Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Looks interesting but like some of Apple’s marketing material it doesn’t look as “magic” as in the promo video/pics
 
  • Like
Reactions: marine0816
I like how easily he disconnected the iPad from the base but WOW does the hinge seem stiff.

Saw weight in a different article:
600g Magic Keyboard 11
459g IPad Pro 11
299g Smart Keyboard 11

Overall it looks really good but it really does seem like the biggest flaw (and Pro app limitation) may be the lack of top row keys for Esc, Fn, media control and brightness.
 
  • Like
Reactions: yegon
Opening it from closed looks a bit clumsy. Lacks the indent of a MacBook Pro.

Addresses a lot of my concerns though, totally psyched to get mine.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Cape Dave
I like how easily he disconnected the iPad from the base but WOW does the hinge seem stiff.

Saw weight in a different article:
600g Magic Keyboard 11
459g IPad Pro 11
299g Smart Keyboard 11

Overall it looks really good but it really does seem like the biggest flaw (and Pro app limitation) may be the lack of top row keys for Esc, Fn, media control and brightness.

I really like the function keys on my Logitech Slim Folio Pro and don't really want to get a keyboard without them now.
 
I really like the function keys on my Logitech Slim Folio Pro and don't really want to get a keyboard without them now.

I wish this had a function row. Mostly for play/pause, how I miss that.

If someone can explain how to create a global hotkey shortcut (that works immediately without hitch and doesnt show it running) to play/pause I will send internet points your way.

I know there’s better Shortcut hotkey functionality in latest iOS but I couldn’t get it to work how I’d like when I fiddled with it. I don’t think it can do what I want.
 
  • Like
Reactions: courboy
Glad I just went with the old Smart Keyboard, this looks too heavy and bulky for me, and I don't like how it doesn't fold behind the display. A cool piece of engineering though not for me.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1rottenapple
Note that you can't download Netflix episodes to a MacBook. This is really annoying when travelling with a MacBook.

I have both the 2017 12" MacBook and the 2017 iPad Pro 10.5.
 
Because I don't want to carry a laptop around the house. Because I want a tablet as a reading device. Because I want a tablet - that's enough reason for me and not something I need to justify.

Ok - but the iPad mini is much better for that purpose (reading) due to portability. The larger iPad Pros aren't really portable. Constantly detaching it from the case will increase the risk of damage to it if you carry it around without the case. If you do carry it around with the case... at that point the weight is equivalent or greater than that of a laptop.

Not arguing with your choice - it just feels like a poor jack-of-all-trades solution.
[automerge]1587265646[/automerge]
Note that you can't download Netflix episodes to a MacBook. This is really annoying when travelling with a MacBook.

I have both the 2017 12" MacBook and the 2017 iPad Pro 10.5.

Yeah this is fair. The software ecosystem of iOS allows some things that macOS cannot. I'd still prefer to maximize the portability of my tablets though - the weight increase added by this doesn't seem worth the portability tradeoff to me.
 
Ok - but the iPad mini is much better for that purpose (reading) due to portability. The larger iPad Pros aren't really portable. Constantly detaching it from the case will increase the risk of damage to it if you carry it around without the case. If you do carry it around with the case... at that point the weight is equivalent or greater than that of a laptop.

Not arguing with your choice - it just feels like a poor jack-of-all-trades solution.
[automerge]1587265646[/automerge]


Yeah this is fair. The software ecosystem of iOS allows some things that macOS cannot. I'd still prefer to maximize the portability of my tablets though - the weight increase added by this doesn't seem worth the portability tradeoff to me.

Completely disagree. I have a 12.9 because I like the large screen and for me it is portable. Portable is relative, not absolute. A folio case is lightweight. And I've had iPads for years, detaching them from cases without a problem.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ghost31
Yeah this is fair. The software ecosystem of iOS allows some things that macOS cannot. I'd still prefer to maximize the portability of my tablets though - the weight increase added by this doesn't seem worth the portability tradeoff to me.
I really like the Apple Smart Keyboard for the iPad Pro 10.5”. It’s reasonably light. My main beef with it is not the lack of a trackpad but the fact it is not backlit, for the 5% of the time I use it in the dark.

BTW, while weight is important, what is even more important to me is footprint size. That’s one big reason why I prefer the 12” MacBooks over the 13” MacBook Air.
 
Last edited:
Completely disagree. I have a 12.9 because I like the large screen and for me it is portable. Portable is relative, not absolute. A folio case is lightweight. And I've had iPads for years, detaching them from cases without a problem.

Can't disagree with portable being relative. At the same time though, "lightweight" is also relative by that measure. 600g for a folio is not lightweight in my book, considering that the 12" MacBook weighs a mere 900g. Still if it works for you, that's a good thing.

Detaching from cases is fine, the issue is how long you'd want to leave it detached. It remains vulnerable for as long as its detached - if you lose your grip, something that heavy is going to have significant damage to it if it falls. Still, it depends on how you handle it - if you're careful enough, you can mostly avoid this issue. It's not something I'm good at personally, which is why I never detach the heavier iPads I own from their cases.
[automerge]1587266296[/automerge]
I really like the Apple Smart Keyboard for the iPad Pro 10.5”. It’s reasonably light. My main beef with it is not the lack of a trackpad but the fact it is not backlit, for the 5% of the time I use it in the dark.

Definitely agree with this. It's hard to use the keyboard in the dark without any kind of backlit keys.

I guess Apple will figure out how to incorporate all that eventually. I am biased towards lighter solutions - but the butterfly keys weren't a great way to go about doing it. Maybe it's just a matter of time.

I think I'll still buy the magic keyboard anyway, but I'm thinking I'll keep both the magic and smart folio versions to switch between if I want more portable usage.
[automerge]1587266381[/automerge]
BTW, while weight is important, what is even more important to me is footprint size. That’s one big reason why I prefer the 12” MacBooks over the 13” MacBook Air.

Yeah the footprint affects balance. Larger 4:3 devices means the center of gravity is further from any given corner, so it's harder to balance with just one hand.
 
Can't disagree with portable being relative. At the same time though, "lightweight" is also relative by that measure. 600g for a folio is not lightweight in my book, considering that the 12" MacBook weighs a mere 900g. Still if it works for you, that's a good thing.

Detaching from cases is fine, the issue is how long you'd want to leave it detached. It remains vulnerable for as long as its detached - if you lose your grip, something that heavy is going to have significant damage to it if it falls. Still, it depends on how you handle it - if you're careful enough, you can mostly avoid this issue. It's not something I'm good at personally, which is why I never detach the heavier iPads I own from their cases.

Agree on the detached case - I should have been clearer that I detach from one case to use another based on planned usage. I don't use a bare device. I have an 8" Android tablet (Galaxy Tab S2), a 10.5" Pro, and a 2018 12.9" Pro and find I like the large screen to be my preference for everything and everywhere, to the extent that the other devices see little usage. I do recognize that others would flip that preference the other way for themselves.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.