Apple Magic Keyboard

THE KEY TO PRODUCTIVITY?

- GADJO CARDENAS SEVILLA

PRODUCT TEST NO. 2315

THE NUMBERS

FEATURES Backlit keys, scissor mechanism with 1mm travel, designed for multi-touch gestures and the cursor in iPadOS, angle adjustability

CONNECTIVITY USB-C

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS iPad Pro 11-inch (1st/2nd/3rd gen) or iPad Air (4th gen) running iPadOS 14.5 or later

*The unit reviewed here was released in the U.S. market.

Keyboards for iPads are nothing new. They’ve been around for as long as Apple has been slinging its tablets, but they’re mostly from third-party manufacturers. Seeing revenues go to other companies moved Apple to create a Smart Keyboard for the iPad Pros, providing a lightweight keyboard case with rubbery keys. Smart Keyboards were good covers, but the lack of a trackpad or backlit keys made people check out cheaper alternatives. Enter the Magic Keyboard.

The keyboard’s design is ideal for typing on a table but not on a lap. I like to type in bed or on a couch and the Magic Keyboard does not fit this use case. It also lacks physical controls for things like volume, brightness, or for playing and pausing media—you still need to use the screen for those.

The magnet that connects iPads to the Magic Keyboard is very strong and secure—so much so that you can lift the iPad Air and the keyboard won’t fall off.