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iPad Pro ONLY TWO SMART KEYBOARDS????

F

flapflapflap

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Dec 13, 2013
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I've had the iPP for two weeks. I'm actually buying the SP4 tonight to compare the two devices. I've been holding onto the iPP hoping that third parties would debut their smart keyboard covers for the iPP. What is taking so long? Does anyone know why there are only TWO smart keyboards in the market?

I am a young lawyer and my work revolves around Word, Excel and Adobe PDFs. I need a keyboard for iPP, but the options (Logitech Create and Apple Smart Keyboard) are really bad in my opinion. The Logitech is too bulky and makes the entire package heavy, while the Apple Smart Keyboard offers a bad typing experience and even worse folding/origami exercise. I absolutely love SP4's hardware design which features a built in kickstand plus a very thin type cover that helps makes the device extremely portable.

Someone in a different thread referenced the Urban Armor case which mimics the SP4's kickstand (http://urbanarmorgear.com/collections/ipad-pro-cases/products/case-for-ipad-pro?variant=7171851012). I would love to see a thin back cover with a built in kickstand paired with a type cover similar to SP4's.

The iPP is thinner than the SP4, so it can allow for a thin back cover that has a built in kickstand and still preserve its thin profile.

Thoughts?
 
Michael Goff said:
There are only two because the product hasn't been on the market for long.
Click to expand...

It's been available to developers and hardware third parties for almost three months. Yet, no mention or even rumors of keyboards in the near future. How much longer before a hardware company comes up with their own? Is it that difficult? Perhaps the market is so weak, that there is no incentive for keyboard makers to invest more $ to make a compatible keyboard.
 
flapflapflap said:
It's been available to developers and hardware third parties for almost three months. Yet, no mention or even rumors of keyboards in the near future. How much longer before a hardware company comes up with their own? Is it that difficult? Perhaps the market is so weak, that there is no incentive for keyboard makers to invest more $ to make a compatible keyboard.
Click to expand...

Most hardware makers are going to wait to put something out until after they know it will sell. Also, designing to a new port for a new device will likely take more than three months.
 
Given the lukewarm response of the iPP in general, I doubt we will see any other "smart" keyboards for quite awhile.

SP4's built in kickstand is truly a marvel. I hope to see someone create a back cover that can mimic the kickstand and bundle it with a type cover that is similar to the SP4's.
 
flapflapflap said:
Given the lukewarm response of the iPP in general, I doubt we will see any other "smart" keyboards for quite awhile.

SP4's built in kickstand is truly a marvel. I hope to see someone create a back cover that can mimic the kickstand and bundle it with a type cover that is similar to the SP4's.
Click to expand...

Luke warm? Is that why I have to wait until the fourth of next month to get mine shipped from Sprint?
 
Michael Goff said:
Luke warm? Is that why I have to wait until the fourth of next month to get mine shipped from Sprint?
Click to expand...

That's from Sprint. They were the last to receive iPP's and their inventory status is not a good indicator on how the iPP is doing.

The reason why I say lukewarm is because I have spent a lot of time reading reviews and the majority (more than 75%) of reviewers who do this for a living have remarked that the iPad Pro does not meet their expectation. Tim Cook created a high bar by saying the iPP could replace your laptop.

Even from macrumors.com, several people have indicated they are returning their iPP's.

Lastly, there are articles like these that reveal the weak demand in the iPP.

http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/ipad-pro-china-sales/
iPad Pro struggling to sell in one key market - TechnoBuffalo
 
China sells are struggling but it's surely not struggling in the United states. Also, it seems like the Microsoft surface book would seem more useful for the OP above especially since you're a lawyer.
 
jamesrick80 said:
China sells are struggling but it's surely not struggling in the United states. Also, it seems like the Microsoft surface book would seem more useful for the OP above especially since you're a lawyer.
Click to expand...

I certainly hope so. Bottom line, I want to hold onto the iPP and hope to see third parties come up with their keyboard variants very soon.

My wish list is as follows: (1) multiple viewing angles, (2) thin and light package (unlike the Logitech Create), (3) a cover that protects the screen.
 
flapflapflap said:
That's from Sprint. They were the last to receive iPP's and their inventory status is not a good indicator on how the iPP is doing.

The reason why I say lukewarm is because I have spent a lot of time reading reviews and the majority (more than 75%) of reviewers who do this for a living have remarked that the iPad Pro does not meet their expectation. Tim Cook created a high bar by saying the iPP could replace your laptop.

