Review: Zagg's Slim Book More Than Doubles the Weight of the iPad Pro, but Keyboard is Great

[MacRumors]

Zagg's newest Slim Book is its first product designed specifically for the iPad Pro. Following in the footsteps of its previous Slim Books for other iPads, the Slim Book for iPad Pro features a protective case that snaps around the iPad and fits into an accompanying full-sized keyboard.

The Slim Book is one of the few keyboard cases available for the iPad Pro, and it essentially turns the iPad Pro into a full-fledged laptop, plus it is versatile because it's able to serve as a standalone case or a case that offers full protection. That might sound appealing, but as I've discovered testing it for the last week, there are some downsides to Zagg's latest offering.

Design

The Slim Book consists of two pieces: a black plastic shell that fits around the back of the iPad Pro and a matching silver aluminum keyboard with black MacBook-style keys and a matching black plastic exterior. The shell piece that fits around the iPad Pro is relatively slim, snapping into place to protect the back of the iPad. It doesn't feel cheaply made, but it also doesn't feel as premium as an Apple product given all the plastic.

All of the ports on the iPad Pro are left open with the shell on, leaving everything from the headphone jack to the Lightning port accessible. Because the shell fits so tightly to the iPad Pro, it's difficult to remove. This is not a shell that I would want to be taking off my iPad on a regular basis, because it takes a lot of force to get it off. It also makes the volume and the sleep/wake buttons on the iPad Pro more difficult to press because it causes them to be recessed.

For a while after I put it on, I wasn't even sure my iPad Pro would ever come out, so expect a tight fit there. Given the amount of force it took to get that shell off, I'm concerned about future breakage, especially at weak spots near ports. If you get this case, you're going to want to leave the back shell on all the time, so that's something to keep in mind. On the plus side, it does offer some rear protection from scratches and dings.


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Article Link: Review: Zagg's Slim Book More Than Doubles the Weight of the iPad Pro, but Keyboard is Great

 

[OldSchoolMacGuy]

Not-So-Slim Book

 

[akrimmer]

I just went through 2 of these with my iPad Mini 4. The keyboard is great, the case is HORRIBLE. As the writer lists, it is a VERY tight fit and the case breaks very easily. The first one I bought had a corner break while trying to put the iPad into the case. The 2nd one broke around the volume buttons just by me gently pressing on the case around that area. Both breaks happened less than 12 hours of using each one.

I would not suggest this product at all unless you want pay the premium for the keyboard and use a different case...of course then the case will not connect so nicely to the keyboard. :\

I'm usually a fan of Zagg products, but this one needs some work.

 

[furi0usbee]

Slim sounds better than Heft. So they went with that.

 

[garoto]

Why? It's an ugly and cheap laptop without a trackpad. How does something like this make sense over a MacBook?

 

[ellenich]

Really wish manufactures would stop making keyboards that require you to snap your iPad Pro into some crappy "case".

I'm a super heavy iPad user and non of my iPads rear enclosures have been damaged from throwing them into the laptop sleeve in my backpack.

Please just make a simple/thin magnetic screen cover/keyboard combo like the old Logitech ultra slim keyboards.

 

[FarNorth]

Really wish manufactures would stop making keyboards that require you to snap your iPad Pro into some crappy "case".

I'm a super heavy iPad user and non of my iPads rear enclosures have been damaged from throwing them into the laptop sleeve in my backpack.

Please just make a simple/thin magnetic screen cover/keyboard combo like the old Logitech ultra slim keyboards.

I'm with you. 99% of my iPad usage is on an airplane or in a rental car. My iPad Pro with Create keboard weighs close to 3 pounds and the keyboard is more than the tablet. The unit weighs more than my Lenovo X-1, may as well carry that thing.

 

[mcdspncr]

Too bad. I really would like a clam-shell case which still allows the iPad to be detached for tablet use. But that bulk/weight and cheap looking exterior just ruin it. That being said it was DOA due to the lack of smart connection! Until someone makes a decent option I guess I'll just continue with my smart case and external keyboard

 

[AliMacs]

Why? It's an ugly and cheap laptop without a trackpad. How does something like this make sense over a MacBook?

It absolutely makes ZERO SENSE! You are right; Apple does what they do best; create products you didn't 'know you wanted or needed and in this case, it's just stupid.

