Gurman: New Magic Keyboard for iPad to Feature Aluminum Top Case

[teh_hunterer]

I already EDC that combo in a sleek sling bag, so yes.

You said someone taking around a 13" laptop that was .3lbs heavier than your setup was lugging it around. You're carrying around an iPad+keyboard combination that's .4lbs heavier than a 12" laptop. By your own definition you're the one lugging things around.

When I'm doing some deep work, it matters little whether the screen is 11" or 13", as both are equally inadequate to fit my needs. I need a large display, and that's what I can hook into an iPad and a MBA just the same, where the device itself becomes a Teams/mail sidekick.

That's fine for you - but others may need to carry one device they can do all their work on portably. Not every workflow is your workflow. I need a 14" screen at the very least, and I need to run multiple traditional (non mobile) apps side by side that don't talk to each other, with direct access to the filesystem, where I can arrange them exactly how I want to arrange them. I also need to run software directly on my device rather than remotely because I have to actually plug in equipment.

I need to do this on the go, on location, where I don't have a bigger screen to plug into.

And when I do finally sit down at my desk, I need two external monitors + the laptop monitor in order to do my job most effectively.

The iPad might be perfect for your workflow, but it's not perfect or even viable for many, many people. Your post seems to be implying that laptops are old news and the iPad is enough for 90% or even 100% of people, and that just speaks to a lack of experience and imagination of other people's working lives.

Then at the end of the day, with just an iPad at my side and an external mouse, I can dock it at the office and do proper work, attend conference calls with the excellent 5-mic array, take notes or journal with the Pencil + Paperlike screen cover

I've found the iPad to be quite limiting in this scenario because as soon as you need to take notes, share your screen, do something else while someone is talking (like if they are walking you through something while you do it), etc, your camera turns off.

 

[aknabi]

That’s because you want to do stuff the “traditional OS way”, embrace a new workflow and it will be as productive as when you are on a computer.

Yeah right, if you add Magic Mushrooms with the Magic Keyboard to slow down your perception of time... also I'm curious as to what the iPad's "new workflow" is for Xcode development?

 

[Kiwamu]

I bet that

a) the new keyboard will only work with the latest iPad models of Pro (and the also rumored Air refresh) and
b) The old keyboards won't work with the new iPads because of "technical reasons"

 

[Marshall73]

I love the keyboard, it's super handy when you need to remote control servers/desktops. Saves me carting my 16" pro everywhere. When at home I just use a normal magnetic case (£18 from amazon) as I am normally browsing or reading. Not use about an aluminium top case though, might be a bit more abrasive fro the screen vs the silicone top we have now.

 

[Marshall73]

Yeah right, if you add Magic Mushrooms with the Magic Keyboard to slow down your perception of time... also I'm curious as to what the iPad's "new workflow" is for Xcode development?

I have loads of Macs, iPads and iPhones. I don't do any Xcode programming, bit presumptive to think that everyone's workflow includes it. Also, if you need to use Xcode and bought an iPad to do it on then you're doing it wrong.

 

[fw85]

You said someone taking around a 13" laptop that was .3lbs heavier than your setup was lugging it around. You're carrying around an iPad+keyboard combination that's .4lbs heavier than a 12" laptop. By your own definition you're the one lugging things around.



That's fine for you - but others may need to carry one device they can do all their work on portably. Not every workflow is your workflow. I need a 14" screen at the very least, and I need to run multiple traditional (non mobile) apps side by side that don't talk to each other, with direct access to the filesystem, where I can arrange them exactly how I want to arrange them. I also need to run software directly on my device rather than remotely because I have to actually plug in equipment.

I need to do this on the go, on location, where I don't have a bigger screen to plug into.

And when I do finally sit down at my desk, I need two external monitors + the laptop monitor in order to do my job most effectively.

The iPad might be perfect for your workflow, but it's not perfect or even viable for many, many people. Your post seems to be implying that laptops are old news and the iPad is enough for 90% or even 100% of people, and that just speaks to a lack of experience and imagination of other people's working lives.