Even from macrumors.com, several people have indicated they are returning their iPP's.

Lastly, there are articles like these that reveal the weak demand in the iPP.

http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/ipad-pro-china-sales/
iPad Pro struggling to sell in one key market - TechnoBuffalo
Click to expand...

Problem #1 - People who "review for a living". These are the WORST people to accept any kind of feedback on a Tech Product from. The vast majority of "reviewers" give it a spin for a couple days (a week at best) and do a write up based on limited experience with the product - and they usually write it from the PoV of someone who is looking at Specs rather than how they would actually use the thing. Read a review from someone who has used it for a month or two and put it through it's paces in a real-world situations (and writing Tech Reviews is NOT a "real-world situation").

Problem #2 - I haven't seen any REAL demand/sales numbers (specifically from Apple), so 3rd party numbers mean very little. Not only that, it's not worth anything to speculate on imaginary sales numbers so close to a product launch. Six months and a year in, then let's talk about how it's doing.

Problem #3 - When Tim Cook said that the iPad Pro could replace your laptop, he probably assumed (wrongly, evidently) that people would be smart enough to know that he wasn't talking about everybody. There are LOTS of people for whom the iPad Pro could completely replace their laptop - if you're on this board, you're probably not one of them. That doesn't mean it can't replace your laptop in a lot of different situations - it doesn't have to be total.
 
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bensisko said:
Problem #1 - People who "review for a living". These are the WORST people to accept any kind of feedback on a Tech Product from. The vast majority of "reviewers" give it a spin for a couple days (a week at best) and do a write up based on limited experience with the product - and they usually write it from the PoV of someone who is looking at Specs rather than how they would actually use the thing. Read a review from someone who has used it for a month or two and put it through it's paces in a real-world situations (and writing Tech Reviews is NOT a "real-world situation").

Problem #2 - I haven't seen any REAL demand/sales numbers (specifically from Apple), so 3rd party numbers mean very little. Not only that, it's not worth anything to speculate on imaginary sales numbers so close to a product launch. Six months and a year in, then let's talk about how it's doing.

Problem #3 - When Tim Cook said that the iPad Pro could replace your laptop, he probably assumed (wrongly, evidently) that people would be smart enough to know that he wasn't talking about everybody. There are LOTS of people for whom the iPad Pro could completely replace their laptop - if you're on this board, you're probably not one of them. That doesn't mean it can't replace your laptop in a lot of different situations - it doesn't have to be total.
Click to expand...

No disagreements. Though, for a CEO of a multi-billion dollar company, Tim Cook and other CEOs are precise with their words. IMO, Tim Cook said what he said so he could sway as many folks from buying the SP4.

With that said, if I do not see third party keyboards that are designed to make usage of the iPP port within the next few months, then to me, it would suggest that there isn't a big enough market of buyers.
 
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flapflapflap said:
That's from Sprint. They were the last to receive iPP's and their inventory status is not a good indicator on how the iPP is doing.

The reason why I say lukewarm is because I have spent a lot of time reading reviews and the majority (more than 75%) of reviewers who do this for a living have remarked that the iPad Pro does not meet their expectation. Tim Cook created a high bar by saying the iPP could replace your laptop.

Even from macrumors.com, several people have indicated they are returning their iPP's.

Lastly, there are articles like these that reveal the weak demand in the iPP.

http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/ipad-pro-china-sales/
iPad Pro struggling to sell in one key market - TechnoBuffalo
Click to expand...

And neither is China.
 
Michael Goff said:
And neither is China.
Click to expand...

The articles I presented are based on hard data. It doesn't give you the entire scope of iPP sales, but it's an indicator at some level.

Look, I hope the iPP outsells the SP4 by a landslide. Just give me a lightweight keyboard/protective cover that provides multiple viewing angles.
 
flapflapflap said:
The articles I presented are based on hard data. It doesn't give you the entire scope of iPP sales, but it's an indicator at some level.

Look, I hope the iPP outsells the SP4 by a landslide. Just give me a lightweight keyboard/protective cover that provides multiple viewing angles.
Click to expand...

I want one as well. The best I can think of is a case with multiple angles and a BT keyboard.
 
It's only been out for a few months, and, honestly, outside of Logitech, what other 3rd party is there to make a keyboard? Most probably don't have the resources to turn out a product designed for a new port so quickly.
 
