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Hands-On With the Magic Keyboard Folio for the New iPad
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I think the Pencil bit was terribly implemented, but many owners or prior entry-level iPads have first-generation Pencils, and this does indeed save them from having to purchase a new one. That said, it would be better to make it work with both, or at the very least to come up with a better dongle solution for the 1st-gen Pencil.
I hear what you are saying but it's sort of circular logic right? When you say "come up with a better dongle solution" they already did, it's called the Apple Pencil 2. I do agree fully about them being able to work with both. I would love to be able to use two pencils per device period.
i guess if you’re embarrassed to be using an iPad and want people to think you’re using a Surface, this is the combo to get! 😂
When you compare it to a battery charger for $50-100, Thunderbolt hubs worth’s hundreds, Wireless chargers worth Hundreds, then this just fits in the same list. And these are 3rd party brands.
I meant a better dongle for the 1st-gen. Pencil, once that was the one they decided to use. The female-to-female connection that requires another cable is just crazy IMO.
As far as the two Pencils, I think that's a somewhat hard call if you're Apple. The 2nd generation Pencil is clearly better, and they'd no doubt sell more of them. OTOH, many users within the target market will have 1st-gen Pencils, and you're already raising the cost of the iPad itself. I think Apple may have viewed this move as mitigating the price increase for some users, while at the same time gaining market segmentation between this iPad and the Air. It's a move built around some compromises, but it's not completely out there.
Well, this has been asked before but, iPad (64GB) + MKF = $700. M1 MBA (256GB) on sale = $799 or less. So, who would buy the iPad plus MKF combo? Perhaps my wife. She has an M1 iMac and an iPad Air. She does not like laptops, and does her heavy lifting on the desktop computer. When mobile, she wants something light and portable. So, she might prefer the iPad + MKF to an M1 MBA as a secondary device.
I’d love the backside stand for the iPad mini. Never did care for the tri-fold covers.
Not really an option for those with a lot of iPadOS apps they need to use, though. Just gotta bite the bullet.
Hmm, it seems all the "oh look they copied Apple" dudes have mysteriously disappeared. In this case I wish Apple copied Microsoft more closely as the hardware kickstand on the surface pro devices is an absolute work of functional art, I've lived for years wondering how a tablet can exist without one. What really surprises me is how bulky and ugly Apple's kickstand is. I have no idea if Microsoft has a patent on kickstands, but I would think not because other Windows tablets have similar designs.
Anyway good stuff, now the iPad just needs an OS. I'm very curious to get my hands on their new folio to see how well the kickstand functions, how adjustable it is, how firm the hinge holds, how well the hinge holds up with repeated use, etc. For the highway robbery price of $249 it better be perfect, although I already see issues like the keyboard not being very ergonomic without folding up at an angle like the surface pros do.
PS: The whole myth of a kickstand tablet being unstable on a lap is just that, I use mine every day in this configuration and have zero issues.
Anyway good stuff, now the iPad just needs an OS. I'm very curious to get my hands on their new folio to see how well the kickstand functions, how adjustable it is, how firm the hinge holds, how well the hinge holds up with repeated use, etc. For the highway robbery price of $249 it better be perfect, although I already see issues like the keyboard not being very ergonomic without folding up at an angle like the surface pros do.
PS: The whole myth of a kickstand tablet being unstable on a lap is just that, I use mine every day in this configuration and have zero issues.
Primarily because it’s too small; the keys and trackpad would be small.
Secondarily, the Mini doesn’t have a Smart Connector.
You can already get something exactly like it with the Logitech Combo Touch. I don't mind having an extra choice but I want Apple to keep the current design around with an extra function row. Much more useful and stable to type on on the go.
My thoughts on this? Ugly, unoriginal, overly priced, looks like something Microsoft designed. Oh yeah, Microsoft did design that for the Surface Pro. Can’t we have a better design?
Might be helpful if you actually look at a 10th gen iPad before making this comment.
1. The Apple Pencil 2 uses a magnetic charger placed on the long side of the iPad.
2. The webcam on the iPad 10 is on the long side of the iPad
3. The volume controls on the iPad 10 are on the long side of the iPad
The iPad is rectangular, and there can only be two long sides :O
It looks like the iPad was designed to have the webcam on the long side.
It will require extensive re-engineering to move the volume controls from the long side to the top side, which will delay the product's release.
Ergo, the only option is to continue using the Apple Pencil 1.
Unless... you have other solutions?
I love the concept of the detached kickstand, I want one for my iPad Pro. I don't want a case, but I also don't want something that lets it lay flat on a table when I'm drawing.
While I think the iPad 10 is fine for anyone who wants just an iPad to do basic things like streaming and browsing, Apple really is financially or ergonomically punishing people that want to do more.
But maybe - here's the Machiavellian conspiracy I'm forming now - Apple doesn't want anyone to buy these accessories at all.
Price conscious users are going to weigh the Apple keyboard with one from a 3rd party and go with the cheaper one. They're going to compare the Apple pencil and the Logitech Crayon and buy the cheaper one. Eventually someone will have an iPad with a bunch of mis-matched or slightly cheaper feeling accessories and have a sense of buyers remorse, wishing they got the Air or the Pro, with the cooler keyboard of the newer pen.
Furthermore, the other users who are totting this up at checkout with the Apple accessories may very well look at the total price and upsell themselves to an iPad Air or Macbook Air anyway.
While I think the iPad 10 is fine for anyone who wants just an iPad to do basic things like streaming and browsing, Apple really is financially or ergonomically punishing people that want to do more.
But maybe - here's the Machiavellian conspiracy I'm forming now - Apple doesn't want anyone to buy these accessories at all.
Price conscious users are going to weigh the Apple keyboard with one from a 3rd party and go with the cheaper one. They're going to compare the Apple pencil and the Logitech Crayon and buy the cheaper one. Eventually someone will have an iPad with a bunch of mis-matched or slightly cheaper feeling accessories and have a sense of buyers remorse, wishing they got the Air or the Pro, with the cooler keyboard of the newer pen.
Furthermore, the other users who are totting this up at checkout with the Apple accessories may very well look at the total price and upsell themselves to an iPad Air or Macbook Air anyway.
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Sure, there's another excuse:
Industrial design.
1. The webcam is on the long side of the iPad
2. The volume controls are on the long side of the iPad
3. The connector for an Apple Pencil 2 is on the long side of an iPad
The iPad is a rectangle. A rectangle only has two long sides.
- Can Apple move the volume controls to the top of the iPad? Yes, but it'll take a lot of industrial design work to move those controls.
- Can Apple include the Apple Pencil 2 connector on the long side of the iPad with either the webcam or the volume control? Yes, but it'll make the iPad much thicker - and it'll take a lot of industrial design work as well.
My theory of industrial design as the reason makes a whole lot more sense, don't you think?