All iPads iPad Keyboards: Key Spacing

[EugW]

According to the United States Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), keyboard spacing (distance between the centres of keys) should be 18-19 mm.

According to this research article, it is 17-19 mm, at least for males with large fingers.

I decided to do some measurements, by measuring the distances between the left edges of the first and last keys of a row of 10 keys and then dividing by 10.

[Edit] Oops, I made a mistake in my measurements, as I was biased by the Macworld article. I have corrected some and will correct the rest later. [/Edit]

Apple ancient Apple Pro Keyboard - 19 mm
Apple Magic Keyboard - 19 mm
Apple 2009 13" MacBook Pro keyboard - 19 mm
Apple 2010 27" iMac keyboard - 19 mm
Apple 2017 27" iMac keyboard - 19 mm (with vertical key spacing of 18.5 mm).
Apple 2017 12" MacBook keyboard - 19 mm (with vertical key spacing of 18.5 mm).

So, it's clear that Apple had settled on 19 as optimal key spacing for their Macs, even decades ago. For their iPads, it's a different story for the software keyboards and the smaller hardware keyboards. Also, for the smaller iPads, the key spacing is quite a bit smaller on third party keyboards.

Apple iPad 2 software keyboard - Not sure, but I assume it’s the same as the iPad Air 2 below.
Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Cover for iPad 2,3,4 - 16.9 mm (with vertical key spacing the same)
- Typing on this gives me wrist pain.
Apple iPad Air 2 software keyboard - Varies at 17.4-17.9 mm (with 16.5 mm vertical spacing)
Apple iPad Pro 10.5” software keyboard - Varies at 18.9-19.4 mm (with 16.5 mm vertical spacing)
Apple iPad Pro 10.5” Smart Keyboard - 18 mm
Apple iPad Pro 11” Smart Keyboard - 18 mm
Apple iPad Pro 12.9” software keyboard - ?
Apple iPad Pro 12.9” Smart Keyboard - 19 mm
Apple iPad Pro 9.7” software keyboard - I assume it’s like the iPad Air 2 above.
Apple iPad Pro 9.7” Smart Keyboard - 17.5 mm. See below.

10.5” on top and 9.7” on bottom:

This Six Colors article states it is 17.5 mm for the 9.7” and 19 mm for the 12.9”.

The 12.9" has the same usual keyboard spacing as standard on Apple's Mac keyboards.

However, I'm pleasantly surprised it is a full-sized keyboard for the 10.5" iPad Pro and now 10.5" iPad Air. Perhaps that's a big reason they decided to increase the screen size. This would also be very similar for the new 11" iPad Pro since the width is practically the same. The iPad Pro 10.5" is 250.6 mm and the 11" is 247.6 mm.

 

[dwig]

For comparison, The Surface Go's keyboard measures at ~16.8. The Go is a very close size match to the current 11" iPP, overall.

 

[EugW]

For comparison, The Surface Go's keyboard measures at ~16.8. The Go is a very close size match to the current 11" iPP, overall.

I made a mistake in some of my measurements before. Macs are actually 19 mm. However, I was just in the Apple Store and measured both the 11” and the 12.9” iPad Pro Smart Keyboard key spacing. The salesperson seemed to be wondering what the hell I was doing with the ruler.

The 12.9” Smart Keyboard key spacing is 19 mm just like the Macs, and the 11” is 18 mm.

The Six Colors article states the 9.7” iPad Pro Smart Keyboard is 17.5 mm.

I will confirm the measurement for the 10.5” Smart Keyboard when I get it.

 

[EugW]

For comparison, The Surface Go's keyboard measures at ~16.8. The Go is a very close size match to the current 11" iPP, overall.

After correcting my measurements, I see that my Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Cover for my iPad 2 has a key spacing of 16.9 mm, whereas my 12" MacBook has a key spacing of 19 mm. I find the MacBook key spacing very comfortable, but the Logitech gave me wrist pain so I stopped using it.

If the Surface Go is truly 16.8, then that would be a deal killer for me.

The 11" iPad Pro is 18 mm. That fits the OSHA's guidelines which recommends 18-19 mm, but Apple's Macs and 12.9" iPad Pro are all at 19 mm.

 

[EugW]

As expected, an experienced typist does way better with a physical keyboard, but it's good to be able to confirm how much difference 10.6 mm makes for typing speed and accuracy.

Actually, I'm impressed he can get such good speed and accuracy with the on-screen keyboard. I do 60+ with a Mac keyboard with decent accuracy, but I can't get anywhere near that with the on-screen keyboard.

