New Apple Bluetooth Keyboards not fully functional with iPad 2?

[kajitox]

Hey guys,

I've tried searching and I've made a couple of posts in a different thread, but didn't get any response - so I'm still wondering if this is a known issue, or if I'm just crazy.

I bought a bluetooth keyboard after the release of Lion. As such, the icons have been changed to reflect Mission Control and Launchpad. However with that change seems to have come a little bit of incompatibility with the iPad 2. The following controls don't work:

Brightness
Play/Skip/Back
Volume controls
Arrow keys

I'm 99% sure that the first three in that list work with the old keyboard, and I would assume the arrow keys would work as well... but none of them are working in mine.

Are other people seeing this issue? I the delay in the fix is due to the team adding more functionality to the keyboard, i.e., having the launchpad key take you back to the home screen.

Thanks for the help.

 

[jsh1120]

You're not crazy. Feel better now? Here's the problem. When Lion was released Apple updated the Apple Wireless Keyboard to take advantage of some of its features. (Can't say which.) The effect on the iPad is exactly as you describe, but only for the most recently produced keyboards.

The keyboards sold prior to the release of Lion are designated with a "/A" at the end of the model number printed on the box. The "updated" keyboards are designated as "/B". No way to tell the difference in the keyboards, themselves. They're identical except for the icons as you note.

It's a known issue and if you google something like "Apple Wireless Keyboard /B" you'll find threads on various forums that describe the problem. Presumably Apple will fix the problem (though I haven't seen any formal acknowledgement or promise from Apple).

If you want to replace your keyboard, be prepared for some effort. Some retailers may have old stock of the "/A" versions and you may be able to snag one. I haven't heard of anyone getting one from an Apple Store but I recall a post from someone indicating they'd gotten a "/A" version through Amazon. Unfortunately, as noted above, the only way to determine which version you're getting is to look at the model number printed next to the bar code on the box. The boxes themselves and the keyboards are otherwise visually identical.

I'm fortunate enough to have a "/A" version so I haven't had to go through the hassle. But if you're armed with enough information about your model (especially if you happen to have saved the box and you purchased it from Apple) you may be able to get some further information from Apple about the issue.

P.S. The arrow keys are a slightly different issue. They work or not depending on application functionality. I'm not sure whether applications that previously supported the arrow keys can do so with the new keyboard. The other keys, however, all work with "/A" keyboards and don't work with "/B" keyboards.

 

[kajitox]

You're not crazy. Feel better now?

Yes.

Thanks

 

[kajitox]

A follow up:

In iOS5, all keyboard functionality has been restored. I wish they had added more functionality, but alas...

I would have liked to see the launch pad key go to the home page, and maybe the ability to alt-tab... Maybe in a future release.