging is typical Apple, smooth and like nested Xmas presents.
It feels sturdy.
The USB-C port is nice to have, as is the ‘put on magnet to charge,’ as I know there are reasons (power draw) magnetic charging wasn’t done on the iPads, but still - really annoying to not have, so ‘kind of wireless charging’ via the smart connector is nice.
I do however, wish they had extended the hinge with the USB-C the full length of the keyboard, as it’s slightly fiddle inserting it the iPad and keyboard are in place for use, but can live with it. If using the Smart Keyboard as a desk fixture, and not also as a mobile case moving around, it’s not an issue at all.
The keyboard itself. Well - one of the numerous reasons I didn’t upgrade my 2015 MBP once 32GB RAM became an option was the butterfly keyboard failure rates along with the touch bar removal of the ESC key. I did wind up having to replace my wife’s comp just before the latest MBA refresh, so she has the last gen butterfly keyboard and I don’t hate typing on it entirely, although much prefer the MBP16 or better, my UHK with Cherry Blue switch equivalents, but I’m kind of picky on keyboards...
The keyboard as far as actual key feel - is quite nice for a laptop keyboard. It sort of feels like a cross between the butterfly and the scissor in feel as well as key travel. The backlighting is nice, although yes, a hot key is needed to adjust brightness level or enable/disable it, IMO - something that can be done via future iPadOS updates.
The lack of an ESC key...well, I’m not thrilled, but at least I mapped the Globe key to it and it seems to work. I’m not yet to the point where I can say I’ve fully explored what I can and can’t do on the IPP vs my MBP, and I’m not expecting to be doing a bunch of editing in VIM, but I may consider doing remote access to my MBP from my IPP with MKB and yeah, the lack of an ESC key WILL annoy me.
The lack of a function key row. I’m not thrilled, but can live without it so far I can also see WHY they did it this way.
The videos and marketing makes it seem like there’s a lot more room between the bottom of the iPad and the surface of the keyboard, but there’s not much at all. TO provide more room, you’d need a wider (in landscape dimension) IPad, or some very different case dynamics compared to where Apple was going, to raise the tablet up much higher, or would need to reduce the height of the trackpad even further - or make their case completely different than they have. The way it’s laid out now, they could have put some half-height function keys on it though, and for occasional use or with some trained ‘slip finger under bottom of angled ipad’ - it could have worked, but some would undoubtedly have griped about it.
Closed, the case feeels like quality, everything lines up well, and same for putting the iPad onto the magnets, etc. - ‘it just works’ and that’s a good thing.
The trackpad. Yes, it’s mechanical with actual clicks, and it’s tiny compared to the latest MBPs, but those also dwarfed the trackpad on my 2015 MBP. Actually, just checked and looks like the MKB trackpad is close to or the same width as the MBP 15 2015, but a bit shorter. It feels nice, kind of like a butterfly keyboard or less travel versus some of the various other trackpads out there on laptops. You can also enable tap to click, so I’m sure dedicated Magic Trackpad or those who use their newer MBP trackpads as their only input device vs external mice/trackballs etc. might not be thrilled, but I have no complaints on it myself.
The case does indeed ‘click’ into place when opening from closed, and feels pretty solid.
Drawing or using the Pencil on it when in the ‘laptop mode’ well - is mixed. If you put a finger on the screen and push below the hinge, so roughly on the lower third of the iPad in landscape orientation - it’s pretty solid. Not non-moving, but not much movement. But, pushing above the hinge, it starts moving around more the further up you go away from the case pivot point hinge. If you were going to o use the Pencil to sign the bottom of a document, it would be fine, but probably not ideal for actual drawing or even document markup use - just remove the iPad off the magnets and do it that way instead.
I’m not generally a fan of ‘couch typing,’ but in helping my wife with some stuff, I had grabbed the IPP in full MKB case mode and did it for a bit. I was actually pleasantly surprised at the stability and general usability. Of course, some positions cause more instability due to weight distribution, but keeping the keyboard relatively level was pretty solid and not at all bad.
Of course, since using it, I now can’t use my prior case with it anymore, and the MKB is not a great case for bedtime reading, at least for me. The lack of ability to fold back on itself is a huge limiter in this respect, and while I think it would be fine for e.g. travel Netflix in bed, I’d much prefer a flat but protective-ish case for my normal relaxation/before bed catching up on news, etc. So - I pull it off the magnets, generally at full charge, and don’t worry about plugging it in to charge overnight, but - I’m now back at a bare unprotected $$$ iPad Pro which has already tried to slide off my level nightstand before when I made a mistake of putting it touchscreen-side facing downwards. I don’t know what I’m going to do on this front, as popping it in and out of a case is just well, annoying.
Cover buddy is supposed to have one that ‘should’ work, but their own comments on Amazon (for the 2020 model, which should still fit my 2018 model and just look funny/wrong sized camera hole) stated it won’t work with the MKB, but I’d really like a simple rubber-ish case including a pencil holder, at least minor protrusion beyond the touchscreen/protector surface (so it doesn’t slide and gets minor protection that way), and some level of corner/edge protection - that would also still let me throw it onto the ‘magnetic dock’ of the MKB.
Think I’m going to wait to see if someone gets one or from another vendor and can confirm it works sanely and then go for it, or wait for hopefully someone to release something that doesn’t involve cases going on/off every time I use the MKB or remove it from the MKB magnetically.
Overall, I like it and will probably use it more than I thought I would. It's a nice addition to making the iPad more usable but at a pretty high cost. It's nice if the $$ isn't a concern. If on the fence and the $ is an issue - wait for someone to clone it, and they may well add some of the 'corrections' one might like to see.
Likes
- Magnetic charging/no cord into IPP freeing up IPP port and making life nice.
- Magnetic attachment is nicer than I expected, no moving around, just works.
- keyboard feel is surprisingly nice for a laptop-ish keyboard
- backlighting
- trackpad is small but works well
- Build/quality feel overall, at least so far
- Does well for portable/non desk typing and for netflix viewing, etc.
Dislikes
- Not convenient for typical bed reading purposes, case doesn’t fold back on itself. Removing for more casual/table use leaves a wholly naked and afraid iPad.
- Because of above - wind up in completely naked/unprotected iPad mode when have to remove from MKB to use in positions it’s not great at.
- Primary hinge should be full length to make USB-C plug in/removal slightly easier when mobile to/from power supply and in open mode - minor
- no ESC key or FN keys
That’s all I’ve got so far.
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