Bye bye batteries. Apple‘s trio of peripherals – the Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse 2, and Magic Trackpad 2 – have had a revamp, borrowing convenience tech from the iPhone. Most noticeable is the move away from user-replaceable batteries, with the three devices all getting li-ion packs just as you’d find squeezed into the narrow frame of the iPhone 6s. That’s not the only change, mind, though the extent to which your fingers will be happy will depend on how well you got on with the old designs.
When Apple launched the 2020 iPad Pro last month — the fastest tablet we've tested — it also announced the Magic Keyboard for the iPad ($299 for the 11- model, $349 for the 12.9-inch model. The Sharkk Apple iPad Air 2 Bluetooth Keyboard is a fair case for the price and will get the job done, but there are better keyboard cases out there if your budget allows it. MSRP $36.99 Amazon.
A rechargeable battery means no more need to accommodate AA batteries, and so the new Magic Keyboard gets an all-new profile. It’s now a solid, wedge-shaped block, with a 13-percent smaller footprint even though the keys themselves are still full-sized, and you now get a full-sized function row.
Pairing is seamless. You can either link your Mac with your keyboard via the usual Bluetooth menu in the OS X System Preferences, or you can plug the included Lightning cable in and have that connection established automatically. In fact, it’s almost too invisible; I waited for a beep or menu that the two had linked, but they just started working.
The keyboard – like the other peripherals – will remember the last Mac it was paired with. That means, if you want to use it with another, say to switch over from your iMac to your MacBook, then it’s a case of going through the above process again. I’d really like to see a hot-switch button or keypress-combo to flip between two or more saved connections, as Logitech and other peripheral manufacturers offer.
The keys themselves get a new mechanism, though it’s not the Butterfly Hinge of the latest MacBook. Instead, Apple redesigned the existing hinge, claiming it to be 33-percent more stable. Sure enough, the keys do have less wobble if your fingers hit the edges rather than strike dead-center, though if you’re an existing Apple Keyboard user then the much-reduced travel – down to 1mm versus the 2.1mm of the old design – might give your fingers a shock at first.
That, and the reduced angle – 3-degrees instead of 6 – meant there was some getting used to the new model. Side by side with the old keyboard, it’s clear that the buttons are more stable than before, though I’d not argue with a little more travel. I’m also a fan of the larger keycaps the 2015 MacBook has, though I recognize that’s very much a matter of individual taste. Backlighting is something other wireless keyboards offer, and indeed Apple’s notebook keyboards, but is still absence from this desktop model.
Incidentally, if you still want a numeric keypad – accountants, I’m looking at you – and you insist on something official, your options begin and end with Apple’s Keyboard with Numeric Keypad, for $49.
Glance at 2015’s Magic Mouse 2, and you’d be forgiven for not seeing any change at all. Apple has kept the outside pretty much identical to its predecessor – it’s only when you flip it onto its back that you notice the absence of a battery door.
That means the plastic top surface is still capable of recognizing swipes and gestures, and it also means that if you were ergonomically satisfied with the old version then the new shouldn’t be too much of a challenge.
Much has been said of the new Magic Mouse 2’s Lightning port, and its odd position underneath. It’s certainly not the most obvious place Apple could’ve put it: on the leading edge, so that you could both use and charge the mouse simultaneously seems like the natural choice.
I’m not really too bothered with it, mind. For a start, you won’t need to connect it all that often: with daily use, Apple says you’ll run for more than a month before a recharge is required, something that takes around two hours. Should you be caught short, two minutes plugged in is good for nine hours of use.
How to play tusk. Personally, it takes me longer than two minutes to go find where I put the AA batteries, never mind then swap out the expired set for a new pair.
I made the switch from a mouse to the Magic Trackpad some years ago, so the new model has plenty to live up to. Where the new Magic Mouse doesn’t look, at first glance, any different to its predecessor, the new trackpad is clearly redesigned.
The top surface is 29-percent larger now, bigger than on any MacBook as well as that of the old Magic Trackpad, and it’s at a shallower, 3-degree angle than before, matching the new keyboard. On the back is the same Lightning port, power switch, and plastic slit for the Bluetooth radio antenna as on the keyboard, too; as with that, I wish Apple had done something to enable hot-switching between two pairings.
