Combined Weight of a 12.9-inch iPad Pro and a Magic Keyboard Is Heavier Than a 13-inch MacBook Air

[Expos of 1969]

Very difficult to give Apple any credit or take them seriously at times when they are so eager to not reveal key product information. Not publishing and not providing the weight of this keyboard to journalists when asked is just so damn juvenile, petty and shady. If they are not proud of the product and feel that potential customers should not be aware of the weight prior to purchase, something is wrong. Very strange behaviour.

 

[ericwn]

Logically... shouldn't it, since it's a base, weigh more?

If it didn't, it would tip over easily.

Exactly that’s what the article said.

So stick in all in a MacBook style case and it can be the new iBook.

Yes, we need an iBook revival after it being gone for 14 years! Good catch!

 

[yaxomoxay]

Yes, but its software is not good. Not optimised as a tablet, and Windows is really not as smooth as iOS or macOS.

I am not really sure here that "not good" applies. I do agree that the iPad is somewhat more polished, but I have been loving my Surface Pro (provided by my employer), and my wife loves the Surface Pro I got for her. Am I 100% happy with Windows 10 and the Surface? No, but here we're starting to compromise a bit too much in order to have Apple devices.

 

[fbr$]

Apple hasn't specified the weight of its new Magic Keyboard,

I don't know what is worse:

- Apple following a "What is good we show, what is bad we hide!" strategy
or
- The simple fact that there are so many bad specs in Apple products nowadays

 

[supertiffany]

I'm not entirely sure this is all that true.

Better performance according to short run benchmarks. The reality is without cooling how long can the iPad Pro sustain those numbers? Plus performance only matters when it comes to the applications it can run. You can give tablets all the processing power in the world but many tablet applications are still watered down compared to their Mac versions. We have little to no real world performance comparisons or using a iPad Pro actually being a more productive tool to justify that better performance.

Is the battery better? Does it really matter if using a computer with many apps open at once sharing files back and forth can be more productive? I have used tablets since the iPad 1 and I can still get work done 2x as fast on a Mac than I can on a tablet. Therefore I only really need 1/2 the battery power to get through a productive day. Even then I don't think the MBA battery is all that low. Plus the MBA can actually plug in power and still have ports open for other things without a ton of farting around so its not as much of an issue to plug in power.

How is the screen better? Maybe a tad higher resolution but not enough to make a huge difference. Plus on the MBA it can use scaled resolutions and have more screen space due to 1680 mode vs the iPad that is forever only going to use 1366 mode. Even if one uses the regular 2x retina mode on the MBA we are talking a very small difference in real estate. I actually think the screens are fairly comparable.

Speakers, camera, meh whatever. I don't think anybody has ever judged pros using FaceTime on their MBP and MBA computers. Software developers, graphic designers, video professionals all seem to use it just fine. Its a video call not a Hollywood production. Have there actually been sound quality comparisons between the MBA and 12.9" iPad Pro? I have yet to see any Apple product deliver great speakers out of the box across Macs, tablets or phones. Thats why we have external speakers and headphones. I even have 27" iMacs that leave a lot to be desired when it comes to sound. Would be curious to hear pros compare sound from the two but that would never be enough to justify a large tablet over a Mac for me.

Face iid, so what? I hate faceId. The beauty of a Mac is I don't need things like that to unlock my computer because it takes about 1.5 seconds to unlock it.

Apple Pencil support for a handful of people that actually use the Apple Pencil. I used to be a UX designer and I have an Apple Pencil and it largely sat in my bag for 3 years. Nice device but even when I did graphic design I wasn't a fan of Wacom tablets either. Some designers love that sort of thing while others do not.

congratulations for this essay.


no, many still loathes the facetime camera on macbooks, doesnt really mean anything that you dont use it or doesnt matter to you

you cant speak for everyone, your opinions doesnt apply to everyone

but facts are facts

those facts that the facetime camera, speakers, screen, battery life are not opinions, not subjective.

you can always tell yourself that those doesnt matter but at the end of the day those facts are there.

 

[Gary Z]

Apple hasn't specified the weight of its new Magic Keyboard, but a MacRumors reader who received their unit early has weighed the larger model for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro and found it to be 710 grams. That makes the Magic Keyboard heavier than the iPad Pro, which weighs 641 grams.

