A portion of this video is sponsored by Paperlike.
On March 18th Apple introduced new iPad Pro
models, which added an ultra wide camera lens,
a LiDAR scanner, and improved graphics performance.
But what garnered even more attention was
the announcement of an accessory called Magic
Keyboard for iPad Pro.
For the first time, Apple would offer an iPad
keyboard with full-sized backlit keys and
one millimeter of travel.
But that’s just the beginning.
Apple also managed to include a trackpad that
actually clicks, and a USB-C port for pass-through
charging, all built in to a compact folio
cover that magnetically connects to the iPad,
suspends it in mid-air, and has an adjustable
viewing angle.
Therefore allowing the iPad Pro to deliver
a true notebook experience that users have
wanted for almost a decade.
But as you can imagine, this accessory with
all its incredible features doesn’t come
cheap.
The Magic Keyboard for an 11 inch iPad Pro
costs $300, while the 12.9 inch variant costs
$350.
Now in this video we’re going to take a
look at the 11 inch model, so you can decide
for yourself if it’s worth the premium price.
This is Greg with Apple Explained, and if
you’d like to see more in-depth reviews
like this one, don’t forget to subscribe.
Now I ordered my Magic Keyboard from Apple’s
online store and it arrived one week later.
The front of the box features a product photo
as well as its name at the top, and some illustrations
on the back demonstrating how the accessory
would appear in use.
After lifting the lid you’ll find the Magic
Keyboard itself, and after removing it from
the box, you might be wondering where the
documentation is.
Apple typically includes a cardboard envelope
filled with paperwork in front of or behind
the product.
But with this accessory, they actually integrated
the envelope into the protective packaging
that’s wedged between the cover.
It slides out beautifully, and although there
aren’t any Apple stickers, there is a very
simple manual instructing users how to attach
and adjust their iPad, in addition to using
the USB-C port for charging.
Now I should mention there aren’t any extras
included with this keyboard.
Unlike the Magic Mouse or trackpad, it doesn’t
feature a USB cable, since the keyboard itself
doesn’t need to be charged.
It’s simply powered by the iPad’s battery
while in use, thanks to these three metal
contacts on the inside of the cover that are
also found on the iPad Pro.
When it comes to the size and weight of this
keyboard, people often point out how heavy
and thick it is.
So let’s put its size into context.
An eleven-inch iPad Pro weighs in at about
one pound.
The same iPad with a Smart Cover would weigh
six ounces more.
While a Folio Keyboard would add eleven ounces.
But what about this new Magic Keyboard, well
attaching it to your eleven inch iPad Pro
would add twenty-two ounces.
That means going from using your bare iPad
to using it with this Magic Keyboard would
more than double its weight.
But keep in mind that you’d be using your
iPad more like a notebook than a tablet.
Likely by resting it on your lap or a table,
which makes its weight less of a concern.
Also, there are benefits to this, like the
keyboard setup being much less top heavy,
which prevents tipping while resting on a
more unstable surface like a lap, pillow,
or bed.
Now the weight distribution isn’t as optimal
as a notebook, but it’s a noticeable improvement
over the Folio Keyboard.
But what about portability?
After all, people who choose the smaller 11
inch iPad Pro are more likely to carry it
from place to place, compared to those with
the larger 12.9 inch model.
Well, I’m going to compare this eleven-inch
iPad & Magic Keyboard combo to one of the
most portable notebooks Apple has ever made.
The eleven-inch MacBook Air, which weighs
just two point four pounds and has a maximum
thickness of seventeen point eight millimeters.
So how does the eleven-inch iPad Pro plus
Magic Keyboard measure up?
Well, it weighs two ounces more than the Air,
but has a maximum thickness that’s actually
two point eight millimeters thinner.
It’s also two inches shorter than the Air,
which makes it very compact and easy to fit
inside a bag.
But most people have notebooks much larger
than the eleven inch MacBook Air, like for
example, my sixteen inch MacBook Pro.
Which is connected to all sorts of external
devices like a microphone, SSD, and display.
That means taking my notebook with me, isn’t
exactly an effortless process.
That’s why having a notebook experience
available on my iPad is a total game-changer,
since it’s already a super portable device.
I can just throw it in my bag, not even notice
it’s in there, and write my video scripts
on a comfortable keyboard complete with a
trackpad, no matter where I’m at.
The only issue I’ve run into while using
my iPad in cafes or even outside is how reflective
the screen is.
It causes me to try to angle my iPad away
from the light source, and even have to move
to a completely different area.
So to solve this issue I’ve actually been
using this matte paper like screen protector
that diffuses ambient light really well and
allows me to focus on my screen’s content
without any reflections getting in the way.
Now if you use an Apple Pencil with your iPad
there’s an additional benefit, after all,
the company who makes these is called Paperlike
for a reason.
Their matte protector actually mimics the
texture of paper, so you have some friction
when writing or drawing without any slippage
from the iPad’s glass display.
