When I buy the new 12.9" iPad Pro I will have it as my prime iPad for 5+ years. I will buy a keyboard early in its life and I won’t care if the follow-on models don’t support the keyboard.
Sounds like the only people hurt by this are people who roll over their iPads with alarming speed. I guess, though, there might be more of those than usual - with the big improvements in this generation.
But then those people can redeploy or sell their current iPads with the keyboard.
I still do not understand why the „old“ magic keyboard should not work. My 2018 12.9 inch iPad Pro has a 0.5mm screen protector and works just fine with the magic keyboard.
Someone earlier mentioned that iPads are a 5-7 year purchase. I think that is a high number but who am I to judge. I am on a about a two year cycle but the M1 may change that. I’m currently using a 2018 12.9” iPad Pro and I specifically bought the magic keyboard thinking I would have it through at least one more iPad. As soon as I saw the new 12.9” I knew I wanted it but this keyboard issue is really taking the wind out of my sails. I really hope they reviewers will be getting review units soon and can confirm that the old keyboards wont work. I plan on selling my current iPad Pro to help pay for the new one and I guess if the keyboard won’t work it just won’t work so it will go with the iPad. I am revisiting something I looked at a long time ago and that is using a Magic keyboard for the Mac with a 12 South folio case that blew up for a little while a few years ago. Maybe I will use it for a few months until I decide if I can stomach paying for a new Magic keyboard for the iPad. I am using it as a type this and it is working really well but the frustration quickly sets in because I have gotten used to the trackpad and not have it to deal with a kickstand. I do have a multi device Logitech Bluetooth mouse that I use a good bit with my Mac and the iPad though so we will see.
That’s interesting. I have one of the Switch Easy cases on my iPad that works with the Magic Keyboard and I have never had any issues since they redesigned just for the Magic Keyboard. They claim is is .04 inches thick which is just over a millimeter. I have never used a screen protector but even using this case it seems they still made some allowances for one to be used with the case so I hope you are right.
US$350 for a keyboard/trackpad is ridiculous. Especially when they cost maybe $10 to make.
https://m.alibaba.com/trade/search?SearchText=ipad%20keyboard%20trackpad&from=header&&
but they offer a white color now! 
I was planning on upgrading my 12.9 2018 iPad Pro this year. I use it daily and would replace it immediately if it died, but it’s not my main computing device (and likely will never be, unless the software changes significantly). I upgrade for features I need and for the fun of it.
I thought we were still on the train of impressive and rapid advances of iPad tech, but either that has permanently slowed or their push for Apple Silicon has put everything else on the back bench for a few years.
The incompatibility of the old Magic Keyboard pushed the expense of a 2021 upgrade into the “not worth it” category for me. Saved me $1,100.
I think that as the generations get later, the marginal benefit of a brand new device decreases markedly. In older generations, 2-3 years on an iPad might have been a more average cycle. But my 2018 Pro is doing just fine, and unless some crazy stuff changes I don’t think I’ll need to upgrade in the foreseeable future.
They’re still getting better, but the threshold for workflow intensity that really benefits from the “better” keeps climbing.
This is very true, but I believe it shows again how the software lags terribly behind the hardware. If you have high-end workflows, three years for a Mac starts to show because what you do keeps pushing the envelope. For an iPad… the only high-end workflows I can think of are professional artists, bumping into the technical limitations as they add more layers onto their files. Any other use resides so much lower than the capabilities of the device.
I have 2018 iPad Pro and can’t think of a valid reason to replace it no matter how hard I try.
I have very high expectations for WWDC- hope Tim can meet them!
That’s a valid point for many of the sorts of people on this forum, and probably for most of the people buying the 12.9" iPad Pro in particular (the thing that started this whole thread 
)
I wonder how many people bought iPad Pros in 2018 because it was “the best” and how many bought them because they had workflows that would benefit greatly from the extra horsepower?
For me I wanted the sound capabilities, and the better on-screen keyboard / keyboard folio made a difference. Otherwise I would’ve gone with a more “base model” iPad.
I bought the 2018 12.9" iPad Pro because of the long battery life, cellular capabilities, and the ability to use the pencil for taking meeting notes. However, the new M1 MBP has changed the equation for me. Given the M1’s long battery life as well as the benefits of the Mac OS, I’m thinking my next iPad will be the 11" and will be used primarily for reading and for presentation speaking notes. I’ll probably buy the 13" iPhone Pro Max. I believe this mixture of hardware will serve me well, save a little money, and eliminate the bulk of the 12.9" iPad.
We’ve taken up the slack, performancewise. I’m looking forward to function. There’s enough after 5 or 6 years to make it worthwhile for me.
Now, if something comes along that sucks up performance and is worth it then I might well not keep my new one for 5-6 years.
Handwritten notes is one crucial part of my workflow (that’s how I brainstorm stories), being mobile is the other part (hence doing so on iPad, which weighs always the same no matter the number of pages). So I wanted (almost needed) the best device for this use, maximising screen real estate in a more compact footprint than the old 12.9.
At this point, I see my 2018 going strong for many more years, unless Apple provides an update that absolutely makes me want to upgrade. (Like… dual booting macOS on the M1 iPad Pro. Kidding. Never gonna happen.)
I bought the 2018 pro after I gave my daughter my 2017 one. I wanted cellular and the new Pencil was a siren song to me. I want to write my notes- not type.
I love the device. Every time I pick it up I wish I could do more with it (even though I don’t see moving away from my Mac)
Can’t agree more! I’m still on the 11 inch 2017 pro and haven’t had a compelling reason to upgrade. I really think if the software was iterating faster I would have upgraded by now but as stagnant as it is there’s been no reason till now!
I’m still rocking my 2017 10.5" iPad Pro (which remarkably seems to be going for US$400-$500 used). I have no need to upgrade either. The iPad is always waiting for me or the internet, so a speed increase wouldn’t help anything.
Funnily enough when I specced out a new iPad Pro for fun the trade in value for it is also around $550. Wild stuff.
Definitely not an Acer. 
I don’t own a 12.9 device but I am nonetheless sincerely relieved by this article.