Image by OzMoon​

It's not surprising that the keyboard has to have some heft to counterbalance a connected iPad Pro and provide a sturdy base for working on. But that makes their combined weight 1,351 grams, which is heavier than a 13-inch MacBook Air (1,290 grams) and closer to the weight of a 13-inch MacBook Pro (1,370 grams).

So if you were expecting a 12.9-inch iPad Pro and Magic Keyboard to be a lighter option than using a laptop when you're on the road, then it's worth being aware that that's not necessarily going to be the case. On the other hand, 9to5Mac claims the Magic Keyboard for the 11-inch iPad Pro weighs 601 grams, which would mean that their combined weight would be 1,072 grams. That's lighter than any MacBook that Apple currently sells.

In our upcoming review of the new Magic Keyboard, we'll look at weight considerations, portability, and more. Apple's Magic Keyboard includes a floating cantilevered design for viewing angles, a backlit keyboard with scissor-switch keys, and an integrated trackpad. You can order one for the 11-inch iPad Pro for $299, and for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro for $349 on Apple.com.

Article Link: Combined Weight of a 12.9-inch iPad Pro and a Magic Keyboard Is Heavier Than a 13-inch MacBook Air

Since it’s as powerful and now more versatile than a MBAir I don’t mind a few extra ounces.

 

[thejadedmonkey]

I have been feeling like the case is more of a desktop accessory than a carry around item so most of the time I think the weight will go unnoticed. If you remove the iPad and put it in a lighter case on the go you may never even notice the weight. Still, I want my keyboard with me and so, for now, keyboard folio for me.

Nahh, if it's received anything like the Surface, it'll end up as a permanent attachment for the iPad.

 

[supertiffany]

Not to mention a 12.9" iPad Pro plus magic keyboard also costs a lot more than a MBA and can't use the same applications as a MBA. One really needs to factor in a lot of thing to justify going the iPad Pro route. The 12.9" also isn't as easy to handle as the smaller tablets. I know people that have both the 12.9" and 11" iPad Pro and end up using the 11" more due to the lighter and smaller size which makes more sense as a handheld tablet.

If one really just wants a laptop perhaps they should just get a laptop. In fact with some current sale prices one could probably get a MBA and a regular iPad for almost the same price as a 12.9" iPad Pro and the magic keyboard. Then you have the best of both worlds. Well maybe not the best but you can do a lot more with that combination.

12.9" with 256GB storage to match the base MBA plus the magic keyboard is $1,568 from Apple vs the $999 for the MBA. I just bought my wife a regular new iPad for $300 from Bestbuy but even at full price of $330 that still puts the combo $200 less that the 12.9 iPad Pro set.

what? the 12.9 256gb with magic keyboard is $1568? you sure? how many hours did it take for you to compute for the sum?

 

[oneMadRssn]

Honestly I’m gutted they got rid of the 12” Macbook it was the ultimate portable work device for 90% of people. I bought the last fully upgraded model with mobile i7 processor, 16gb ram etc, honestly it is still hands down the best portable device for work when partnered with a larger screen iPhone. I also have a 2018 iPad Pro and a 2019 iPad Mini and I can tell you I reach for the 12” Macbook every single time if I have to get any work done on the move. The iPad pro performance just isn’t made good use of when combined with all the workflow shortcomings of iOS. An example; I’ve been doing some work editing huge 100mp+ image files in Affinity with multiple layers. On the 12” Macbook everything works great, no lag. On a iPad Pro it crashes often and it just can’t deal with the image files which are like 1gb or larger.

In iOS something as simple as wanting to crop an image file stored in Files is a headache. Markdown and Shortcuts no longer includes a crop interface so I have to either copy in to the Photos app, edit, save back to files, delete from Photos App, or I have to use a third party app which will first usually duplicate the file to it’s own file type for editing etc. On the 12” Macbook Preview does everything I need quickly and easily. There are countless examples of simple tasks that are still too cumbersome in iOS.

I agree with you. iPadOS still has too many shortcomings, and some workflows just take too many steps.

