New Apple aluminum Magic Keyboard introduces backlit keys & function bar

AppleInsider

Apple's recent 'Let loose' event showcased the powerful new iPad Pro lineup, and introduced an updated Magic Keyboard with an aluminum body for the first time.

New Apple aluminum Magic Keyboard introduces backlit keys & multi-touch trackpad

The new Magic keyboard is now available for purchase on Apple's online store. With its integrated trackpad and floating design, the keyboard aims to enhance the user experience by providing laptop-like functionality to the iPad Pro.

The Magic Keyboard features a unique floating cantilever design, which allows the iPad Pro to attach magnetically and hover above the keyboard. The design elevates the device for a better viewing angle and makes it easy to adjust to the user's preferred viewing positions.

The keyboard itself includes backlit keys with a scissor mechanism that delivers 1mm travel for a responsive, comfortable, and quiet typing experience. Furthermore, the keyboard comes with a built-in trackpad.

The trackpad offers precise cursor control and supports multi-touch gestures like swiping and scrolling, enhancing productivity and ease of use. One of the standout features of the Magic Keyboard is its USB-C port, which allows for pass-through charging, freeing up the port on the iPad Pro for other accessories.

The keyboard also features front and back protection for the iPad, which not only enhances its usability but also provides added security for the device.

In terms of compatibility, the Magic Keyboard is designed specifically for the 13-inch iPad Pro M4 model, ensuring a perfect fit and integration with the device's features.

New Magic Keyboard for iPad -- Pricing & Availability

The new Magic Keyboard is available starting at $299 for the 11-inch iPad Pro and $349 for the 13-inch model.



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libertykrs

Looks very nice!!

brianjo

It was nice that for a hot minute Apple used the same accessories for iPad air and iPad pro so you could upgrade and NOT have to buy all new.  Guess that wasn't profitable enough for them.

kdupuis77

Nice they got rid of more of that damage-prone vinyl-wrapped cardboard stuff, added the function keys (much needed!) and a better angle for the iPad too. Seriously, the last Magic Keyboard was a no-go for me because I kept scraping my fingers under the iPad trying to type numbers constantly and was driving me nuts lol.

All that being said, with this new keyboard and iPad Pro you could basically have the first OLED-screened MacBook (kind of lol). I can't wait til next Wednesday to get mine and am definitely holding on to my M2 MacBook Pro for it's inevitable (God I hope) OLED screen upgrade!

cornchip

Sounds sweet.

Jack_Hennety

kdupuis77 said:

Nice they got rid of more of that damage-prone vinyl-wrapped cardboard stuff

More but not all unfortunately. Very deliberately says 'aluminium palm rest', and 'durable machined aluminium hinge' in the store. I guess the rest of it remains damage-prone vinyl-wrapped cardboard stuff.

slow n easy

brianjo said:

It was nice that for a hot minute Apple used the same accessories for iPad air and iPad pro so you could upgrade and NOT have to buy all new.  Guess that wasn't profitable enough for them.

That's a confusing comment. There is no choice with the Magic Keyboard for example because the camera orientation flipped from portrait to landscape. It has nothing to do with profits. They change the design to make the product better, not to sell more accessories. When I switched from the first generation Pro to the second generation Pro, I kept the same Magic Keyboard even though it wasn't a perfect fit, and I still use the same original Magic Keyboard to this day. I'm not at all mad that I need to purchase a new one because the changes are so dramatic and better. I was upset when they went from the first to the second generation because $350 is a lot of money and it was the very next year. The first generation keyboard wasn't a perfect fit because the second generation Pro was just a little bit thicker, but I decided it was close enough to not matter. I don't really understand all of the Conspiracy Theory stuff.
Edit for spelling error
Edit: When I'm talking about the different generations, I really mean the first generation that worked with the Magic Keyboard. I actually bought the Magic Keyboard for the 4th generation iPad Pro and it was the 5th generation iPad Pro that increased in thickness with a revised Magic Keyboard. I kept the original Magic Keyboard even though it wasn't a perfect fit for the 5th generation iPad Pro.

RigiDigi

Yes, BUT - in Apple's so-called 'post PC' world, can this keyboard /iPad combo actually be used as a laptop? ie work well on one's lap? The earlier models are hopless, have poor balance and just fall over.

entropys

I can’t see how buying this can be justified. Looks pretty, but the price! 