The original Magic Trackpad has a mechanical click mechanism, but like the latest MacBook Pro, this new model relies on Force Touch instead. The sensation of clicking is generated artificially, though your fingers don’t notice the difference; what you get instead is the same feeling of movement across the full expanse of the multitouch glass surface.
Previously, a click in the lower part of the Magic Trackpad felt “normal” but a click up toward the top had much less travel. That was because of the way the whole thing pivoted around its tubular battery bay, triggering mechanical switches inside. With the new model faking those clicks, it doesn’t matter where you press – up at the top, in the extreme corners, anywhere – the feeling is always the same.
The combination of the new mechanics and the larger surface make the Magic Trackpad 2 a real pleasure to use. Having spent several weeks with it, I’m definitely noticing the difference from the old model: fewer missed or slipped clicks, and less hand movement either because I’d normally have run out of surface to swipe, or to move my fingers lower down the pad for a more reassuring tap.
If you’re a new Mac buyer, your decision is made. Apple is bundling the Magic Keyboard and the Magic Mouse 2 in with all new sales, and if you want to switch to the Magic Trackpad 2 that’s a $50 upgrade.
Call of duty ww1 xbox 1. Those who already have the old peripherals and who are considering an upgrade have a tougher choice. All three are more expensive than the keyboard, mouse, and trackpad they replace – which each came in at $69 – and the improvements are in many ways incremental and at best minor. The Magic Mouse 2 has only its fast-charging convenience to differentiate it, while Force Touch on the Magic Trackpad 2 is yet to be compellingly implemented in OS X.
Still, I do prefer the Magic Keyboard’s key feel, though I’d recommend trying it out in-store if you have the chance first; that reduced key travel might surprise you. The broader space of the Magic Trackpad 2 is welcome, and the touch sensitive surface would remain my peripheral of choice over the Magic Mouse 2. Whether that’s worth a couple of hundred dollars to revamp my desktop isn’t so clear-cut; they’re good, but for the moment you’re not missing out if you resist the urge to upgrade.
It’s been several days and a whole lot of typing since Apple’s Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro landed on my doorstep, and I’m already thinking about version 2. How can Apple make a great keyboard and trackpad even greater? Well, short of buying Brydge and building in the advantages of its Pro+ keyboard, I’d say there are five main things Apple could improve on. Here’s what I’m hoping Apple changes for the next Magic Keyboard.
Imagine how much more versatile the Magic Keyboard would be, if it simply folded back just like the Smart Folio? Back in 2014, Lenovo unveiled an innovative hinge for the YOGA 3 Pro product line. The design was inspired by watch bands using a mixture of aluminum and stainless steel, consisting of 813 moving parts. I’m actually pretty shocked Apple didn’t do something similar; after all, they’re in the watch business these days.
There are a few limitations with the current design which, though not a show-stopper, all the same are proving a little annoying and inconvenient. First, as I’ve outlined in my review, the bottom edge of the iPad is extremely close to the first two rows of keys. As a result, my fingers are constantly smacking up against it. While this might not seem like a big deal, it’s definitely enough to disrupt your flow, and I suspect it’ll take me a good while longer to train my fingers not to do it.
Secondly – and more of an inconvenience than an issue – I want flexibility. I want to be able to flip the Magic Keyboard back and turn it into a table tent to place on a surface in tight spaces. I’m particularly thinking of the drinks tray on the seat-back of an airplane. That takes up maybe 3 to 4 inches of space, versus the entire width and depth of the base of the keyboard. On the other hand, when I’m on the go, I want to be able to just use the Magic Keyboard with the iPad Pro attached. In the current form, that’s impossible.
So how can Apple improve the hinges? By adopting the same watchband concept I outlined above. It’s elegant, sturdy and it’s the solution to the current limitations. Such a design would eliminate the need for the second hinge as well; in addition, it should solve the problem of how close the iPad is to the first two rows of keys because the iPad would, in fact, be pushed back to right where the hinges reside.
What about the magical floating design? I know you love it, because I love it too. Who’s to say that still can’t exist? It can, and I would hope that Apple retains it.
Another benefit of that redesigned hinge? Moving the iPad further back – 2.5 inches away from the hinge, perhaps – would open up more than enough distance and space to add the much-needed row of function keys.
