iPad Pro Early Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil Pro

[jclardy]

Same rubbery material

Unfortunate. This is my least favorite part about the MK.

Fair point. But this old accessory you are referring to... its still available for sale, they didn't all of sudden abandon it. Heck, it's still priced the same after all these years. Which is strange... why not reduce the price of the older MKB? Now that there is new MKB.

And as I stated, I like the new keyboard... certainly would have purchased one later on. It's really something I'd look forward to upgrade to, but to completely take it out of the users hands... expresses greediness. Now, if users are happy to give money to Apple at any chance they can (this trillion dollar company)... then by all means go ahead. But this move is generally not good for the consumer.

The original MKB is compatible with iPad Pro going back to 2018, honestly 7 years is pretty incredible in terms of hardware backwards compatibility for Apple - you are lucky if you can get more than 1 year out of an iPhone case.

At some point - the design needs to change. That said - I don't think they changed enough to justify the new keyboard. I personally am a bit disappointed they didn't engineer a better connector than the three pole one to allow for data transfer through the keyboard port and/or adding mac magsafe to the iPad itself, or the MK. It seems like an oversight that the most portable device with the lowest battery life (compared to any mac) and the most magnets inside is the one that charges without a magnetic connection.

 

[klasma]

I see a lot of people lamenting that the new MKB won’t work with the older iPads but one thing I don’t see touched on is the thickness of the iPad - with the new iPads being thinner than the previous generation, I don’t think an older iPad would be able to fit in the keyboard and still be able to close properly without damaging the hinge of the keyboard or the glass of the older iPad.

For the 11”, the difference is only 0.5 mm, and previous 12.9” models also already differed by 0.5 mm (5.9 to 6.4 mm) without causing problems for the old MKB, so I think they still could have made it work in terms of thickness.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

Unfortunate. This is my least favorite part about the MK.


The original MKB is compatible with iPad Pro going back to 2018, honestly 7 years is pretty incredible in terms of hardware backwards compatibility for Apple - you are lucky if you can get more than 1 year out of an iPhone case.

At some point - the design needs to change. That said - I don't think they changed enough to justify the new keyboard. I personally am a bit disappointed they didn't engineer a better connector than the three pole one to allow for data transfer through the keyboard port and/or adding mac magsafe to the iPad itself, or the MK. It seems like an oversight that the most portable device with the lowest battery life (compared to any mac) and the most magnets inside is the one that charges without a magnetic connection.

They did upgrade the smart connector to passthrough 60W compared to the previous magic keyboards 22W.
So technically, that is magnetic charging.

 

[stiligFox]

For the 11”, the difference is only 0.5 mm, and previous 12.9” models also already differed by 0.5 mm (5.9 to 6.4 mm) without causing problems for the old MKB, so I think they still could have made it work in terms of thickness.

IIRC didn’t they update the original MKB half way through to accommodate the new, thicker iPad? I seem to recall people commenting on the fact the first revision of MKB was a very very tight fit especially if you had a screen protector.

Always annoyed me there were two variants of the MKB with no discernible way to tell which was which on the box, but I remember it coming up when I was selling my iPad Air 4.

 

[sparksd]

IIRC didn’t they update the original MKB half way through to accommodate the new, thicker iPad? I seem to recall people commenting on the fact the first revision of MKB was a very very tight fit especially if you had a screen protector.

Always annoyed me there were two variants of the MKB with no discernible way to tell which was which on the box, but I remember it coming up when I was selling my iPad Air 4.

There was an update with the fit issue you mention.

 

[klasma]

IIRC didn’t they update the original MKB half way through to accommodate the new, thicker iPad? I seem to recall people commenting on the fact the first revision of MKB was a very very tight fit especially if you had a screen protector.

Always annoyed me there were two variants of the MKB with no discernible way to tell which was which on the box, but I remember it coming up when I was selling my iPad Air 4.

That could be, the initial MKB release was in 2020, and the iPad Pro 12.9” became thicker in 2021. Nevertheless, the MKB was always officially compatible with all generations, and certainly the later revision (if the MKB indeed changed) had no issues with the earlier generation.

 

[stiligFox]

That could be, the initial MKB release was in 2020, and the iPad Pro 12.9” became thicker in 2021. Nevertheless, the MKB was always officially compatible with all generations, and certainly the later revision (if the MKB indeed changed) had no issues with the earlier generation.

Found it! There indeed was a revision to increase the thickness.

Apple Says New 12.9-Inch iPad Pro is 'Functionally Compatible' With Older Magic Keyboard, But Fit May Be Imperfect When Closed

The new 12.9-inch M1 iPad Pro is 0.5mm thicker than the previous-generation version, which has led to fears that it won't be compatible with the...

www.macrumors.com

I reckon the point is, the iPad is almost a full mm thinner than the previous gen, so the old iPad wouldn't fit in the new design and you know people would try if it physically could attach, and then blame Apple for their damaged keyboards and iPads...

 

[klasma]

I reckon the point is, the iPad is almost a full mm thinner than the previous gen, so the old iPad wouldn't fit in the new design and you know people would try if it physically could attach, and then blame Apple for their damaged keyboards and iPads...

It’s actually 1.3 mm for the 13”, but only 0.5 mm for the 11”. I still think they could have made it work even for the 13”, by having some play in the hinge.

 

[yanksfan114]

No, it wasn't pretty clear. And I'm looking at it differently... does my current MKB work with the newest iPad Pro, not the newest MKB work with the older generation iPad Pro.

And besides, Apple pulled this stunt before claiming the 2nd generation MKB were only compatible with the newest iPad Pro at the time (I believe it was the 6th generation, not quite sure). Later found out that the measurements were slightly off... as in the iPad stuck out a tad bit.