My iPP with its Smart Keyboard and Pencil is quite useful.

There aren't any real substantial drawbacks, other than my personal objection that it's a bit bulky and cumbersome due to size and weight. Not as in way too much, but enough that it's annoying.

Conversely my Surface Pro 3 and 4 models are better balanced, not awkward, and very ergonomically designed.

They iPP and Surface Pro's are just different which is both obvious and to be expected.

On the University Campus I must admit I see a very large number of SP models and very few iPP units being used. But in fairness to Apple, University of California Campuses are Windows Centric and Windows 10 is very popular indeed.

Microsoft has hit a huge home run with the very well thought out and engineered Surface Pro. Mine is delightfully fast, fun and easy to carry. :D
 
maxsix said:
My iPP with its Smart Keyboard and Pencil is quite useful.

There aren't any real substantial drawbacks, other than my personal objection that it's a bit bulky and cumbersome due to size and weight. Not as in way too much, but enough that it's annoying.

Conversely my Surface Pro 3 and 4 models are better balanced, not awkward, and very ergonomically designed.

They iPP and Surface Pro's are just different which is both obvious and to be expected.

On the University Campus I must admit I see a very large number of SP models and very few iPP units being used. But in fairness to Apple, University of California Campuses are Windows Centric and Windows 10 is very popular indeed.

Microsoft has hit a huge home run with the very well thought out and engineered Surface Pro. Mine is delightfully fast, fun and easy to carry. :D
Click to expand...

No disagreements, however, I think the SP4 battery life is terrible.
 
flapflapflap said:
It's been available to developers and hardware third parties for almost three months. Yet, no mention or even rumors of keyboards in the near future. How much longer before a hardware company comes up with their own? Is it that difficult? Perhaps the market is so weak, that there is no incentive for keyboard makers to invest more $ to make a compatible keyboard.
Click to expand...
I don't believe that the reason is because the "market is so weak". I think it has to do with taking the time to understand what customers want (which might be different for the iPP than it is for the other iPads). This is especially important because Apple produced their own keyboard cover out of the gate. It might also have something to do with the mag connector... technical issues, Apple's licensing fees, etc.

There is a segment of the iPP customers that will buy the Apple Smart Keyboard regardless of what other options are available. Accessory companies know this and they know that they'll have to do something to significantly differentiate themselves from what Apple offers... either by an alternative design or significant price difference.

This is one of the reasons why (although I was waiting for the release of the iPP) I haven't bought one yet.
 
flapflapflap said:
I've had the iPP for two weeks. I'm actually buying the SP4 tonight to compare the two devices. I've been holding onto the iPP hoping that third parties would debut their smart keyboard covers for the iPP. What is taking so long? Does anyone know why there are only TWO smart keyboards in the market?

I am a young lawyer and my work revolves around Word, Excel and Adobe PDFs. I need a keyboard for iPP, but the options (Logitech Create and Apple Smart Keyboard) are really bad in my opinion. The Logitech is too bulky and makes the entire package heavy, while the Apple Smart Keyboard offers a bad typing experience and even worse folding/origami exercise. I absolutely love SP4's hardware design which features a built in kickstand plus a very thin type cover that helps makes the device extremely portable.

Someone in a different thread referenced the Urban Armor case which mimics the SP4's kickstand (http://urbanarmorgear.com/collections/ipad-pro-cases/products/case-for-ipad-pro?variant=7171851012). I would love to see a thin back cover with a built in kickstand paired with a type cover similar to SP4's.

The iPP is thinner than the SP4, so it can allow for a thin back cover that has a built in kickstand and still preserve its thin profile.

Thoughts?
Click to expand...

Yes.

You should have never got an iPP, perhaps you never did since you're whole post appears to be an ad for the SP4
 
Cashmonee said:
It's only been out for a few months, and, honestly, outside of Logitech, what other 3rd party is there to make a keyboard? Most probably don't have the resources to turn out a product designed for a new port so quickly.
Click to expand...

My dream scenario? Microsoft. Just throwing that out there.
 
flapflapflap said:
That is ridiculous. SP4 is terrible with its battery life.
Click to expand...
Don't worry. Lots of super defensive folks around here who can't bare to listen to even the slightest criticism of apple.

I hope the SP4, SP5, etc... are big hits, if only to drive apple to innovate in response. But some around here would LOVE for Apple to follow in Intel's footsteps - Zero competition, precious little innovation.
 
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