I've found the iPad to be quite limiting in this scenario because as soon as you need to take notes, share your screen, do something else while someone is talking (like if they are walking you through something while you do it), etc, your camera turns off.

What kind of comparison is a currently non-existent 12" version of a laptop - I'm not even sure where you're going with that.
And yeah the 13" not only adds a bit of weight, which is not the even the main issue, but the added size is. The size difference alone requires that you bring a considerably bigger bag to accommodate it.
Not to mention the MBA cannot conveniently handle all the other (more leisurely) use cases of the iPad as I outlined above, so I'd end up carrying.. both?

And as I said, I can understand if my setup is not for everyone, you're the one that's generalizing my words. Just like everyone seems to be generalizing the statement that 'one cannot use the iPad to meet their portable personal computing needs'

 

[Dark Angel X2]

And make a new Magic Keyboard for iPad easy to clean!!! I hate casing of current Magic Keyboard for iPad, because it is hard to clean (sigh)

 

[heretiq]

Please enlighten folks then as to the purpose of an iPad because Apple is sending some very mixed signals these days.

The iPad is a multi-touch Tablet, not a laptop. It runs iPadOS not macOS. Apple provides hardware keyboards as an alternate iPad input method for those who prefer it and markets it as a computer — because it is a multi-touch Tablet computer. None of this makes or suggests that the iPad is a replacement for a macOS laptop for anything beyond the subset of common use cases that the iPad and iPadOS natively support. The shortcomings typically attributed to the iPad are often outside of the native functionality the iPad is designed to support, and are actually due to the expectation or desire for the iPad to offer more Mac-like functionality.

 

[yabeweb]

Yeah right, if you add Magic Mushrooms with the Magic Keyboard to slow down your perception of time... also I'm curious as to what the iPad's "new workflow" is for Xcode development?

Might be the magic mushroom, but i don’t recall saying it’s a great coding machine.

If you mostly do coding and you pick an iPad for that, better stop eating or licking mushrooms.

 

[teh_hunterer]

What kind of comparison is a currently non-existent 12" version of a laptop - I'm not even sure where you're going with that.

Maybe you just don't want to know? The iPad incurs a weight penalty for adopting a laptop-like form factor because the magic keyboard has to add dead weight to balance out the top heavy iPad, which means it's inherently heavier than a laptop at the same size. Hence, the 11" is heavier than the 12" MacBook, and the 12.9" is heavier than a 13" MacBook Air.

I'd happily pay the weight penalty if the iPad could actually do what I need it to do on the software side. But it can't.

Not to mention the MBA cannot conveniently handle all the other (more leisurely) use cases of the iPad as I outlined above, so I'd end up carrying.. both?

The iPad can't handle most people's work, so they'd end up carrying... Both?

And as I said, I can understand if my setup is not for everyone, you're the one that's generalizing my words. Just like everyone seems to be generalizing the statement that 'one cannot use the iPad to meet their portable personal computing needs'

If that's not what you meant, fine, but you might want to re-read your original post.

 

[joecomo]

Combine the weight of a MacBook with the restrictions of iPadOS -> Welcome to Magic Keyboard Ultra

 

[gpat]

Combine the weight of a MacBook with the restrictions of iPadOS -> Welcome to Magic Keyboard Ultra

Now at $399 for the keyboard and $999 for the stand that connects the keyboard to the iPad

 

[El Szomorito]

It will probably start at 12GB of RAM, as the M3 SoC family seems to come with 12GB multiples, but yeah, it is more than enough. If Apple hasn’t done it yet, it isn’t because of the hardware, as the M1 and M2 iPads are more than capable.

Does it mean triple channel memory? It seems odd if it isn't.

 

[El Szomorito]

It’s for creative types to sketch something out with the Apple Pencil and then type out an email on the Magic Keyboard.

Or at that’s what Apple wants you to believe happens in real life.