The classic example I have is this: An email comes with instructions to update a powerpoint slide deck with information from a document and from a website, to save that powerpoint to a PDF to email to a mailing list, and reply back with the native powerpoint and PDF together zipped; where the original powerpoint and document come attached as a zip. On macOS, this is super easy to do. Open up the files in windows, update the powerpoint, save, print to PDF, zip up whats needed, email and email. On iPadOS, it's a grog. Each step requires switching back and forth between multiple fullscreen apps, hoping they all integrated with Files because otherwise you'll end up with 5 redundant versions of the documents spread across multiple apps. It's a nightmare.

I also agree regarding the 12" Macbook. However, the blessing there is that the ultimate 2017 12" Macbook (i7, 16GB, 512GB) is still a very good computer and will likely be a very good computer for a while. By that I mean it will probably be able to run the latest macOS, browsers, and productivity apps for another half decade at least. And with the keyboard replacement program extending the keyboard warranty for 4 years, there should be plenty of them available for a while. The AppleCare+ on the one I have expires later this year, and I will definately be sending it in for a replacement then. The other blessing is that I am not tempted by any current Macbooks that Apple sells.

That said, I am tempted to get an 11" iPad Pro for three reasons. The Macbook is not a great couch internet surfer. The screen is so small that on my lap it's too far away to easily see, but not comfortable to hold up higher. Also, while I'm not a big gamer, I wouldn't mind being able to load up something like Civilization every once in a while, which the 12" Macbook cannot do. Finally, the camera on the Macbook is absolutely garbage, which lately with everyone socializing over Zoom or Facetime, has really been annoying.

 

[petvas]

I am not really sure here that "not good" applies. I do agree that the iPad is somewhat more polished, but I have been loving my Surface Pro (provided by my employer), and my wife loves the Surface Pro I got for her. Am I 100% happy with Windows 10 and the Surface? No, but here we're starting to compromise a bit too much in order to have Apple devices.

As a tablet Windows is just not an enjoyable experience. It’s not optimized and the available apps are mostly designed for desktop mode. Windows also has a certain lag when opening apps, or when doing things. It’s not as smooth as macOS. I also have a Surface Pro provided from my company, and I do not enjoy using it.

 

[teknishn]

How is the screen better? Maybe a tad higher resolution but not enough to make a huge difference. Plus on the MBA it can use scaled resolutions and have more screen space due to 1680 mode vs the iPad that is forever only going to use 1366 mode. Even if one uses the regular 2x retina mode on the MBA we are talking a very small difference in real estate. I actually think the screens are fairly comparable.

Uh, the screen of the iPad absolutely smokes the MBA. I have both and the difference is night and day. Leaving my opinion out of it.... the iPad screen is higher resolution, double the refresh rate, double the brightness nits, and touch/haptic capable.

 

[zhenya]

Mine just arrived for my 11”.

I was prepared for it to be considerably heavier than my keyboard folio, however it‘s more noticeable than I expected. We’ll have to see how that impacts my use day to day. However, in feels absolutely rock-solid. The keyboard and trackpad both feel great. I have a feeling this is the accessory my iPads have been waiting 10 years for.

 

[mi7chy]

Too bad. Surface Pro + keyboard form factor is near perfection at 2.4# vs 3# for iPad Pro + magic keyboard.

 

[Mr.Blacky]

Whenever I need a keyboard on my iPad Pro (which is never), I just use the Magic Keyboard from my Mac. Much cheaper. 🤷‍♂️

 

[Fishrrman]

Never cared for tablets/smartphones, nor for iOS.

I need a "real" computer, with keyboard, pointing device AND a fully-user-accessible file system (like the finder).

 

[ofarlig]

Too bad. Surface Pro + keyboard form factor is near perfection at 2.4# vs 3# for iPad Pro + magic keyboard.

I really don’t think so, returned my Surface Pro 7 after a week (even though I got it at a 25% discount).
The screen is smaller but the big borders make the device as big as the 12.9” iPad Pro.

It is also heavier without the keyboard which is the mode were weight is most important, when you are using it as a tablet. What it weighs sitting on my desk or in my backpack is less important when we are talking about less than 1.5 Kg.