It was actually really easy to apply since
they not only include instructions and tools
to do it properly, but also a video tutorial
to make things super straightforward.
So if you want to protect your iPad’s screen,
take care of those annoy reflections, and
take your Apple Pencil experience to a new
level, I recommend checking out what Paperlike
has to offer, just click the link in the description
to get your Paperlike and free shipping worldwide.
Now, there are tradeoffs to having such a
compact keyboard accessory.
The biggest being its trackpad.
While it has a generous amount of width, it’s
narrow height does take some getting used
to.
When I used vertical gestures like scrolling
through web pages or swiping up with three
fingers to go home, my hand would run off
the trackpad area quite often, cutting the
gesture short.
Sometimes the action would register, other
times it wouldn’t.
So it took time learning how to minimize my
vertical gestures as much as possible, in
order to perform them reliably on the trackpad.
But the good news is that I never had that
problem with horizontal gestures.
Now when it came to the trackpad’s physical
click, it was something of a disappointment.
While you can click anywhere on its surface,
the amount of force required to register a
click was too high for my taste.
It led to mis-clicks since the cursor may’ve
moved slightly while I was pressing down.
Also, it caused some hand fatigue after using
it for a few hours.
To remedy these problems, I turned on tap
to click in the iPad’s settings, and found
myself enjoying a much more comfortable trackpad
experience.
But what about the keyboard?
Well, it turned out to be a much easier adjustment
than I expected.
The smaller keyboard does feel a bit claustrophobic
at first, but after just fifteen minutes of
typing, my fingers were already comfortable
with the smaller area.
I think a big part of this comfort is due
to the individual keys themselves.
They’re not miniaturized versions of notebooks
keys, and they’re not covered by a mushy
fabric like the Folio Keyboard.
These are full-sized, hard-plastic key caps
complete with scissor mechanisms, ample travel,
and even backlights.
Which auto adjusts to ambient lighting, and
can even be manually adjusted in settings.
These features make the typing experience
surprisingly enjoyable despite the keyboard
itself being smaller.
Now when using your iPad with this accessory
and enjoying more of a notebook experience,
it becomes clear why Apple included a passthrough
USB-C port.
Not only does it give you the choice of charging
your iPad from the left or right side, depending
on your situation.
But it also frees up the iPad’s port to
connect to other devices like a camera, microphone,
or display.
Now in my experience, the iPad charges just
as quickly the Magic Keyboard’s USB-C port,
although it doesn’t support data, only passthrough
charging.
Now in terms of battery life, you can expect
this keyboard to deplete your iPad’s battery
about 10-20% faster, depending on how much
the keyboard’s backlight is used.
And since I primarily typed scripts, the backlight
was almost always on when I used the keyboard,
so I definitely noticed a decrease in my iPad’s
battery life.
Although I should mention it still lasted
substantially longer compared to typing scripts
on my MacBook Pro.
Another huge benefit of this Magic Keyboard
is the hinge design.
It allows you to precisely adjust the viewing
angle between ninety to one-hundred thirty
degrees.
A huge improvement over the two fixed viewing
angles offered by the Folio Keyboard, but
still not as generous as most MacBook’s
one-hundred seventy-eight degree viewing angle.
And there’s a good reason for this.
If Apple had allowed the Magic Keyboard’s
hinge to extend beyond its current limit,
it’d throw off the setup’s weight distribution
causing it to be very unstable and likely
to tip backward.
There were also questions about why Apple
didn’t include a row of function keys at
the top of the keyboard, and it’s because
they would be extremely frustrating to access.
The bottom of the iPad would block your fingers
from reaching the function row comfortably,
and likely cause people to wonder why Apple
included a function row at all.
It’s important to keep in mind that this
keyboard, while a very impressive piece of
technology, does have compromises.
But Apple did their best in mitigating most
potential hangups.
For example, there may not be any dedicated
function keys, but you can utilized the long
list of keyboard shortcuts to quickly perform
actions like switching apps, going home, taking
screenshots, or even opening Spotlight without
your fingers ever leaving the keyboard.
And if you become annoyed that there’s no
escape key, like I did, you’ll be happy
to hear that Apple allows you to remap modifier
keys to perform the escape action.
Now the last thing I want to talk about is
the Magic Keyboard’s cost.
This 11 inch model is $300, which is a steep
price to pay for an iPad accessory.
And if you’re having trouble deciding whether
or not to make the purchase.
Consider how you’re using your iPad Pro
today.
Are you just watching YouTube videos, browsing
the internet, and checking email?
If so, the addition of a keyboard and trackpad
wouldn’t really improve the experience of
those tasks.
But if you’re taking notes, writing essays,
or using content creation apps like iMovie
or GarageBand, you’d likely appreciate the
notebook experience that the Magic Keyboard
provides.
I’ve not only been using my iPad more thanks
to this keyboard, but its freed me from being
so reliant on my MacBook Pro, which isn’t
as portable or convenient to carry around.
Alright guy thanks for watching, and if you
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