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This makes no sense. If you want desktop like experience, why not just get Mac instead. You are paying same amount money.

Because people already have an iPad. Everyone has a different use case. Buying a Mac on top of that makes no sense.
 
If you think about it, the camera hole on the back has very limited use. Is it even needed?! It just makes it look ugly when you have the 2018 iPad Pro.

It makes the ugly camera bumps fit so the iPad can lie flat against the case.
 
As it has been explained to you in multiple threads already it’s good to have options. There is a ton of users who no longer have a portable Mac and the iPad took its place. Just like the iPhone is the most used computer platform for many.

The weight is irrelevantester this is an accessory meant for specific use cases and you can detach the iPad for other use cases.
He’s posting for a reaction so don’t expect much response. guess the mods aren’t bothered though.
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Right now, to address the brightness of the iPad, once can do it from the actions centre, but for the keyboard, you have to go into settings, assuming you don’t want to take advantage of the auto brightness system.
Thing is you have no choice but to use auto brightness as each time you turn it all the way up it will go back down again. So yeah they need to add this in the control center
 
So what trade off should apple have made to fit a function row? Smaller keys? Smaller trackpad? Not make the keyboard at all?

Why do I need a function row on an iPad anyways?

Just like on any other keyboard it makes functions directly accessible instead of digging through the OS for brightness, backlight brightness, media playback, volume and the like. Avoiding gorilla arms is exactly what I expect from a keyboard on my iPad and every keyboard I had prior has these.
 
Just like on any other keyboard it makes functions directly accessible instead of digging through the OS for brightness, backlight brightness, media playback, volume and the like. Avoiding gorilla arms is exactly what I expect from a keyboard on my iPad and every keyboard I had prior has these.

You conveniently ignored the entire first question which was the most important.

Which tradeoffs should have been made to fit them? Be specific.

From Apple's point of view, everything you want, with the exception of the keyboard lighting is handled either through another easily accessible hardware key (volume) or through the Control Center.

An iPad is not intended to be a 100% equivalent to a laptop. It is a different form factor that brings both advantages and disadvantages, depending on the particular task at hand. There are tradeoffs that have to be made on every device; you simply happen to be more comfortable with the tradeoffs made on a laptop.
 
I think this sums up the problem with Apple’s marketing. ”Your next computer is not a computer.” A computer means different things to different people, or rather, a computer has different requirements depending on who you ask.

It's fascinating to me that with each ipad upgrade to make it more like a PC, Apple still has to continue to skirt the line between it actually becoming similar to MacOS and eating into sales of their MacOS hardware. They have spent all this time convincing us we need 2 devices, but now that those paradigms are converging that supposition will be harder and harder to maintain. I have no doubt that Apple has ideas about merging the 2 OS' when it's the right time to do it, but they need to figure out how to profit the equivalent of 2 devices per consumer from 1 device. You can see them advancing this with the increasing cost of the ipad, first a larger model, then a pro model, then the addition of $349 peripherals, etc. When Apple says "Your next computer is not a computer", behind the scenes they are saying "Your next computer is not a Macbook, but don't forget you also need the Macbook".
 
It's fascinating to me that with each ipad upgrade to make it more like a PC, Apple still has to continue to skirt the line between it actually becoming similar to MacOS and eating into sales of their MacOS hardware.

No they don’t. Hardly anyone buys macs. And apple culture is to cannibalize themselves instead of letting someone else do it. That’s why ipods are dead.
 
No they don’t. Hardly anyone buys macs. And apple culture is to cannibalize themselves instead of letting someone else do it. That’s why ipods are dead.

Yes they do. Couldn't find anything more recent: https://www.macworld.com/article/3391393/apple-q2-2019-results-iphone-ipad-services-wearables.html

"The iPad posted $4.9 billion in sales versus $4.1 billion in 2018’s second quarter. Tim Cook noted that the "blockbuster" quarter represented Apple’s “strongest iPad growth in six years, and we are as excited as ever about our pipeline of innovative hardware, software and services.” Mac sales were relatively flat at $5.5 billion as compared to $5.8 billion last year. "

Doesn't look like "hardly anyone" is buying Macs to me. The ipod is a great example, it's just that the iphone became so successful so quickly it obliterated the ipod, it will be a much slower process for Macs. PS: Apple still sells ipods, I'm sure they don't sell very many of them, but enough to make a profit.
 
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I think Apple is perfectly happy with the ever blurring lines between an iPad and MacBook. In fact, I'm sure it's quite intentional. The iPad Pro line will move up to eventually have the same capabilities in a different form factor as a similarly priced MacBook, and as their laptop and desktop lines move to ARM, the codebase will eventually become the same for both systems - apps will eventually become universal as we are already beginning to see - I can now buy one app that works with the same functionality on my phone, iPad, or iMac. These are primarily simple apps now, coming from the mobile side, but the switch to ARM will force big developers on the Mac side to get on board as well. Apple wants feature parity no matter the device you are sitting in front of.
 