I use ipad to take notes, and I could use it to code with jupyter/vscode server* which I was forced to make because of the excessive ssd/memory upgrade costs. I say could, because at the moment the keyboard options are really bad and expensive. The Magic Keyboard Folio would be the best if it were available for the Air. Sadly that only got more expensive and worse options, which is kinda hilarious.

*fixed monthly cost is around 5 dollars, plus ~6 cent/hour when it actually runs

 

[Populus]

Does it mean triple channel memory? It seems odd if it isn't.

Nope, it means two chips of 6GB instead of two chips of 4GB each.
For higher capacities, the 12GB chips are already used on the 24GB configuration of the current M2 chip. And all points to that trend for all the configurations of the M3: 12GB, 24GB, 36GB and 48GB.

 

[FriendlyMackle]

I finally “got” that after 2 years of using the M1 12.9 pro as my main computer. Found myself not being able to complete some simple tasks that o could on a regular laptop so I sold my heavy iPad and Magic Keyboard and ended up with thought to buy a used M2 air 13 inch. The screen was nice but found the switch worth it to me.

I love my 12.9 M1 iPad Pro, but it could never replace my Macbook Pro or my iMac — at least not with the state of iPadOS. I did try to use it as a laptop replacement with the Magic Keyboard (which I love for its simplicity and functionality), but like you, just too many simple tasks would take many more steps each and even then, might not quite work.

But I knew that going in, as I’ve had an iPad since the first model. While it has greatly improved over the years in terms of functionality (and beauty!), it seems that Apple just does not want to make it more laptop-like in terms of functionality.

Also — yes, the Magic Keyboard is expensive for a keyboard case — though the high end competitor cases, less elegantly designed seem to be only $100-150 less. To circumvent what I thought to be an overly high price, I bought both my M1 iPad Pro 12.9 cellular with Magic Keyboard gently used, for less than the cost of just the iPad if I had bought it new (ok, barely less, but essentially making the keyboard and cellular chip ’free’). That’s usually my approach with my ipad upgrades, a ‘mint’ condition used model once I can find them.

I love the tablet, but for my purposes, I only use it for email, web browsing, reading, and some video.

 

[aknabi]

Might be the magic mushroom, but i don’t recall saying it’s a great coding machine.

If you mostly do coding and you pick an iPad for that, better stop eating or licking mushrooms.

And that's the damn point... it could do that workflow for developers the iPad would be a great cafe/couch/portable machine for that workflow if it ran macOS. Seriously, you can't see that the iPad would be great for many devs (a large and important Apple community)?

Think different... maybe try some mushrooms and expand what's possible.

 

[yabeweb]

And that's the damn point... it could do that workflow for developers the iPad would be a great cafe/couch/portable machine for that workflow if it ran macOS. Seriously, you can't see that the iPad would be great for many devs (a large and important Apple community)?

Think different... maybe try some mushrooms and expand what's possible.

I suggest people buy stuff for what they are not for what they could be.

But that’s just me.

I mean an iPad could do a lot of things, but if it does not do what you needed it for, there is no point in buying and then complaining it could do those thing.

You don’t buy a washing machine because technically it could wash your dishes…

 

[BigDO]

Do you lug around a 13" laptop everywhere? Because an 11" iPad is easily equipped as EDC.

Can you then, within the span of 3 seconds, transform said laptop to a portrait mode reader, or a convenient internet surfer, or a pen and paper-like notepad? And then pop it back onto a physical keyboard to get a laptop-like tool for longer typing?

Yep, all of the above with a multitude of Surface - like tablets, and get full functionality of a laptop and convenience of a tablet.

I love my ipad, but the MBK adds very little to the experience.

 

[StaceyMJ86]

Do you lug around a 13" laptop everywhere? Because an 11" iPad is easily equipped as EDC.

Can you then, within the span of 3 seconds, transform said laptop to a portrait mode reader, or a convenient internet surfer, or a pen and paper-like notepad? And then pop it back onto a physical keyboard to get a laptop-like tool for longer typing?

The Mac does not hold a candle to the versatility of an iPad.

