Logitech Create Review: Excellent Keyboard, but Makes iPad Pro Bulky and Heavy

[MacRumors]

Logitech's Create Keyboard Case for the iPad Pro was one of the first third-party keyboards available for the device, because Logitech created it with help from Apple. Because Logitech partnered with Apple for the accessory, it's also the only third-party keyboard that's currently able to take advantage of the Smart Connector on the iPad Pro, meaning it doesn't need to connect to the iPad over Bluetooth or use its own power source.

We went hands-on with Logitech's Create Keyboard case to see how it measures up to Apple's own hard-to-find Smart Keyboard and the few other iPad Pro third-party keyboards on the market.

Design

Logitech designed the Create to transform the iPad Pro into a laptop clone, producing a keyboard that is close in design and feel to a traditional laptop keyboard. The case itself is made from a rigid material covered with a ballistic nylon fabric, while the keyboard is constructed from aluminum with plastic keys. Design wise, the Create is available in three colors - black, navy, and red - to match the Space Gray, Silver, and Gold iPads.

You can mix and match colors, but based on marketing materials, the black model is meant to match the Space Gray iPad, the navy model is meant for the Silver iPad, and the red version is designed to match the Gold iPad. Each model's outer cover is designed to be resistant to liquid, keeping the iPad Pro safe from small spills, drips, and light rain.

The Create Keyboard has two main parts: the keyboard portion of the case and a rigid backplate that fits over the iPad Pro. The shell of the case fits over the top half of the iPad Pro in landscape mode, aligning with the camera. There's a crease in the middle of the backplate that allows it to flex to fit the iPad Pro into the Smart Connector built into the case.

Only half of the iPad Pro is fitted securely in the case because of the need for that connection, and on multiple occasions, my iPad Pro popped out of the shell. This never happened in an area where I could potentially drop the iPad Pro, but it was a definite concern of mine. Having the iPad Pro pop out of the case at the wrong time could be a potential disaster, but at the same time, the bottom of the iPad Pro has to be free to fit properly.


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Article Link: Logitech Create Review: Excellent Keyboard, but Makes iPad Pro Bulky and Heavy

 

[avanpelt]

It makes the iPad Pro bulky? I don't think most people who want to use an iPad Pro are too concerned about bulk.

 

[Duncan-UK]

A very fair review - I've been using my Pro with this keyboard case for the last two weeks. I agree about the bulk - it transforms an amazingly light product into a relatively heavy one, but in terms of the combination of usability and design I think it's a fair trade-off. Havent had any problems or issues though with the Pro slipping out - far from it - once it's in it feels very secure indeed.

Had a quick go on the Apple keyboard but wasnt wild about the keys and really disliked the lack of a cover for the back of the iPad - I'm sure in Apple-world people use their devices all the time without getting them scratched but I do like an all-round cover.

The keyboard is great to use - feels very natural - in fact the only real issue was in the first few days when I found myself reaching for a non-existant track pad.

 

[mw360]

'Bulky and heavy.' This is why our devices get thinner every year folks. As much as we think we want fatter, heavier batteries etc, fat and heavy dates really fast.

 

[westgorge]

I ordered the Logitech Create with the iPad Pro. In spite of the additional weight and bulk, I'm just as glad to have this case/keyboard. A tank? Yes. But, I certainly don't have to worry about protecting the iPad. This case/keyboard performs as touted. The benefits far out-weigh the negatives. At least for this version of iPad. Also, anyone buying one for this iPad, be very careful to ensure you're getting the iPad Pro seated completely within the case. A bit of a struggle.

 

[itbeme]

It makes the iPad Pro bulky? I don't think most people who want to use an iPad Pro are too concerned about bulk.

Then I must not be most people. This heavy, lumbering piece of metal, plastic and fabric is a complete deal-breaker for me (and many other I would guess).

I travel a lot and I'm trying to lighten my load not pile it on. If I'm going to tip the scales at 3 pounds + - I'll drag along my MacBook Air. Light, airy, stick it in my bag - bring a single device - leave the Mac at home.

As I read more about this I am asking myself "what in God's holy name were these folks thinking?"
Flop of the year - but that's just my opinion, YMMV.

 

[BanditoB]

I, too, picked up a Logitech Create along with my iPad Pro and used it for two weeks, but ultimately decided that it wasn't for me. It was simply too heavy and thick for me and one thing that I haven't seen any of the reviewers mention is that I found it rather difficult to open it up once I was ready to use the iPad. There are no indentations anywhere around the front edges of the case to allow you to easily get a finger in to pry it open with.

Other than those things, it was a nice case. It did protect well and I had no issues whatsoever with the iPad falling out of the case. As mentioned in the review here, it was very difficult and somewhat disconcerting when attempting to get the iPad out of the case as it seemed like you were putting an enormous amount of stress on the iPad itself. Also, I never ran into any problems setting the iPad onto the connector, it always went right into the depression in the keyboard designed to mate up with the edge of the iPad. I never had it disconnect, either, but didn't use it in my lap very much. I also found that I never used the backlight for the keys. The row of function keys were nice to have and I do miss them a bit, but for me, they were not worth the price of entry.