 

[EugW]

Got the iPad Pro 10.5” keyboard today. Key spacing is the same as on the 11”, at exactly 18 mm, both horizontally and vertically.

This Macworld article states 17 mm, which is incorrect.

The keyboard keyclick feel is OK and the travel is decent. 18 mm is a bit cramped, as I prefer the 19 mm of the Macs (and the 12.9” iPad Pro), but it’s tolerable. It’s certainly way better than the <17 mm of the old Logitech keyboard I had for my iPad Air 2. I make more mistakes on this keyboard than a 19 mm keyboard, but it’s not terrible. I don’t think I’d want to type on this for long periods though. I miss the function key row too.

Nice to have stuff like CMD-tab and keyboard copy and paste as well as arrow keys for navigation and CMD-space for search.

I think the biggest benefit though is just not having half the screen taken up by the on-screen keyboard.

 

[MBAir2010]

any butterfly effects?

 

[EugW]

any butterfly effects?

What are butterfly effects?

 

[MBAir2010]

What are butterfly effects?

when the keys do not type, as a MBpro

 

[EugW]

when the keys do not type, as a MBpro

No, as this keyboard is completely sealed.

However, some people have complained that with long term use, the keyboard seams at the edges have started to come apart.

Also I’ve noticed that if the keyboard is not on a flat surface, and I don’t firmly press the space bar away from the extreme right or left of it, it doesn’t always register. However, if it’s on a flat table, the space bar works fine.
[doublepost=1553554035][/doublepost]BTW, the thing weighs 245 grams, or 0.54 lbs. That's 52% of the weight of the iPad Pro 10.5 itself, which weighs 469 grams.

That's a total of 714 grams, or a total of 1.57 lbs. That, plus the protective TPU case I put on it brings it to about 1.8 lbs, which is getting awfully close to the 2 lbs of my 12" MacBook. (I use the 12" MacBook naked, as it has feet on the bottom so I'm not worried about the bottom getting scratched, put carry it inside a thin sleeve.)

The Smart Keyboard of the 11" iPad Pro weighs even more, at 297 grams, or 0.65 lbs.

 

[EugW]

macOS needs this feature: Hold down the COMMAND button and you get a list of all the keyboard shortcuts:

 

[EugW]

Is it possible to add a keyboard to my list at Apple's My Support, in case I need a warranty? Or is it just dependent upon the receipt?

 

[EugW]

However, I'm pleasantly surprised it is a full-sized keyboard for the 10.5" iPad Pro and now 10.5" iPad Air. Perhaps that's a big reason they decided to increase the screen size. This would also be very similar for the new 11" iPad Pro since the width is practically the same. The iPad Pro 10.5" is 250.6 mm and the 11" is 247.6 mm.

I just watched part of the original 10.5" Pro launch, and they actually specifically state one big reason they went with the 10.5" size is to get a full-sized keyboard.

http://fortune.com/2017/06/05/apple-wwdc-2017-ipad-pro/

 

[EugW]

How do you like my new full-sized keyboard with true 19 mm key spacing?

I just got the Lightning to USB 3 Camera Adapter for cheap off eBay and thought I’d try out my ancient USB 1 Apple Pro keyboard (which is almost two decades old now) just for fun. It gave me a message saying there was not enough power due to the USB hub (in the keyboard) so that’s why I plugged in the power bank. That’s the benefit of this iPad USB adapter - pass-through power support.

The keyboard works fine, but of course a mouse I tried does nothing.

 

[EugW]

^^^ Mouse works fine in iPadOS 13.0, just in reverse direction than I'd prefer.

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It should be noted that the Apple Smart Keyboard for the 10.5" Air (2019) and 10.5" Pro (2017) is the exact same keyboard that is used for the 10.2" iPad (2019).

 

[okieoutwest]

This is a great write up of a very specific detail. Thanks for putting it together!

My workflows are very heavy on writing, so this helps me think even more about the choice of the smart keyboards vs. Magic Keyboard. Seems like from an ergonomic POV there's not a ton of trade-off if you choose the large 12.9" iPP, but would be somewhat impactful if buying a smaller iPad or iPad Pro. But even a little typing efficiency can add up...

 

[EugW]

This Kickstarter project is marketing a Libra Bluetooth keyboard with trackpad, due spring 2020. No mention of key spacing but judging by the mockup pics it’s probably on the 11”.

Libra, Turns Your iPad Pro into a MacBook

World's first keyboard with trackpad, backlit and function keys to give iPad Pro a MacBook-like experience. Perfectly matches iPadOS.

www.kickstarter.com