TOOL TO TURN YOUR IPAD PRO INTO A LAPTOP ISN’T CHEAP
Last month, I wrote about the advances in the operating system for Apple’s iPad that finally made the tablet a serious alternative to a laptop. Support for mice and trackpads ups the iPad’s game, but you still need the right hardware.
That particular review — in which I also compared it to the new 2020 MacBook Air — relied on an Apple Smart Keyboard Folio with a 12.9-inch 2020 iPad Pro and a separate Magic TrackPad 2 to turn the iPad into a quasi-notebook. Since then, Apple started shipping its Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro, which combines a tablet stand, backlit keyboard and trackpad in one unit. It’s a remarkable feat of engineering, and arguably the best approach to making an iPad into a great laptop.
But it’s also very expensive. The Magic Keyboard for the smaller 11-inch iPad Pro sells for $299; for the 12.9-inch version, it’s $349. To put that in perspective, the cheapest 10.2-inch iPad starts at $329. The 7.9-inch iPad mini starts at $399.
The 12.9-inch 2020 iPad Pro Apple sent me for review has a terabyte of storage and can connect to cellular as well as WiFi networks. It’s the top of the line and sells for $1,699, though it starts at $999. With the Magic Keyboard and that base model, the price tag is almost $1,350.
More perspective: the new 13-inch MacBook Air, a laptop by design with a built-in keyboard and trackpad, starts at $999.
So with all that in mind, is the Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro worth it?
There’s nothing out there quite like the Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro. It uses a strong magnet to latch onto the iPad and holds it about an inch above the far end of the keyboard. A stiff hinge provides stability, letting you angle the screen to your liking. A USB-C connection on the hinge lets you charge the iPad, leaving
the tablet’s own port free for other uses.
As a stand, it’s very heavy, which also makes it stable. A friend posted to Instagram a photo of his iPad Pro on a table with the keyboard hanging off the edge. He said he could type this way and the Magic Keyboard wouldn’t tip off. I tried it, and he’s right, thanks to the stand’s weight (though I’m not sure why you’d want to).
The keyboard has a similar feel to that found on the new MacBook Air, though a little noisier, but in a good way. Folks who prefer a “clacky” keyboard will like this. (All the Apple notebooks now have this type of keyboard, finally putting a deserved end to the oft-despised “butterfly” keyboard.)
The trackpad is small — 3.75 by 2 inches — but with Apple’s usually excellent implementation, it doesn’t feel that way. As I indicated in the earlier review, I’m now a big fan of the way trackpads work via the ipadOS software, and in many ways I wish the macOS worked the same way.
There are, of course, some flaws. The material used for the cover is a fingerprint magnet, and it’s not easy to clean. The same stiff hinges that provide stability also make it difficult to open, particularly one-handed. There are no function keys or even an escape key. And adjusting the backlight on the keyboard requires a deep dive into the settings, when
it should just be a feature in the Control Center.
And then there is the cost, which really is the biggest issue here.
I think the Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro is overpriced by about $150. It would be a real value at $149 for the 11-inch model and $200 for the 12.9-inch one. I wouldn’t be surprised to see this design cloned and priced that way — and I would even consider buying one.
( This story originally appeared in Dwight Silverman’s Release Notes newsletter. Sign up to receive it at houstonchronicle.com/ releasenotes.)