iPad Pro Why Apple (or others) Smart Keyboard??end

[J.Gallardo]

I’m posting from my 10.5” iPad Pro, and use also an iPad Mini and iPhone6s.
I see a lot of people asking about Apple Smart Keyboard, or cases with a smart connected keyboard... and problems with them.
After watching through years how “wireless” was sold as an advantage, I cannot understand this “close-connected” keyboard hype!
Bluetooth works wonderfully with keyboards (not always with other gadgets) and it unties it from your device (no wired Apple keyboard for iMac!). If you prefer a laptop look-alike position, you can find a case for that.
I have a Logitech Keys-to-go BT keyboard; small, dust/moist proof. I had it before getting the iPad Pro, and I can use it now with my two tablets (and iPhone, if I want). I can use also the iMac BT keyboard (quite portable too)...
I could enumerate all possible use situations... but it’s easier to point that Apple Smart Keyboard can only be used in a specific position, with a specific device. O.K., I understand it can be exactly what you need...
FINALLY, I find sad that the promising “smart connector” hasn’t found other uses... Perhaps Apple just wanted to sell those problem-prone keyboards, and nothing more.
Why sticking a keyboard to an iPad??

 

[sracer]

I’m posting from my 10.5” iPad Pro, and use also an iPad Mini and iPhone6s.
I see a lot of people asking about Apple Smart Keyboard, or cases with a smart connected keyboard... and problems with them.
After watching through years how “wireless” was sold as an advantage, I cannot understand this “close-connected” keyboard hype!
Bluetooth works wonderfully with keyboards (not always with other gadgets) and it unties it from your device (no wired Apple keyboard for iMac!). If you prefer a laptop look-alike position, you can find a case for that.
I have a Logitech Keys-to-go BT keyboard; small, dust/moist proof. I had it before getting the iPad Pro, and I can use it now with my two tablets (and iPhone, if I want). I can use also the iMac BT keyboard (quite portable too)...
I could enumerate all possible use situations... but it’s easier to point that Apple Smart Keyboard can only be used in a specific position, with a specific device. O.K., I understand it can be exactly what you need...
FINALLY, I find sad that the promising “smart connector” hasn’t found other uses... Perhaps Apple just wanted to sell those problem-prone keyboards, and nothing more.
Why sticking a keyboard to an iPad??

The feeling of keyboards is highly subjective and personal so what is "great" for you may not be for others.

Personally, I believe that the Logitech Keys-to-go overrated. I find that I have to press harder to get the keystrokes to "register" than I do with the ASK (Apple Smart Keyboard).

Bluetooth doesn't always work "wonderfully". Sometimes there is lag. Sometimes a failure to reconnect. And while "untying" is preferred some times, there are other times when picking up the iPad+ASK is easier and more portable... especially when carrying it around from office to conference room or between buildings. I like how the iPad+ASK can be carried as a single unit without concern that the KTG will slip out and fall.

Glad that the KTG works well for you. Exploring different options to find the one that best fits your needs is part of what makes tablets in general appealing.

 

[Eric5273]

I have no argument with that logic. I use an Apple Magic Keyboard with my iPad Pro 10.5 and it has been great. It's portable enough that I could bring it with me if I travel, but I rarely do that. The iPad has an on screen keyboard for use in a pinch when needed, so I find that I don't NEED to have my bluetooth keyboard with me at all times. I use it mostly when I'm at home working at my desk.

 

[yOyOYoo]

I just got back from the Apple store - was all set to pick up the Apple Smart Keyboard but just wanted to test it out. I found the keys extremely stiff and difficult to type on. I tried the wireless Magic Keyboard and found it much easier to type and much more natural to use.

I guess now I need to look for a stand case for my iPad to go with the Magic Keyboard.

 

[J.Gallardo]

Yeah. If you need a smaller keyboard, you can get also. I use keys-to-go primarily for work in school; it’s easy to carry and clean. But I really got it for my iPad mini.
The nice thing with this modern unwired keyboards is that they are independent devices, and you can use more than one depending on the situation.
And, to broaden the chat...
What could be a nice use of the Smart Connector? (I admit keyboard is one of the possibilities... but, what would be nice also?)

 

[DoubleFlyaway]

I really like the ASK.. I’m an extremely fast typist, and I find it remarkably close to a “regular” keyboard experience (my keys aren’t any stiffer than keys normally are... I wonder if there was something weird about that one you tried in the store), considering how thin it is. And it’s that compact-ness factor that really does it for me. I don’t want to carry a second object. I want it always available and close by, and I like that I don’t have to charge it or deal with a Bluetooth connection dropping. I love being able to close it up and slide the whole package into a sleeve seamlessly. The only two improvements I would make are backlighting and... this is a tall order and I’m not sure how it could even work without messing it the form factor, but I’d like a number pad (this is related to my desire for a number pad... I can use a number pad without looking, but my touch-typing of numbers above the letters isn’t as accurate).
[doublepost=1511897448][/doublepost]Adding.. I’ve looked at the two Logitech cases that use the smart connector, and it’s the bulk that has kept me away from them. And the fact that the bigger one (Create, I think) makes it hard to detach. For me, the ASK gives me a laptop-esque experience while keeping things very light and slim.

 

[mk313]

I really like the ASK.. The only two improvements I would make are backlighting and... this is a tall order and I’m not sure how it could even work without messing it the form factor, but I’d like a number pad (this is related to my desire for a number pad... I can use a number pad without looking, but my touch-typing of numbers above the letters isn’t as accurate).

I actually posted a question about this in another thread a month or so back. Zagg sells a 10 key pad that works with the iPad. I have one, but don’t often use it because it takes the place of a Bluetooth keyboard. Having an iPad Pro with an ASK should (theoretically at least) allow you to connect the 10 key pad at the same time, so you could use both the ASK & the 10 key pad. I don’t have an iPad Pro to try it on yet, but if you need a 10 key pad, that might be one workaround for you. Granted it’s another thing to carry, but it’s small and if you need a 10 key pad, it’s one of the few options, aside from one of the larger external keyboards.

 

[sracer]

Yeah. If you need a smaller keyboard, you can get also. I use keys-to-go primarily for work in school; it’s easy to carry and clean. But I really got it for my iPad mini.
The nice thing with this modern unwired keyboards is that they are independent devices, and you can use more than one depending on the situation.

Due to a limitation of bluetooth, a BT accessory can only be paired to one device at a time. That requires re-pairing whenever swapping that accessory to another device. There are very few keyboards that support multiple devices... and THAT is by a hardware switch on the keyboard, like the Logitech K480.

There is no "silver bullet". Every option has trade-offs.

 

[J.Gallardo]

Due to a limitation of bluetooth, a BT accessory can only be paired to one device at a time. That requires re-pairing whenever swapping that accessory to another device. There are very few keyboards that support multiple devices... and THAT is by a hardware switch on the keyboard, like the Logitech K480.

There is no "silver bullet". Every option has trade-offs.

I believe BT keyboards supporting more than one machine are majority nowadays. Even BT speakers use to be more-than-one device compatible.
Well: I’ve got the 3 years old KeysToGo (still in production) & Apple Magic Keyboard. Both support up to three devices (not sure, I use two “slots”).
Of course, the good thing is we have different approaches to choose from.
But I’m also talking about what gives more for the money and what’s more future-proof (when I bought my first BT keyboard, I didn’t know I would have an iPad Pro two years after. Another kb. came with my new iMac).