Honestly, I’m still struggling to comprehend a pro-accessory of any sort that lacks an ESC key. It’s such an important part of the average workflow, whether that’s exiting you out of full-screen videos or applications, or instantly stopping a process in its tracks. The current workaround is to go into the keyboard settings and modify one of the keys: in my case, I changed the Caps Lock key to work as an ESC key. It does the job, but there’s no muscle-memory.
ESC isn’t the only thing I’m missing. Apple numbers spreadsheet. Keys such as media control, display brightness, a home button, and others are useful to have quickly at your fingertips, and they’re things that third-party keyboards are offering while the Magic Keyboard does not. Trackpad gestures are great, but they can’t replace everything.
I hope you had the chance to watch me violently shake the iPad Pro: there’s no doubt Apple’s magnets are crazy-strong, and do a stellar job holding the two parts together. Sadly, at the end of the day, they can still be detached easily if you or someone else accidentally bumps either of the bottom edges of the iPad Pro. Considering the high cost, this can be disastrous, especially when you’re traveling with just the iPad Pro as your work device.
I’ve been toying around with a few ideas as to how Apple might be able to accomplish both having an easily removed tablet but one which also locks a little more reassuringly, but for the moment I’m coming up blank. Perhaps something like the quick-release latches Peak Design uses on its backpacks might work.
I’m finding that the Apple Pencil is growing on me more and more every day. Whether it’s taking notes, working on homework with the kids, or signing documents, Apple’s stylus is proving neat and accurate. How download google chrome for free. The double-duty of magnetically holding the pencil in place while also charging it is convenient, too.
What isn’t convenient is figuring out where to put it in transit. The magnets just aren’t strong enough to prevent the Pencil from being knocked off when it’s brushed against something. That might be okay were it some $20 accessory, but when a replacement will cost you $129 it feels a little more serious. I’d love a dedicated place on the Magic Keyboard to safely stow it.
The 12.9-inch iPad Pro’s massive battery is more than welcome, but charging via the USB-C port on the Magic Keyboard is less impressive. In fact, it’s painfully slow. The same charger plugged into the iPad’s USB-C gives noticeably faster results than when you use the keyboard’s pass-through charging port: starting with 47% battery left, for example, after roughly 90 minutes it had climbed to just 69%. On another test with the battery drained to 2%, it took precisely two-hours to charge up to 44%. This sluggish charge rate is just unacceptable because, at this rate, it’s best to charge up the iPad Pro directly, that is unless you’re using the USB-C port for a dongle attachment.
The reality is that it’s not the Magic Keyboard that’s the bottleneck, so much as it is the Smart Connector. That’s the row of contacts near the tablet’s edge, by which it connects to the keyboard. It’s what allows for the quick-release magnetic attachment and, by supplying power from the tablet, means the Magic Keyboard doesn’t need a battery of its own. Problem is, pass-through charging using it is seriously sluggish.
That’s a shame, because it’s a criticism we never leveled at the old MagSafe power connector Apple used to use on its notebooks. Actually, I think that’s a missed opportunity on the Magic Keyboard, too. Since the USB-C port on the peripheral is only used for charging – it doesn’t support data for accessories – why not have a magnetically-attached connector instead? I’m having horrible visions of being at Starbucks and someone tripping over the cable, especially when the only thing holding the iPad Pro to the keyboard are magnets.
If we’re being ambitious, in fact, why not wireless charging? Apple’s attempts to make AirPower didn’t exactly go to plan (though it’s believed to be having a second attempt at the idea), but a large wireless charging pad being enough and powerful enough to keep your iPad Pro and Magic Keyboard charged up while you’re working, and indeed your other Apple devices, would be welcome on my desk.
For all the room for improvement, there’s a lot to like about the Magic Keyboard. I couldn’t be happier with the typing experience, for example. The keys click and clack just the right amount; the travel for each is perfect. I’m a fan of how well Apple delivers on its key backlighting, too, with just the right amount for dark environments and very little light bleeding out of the edges.
As for the trackpad, it works just as well as Apple’s standalone Magic Trackpad 2: that alone costs $129 if you were to purchase it separately. There’s little to zero lag, whether you’re scrolling, or doing one, two, or three finger multi-touch gestures. Screen grab macbook. If I had one small request, it would be for a slightly larger pad overall. Maybe, while Apple is freeing up all that space with the new hinge design I had in mind, it could spend half an inch or more on giving the Magic Keyboard 2 a bigger trackpad like the MacBook Pro the iPad Pro has replaced in my bag.
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