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Razer Debuts $170 'Mechanical Keyboard Case' for 12.9-inch iPad Pro
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I agree. As if we needed one more thing to charge. That’s one of the reasons why I prefer wired peripherals over their wireless counterparts.
add a smart connector and have a decent weight/size (e.g. not as big and heavy as that logitech beast) and I'm in.
I've been a software developer for over 40 years and have (and still) use mechanical keyboards all that time. I get it that hipsters love them (I'm not saying all who love mechanical keyboards are hipsters), but I don't like them. They're ponderous to type on.
When I get to use my iMac, Macbook Air, and iPad Pro keyboards, it's a pleasure by comparison. It's the difference between slogging through knee-deep snow without snow-shoes and flittering across a running track.
I sometimes glance at my keyboard just to check while typing long things, it's an unconscious habit. Backlit helps a lot with that at night. Some poor miserable souls are also not touch typists.
Oh Razer used to be one of my favorite mice manufacturers (first generation Naga user ) but then they've gone down and forced users to register in order to use a configuration driver
Also someone better tell them that Bluetooth still consumes more battery than a real connected device and that adds up.
Also it looks cheap not premium
Also someone better tell them that Bluetooth still consumes more battery than a real connected device and that adds up.
Also it looks cheap not premium
Yes. I live and die by the hunt-and-peck credo with my keyboards. Picture me as Schroeder playing the piano from Peanuts, and you would be pretty close.
Good thing this one has the ability to completely turn the backlight off, if one wishes to do so.
As someone who has both an iPad Pro 9.7" and a MacBook, I can say that the Apple Smart Keyboard "feels" like it has more travel than the MacBook, even though both use the same mechanism. I'm not sure how much better a scissor-style mechanical keyboard would feel. I think it is the added fabric on top of the keyboard that adds to the perception of travel while improving its resistance to water. The cramped design takes some getting used to, but overall I type nearly as quickly on the Apple Smart Keyboard as I do on a regular keyboard.
I've never tried the Apple Smart Keyboard, but if it's the same type of switch as the ones in the MBP and most other current generation of Apple keyboards and laptops, it's actually a scissor switch too. It's just a scissor switch with a very short throw.
Also, just lame semantics here... some people don't consider a scissor switch to be a true mechanical keyboard because it still pushes down on a rubber dome to actuate. Pointless I know, but just thought I'd toss that out there.
It's not the scissor mechanism that qualifies it as a mechanical keyboard. It's the physical switch. The MacBook and iPad Pro keyboards both have scissor mechanisms, but still use dome switches (although they use stainless steel domes as opposed to traditional rubber domes). A true mechanical keyboard uses a physical spring switch.
What a chunky and cheap looking piece of crap. I'm still fascinated that they pretend to care about the keyboard experience, but like Apple and Logitech, have not included an ESCape key. WTF?
Just spending time in Excel alone makes me scream about the ESC key.
I use the Apple Smart Keyboard. It's actually quite good to type on. I've found the response time is a bit slow though and I don't know if it's the keyboard itself or software.
Just spending time in Excel alone makes me scream about the ESC key.
I use the Apple Smart Keyboard. It's actually quite good to type on. I've found the response time is a bit slow though and I don't know if it's the keyboard itself or software.
Are you talking about the Apple Magic Keyboard or its predecessor the Apple Wireless Keyboard? Or something else?
As already stated in my post, I'm talking about the Smart Keyboard. You know, the same as the Smart Cover for the iPad Pro, but with the built-in keyboard. I've had my iPad Pro and Pencil since 2 days after launch and the Keyboard within 2 weeks of that. I use it almost daily and it's become my predominant forum surfing, email, compact mobile system when I don't need the power of a real laptop. Lots of hours on this thing. Actually like the keyboard, but the lack of an ESC is maddening with Excel and a few other apps ported over from desktop systems that make use of the ESC key or are made better by it. Logitech, and now Razer, don't have an ESC key on their keyboards either. Seriously, what is up with that?
So I guess there is still use for it. But on a laptop, where the screen is so close, is it still necessary—doesn't the screen's display illuminate the keys enough, or is it just that much faster for you?
It depends. The screen can be turned up pretty bright when it's otherwise pitch black in the room, at the cost of battery life. However, if you have auto brightness enabled, it can be pretty dim, and I could see there possibly being an issue with seeing the keys in that situation.
Another useful time where I can see the backlight being helpful is on a red-eye or overseas flight, so as not to bother the other passengers too much (due to increasing screen brightness in order to see the keys.) In fact, most (if not all) situations may involve minimizing the possible risk of disturbing others around you in a low ambient light environment.
Anyway, there is a valid use case for it, and for those that don't "need" it, they can either turn it off or buy a different product.