But it still worked.


Folks keep bringing up "different size," but seriously... I don't believe the sizes are that big of differences that would cause incompatibility. The differences are miniscule in terms of length and width while there are three pins just like the previous generations.

And if it's the camera cut out causes incompatibility... that's just strange (I can adjust my MKB, no problem). But based off the OP post, Apple deliberately changed the magnets and tweaked the Smart Connector. Both has nothing to do with the size.

The biggest difference is the weight. The new iPad Pros are lighter, which changed the cantilever design and that also allowed the space for the function row to be added to the keyboard.

 

[Shirasaki]

That’s not true at all. They would have to compromise the design to maintain compatibility, such as by making it thicker and heavier, not being able to move the magnets for stability, having to leave the camera in portrait to maintain compatibility with Apple Pencil 2 and so on.

If Apple is happy to shed some lights I’m all ears. But, it is difficult to not think about the reason of shifting some stuff around has nothing to do with raising more profit, especially considering people are using devices longer between upgrades, as well as accessories attached to them.
I acknowledge the possibility of engineering limitations when designing those accessories, but my take is that’s unlikely the only reason.

 

[hovscorpion12]

Not sure if was asked. If it was I apologies. if your have the old Magic Keyboard, does the new Magic keyboard looks identical?

 

[bhall110]

Would a top down view side by side with the only model be possible. Showing the keyboard. I’m curious as to where the function row will be. Did they move the entire keyboard towards the trackpad? Or are the function keys more under where the screen will be?

 

[klasma]

Would a top down view side by side with the only model be possible. Showing the keyboard. I’m curious as to where the function row will be. Did they move the entire keyboard towards the trackpad? Or are the function keys more under where the screen will be?

The latter. Watch the hands-on videos on YouTube.

 

[Sheepish-Lord]

That rubber gasket location on the new MKB is going to leave a dust outline in the center of the screen ha.

 

[Adelphos33]

Another option instead of making to m4 IPad Pro keyboards compatible with older iPads is releasing new versions of the “old” Magic Keyboard to include function rows - that could benefit the new iPad Airs, plus older iPad Pros.

 

[Analog Kid]

It’s actually 1.3 mm for the 13”, but only 0.5 mm for the 11”. I still think they could have made it work even for the 13”, by having some play in the hinge.

I'm pretty sure backwards compatibility is at the bottom of Apple's priority list for flagship products. They are a design first company, and aren't big on compromise.

"I'm pretty sure we could make it work by having some play in the hinge"
"You. Go spend the rest of the day in that corner and think about what you've said."

"Play in the hinge" is the type of phrase that I'm sure makes peoples neck hairs stand up over there.

 

[klasma]

I'm pretty sure backwards compatibility is at the bottom of Apple's priority list for flagship products. They are a design first company, and aren't big on compromise.

I agree. But the argument was made that it wouldn't be possible to make an MKB compatible with both thicknesses, and there I disagree. In fact, the old 13" MKB is officially compatible with iPad Pros that differ by 0.5 mm. The new 11" iPad Pro also differs by 0.5 mm from the old, so the new 11" MKB could have been made compatible in the same way. It's just that Apple chose to not make it so.

 

[DribbleCastle]

It has a rubber gasket surrounding the keyboard deck.

View attachment 2377049

This is what i think looks terrible on the white model. Looks fine on the black though.

 

[Boing123]

I'm guessing Apple really made sure we will have to get new accessories this time around, I'd love to hear their reasoning behind it.

Nothing nefarious: new iPads are thinner so the hinge on the new keyboards is thinner.

I wouldn’t be surprised if the camera location also affected placement of internal components (I’m sure iFixit will clarify soon enough).

Other than that: if they would not make the keyboards incompatible, I’m sure some folks would try to use an old iPad with a new keyboard, damaging either when trying to close.

If they wouldn’t make newer devices thinner or change them in certain ways, some would complain new devices are just more of the same. If they do change it up, people complain it didn’t stay the same. Always something to complain about…

 

[Boing123]

I agree. But the argument was made that it wouldn't be possible to make an MKB compatible with both thicknesses, and there I disagree. In fact, the old 13" MKB is officially compatible with iPad Pros that differ by 0.5 mm. The new 11" iPad Pro also differs by 0.5 mm from the old, so the new 11" MKB could have been made compatible in the same way. It's just that Apple chose to not make it so.

Maybe they found doing this results in some long term issue? Scratches, broken hinge, bent keyboards?

I’d be interested to hear from a long term user of this kind of setup…

 

[Boing123]

The new Magic Keyboard has a similar rubber gasket that goes around the edge of the keyboard part, presumably to stop the screen and the keyboard coming into contact.

I do wonder though: the palm rest is metal and has no standoffs. This will be a lever of sorts: in your bag, if something compresses the palm rest area and it flexes, it might still touch the display… then again the contact point might be near the device rim, so less critical.

Maybe that is why the nano texture does not extend to the edge

 

[TracerAnalog]

Just received my folio case for the new iPad Pro 13 inch. I can confirm: it doesn’t work with older iPad Pro’s. At all.

 

[chrismu]

Just received my folio case for the new iPad Pro 13 inch. I can confirm: it doesn’t work with older iPad Pro’s. At all.

Could you weigh it so we can compare to the old model? Thanks!

 

[TracerAnalog]

Could you weigh it so we can compare to the old model? Thanks!

I have the ESR folio, it weighs 370g or 13 ounce

 

[chrismu]

I have the ESR folio, it weighs 370g or 13 ounce

Oh got it, thank you! I misread and thought you had the new Magic Keyboard for the 13“ already, seems like I’ll have to wait until Wednesday to find out the weight difference…