Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro now available to order

Posted:
in General Discussion edited August 2020
Those interested in snagging Apple's new Magic Keyboard for the iPad Pro can order now, with shipments to customers starting the week of April 20.


Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro available to order


Apple's new Magic Keyboard with Trackpad is now available for order. The keyboard was announced in March alongside the 2020 iPad Pro lineup and new trackpad support in iPadOS 13.4. At the time, Apple said the accessory would launch in May.

The new Magic Keyboards, designed exclusively for 11-inch iPad Pro and 12.9-inch iPad Pro models, feature a trackpad for the first time, but they also sport a unique floating hinge design and backlit keys. They're priced at $299 for the 11-inch model and $349 for the 12.9-inch model and are compatible with the 2018 iPad Pros.

In the meantime, 2020 iPad Pro users will be able to take advantage of full mouse and trackpad support as long as their devices are running iPadOS 13.4. A handful of first- and third-party apps have also been updated to support trackpads and mice.

Apple's Magic Keyboard is available from Apple directly, or alternatively, through Adorama.

Apple had received some backlash for launching a $350 keyboard during the ongoing pandemic. However, despite the backlash, Magic Keyboard orders have already begun to slip into May.
watto_cobra

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 15
    Ordered! Email notification showed Delivered Apr 24 - May 1. 
    edited April 2020 dedgeckoalexkhan2000watto_cobra
  • Reply 2 of 15
    melgrossmelgross Posts: 33,510member
    I put my order in. I hope it works better with auto correct and text replacement than my folio does.
  • Reply 3 of 15
    dysamoriadysamoria Posts: 3,430member
    I’m assuming this is of zero use on an original iPad Pro... not to mention far too expensive for me. I’ll be watching all of you rich people announcing your orders on here... :wink: 
  • Reply 4 of 15
    dysamoria said:
    I’m assuming this is of zero use on an original iPad Pro... not to mention far too expensive for me. I’ll be watching all of you rich people announcing your orders on here... :wink: 
    Correct. The location of the Smart Connector moved starting with the 2018 iPad Pro.
    edited April 2020 watto_cobra
  • Reply 5 of 15
    I ordered it, despite not getting a chance to try it out first. I like the idea of being able to basically turn my iPad into a laptop instantly. The prior keyboard case didn’t impress me, so I skipped it.
    StrangeDayswatto_cobra
  • Reply 6 of 15
    I’ll order one for my 2018 12.9” once I have to get back on the road for work.  It looks like a brilliant product, addressing all the shortcomings of the Keyboard Folio.  Now that I’m stuck at my work desk, I’m using my iPad Pro out of a case, with my old Apple BT Keyboard and Magic Trackpad 2, plus Pencil and it’s been fantastic with the latest iPadOS.

    Plus I really like using the iPad out of a case (I do have a film screen protector and vinyl wrap on the back for protection), as it feels like I’m using an all new device now.  I was also getting tired of constantly having to clean the screen of fingerprints and smudges and between the screen protector and the new trackpad connectivity, I’m not hardly messing up the screen anymore.
    coffeetinwatto_cobra
  • Reply 7 of 15
    thrangthrang Posts: 1,009member
    dysamoria said:
    I’m assuming this is of zero use on an original iPad Pro... not to mention far too expensive for me. I’ll be watching all of you rich people announcing your orders on here... :wink: 
    Ok, I'll double your vicarious pleasure - ordered two today, one for my wife and myself...
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 8 of 15
    jdb8167jdb8167 Posts: 626member
    I’ve been using both my 2018 12.9” iPad Pro and my new 11” iPad Pro with the Smart Keyboard Folio and the Magic Trackpad. It is a game changer when it comes to iPad usability. I’m especially fond of using it with the Screens remote app and my Mac. Screens was recently updated to support the trackpad and the support is nearly perfect. Now my iPad Pro is a flawless thin-client for my Mac when I’m not in my office (unfortunately right now, I am always near my office). I’m looking forward to testing out the all-in-one magic keyboard instead of having a separate trackpad. The separate trackpad has been fine for testing but using it on the go would be less than ideal.

    Ordered and waiting until end of April early May. 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 9 of 15
    bohlerbohler Posts: 42member
    these keyboards cost up to an insane EUR 499 in Europe....crazy ripoff
  • Reply 10 of 15
    What about side protection?
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 11 of 15
    laytechlaytech Posts: 335member
    Eye waveringly expensive... not an impulse purchase by any means. Old keyboard disappointingly underwhelmed and eventually stopped working for no obvious reason. Keen to see the office AppleInsider reviews. The implementation of the software to use the track pad did impress me I have to say. 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 12 of 15
    I think the key to Apple's strategy is pretty well summed up in Federico Viticci's recent article on cursor support for the iPad Pro., i.e., that modularity rather than convergence is the key to Apple's future strategy. Apple makes varied devices (and OS flavors) for varied use cases, but all work more or less seamlessly together. Unlocking a MacBook Air with touch ID, an iMac with a paired Apple Watch; AirDrop and the Universal Clipboard; Apple single sign-on and ApplePay; handwriting recognition and sound/video editing on the iPad with the Apple pencil; SideCar when you need 27 inches or more of screen real estate to manage a large drawing. The idea is that you use the tool designed for a specific task, and don't worry about transferring the finished product to wherever you want it. A naked iPad, when you want to read a book, or one with a smart cover when you might also need to write a lengthy e-mail, or jot down some ideas, or prop it up horizontally to watch a video or place a FaceTime call. When you want to head off to Starbucks for a change of scenery but continue working on your novel, slap on the smart keyboard, and maybe you slip your AirPods in your pocket. 4K video transcoding? Back home to your iMac or iMac Pro. Want to watch a movie on a big screen, with decent sound in a small room? Apple TV and HomePods.

    All of this depends on money being no object, of course. Unfortunately, for ordinary civilians like most of us, money is always an object. Which is why a) most of these devices can handle multiple use cases, even if they aren't the best device for all of them, and b) why eventually Apple's concept of modular and pervasive computing will mature, the devices will be simpler and more convincingly integrated, and the total cost won't be so eye watering. In the meantime, I'm glad Apple is going the route of sparing no expense to push the limits of current technology, even when I can't afford all of it at the same time.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 13 of 15
    HyperealityHypereality Posts: 58unconfirmed, member
    I couldn't get the web version of the store to work when I initially tried to order, so by the time I'd got through (a day later) I could only get a mid-late May shipping date for a keyboard costing nearly $500. 
       
    With SwiftUI,  Swift, Playgrounds...  could iPadOS 14 bring us some increased capability for app development at WWDC 2014?  I would very much enjoy extended code development on the 12.9" model for when I'm back in circulation after the lockdown.  With the power in the iPad Pro and the nice new keyboard, it's begging for extended productivity uses. 
     
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 14 of 15
    bluefire1bluefire1 Posts: 1,302member
    Ordered it, received it and love it!
  • Reply 15 of 15
    jdb8167jdb8167 Posts: 626member
    Just had a weird problem with my Magic Keyboard. I attached my iPad Pro and the trackpad didn’t work. As far as the Settings app was concerned, the trackpad was there. It showed up in the General tab and I could change options. But swiping or clicking did not produce the normal cursor. I restarted the iPad and that didn’t fix it. I unmounted the iPad Pro and remounted it. This didn’t work the first time. But oddly the third time I attached the iPad Pro the trackpad woke up and started working.

    I’ll have to monitor this. It might be a hardware problem or software. If the trackpad wasn’t visible at all in Settings, I would assume a hardware problem but it always showed up there even when it wasn’t working. Anyone else seen this?
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