iPad Pro Early Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil Pro

[Ctrlos]

The displaced magnets on the pencil confirm why it’s not compatible with the old models. They likely had to shift them for the landscape camera.

Yes, the iPad 10 holds the magnetic pencils but it cannot charge them.

 

[Macintosh101]

I think some people expect too much at times; Apple made some pretty big revisions to this iPad aside from thinness - moving the front-facing camera surely required some internal shifting of hardware that necessitated changes and it’s understandable to me why accessories had to change along with them.

I agree. The Magic Keyboard isn’t an accessory you just slap the iPad onto and expect it to maintain balance. These things are pretty finely engineered in terms of weight / balance.

 

[klasma]

Not sure how I feel about it being around the keyboard and not the edge; I am concerned it’s going to contact the aluminum in the top edge of the iPad when closed and picked up.

I remember seing the closed iPad with keyboard being held in the hands-on and no gap showing, and also reviewers noted that it is kind of difficult to open due to lack of any gap. So it would seem that it sits rather flush with the keyboard at the edge.

 

[Macintosh101]

I remember seing the closed iPad with keyboard being held in the hands-on and no gap showing, and also reviewers noted that it is kind of difficult to open due to lack of any gap. So it would seem that it sits rather flush with the keyboard at the edge.

I saw that too. One person wondered why they didn’t create that “lip” in the keyboard that we have in MacBooks, to make it easier to open.

 

[citivolus]

Blends well enough, the power connector is also metal.



Definitely a tad small, heres a picture witn airpods for reference

View attachment 2377059



USA

Can you please measure the dimensions of the trackpad?

 

[Ludatyk]

It was completely clear, as it was widely reported and explicitly and clearly stated on Apple’s website.

Interesting. You took those words, but didn't acknowledge what I mention afterwards.

 

[Ludatyk]

Personally, as a user eager to see new device designs iterate as fast as possible (life is short), I would hope that for a once-in-6-years major redesign of their high end tablet Apple wouldn’t feel constrained in any way by the kind of backward compatibility considerations you’re advocating for. Their way of tackling backward compatibility is keeping old accessories on sale for a long time. (and tech commentators find ways to complain even about that: “Too many Pencils! It’s confusing!”)

Fair point. But this old accessory you are referring to... its still available for sale, they didn't all of sudden abandon it. Heck, it's still priced the same after all these years. Which is strange... why not reduce the price of the older MKB? Now that there is new MKB.

And as I stated, I like the new keyboard... certainly would have purchased one later on. It's really something I'd look forward to upgrade to, but to completely take it out of the users hands... expresses greediness. Now, if users are happy to give money to Apple at any chance they can (this trillion dollar company)... then by all means go ahead. But this move is generally not good for the consumer.

 

[MrMacintoshIII]

Does the new magic keyboard scratch the iPad screen when closed?

If it does, I’ll make AppleCare cover it, one way or another.

 

[MrMacintoshIII]

Does it blend?

That is the question.

 

[ZombiePete]

Fair point. But this old accessory you are referring to... its still available for sale, they didn't all of sudden abandon it. Heck, it's still priced the same after all these years. Which is strange... why not reduce the price of the older MKB? Now that there is new MKB.

Because the new keyboard is not a replacement for the current one, it’s an accessory for the new iPads.

And as I stated, I like the new keyboard... certainly would have purchased one later on. It's really something I'd look forward to upgrade to, but to completely take it out of the users hands... expresses greediness. Now, if users are happy to give money to Apple at any chance they can (this trillion dollar company)... then by all means go ahead. But this move is generally not good for the consumer.

As has been explained more than once, these accessories are weighted carefully for the iPads they are designed for; a lighter MKB is not right for a heavier iPad. I can understand your disappointment but it’s not completely unreasonable that this accessory was not designed to replace existing hardware.

 

[Macintosh101]

Because the new keyboard is not a replacement for the current one, it’s an accessory for the new iPads.



As has been explained more than once, these accessories are weighted carefully for the iPads they are designed for; a lighter MKB is not right for a heavier iPad. I can understand your disappointment but it’s not completely unreasonable that this accessory was not designed to replace existing hardware.

This. The iPad and the Magic Keyboard are pretty precisely engineered in terms of weight and balance.

 

[MrMacintoshIII]

Now, if users are happy to give money to Apple at any chance they can (this trillion dollar company)... then by all means go ahead. But this move is generally not good for the consumer.

Most consumers won’t care about getting the latest and greatest, they live their lives and only think about it again when their current one is dying or if Apple happens to release something huge (doesn’t happen often).

I know it’s a pain but you’re free to sell your previous ipad and accessories online in order to pay for the new ones if the upgrades are that worth it to you.

It’s too bad that Apple is doing it this way, but the only people who really care must be a small niche. Whales like me will unflinchingly sell their devices on eBay and buy every year/other year as needed for fairly cheap.