Is the iPad software limited? Sure, but it's still more than enough for 90% of personal computing use cases in its current form, and the UI is excellent as far as touch-first systems go.

For the rest, just have a Win/Mac computer sitting at home, which you can remote into whenever the need arises. Then you still just take the iPad on the go with all bases covered.

I agree with you 100%. I have a Windows laptop and not a MacBook yet. I only use my laptop to sync ringtones to my iPhone or to sync it to iTunes. Other than that, my iPad is my replacement “laptop” as it’s so versatile when using it.

 

[StaceyMJ86]

It is pretty heavy.
I’m curious how much people actually use their 12.9 detached from their MK. I’ve heard many say it stays attached 95% of the time. At that point, wouldn’t it be better if the iPad was not a slate but a clamshell convertible? It would be a somewhat heavier tablet for the 5% of the time it’s used as one, but for the 95% of the time it would be thinner, better balanced, with more range of viewing angles, and maybe most importantly it would be significantly lighter.

I‘m not using the Magic Keyboard with my 12.9 iPad Pro. I’m using the Brydge keyboard which I love by the way. It is attached to my iPad Pro 100% of the time. When I’m not using my iPad Pro, I’m using my Mini 6, as it‘s easier to transport even if I were to remove the Brydge keyboard, the Mini 6 is still easier to transport. I’m not in the market just yet for a MacBook. Maybe next year or 2025, I’ll finally take the plunge and upgrade from my Windows laptop.

 

[StaceyMJ86]

I bought the Magic Keyboard a few months back when it went on sale on Amazon, and within 5 minutes didn’t like it. I’m used to the row of keys to adjust the volume, screen brightness, etc, and I didn’t like how it made the screen float above the keys. It’s an awesome keyboard for those who love it. I just couldn’t allow myself to keep it.

 

[heretiq]

And that's the damn point... it could do that workflow for developers the iPad would be a great cafe/couch/portable machine for that workflow if it ran macOS. Seriously, you can't see that the iPad would be great for many devs (a large and important Apple community)?

Think different... maybe try some mushrooms and expand what's possible.

I’ve been doing this to a surprisingly useful extent on my iPad Pro — without MacOS or mushrooms — and so can you!

It does requires a bit of thinking differently though: Suspend judgment, try what Apple has already provided and see if that works for you.

YMMV, but I’ve found SwiftPlaygrounds very capable for knocking out quick prototypes, experimenting, and working out solutions to coding challenges while laying in bed, sitting in my car, or having a solo meal. Of course, it won’t completely replace Xcode, but it is a great tool for end-to-end development and publishing of small apps to the App Store and a great compliment to Xcode for development assistance for complex apps.

 

[subjonas]

I‘m not using the Magic Keyboard with my 12.9 iPad Pro. I’m using the Brydge keyboard which I love by the way. It is attached to my iPad Pro 100% of the time. When I’m not using my iPad Pro, I’m using my Mini 6, as it‘s easier to transport even if I were to remove the Brydge keyboard, the Mini 6 is still easier to transport. I’m not in the market just yet for a MacBook. Maybe next year or 2025, I’ll finally take the plunge and upgrade from my Windows laptop.

Right so wouldn’t a clamshell convertible 12.9” iPP be better for you than the current slate with a heavy keyboard attachment? Of course you could just get a MacBook if you don’t necessarily want touch or iPadOS for this device.

 

[StaceyMJ86]

Right so wouldn’t a clamshell convertible 12.9” iPP be better for you than the current slate with a heavy keyboard attachment? Of course you could just get a MacBook if you don’t necessarily want touch or iPadOS for this device.

To be honest I like the versatility to turn my replacement “laptop” into a touch handheld device. When using my iPad Pro with the keyboard, I rarely touch the screen. As for the extra weight, I’m used to it now. I want touch, so I’m going to continue using an iPad. I rarely need to use my Windows laptop, hence why I haven’t purchased a MacBook. I’m going to start searching for a MacBook either in 2024 or 2025.