I like to quickly write down my thoughts as I use a product rather than write up a big review so here are my first impressions of the Apple Magic Keyboard for the 11” iPad Pro. I’ve had the 2020 iPad for a couple of weeks and enjoying it but it didn’t feel complete as I was waiting for the keyboard to arrive and today it did.
Even on the smaller iPad Pro it’s got some weight to it but for me at least it’s fine to carry around with the iPad like I did my Smart Keyboard cover on my 10.5” iPad Pro.
Before even plugging it in the build quality feels amazing (as you’d expect for almost £300). The keys are good, more travel than my 12” MacBook so I’ll need to adjust but enjoying the typing experience. The hinge to hold up the iPad is stiff and that’s a good thing, the trackpad is also a little stiff to click - but it’s only day 1.
Here’s a summary of things I’ve spotted from my first hour with this new setup
- It really highlights the apps that embrace the setup, if your app doesn't have secondary click support I cant use it - I'm currently working out which of the apps I use are good or bad in this respect (would you be interested in a post about this?)
- My writing style means my hands are quite high so my nails are hitting the bottom of the docked iPad, I just need to adjust to this - no big problem
- I like the flexibility of using whichever method I feel like - keyboard, trackpad, undocked or pencil, it's one of the main reasons I love the iPad so much
- The trackpad is actually bigger than I was expecting on this smaller iPad and I'm enjoying using it
- The keys feel cramped to begin with but I'm getting used to it
- I miss the function row that I had with my MacBook
- It feels a little top heavy on the lap but totally doable for me I don't think it needs to be a desk only accessory on the 11"
- I wish the hinge had some more angle to it but understand why not - it would topple over...
Using this setup really makes me appreciate my choice to stick with the iPad and means that I have so much flexibility. I’m looking forward to seeing what iPadOS 14 brings up in terms of iPad support even more now.