I had my Magic Keyboard returned today. Got it delivered yesterday and I am honestly not satisfied. Yes, the keyboard is great, clicks and everything. But actually I accidentally touched the iPad while typing. The viewing angles are not that great. You can‚t flip the iPad backwards or find a decent angle to draw with a Pencil. Everytime you want to use the iPad as eBook Reader on your couch you have to detach it, leaving the keyboard uselessly on the table. And the weight! Oh boy. It is way too heavy for an iPad to carry around. Sooner or later it would end up on my desk waiting for the iPad to be attached. But there’s already a MacBook Pro waiting. So I really have no use for it and I rather stick with my Smart Keyboard Folio Than spend 340 EUR (!!) on it. I will probably watch out for a cheaper Logitech Folio with trackpad.
 
Advanced is an attribute that for some reason I’d never have associated with her.

Regaredless of preconceived notions she is using the iPad for more tasks and in more ways than almost any other reviewer I have seen.
 
You conveniently ignored the entire first question which was the most important.

Which tradeoffs should have been made to fit them? Be specific.

From Apple's point of view, everything you want, with the exception of the keyboard lighting is handled either through another easily accessible hardware key (volume) or through the Control Center.

An iPad is not intended to be a 100% equivalent to a laptop. It is a different form factor that brings both advantages and disadvantages, depending on the particular task at hand. There are tradeoffs that have to be made on every device; you simply happen to be more comfortable with the tradeoffs made on a laptop.

I don’t have to provide specific ways to improve their hardware. I am not a designer and likely neither are you.
I am however capable of figuring out if something works intuitively or not for me.

Every other iOS keyboard I have in the house has function keys. Apple denies this on all their iPad keyboards. Not just on this one. As stated before the added convenience of these keys is common knowledge. Control Center and stuff like that are no convenient replacement. Good luck adjusting the volume on the top of the -floating- device tilted backwards. Gorilla arm strikes again.

This is the good old missing second mouse button stupidity again and of course we find people here defending it to any extend.
 
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Yes they do. Couldn't find anything more recent: https://www.macworld.com/article/3391393/apple-q2-2019-results-iphone-ipad-services-wearables.html

"The iPad posted $4.9 billion in sales versus $4.1 billion in 2018’s second quarter. Tim Cook noted that the "blockbuster" quarter represented Apple’s “strongest iPad growth in six years, and we are as excited as ever about our pipeline of innovative hardware, software and services.” Mac sales were relatively flat at $5.5 billion as compared to $5.8 billion last year. "

Doesn't look like "hardly anyone" is buying Macs to me. The ipod is a great example, it's just that the iphone became so successful so quickly it obliterated the ipod, it will be a much slower process for Macs. PS: Apple still sells ipods, I'm sure they don't sell very many of them, but enough to make a profit.

Comparing revenue isn’t fair. They cost more than ipads. And if you’re going to compare revenue, compare mac to iPhone. Not even in the same ballpark. Mac revenue, compared to ipad/iphone revenue, is a rounding error.
 
I don’t have to provide specific ways to improve their hardware. I am not a designer and likely neither are you.
I am however capable of figuring out if something works intuitively or not for me.

Every other iOS keyboard I have in the house has function keys. Apple denies this on all their iPad keyboards. Not just on this one. As stated before the added convenience of these keys is common knowledge. Control Center and stuff like that are no convenient replacement. Good Lück adjusting the volume on the top of the device tilted backwards. Gorilla arm strikes again.

This is the good old missing second mouse button stupidity again and if course we find people here defending it to any extend.

I do happen to design hardware, among other things for a living. When someone wants to be a critic, if they can’t vocalize what they would do differently, well, sorry, your opinion doesn’t mean much of anything. You may as well wish for the moon. Every single other iPad keyboard on the market has MAJOR design flaws. Pick your favorite. I’ll describe the negatives that company chose to live with as opposed to the Magic keyboard. Maybe that set of trade offs works ok for you. I don’t really think so though. I suspect you just like to complain.

Apple has made a consistent design decision with the iPad. No function keys for functions that are easily accessible via other means. Live with it or buy something else.
 
Mine, for the 12.9” just arrived. Initial thoughts:

1) I had been expecting it to weigh even more. Happy that it’s not as heavy as my brain assumed it would be. But it is heavy. For me, not much of a problem. Since I will generally be using my old portfolio keyboard when out and about, and leave the magic keyboard for when I’m sitting at my desk or at home.

2) Keyboard feel is great. SOOOOO much better than the damNed butterfly keyboards I’ve had on my macs for years. A little hard to type on for me, though because it is not angled, and i have carpal.