If you wait a year or so, it’s very likely the new 2025/6 iPad pros will still support this new Magic Keyboard. Probably.

 

[Jamacfer]

What do you think about the comparison with the new M4 Logitech keyboard (lighter and detachable) instead?

 

[MrMacintoshIII]

What do you think about the comparison with the new M4 Logitech keyboard (lighter and detachable) instead?

It looks good but difficult to remove the case portion from the iPad. I prefer the MGKs magnetic attachment where the iPad is naked when you lift it off. I prefer it like that when using it for writing with pencil or drawing.

I do envy the detachable keyboard but the Logitech keyboard doesn’t have haptics on the trackpad. I can’t lose that.

 

[Jamacfer]

Thanks, good to know. I also prefer to use the iPad naked sometimes and did not imagine the Logitech was difficult to remove.

 

[MrMacintoshIII]

Thanks, good to know. I also prefer to use the iPad naked sometimes and did not imagine the Logitech was difficult to remove.

Okay know that by ‘difficult to remove’ I literally mean it’s not as simple and quick (and can never hope to be) as just lifting it off the strong magnet the Magic Keyboard employs.

Anything more than that amount of effort is classified as ‘difficult’ to me.

Also in general, cases like that tend to attract grime over time. I prefer how easily the iPad leaves the Apple keyboard case.

 

[Jamacfer]

Yes, of course!

 

[Ludatyk]

I know it’s a pain but you’re free to sell your previous ipad and accessories online in order to pay for the new ones if the upgrades are that worth it to you.

It’s not necessarily a pain… more an inconvenience. But I’ll give it a rest…

 

[JayMysterio]

Thanks, good to know. I also prefer to use the iPad naked sometimes and did not imagine the Logitech was difficult to remove.

Think of the Logitech as being intended for constant protection. It isn't so much that it's difficult to remove, it's that it's intended you don't remove it. If you need the keyboard experience "out in the wild" + the tablet experience, Logitech has you covered. If you are using your ipad in places where it won't need that much protection the MK is the lighter option, as you can just easily remove the iPad from the keyboard.

I have the Logitech for my "old" iPP, but I didn't take it outside enough to warrant the extra protection. So I've stuck with my white magic keyboard mainly. The extra weight on the tablet just wasn't welcome.

 

[sparksd]

Think of the Logitech as being intended for constant protection. It isn't so much that it's difficult to remove, it's that it's intended you don't remove it. If you need the keyboard experience "out in the wild" + the tablet experience, Logitech has you covered. If you are using your ipad in places where it won't need that much protection the MK is the lighter option, as you can just easily remove the iPad from the keyboard.

I have the Logitech for my "old" iPP, but I didn't take it outside enough to warrant the extra protection. So I've stuck with my white magic keyboard mainly. The extra weight on the tablet just wasn't welcome.

What I said in another thread on this -

I have both the Logi & MKB for the M1 12.9 and prefer/use the MKB. I like the smaller footprint of the MKB and the cantilevered raising of the display, bringing it forward over the top of the keyboard. I can also easily remove the tablet from the keyboard and put it in a magnetic case with a cover; removing the tablet from the Logi is more of a struggle. If one is lighter than the other, it is hard to tell in actual use vs spec numbers. For me, the MKB wins hands down and while the price delta is significant, I'd still go with the MKB for myself.

 

[Jamacfer]

You know, my intention would be to alternate between the Apple Smart Folio and sometimes a protection equipped with a keyboard as needed.

 

[stiligFox]

I see a lot of people lamenting that the new MKB won’t work with the older iPads but one thing I don’t see touched on is the thickness of the iPad - with the new iPads being thinner than the previous generation, I don’t think an older iPad would be able to fit in the keyboard and still be able to close properly without damaging the hinge of the keyboard or the glass of the older iPad.

Can you confirm this, OP?

 

[Shirasaki]

I thought this was pretty clear from the start. The MKB's cantilever is balanced by weight and these new iPads have different shapes and weights... it would not work to use them even if the pins lined up.

Nothing stopping them from designing the new iPad Pro in a way that’s compatible with older keyboard, weight balance and connector position wise. My guess is they want to boost accessory sale so they cut off support for older iPad Pro.

 

[JayMysterio]

You know, my intention would be to alternate between the Apple Smart Folio and sometimes a protection equipped with a keyboard as needed.

Protection is where you run into issues.

Protection means basically "cradling" the device itself in some kind of protection which can't help but add weight.

The only compromise is those cases that put light clip on case on your iPad, but can be removed from a keyboard like the magic one.

 

[escargot3]

Nothing stopping them from designing the new iPad Pro in a way that’s compatible with older keyboard, weight balance and connector position wise. My guess is they want to boost accessory sale so they cut off support for older iPad Pro.

That’s not true at all. They would have to compromise the design to maintain compatibility, such as by making it thicker and heavier, not being able to move the magnets for stability, having to leave the camera in portrait to maintain compatibility with Apple Pencil 2 and so on.