iPad and Magic Keyboard

I am considering getting a Magic Keyboard for my iPad Pro. I’m not interested in price debates. What I really what to know about is how good the keyboard is. I love the keyboard on my M1 MacBook Air, e.g. But I’m a bit afraid the Magic Keyboard might be noticeably smaller and thus less helpful compared to what I already am using.

Although of secondary importance to me: any issues/delights with the angles at which you can tilt the iPad using the Magic Keyboard?

You don’t mention which size iPad you have. I have the 11 inch and use it with the Magic Keyboard on my desk as a second device.

I find typing on it absolutely fine. I would be comfortable doing long form reports on it. It does add a bit of weight but I take the ipad out of the keyboard at the end of the working day and use the standard Apple case.

If I am out and about and need a mobile workstation, my go to is the iPad Pro with the Magic Keyboard. Yes its expensive but it is a quality product. I also like that I rarely need to plug the USB cable into the iPad to charge it as it charges via the Magic Keyboard.

The trackpad is also useful, its not the biggest but does the job fine.

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This is all very subjective, but I find the typing experience to be very good (11" model) and comparable to the MacBook Air. I would like to to be able to tilt back just a little further, but understand what it’s not possible. I loath fingerprints on screens, so the trackpad is wonderful, and I am absolutely not missing the tiny-but-oh-so-frustrating reconnect delay that comes with bluetooth keyboards. It’s relatively heavy and adds to the thickness of the device, but neither of these things bother me. The material does not seem to suffer from the same wrinkling issue that the Keyboard Folio has (or had).

Overall impression: When I first saw the video to announce the Magic Keyboard, I knew that it was for me. I love it. 9/10.

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@ACautionaryTale and @afhussain Thanks for your replies! Yes, I also have the 11" iPad Pro (didn’t even think to mention that … my bad). This is very good to hear. I have tried out some keyboards before but always found the keys too cramped. There were other problems … but the crampiness was the biggest issue for me.

As is I rarely type on my iPad. But if I had a good keyboard then I would use iA Write and UpNote a lot on my iPad.

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I’m going to lower my rating to 8.5, as I just remembered that there is no Esc key. As an occasional vi user, I find that mildly annoying :slight_smile:

Settings > General > Keyboard > Hardware Keyboard > Modifier Keys allows you to change one of the other modifiers to Escape, if that helps. As on the Mac I remap my Caps Lock to Escape when tapped, Control when held, this would almost be enough for me – you can’t have a dual function key on iPadOS, so it’s not perfect.

So I use, Cmd-. which does most of the same things, but I haven’t tried it with vim, so can’t say whether it’s enough there. (Does Ctl-[ work?)

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I have a 12. 9 iPad Pro that I use with a Magic Keyboard. I think the typing experience is excellent. Although this is certainly subjective, I highly recommended it.

I bought this for my iPad 12.9 And am very happy with the typing experience. I chose this because of the removable keyboard and more angle options than the apple one. And it was much much less $ than the apple one

Logitech Combo Touch iPad Pro 12.9-inch (5th gen - 2021) Keyboard Case - Detachable Backlit Keyboard with Kickstand, Click-Anywhere Trackpad, Smart Connector - Sand; USALayout https://a.co/d/5FCcetP

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Funny thing, I have a Logitech Keyboard. It’s ok, I saw this thread and for a half second considered the Apple Keyboard for the thousandth time.

Logitech Pros:

  • Gives you a case and a kickstand
  • Trackpad works

Cons:

  • Don’t use on your lap
  • Keys are a bit tight together - I think this is an 11" problem, so maybe affects both

The 11” is too small for me, but the 12.9” is pretty nice. So know your hand size/personal ergonomics.

At max angle, it will topple over on laps if you sit sloped down at all. I was experiencing this in some cases and found it easy to adjust. I swear the 2021 tips over a bit more easily than the 2018, but maybe I’ve changed or am sitting on firmer furniture now, haha.

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For me, the Magic Keyboard made the 11" iPad Pro a vastly superior device. I would not ever consider writing more than a simple email without a keyboard and I just can’t stand the futzing required with any other form of attachment.

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I had remapped caps lock to esc back when I got the keyboard, and that’s been fine. That’s why I took away only half a point for the lack of the dedicated esc key :wink:

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It does add quite a bit of weight, think of it as turning your iPad into a laptop in terms of how it feels in your hand. Trackpad is ok, obviously nothing like a MacBook, however perfectly fine. I actually love the typing feel and key travel. Also great that you can charge your iPad from the other side (they Magic Keyboard has a slower charge port on the left).

It is the most solidly built keyboard case I’ve had (I’ve basically had all of apples offerings around iPad keyboard cases thought out the years). Other keyboards have shown significant wear and tear after 9-12 months, this one is still perfect well beyond that.

I LOVE my Magic Keyboard. I ordered both it and the other (can’t remember name) when I bought my 11” iPad Air and it took me five minutes to send the other one back. I use it all the time when I don’t want to haul a laptop. Eventually (M2, maybe), I’ll get the iPad Pro (love the 11 inch size) and my husband will get this one.

My half point is docked because you can’t overload the key functions properly, such as:

  • Return as Return when tapped, Control when held
  • Caps Lock as Escape when tapped, Control when held
  • Right Command swapped with Right Option
  • Opt keys + f/b/d (Word Forward/Back/Delete)

As this is what I’ve been using (via Karabiner Elements and a custom DefaultKeybind.dict) on MacOS for years, it means that on the iPad I’m always adding unwanted Returns all over the place when I really want Ctl-A/E/V etc, which I always use Return for.

But that’s an iPadOS limitation: the Magic Keyboard itself is excellent with my iPad Pro 11”, far better than the Brydge thingy which I tried and found to be an awful typing experience.

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Jumping in (hope I’m not being rude).

For the 5-6 of you using the Apple keyboard, Terri questions:

How do you protect it when it’s undocked, i.e. walking around the house? I’ve broken a screen once already.

What do you use as a kickstand when you want the iPad to sit beside your mail computer in sidecar mode?

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@mlevison I don’t use anything special. For my iPad I have a sleeve that was for general purpose usage but is only very slightly larger than the iPad. So I use that.

For a stand I use this product:

I’ve used the stand every day and find it to be great for my needs.

You might want to have a look at these folks’ products: MOFT - iPad Pro Case for Magic Keyboard with Pencil Holder

They have a case that works with the Magic Keyboard and magnetic snap-on options that perform the function of stand/kickstand.

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Honestly, I almost never use my iPad undocked so that’s not an issue, but on the very, very rare occasions when I do, I’m just careful.

The Magic Keyboard serves for this, but I only use Sidecar when travelling, and the keyboard is just fine to hold the iPad beside my MacBook on a hotel room desk.

Speaking of travel, the iPad + Magic Keyboard really shines in comparison with almost any other device when being used on an airplane tray table in economy seating.

My preferred technique is to take it on holiday to a seaside cottage with a tile floor and then drop it when something particularly exciting happens in the cricket I’m using it to watch.

Mind you, this was with the keyboard connected, so perhaps my technique isn’t universally applicable.

Fortunately, my insurance company is very understanding and they’d repaired it within a week.

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