I finally got my Smart Keyboard from Apple on the Friday after Thanksgiving and have been pretty happy with it. Combined with Apple's silicone back case, I feel that my iPad Pro is protected well enough and is considerably lighter now and remains quite thin. I also have a Retina MacBook, so I'm already used to the shorter key travel and do not find it to be an issue. The biggest issue with the Smart Keyboard is definitely its set up and unfolding/refolding. I am now very familiar with how to do it, but it is still rather awkward to perform and requires quite a bit of real estate to open it on a table or desktop. If you don't have the space, you have to hold the iPad up in the air and unfold the keyboard and let it dangle below and then refold it into the stand before setting it down. Either way it looks a bit goofy when you do it.

The one thing that I really like about it, however, is that when I just want a tablet, it comes right off very easily and even if I don't take it off, it does fold neatly behind the screen and is comfortable to hold as opposed to gripping on a bunch of keys as on the Create.

As with just about everything, it seems, there is no perfect choice out there, so it's a matter of which tradeoffs you can live with. For me, the Smart Keyboard was ultimately the right choice, but the Create is certainly a good option to have available.

 

[nagromme]

The best iPad Pro keyboard would be the new Magic Keyboard--have you felt how light the thing is?--with whatever stand/case you wish. EXCEPT that the Magic Keyboard disconnects from an iOS device (sleeps I would guess) in less than a minute, 100% of the time. Then the next several keys you type are not registered. (Not an issue with the old Apple Wireless Keyboard.) So close, Apple, and yet so far... I hope for a bug fix, but can't keep this keyboard past the return window on that hope. Also, the Fn key is ignored for forward-delete, PgDn, etc.

 

[BobTx]

Got the Logitech KB in NYC last week after looking at almost all Apple Stores in Manhattan. All the stores had the Apple KB in stock, but I could only find one that still had stock of the Logitech KB. That does indicate to me that the Logitech is more popular than the Apple due to it's availability. I found the Pencil at Apple NYC on Sunday 11-29 as they were out of them at all but one store in all of NYC. Some people were buying 10 of them at a time when they arrived in stock and are now reselling them on the Web for big $$$. At least one of the Apple stores got it right and was limiting the purchase to increase the supply to real buyers.

Tried to pair the pencil with the IPAD Pro while it was connected to the Logitech Keyboard and it would not pair. I even tried turning off Bluetooth etc. and it still would not pair. I finally took the IPad out of the Logitech cradle and it paired just fine. It works fine after I put it back into the KB case. I saw several other pairings of IPad Pro with Pencil while at the Apple store and all were done without keyboards attached. I'm pretty sure this is a problem with the Logitech KB, but suspect it may also apply to the Apple KB as well. I would appreciate anyone that has tried this scenario to reply. I checked with the Genius bar and they had not encountered that problem, but they hadn't sold that many with KB yet.

I also discovered that Logitech forgot to provide a spot to hold the Apple Pencil to the case. I thought they might have intended it to go into the fold between the KB and the back, but the pencil will not fit due to the pencil's diameter is too big. Not a biggie, but plan on putting the pencil somewhere else while carrying it around. BTW Apple should have put a pen clip on the case to allow carrying it in a shirt pocket or clipping it to something as it will slip out of a shirt pocket fairly easily with the smooth body.

The back lighting on the Logitech KB is good and the fact that there is a back to protect the rear of the case is a big plus to me over the Apple KB. The Logitech KB is a bit thick and increases the weight of the IPad by a good bit, but the extra protection is worth it in my book over having to buy the Apple KB plus an extra protection back. That makes the Apple Case and back almost $170 + $50 USD over the Logitech KB at $149.95 to accomplish the same task.

 

[seanjs]

I got the official Apple keyboard cover for ,you iPad Pro and returned it hecausw of issue with this review: too heavy and flimsy to be worth it. If I was going to carry around that weight, I'd want it to be sturdy, i.e., a MacBook. The flimsiness is really the problem.

 

[BruceEBonus]

If ever aliens from outer space land on Earth and ask " Human. What is it meant when you say " Didn't think it through, properly". Show them the iPad Pro. Cheers!

 

[MH01]

From the reviews I read, most have complained about the added bulk.

To be fair the Apple KB also makes the iPad pro bulky, with my KB attached it's MacBook Air weight.

The Apple KB itself is not great, for typing that is. Yet to try the Logitech

 

[mschmalenbach]

Then I must not be most people. This heavy, lumbering piece of metal, plastic and fabric is a complete deal-breaker for me (and many other I would guess).

I travel a lot and I'm trying to lighten my load not pile it on. If I'm going to tip the scales at 3 pounds + - I'll drag along my MacBook Air. Light, airy, stick it in my bag - bring a single device - leave the Mac at home.

As I read more about this I am asking myself "what in God's holy name were these folks thinking?"
Flop of the year - but that's just my opinion, YMMV.