If you want a physical keyboard, get an MBA. 

The base MBA is AUD$1799 (boosted to 16GB RAM is AUD$2039), while the base 11 inch IPP with a keyboard is AUD$2198.

slow n easy

I feel very confused about the title. It's not an aluminum keyboard. It has an aluminum palm rest and hinge. The title also says "introduces backlit keys" when the original Magic Keyboard also has backlit keys. As far as I can tell, the only things that seem to be different are the aluminum palm rest, function bar, and larger trackpad. I'll have to wait and see when I get it, but I don't think it's substantially different. 

mattinoz

They really need to drop any vestiges of iOS in iPadOS now. 

IPadOS needs to pull up it's socks at WWDC and become the macOS killer these devices demand.

dewme

mattinoz said:

They really need to drop any vestiges of iOS in iPadOS now. 

IPadOS needs to pull up its socks at WWDC and become the macOS killer these devices demand.

I’m thinking that Apple is slow rolling on iPadOS because they don’t feel emboldened enough the move on from macOS yet. Apple is giving us a glimpse of where they think the future may end up with visionOS but they aren’t ready to burn their boats and abandon computers with hardware keyboards and pointing devices. There’s a lot of inertia to overcome. 

Someone from the 1800s who’s used a typewriter or teletype would probably have a clue about what personal computers of today are intended to do, at least at a high level. Same thing with automobiles from the early 1900s to today. Some of the most basic human-machine interactions seem to persist for a very long time. 

Apple probably thought that the iPad was a form of personal computing that would step away from the PC/Mac world. Then they stalled and even regressed by back fitting the iPad with an optional keyboard and separate pointing device. They could not overcome the inertia. Now they are in a state of limbo with no clear vision of where the iPad should go. They’re trying to force their original vision to come true, but it’s still not evident where the iPad should finally land. 

Like I’ve said many times, the original intention of the iPad as a device where you could contain and consume everything that’s important to you in your personal life of non-computing has withered on the vine while many of the enhancements rolled out on the iPad should probably have found their way to the Mac sooner. The iPad is eroding the Mac to some degree and the iPad seems stuck. Until the future vision of iPad is apparent both platforms are suffering. 

StrangeDays

brianjo said:

It was nice that for a hot minute Apple used the same accessories for iPad air and iPad pro so you could upgrade and NOT have to buy all new.  Guess that wasn't profitable enough for them.

Nonsense perspective. Accessories aren’t their profit drivers, whereas engineering has freedoms to build what is best for the product now, regardless of compatibility. They elevate the better product, not compatibility, and that trade off is fine with me. Live is compromise. 

StrangeDays

RigiDigi said:

Yes, BUT - in Apple's so-called 'post PC' world, can this keyboard /iPad combo actually be used as a laptop? ie work well on one's lap? The earlier models are hopless, have poor balance and just fall over.

It’s not so-called. Post means “after” and indeed we are after the era of just PCs. Mobile is huge and the primary device for many. I use my desktop for less than my ipad for personal use. 

StrangeDays

slow n easy said:

I feel very confused about the title. It's not an aluminum keyboard. It has an aluminum palm rest and hinge. The title also says "introduces backlit keys" when the original Magic Keyboard also has backlit keys. As far as I can tell, the only things that seem to be different are the aluminum palm rest, function bar, and larger trackpad. I'll have to wait and see when I get it, but I don't think it's substantially different. 

I have the original and it does not have backlit keys 

slow n easy

I’m typing on the original right now. I covered the screen in a dark room and light is definitely emitting from the keys. Sounds like backlit to me, and certainly functionally backlit. Maybe your definition of backlit is different from my definition, but when it’s nighttime, and no lights are on, the keys are perfectly illuminated. That’s all I care about. I don’t care about some obscure definition. 

chasm

I’m sort of sad that the new Magic Keyboard doesn’t work with older iPad Pro models, despite being the same sizes. I love my Magic Keyboard and 11-inch iPad Pro.

On the other hand, I’m a little relieved I won’t be tempted anytime soon to buy the new Magic Keyboard until I move to some future iPad Pro model.