MAKE AN APPLE "SURFACE PAD", PLEASE. For F sake, all this iOS crap belongs on a PHONE. Give users a real portable OS X and stop with the scaled up apps and stupid multitasking that I personally don't even bother using because it's such a waste of time. It's really ironic because apple fires Scott Forestall and throws all his hard work out the window but then with these limited use iPads they force developers to fit a square peg in a round hole. The iOS apps are great and they belong in the smartphone but now you got a giant 13" iPhone that really wastes a lot of screen real estate and iOS being so limited, you really can't do much with the 13" model.

Throw in this keyboard case and the damn thing is as heavy as a real macbook. Except you get real stuff done on a macbook.

 

[sracer]

Really wish manufactures would stop making keyboards that require you to snap your iPad Pro into some crappy "case".

I'm a super heavy iPad user and non of my iPads rear enclosures have been damaged from throwing them into the laptop sleeve in my backpack.

Please just make a simple/thin magnetic screen cover/keyboard combo like the old Logitech ultra slim keyboards.

When Apple changed the design of the iPad frame starting with the Air, it cause keyboard cover manufacturers to have to do things differently. I have the Logitech ultraslim keyboard cover for my iPad 4 (and 2), but the ultraslim keyboard cover available for my Air 2 has an annoying lip where the hinge attaches to the iPad causing it catch when removing it from a bag/case.

I also have an Anker keyboard cover for the Air 2... it features an older-style hinge (nearly identical to the logitech ultra-slim for the iPad 4) but they have some goofy spacers that leave a gap between keyboard and iPad (when closed) and causes the keyboard to flex if my grip is too tight holding the combo.

At this stage, I'd like to see Logitech produce an ultraslim version of their Logi Blok keyboard case for the Air 2.

It absolutely makes ZERO SENSE! You are right; Apple does what they do best; create products you didn't 'know you wanted or needed and in this case, it's just stupid.

MAKE AN APPLE "SURFACE PAD", PLEASE. For F sake, all this iOS crap belongs on a PHONE. Give users a real portable OS X and stop with the scaled up apps and stupid multitasking that I personally don't even bother using because it's such a waste of time. It's really ironic because apple fires Scott Forestall and throws all his hard work out the window but then with these limited use iPads they force developers to fit a square peg in a round hole. The iOS apps are great and they belong in the smartphone but now you got a giant 13" iPhone that really wastes a lot of screen real estate and iOS being so limited, you really can't do much with the 13" model.

Throw in this keyboard case and the damn thing is as heavy as a real macbook. Except you get real stuff done on a macbook.

Why get emotionally torqued-up over this?

 

[zhenya]

This hinge design that Zagg has been using forever seems great on the surface, as the user can place the iPad at any angle they want and it make the thing feel like a regular laptop. The problem is that the hinge is nowhere near durable enough to support that weight over time, and the hinge will get progressively looser, even with light use.

The only way to make a hinge for the screen is to develop in conjunction with the keyboard it attaches to. Everything else is second-rate.

 

[nawoo]

This is seriously retarded

Just buy the 12 inch macbook if you need a keyboard so badly

 

[johnnyturbouk]

This is seriously retarded

Just buy the 12 inch macbook if you need a keyboard so badly

probably heaper too.

I do have the belkin Qode pro V3, when coupled with my ipad has really opened up new dimensions in terms of productivity. But for the size and overwhelming cost of the ipad pro, i really do not think it is worth it. I paid £350 for my ipad, and £80 for the keyboard, this is the maximum i would spend on a tablet+keyboard, as the crux of the issue is in not way or form able to replace my rMBP.

 

[applepuree]

Logitec has a very similar case/keyboard. Cheaper than the apple one and with background lit keys and a built in case. That keyboard was in my local Apple Store on day 1 of the iPad Pro sales.

http://www.apple.com/shop/product/H...lit-keyboard-case-for-ipad-pro-black?fnode=37

 

[radardude]

Zagg's newest Slim Book is its first product designed specifically for the iPad Pro. Following in the footsteps of its previous Slim Books for other iPads, the Slim Book for iPad Pro features a protective case that snaps around the iPad and fits into an accompanying full-sized keyboard.

The Slim Book is one of the few keyboard cases available for the iPad Pro, and it essentially turns the iPad Pro into a full-fledged laptop, plus it is versatile because it's able to serve as a standalone case or a case that offers full protection. That might sound appealing, but as I've discovered testing it for the last week, there are some downsides to Zagg's latest offering.