3)Wish screen could angle just a smidge more.

4) Office 365 doesn‘t yet support anything useful with the trackpad, looks lile

5) manually go into settings and turn on tap-to-click. Otherwise you have to click, and that’s no fun

6) very stable on a lap

7) getting to control center to adjust volume and screen brightness is fine by me, given how infrequently i perform those functions, and how easy it is to get to control center with the trackpad. Not missing “function keys” at all.

8) reminder that ”Esc” is cmd-period, just like macs dating back forever.
 
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I do happen to design hardware, among other things for a living. When someone wants to be a critic, if they can’t vocalize what they would do differently, well, sorry, your opinion doesn’t mean much of anything. You may as well wish for the moon. Every single other iPad keyboard on the market has MAJOR design flaws. Pick your favorite. I’ll describe the negatives that company chose to live with as opposed to the Magic keyboard. Maybe that set of trade offs works ok for you. I don’t really think so though. I suspect you just like to complain.

Apple has made a consistent design decision with the iPad. No function keys for functions that are easily accessible via other means. Live with it or buy something else.

Ah I see, so the design flaws here can be excused because everything has design flaws. Got ya. Adhering to some standard layout for function keys is my specific feedback that I would do differently. I am positively surprised backlight has finally made it in and I’m sure you told other critics of this missing in the previous iterations of iPad keyboards that Apple made a consistent design decision to leave this out. Second mouse button missing all over again. Until it’s there.

Apple learns slowly, I bet they just leave some more rooms for the next version.
 
Ah I see, so the design flaws here can be excused because everything has design flaws. Got ya. Adhering to some standard layout for function keys is my specific feedback that I would do differently. I am positively surprised backlight has finally made it in and I’m sure you told other critics of this missing in the previous iterations of iPad keyboards that Apple made a consistent design decision to leave this out. Second mouse button missing all over again. Until it’s there.

Apple learns slowly, I bet they just leave some more rooms for the next version.

So your specific most important need is function keys. Great. Lots of keyboards on the market that have that. The negatives include: damaging your screen, and most commonly, either a complete inability to act as a single unified device (external keyboard) or an attachment system that means you can’t realistically separate the two parts on a regular basis. Not to mention the lack of a trackpad on most of them (and on third party ones now having to put up with sub-par trackpad performance).

To me any one of those if a FAR bigger deal breaker than the lack of function keys replicating other easily accessed methods.
 
Mine, for the 12.9” just arrived. Initial thoughts:

1) I had been expecting it to weigh even more. Happy that it’s not as heavy as my brain assumed it would be. But it is heavy. For me, not much of a problem. Since I will generally be using my old portfolio keyboard when out and about, and leave the magic keyboard for when I’m sitting at my desk or at home.

2) Keyboard feel is great. SOOOOO much better than the damNed butterfly keyboards I’ve had on my macs for years. A little hard to type on for me, though because it is not angled, and i have carpal.

3)Wish screen could angle just a smidge more.

4) Office 365 doesn‘t yet support anything useful with the trackpad, looks lile

5) manually go into settings and turn on tap-to-click. Otherwise you have to click, and that’s no fun

6) very stable on a lap

7) getting to control center to adjust volume and screen brightness is fine by me, given how infrequently i perform those functions, and how easy it is to get to control center with the trackpad. Not missing “function keys” at all.

8) reminder that ”Esc” is cmd-period, just like macs dating back forever.

Thanks for sharing your first experience - encouraging!
 
Comparing revenue isn’t fair. They cost more than ipads. And if you’re going to compare revenue, compare mac to iPhone. Not even in the same ballpark. Mac revenue, compared to ipad/iphone revenue, is a rounding error.

iPads have steadily increased in price so I don't see it as being unfair, I think you are just moving the goalposts, clearly Apple still sells a lot of Macs. But even if we took 1/3 to 1/2 of the Mac numbers to make up for the price difference that's still a very significant number of Macs sold and I would not label purchasers as "hardly anyone". I'm not sure why I would compare Macs to iphones as that's not what we are discussing and isn't relevant to my point, but even then it's still not "hardly anyone" as you make it out to be.
 
Advanced is an attribute that for some reason I’d never have associated with her.
I think the term needs to be further unpacked. iJustine likely won't be doing "advanced" stuff like creating complicated shortcuts on iOS to automate otherwise mundane and repetitive stuff. She won't be poking around with the terminal or running multiple virtual environments or anything along that line because really, her job doesn't require any of this.

That said, she does appear to have a fairly successful career going for her, one that is capable of financing her rather lavish lifestyle, and she is clearly using her apple devices to great effect here. She is a one-woman production team, compared to other youtubers like Linus or MKBHD who have entire staffs at their disposal, and I think it's impressive what she has managed to accomplish for herself.
 
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