I'm like you - travel a lot. I bought my iPad Pro because I have been traveling with a retina MacBook Pro (top end, maxed out etc) which is relatively poor on battery when I am not doing power stuff with it (video rendering etc) and I was also traveling with an iPad.

I also got the Logitech keyboard. Yes, it does double the weight and is much bulkier than the without. But I travel - I need my $1000+ iPad to be somewhat protected!

Now I leave my rMBP and older iPad at home - the iPad Pro is plenty capable of what I mostly do when traveling, and I have a new workflow & apps etc for doing screen casting etc (hence no need for taking rMBP along now) and the iPad Pro is more than capable of dealing with this.

So for me, it's perfect. Just waiting for my Apple Pencil to arrive and I should be on Cloud 9.

But each to their own - be very clear what you want & need from your tech, esp. if traveling...

What is a fail for some may be heaven for you, as I've just been finding out.

 

[fullfast]

Must admit, I am now 80% transitioned to my iPad Pro and Logitech keyboard, using thin clinet for most business related apps and the rest I use the native apps

Love the fact that the battery length is immense and love it for watching films etc.....yes the weight is an issue with the keyboard but needed to protect it

Like the comments above just waiting for the pencil

 

[KPOM]

I wonder if the lack of Apple Smart Keyboards in Apple Stores was an attempt to gauge interest in third party accessories. Apple has lots of Logi Create keyboards in their stores and very few if any of its own model.

 

[OconoRick]

I tried the Logitech keyboard for a few days and returned it, now awaiting the Apple keyboard after trying it in an Apple store. I fell in love with the iPad Pro for sketching, drawing and photo touch ups, etc. and often carry it in a sleeve or messenger bag anyway, so the lack of iPad back protection is not a deal breaker. (When I saw the words "bulky and heavy" I originally thought the thread was about me.)

 

[KPOM]

I travel a lot and I'm trying to lighten my load not pile it on. If I'm going to tip the scales at 3 pounds + - I'll drag along my MacBook Air. Light, airy, stick it in my bag - bring a single device - leave the Mac at home.

As I read more about this I am asking myself "what in God's holy name were these folks thinking?"
Flop of the year - but that's just my opinion, YMMV.

Are you speaking of the iPad Pro or the Logi Create? The iPad Pro with Apple's keyboard weighs about the same as the 12" MacBook. At that point, it's a tossup for me which device to travel with. Since I have a work notebook (Windows), I'm inclined to take the iPad Pro on business trips.

 

[MikeSchinkel]

I bought one and it keeps loosing connectivity with the iPad Pro; I typically cannot even write a complete sentence without it forcing me to jiggle the connection to get it to be recognized again.

Am I the only one experiencing this problem? Did I get a lemon?

 

[dunster]

Logitech's Create Keyboard Case for the iPad Pro was one of the first third-party keyboards available for the device, because Logitech created it with help from Apple. Because Logitech partnered with Apple for the accessory, it's also the only third-party keyboard that's currently able to take advantage of the Smart Connector on the iPad Pro, meaning it doesn't need to connect to the iPad over Bluetooth or use its own power source.

We went hands-on with Logitech's Create Keyboard case to see how it measures up to Apple's own hard-to-find Smart Keyboard and the few other iPad Pro third-party keyboards on the market.

Design

Logitech designed the Create to transform the iPad Pro into a laptop clone, producing a keyboard that is close in design and feel to a traditional laptop keyboard. The case itself is made from a rigid material covered with a ballistic nylon fabric, while the keyboard is constructed from aluminum with plastic keys. Design wise, the Create is available in three colors - black, navy, and red - to match the Space Gray, Silver, and Gold iPads.

You can mix and match colors, but based on marketing materials, the black model is meant to match the Space Gray iPad, the navy model is meant for the Silver iPad, and the red version is designed to match the Gold iPad. Each model's outer cover is designed to be resistant to liquid, keeping the iPad Pro safe from small spills, drips, and light rain.

The Create Keyboard has two main parts: the keyboard portion of the case and a rigid backplate that fits over the iPad Pro. The shell of the case fits over the top half of the iPad Pro in landscape mode, aligning with the camera. There's a crease in the middle of the backplate that allows it to flex to fit the iPad Pro into the Smart Connector built into the case.

Only half of the iPad Pro is fitted securely in the case because of the need for that connection, and on multiple occasions, my iPad Pro popped out of the shell. This never happened in an area where I could potentially drop the iPad Pro, but it was a definite concern of mine. Having the iPad Pro pop out of the case at the wrong time could be a potential disaster, but at the same time, the bottom of the iPad Pro has to be free to fit properly.


Click here to read more...

Article Link: Logitech Create Review: Excellent Keyboard, but Makes iPad Pro Bulky and Heavy

[doublepost=1456975639][/doublepost]I just bought an iPod Pro with a Logitech Create keyboard for this.
I am not really satisfied because the keyboard falls continue out and have to wait 7 seconds it's connecting again.

While typing this message the keyboard falls 12 times out.
Serious thinking to buy a bluetooth keyboard.
My Logitech Fabricskin was excellent for my Ipad 4.
Bluetooth still the best connection I think.