All iPads Has addition of keyboard made a difference?

[satchmo]

Has the addition of a keyboard made your iPad a much more productive tool?

I'm simply finding my iPad Air is used to surf and consume. There are those times when I want to write or crunch a few numbers in a spreadsheet and miss a physical keyboard.

Love the retina screen and some iOS apps are amazing, but sometimes I think a MacBook Air might fill my needs just as well or maybe more.

 

[s2mikey]

I'd like to know too. I do some light documenting and spreadsheet stuff but you can't get too fancy or it gets a little dodgy. Keyboard would be great, me thinks. Like to hear some replies....

 

[sracer]

The addition of a keyboard HAS made a significant difference in using the ipad for productivity. Very helpful. The downside is the lack of support for a mouse becomes more prominent.

Having the flexibility to be in a coffee shop, library, or on the patio with something as portable as an iPad and Logitech ultra thin keyboard cover is very useful.

 

[zhenya]

I ended up with one of the Logitech keyboards for my iPad Air from someone who wasn't using it. I tried it for a few days and I can't really justify carrying it around. I guess if I really needed to write something long out and was sitting at a table or desk, I could see using it. Overall it's quite uncomfortable to use though - the ipad sits only loosely in the keyboard, and at a fixed angle, so there is little flexibility in using it. There is nowhere to rest your palms while typing and the keys are tiny.

I guess I find that after years of using an ipad daily, I can type adequately fast on the screen, so carrying around a keyboard that is heavier than the ipad itself is a losing proposition.

 

[s2mikey]

I ended up with one of the Logitech keyboards for my iPad Air from someone who wasn't using it. I tried it for a few days and I can't really justify carrying it around. I guess if I really needed to write something long out and was sitting at a table or desk, I could see using it. Overall it's quite uncomfortable to use though - the ipad sits only loosely in the keyboard, and at a fixed angle, so there is little flexibility in using it. There is nowhere to rest your palms while typing and the keys are tiny.

I guess I find that after years of using an ipad daily, I can type adequately fast on the screen, so carrying around a keyboard that is heavier than the ipad itself is a losing proposition.

An interesting take on it. I wouldn't carry the keyboard around with me though, it'd be a home use thing only. I do agree though that the mouse becomes a lot more desirable once you ad a keyboard because that's the last piece of the laptop puzzle so to speak.

I guess that's why they have tablets and laptops in their lineup. Trying to make one like the other and vice versa just ends up being awkward and not really a good experience. I dunno.

 

[satchmo]

I guess I find that after years of using an ipad daily, I can type adequately fast on the screen, so carrying around a keyboard that is heavier than the ipad itself is a losing proposition.

I'm the complete opposite having used a laptop and desktop for most of my adult life. So a keyboard would be a natural extension, despite any added weight gain.

The one keyboard I've been eyeing is this Clamcase Pro which mimics the look of a MacBook Pro with the added ability to fold the screen back and still use the iPad as a tablet.

It's suppose to be shipping by end of month. Unfortunately it's pretty pricey at $169 or so.

 

[zhenya]

I'm the complete opposite having used a laptop and desktop for most of my adult life. So a keyboard would be a natural extension, despite any added weight gain.

The one keyboard I've been eyeing is this Clamcase Pro which mimics the look of a MacBook Pro with the added ability to fold the screen back and still use the iPad as a tablet.

It's suppose to be shipping by end of month. Unfortunately it's pretty pricey at $169 or so.

Oh, I'm the same way - I've been using a computer for over 30 years and work at one all day. The thing is, about a year ago, I realized I had gotten fairly proficient on the iPads virtual keyboard - 50-60 wpm or so which is fast enough for what I need to do on the ipad.

I like the looks of the Clamcase as well, but two issues I foresee - one is that getting the ipad in and out of it appears to be a bit more of an ordeal - not something you'd want to do regularly, which means it'd get even less use as most of the time I don't want it. The other is I'm not sure how the Clamcase is handling the weight balance - the Ipad is significantly heavier than the Logitech case, which means if you have a case hinged as a traditional laptop, the 'screen' side will be much heavier than the keyboard side, which would make the balance point off. I suspect this might be why the Clamcase for the IPad Air has not yet been released all these months later.

 

[HenryDJP]

I'm the complete opposite having used a laptop and desktop for most of my adult life. So a keyboard would be a natural extension, despite any added weight gain.

The one keyboard I've been eyeing is this Clamcase Pro which mimics the look of a MacBook Pro with the added ability to fold the screen back and still use the iPad as a tablet.

It's suppose to be shipping by end of month. Unfortunately it's pretty pricey at $169 or so.

Oh I thought you were looking for just a keyboard solution, not an expensive fancy one. . Firstly, to answer your question, it's pretty obvious that an addition of a keyboard would make a difference. Of course, especially when that's what people are accustomed to using. I bought a very affordable one off Ebay. In fact I bought 2 of them. One for my PS4 and one for my iPad Air. It looks nearly identical to the Apple bluetooth keyboard and types equally as well. It was only $12.99 brand new. I use it for home and work but I can't fathom spending even more than $50 for any keyboard.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/370790397799?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649