Apple’s iPad Pros can’t quite match the usability of MacBooks when it comes to acting as mobile workstations, but thanks to one new accessory — the new Magic Keyboard — that might all be about to change.
The original Magic Keyboard for iPad was announced in March 2020. While it was an innovative product that transformed Apple’s powerful tablets into a portable workstation, it could’ve been better in a few ways.
In Laptop Mag‘s iPad Pro Magic Keyboard review, we noted that it had comfortable, backlit keys and a responsive touchpad. However, it was expensive and heavy and lacked an Esc key and shortcut keys. Observed Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman this week: The current-gen Magic Keyboard for iPad has a small trackpad and is “prone to bending and even tearing at the edges.”
Apple’s upcoming Magic Keyboard — which should be announced at the “Let Loose” event at 7 a.m. Pacific on May 7 — is likely to address all of these user-reported issues with a sleek design that’ll impress both visually and functionally.
What we know about Apple’s new Magic Keyboard
All the current rumors surrounding Apple’s upcoming Magic Keyboard suggest an iPad-as-a-laptop experience on the horizon.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman said Apple’s new accessory will “have a larger trackpad to be more Mac-like.” Plenty of Reddit users have debated whether the trackpad (and keyboard itself) were too small to use comfortably for long periods, with one user (@deathfire31) ultimately deciding to return their Magic Keyboard after three days, citing the small, uncomfortable trackpad as one of their reasons.
For reference, the original Magic Keyboard’s touchpad measures 3.9 x 1.8 inches. While it might not be possible to match the size of a MacBook’s trackpad, we hope to see more height in the new Magic Keyboard’s trackpad dimensions.
Gurman also said that the “top case — the area around the keyboard itself — will be aluminum,” which will be a first for Apple’s Magic Keyboard. This design change will make the Magic Keyboard more aesthetically aligned with the rest of Apple’s products, as well as give it a “sturdier structure.”
With the “older, flimsier version,” many users reported peeling or tearing at the edges and corners. When Redditor @anndrrson shared a photo of their Magic Keyboard’s rough edges, another user (@MJC136) commented “Lol wait till it starts peeling. Welcome to the apple accessory experience.”
Hopefully, the new aluminum design will prevent this inevitable wear-and-tear, and make the Magic Keyboard’s expensive $299 price more worth it. Gurman said that “the new model shouldn’t be much heavier” after its aluminum refresh, but he “[has] to wonder if the change will lead Apple to raise the $300 starting price.”
If Apple is truly attempting to push the iPad into a competitive space with MacBooks, I can’t see the company raising the price of its new Magic Keyboard — at least, not by much. Historically, Apple doesn’t tend to raise prices for its new MacBooks with upgraded chips and other specs, so it wouldn’t be surprising if the aluminum Magic Keyboard stays at $300.
With an aluminum Magic Keyboard and a heavy focus on the new Apple Pencil, the company’s upcoming iPad Pros might be the closest we’ve ever been to a laptop-like tablet experience.