 

[Expos of 1969]

Never cared for tablets/smartphones, nor for iOS.

I need a "real" computer, with keyboard, pointing device AND a fully-user-accessible file system (like the finder).

Still on a old Nokia or early Blackberry phone? Good idea if you are.

 

[mi7chy]

It is also heavier without the keyboard which is the mode were weight is most important, when you are using it as a tablet. What it weighs sitting on my desk or in my backpack is less important when we are talking about less than 1.5 Kg.

Surface Pro 7 at 1.7# includes the awesome integrated kickstand. iPad Pro 12.9 with limited smart folio is 2.6#.

 

[Jro29]

It's interesting that whenever I see this sort of comparison, it's always comparing the price of an iPad Pro+ Magic Keyboard vs the price of the MacBook Air. Or the weight of the iPad Pro+ Magic Keyboard vs. the weight of a MacBook Pro. As if everyone is starting from nothing and purchasing these products de novo. Apple has sold a boatload of iPadPros. surely for many of them this is a good option?

I have a 15 inch MacBook Pro for my personal use and a work PC. I also have an iPad Pro. I use the iPad a LOT. It is the superior device for watching movies/tv, browsing, reading, looking at pictures, playing games (the types of games I like), etc. A Macbook simply doesn't work as well. But some things are a pain on the iPad. Typing an email that's more than 3 sentences, writing or editing a document sucks.

This is particularly true when I travel. I don't have heavy computing needs, but I do need to write documents and send out lengthy emails on the road. Not the heavy computing that folks are doing on here apparently, but it still necessitated carrying another computer. This keyboard completely obviates the need for that. I was definitely carrying the ipad with me. Now that this is out, I can get something that approximates a laptop for only an extra pound in my bag. Same with cost. Sure its expensive, but I had a iPad, for only $350 dollars, I add something that approximates a laptop (at least for the 20 percent of time that I need it to be more laptop like).

I was considering buying a 13 inch Macbook for travel. Now i don't have to. That seems like a huge win.

Surely there must be others like me? Current iPad owners for whom this is a huge increase in the capability of their device.

 

[dino12]

A lot of people complaining. It's only a few pounds, I would hate for you to strain yourselves.

 

[ofarlig]

Surface Pro 7 at 1.7# includes the awesome integrated kickstand. iPad Pro 12.9 with limited smart folio is 2.6#.

Yeah the kickstand is great, but yet again weight isn’t a problem when the device is on a table. The Surface Pro is more unwieldy as a tablet partly due to the weight, meanwhile the screen is smaller. The OS also makes it more of a laptop contender as well since you can tell it wasn’t designed for touch use at all.

 

[Gasu E.]

This IS actual news. We're only learning about the weight of the keyboard today. The specs aren't listed on the Apple store either.

Perhaps "empty headline" would have been more on target than "empty news".

 

[zhenya]

I've owned a number of Surface Pro's over the years, but switched to the iPad Pro as a full time side-kick for my main work computer when it first became available. I've just received my Magic Keyboard case.

I gotta say, this design kills the Surface design in terms of functionality. Yes, the kickstand still provides more flexibility in angles, but it absolutely sucks to use on your lap, and is extremely unstable even on a desk - one of my SP's was smashed when it fell off a table that was bumped. The new Magic Keyboard feels far more stable - rock solid I'd say. All of the substantial mass is concentrated in the keyboard half, and it's absolutely rigid, even when lifting one handed from a corner as you might carry a laptop. Try carrying around a SP without folding it back up first.

 

[Gasu E.]

Lots of defensive comments on here so far, am I missing something in the original article that implies the MBA is better than the pro as it seemed to be just pointing it out weight considerations rather than coming down on one side or the other?

It was the choice of headline. The headline may have been the most negative spin possible on the actual news content.

 

[mi7chy]

Yeah the kickstand is great, but yet again weight isn’t a problem when the device is on a table. The Surface Pro is more unwieldy as a tablet partly due to the weight, meanwhile the screen is smaller. The OS also makes it more of a laptop contender as well since you can tell it wasn’t designed for touch use at all.

Most people won't notice a 0.3# difference plus it's more than worth it for Surface Pro's awesome kickstand plus superior non-bending magnesium build quality.