Design

The Slim Book consists of two pieces: a black plastic shell that fits around the back of the iPad Pro and a matching silver aluminum keyboard with black MacBook-style keys and a matching black plastic exterior. The shell piece that fits around the iPad Pro is relatively slim, snapping into place to protect the back of the iPad. It doesn't feel cheaply made, but it also doesn't feel as premium as an Apple product given all the plastic.

All of the ports on the iPad Pro are left open with the shell on, leaving everything from the headphone jack to the Lightning port accessible. Because the shell fits so tightly to the iPad Pro, it's difficult to remove. This is not a shell that I would want to be taking off my iPad on a regular basis, because it takes a lot of force to get it off. It also makes the volume and the sleep/wake buttons on the iPad Pro more difficult to press because it causes them to be recessed.

For a while after I put it on, I wasn't even sure my iPad Pro would ever come out, so expect a tight fit there. Given the amount of force it took to get that shell off, I'm concerned about future breakage, especially at weak spots near ports. If you get this case, you're going to want to leave the back shell on all the time, so that's something to keep in mind. On the plus side, it does offer some rear protection from scratches and dings.


Click here to read more...

Article Link: Review: Zagg's Slim Book More Than Doubles the Weight of the iPad Pro, but Keyboard is Great

 

[radardude]

Why not just make a rMBP with a removable keyboard? Problem solved.

 

[cubsnlinux]

Why? It's an ugly and cheap laptop without a trackpad. How does something like this make sense over a MacBook?

Amen. All the talk about technological advancement and post PC world and yet buy an expensive tablet and then turn it into a clumsy laptop. All this for what? a touch screen m/c that runs a phone OS? It is beyond stupid and incomprehensible. If you are an artist or a graphics designer then iPad Pro with the pencil will make an awesome tool. But then those folks don't need a clumsy keyboard and the rest of the folks don't need the iPad Pro.

 

[sracer]

Amen. All the talk about technological advancement and post PC world and yet buy an expensive tablet and then turn it into a clumsy laptop. All this for what? a touch screen m/c that runs a phone OS? It is beyond stupid and incomprehensible. If you are an artist or a graphics designer then iPad Pro with the pencil will make an awesome tool. But then those folks don't need a clumsy keyboard and the rest of the folks don't need the iPad Pro.

This has the makings of a terrific geek drinking game... take a drink whenever someone makes an emotional comment about physical keyboards and/or mice for an iPad.

 

[APlotdevice]

I just noticed that there is no Esc key. That's a slight problem in 9.2, since Esc overrides autocorrect when using the physical keyboard. (Then again the official keyboard doesn't have one either...)

 

[Dionte]

I'm sticking with the apple keyboard, it seems to be the thinnest and lightest, plus I have no issues typing on it.

 

[djgamble]

Yaaaay here's how to make an authentic Apple product look like a fake MacBook that doesn't have a rich OS.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzz...

 

[Simplicated]

It absolutely makes ZERO SENSE! You are right; Apple does what they do best; create products you didn't 'know you wanted or needed and in this case, it's just stupid.

MAKE AN APPLE "SURFACE PAD", PLEASE.

Sounds contradictory to me.

 

[ignatius345]

Why get emotionally torqued-up over this?

Fair point, but as someone who prefers to get work done on OS X, I would really love to see more development effort put into Mac hardware and software. We've got two lines (Mac Mini, Macbook Air) that are badly out of date right now, an oddball single-port Macbook with a connector no other Mac has, and a Mac Pro that hasn't been updated in a long time.

Who knows whether the development time poured into this lame faux Surface would have been put into some Mac updates, but I really would love to have some more options as I look into upgrading my machines.

 

[robeddie]

Fair point, but as someone who prefers to get work done on OS X, I would really love to see more development effort put into Mac hardware and software. We've got two lines (Mac Mini, Macbook Air) that are badly out of date right now, an oddball single-port Macbook with a connector no other Mac has, and a Mac Pro that hasn't been updated in a long time.

Who knows whether the development time poured into this lame faux Surface would have been put into some Mac updates, but I really would love to have some more options as I look into upgrading my machines.

Agreed! Well said

 

[mixel]

It has to be more than double the weight or it'd fall over backwards when you poke the screen to move the cursor.

I have the same problem with my clam academic for the iPad3, an excellent design apart from being top heavy.