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iPad Pro Early Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil Pro

EugW

EugW

macrumors G5
Jun 18, 2017
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gsal said:
it’ll be interesting to know what it weighs in comparison to the previous Magic Keyboard.
Click to expand...
IllusiveMan said:
It weighs a bit more fir sure, but not considerable enough to notice on its own
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Thanks for the weight measurement.

Previous Magic Keyboard was 609 grams (or 607 or 601 g according to some measurements here), so the new one weighs less. And I believe they said right in the keynote the new one weighs less.

The iPad Pro 11 weighs 444 grams, meaning with the new 580 g keyboard, the total is 1024 grams, or just under 2.3 lbs. That's a reduction from the previous 2.4 lbs, but not by much unfortunately. I found the old 11" with Magic Keyboard pretty heavy, as I'm used to my 920 g / 2.0 lb 12" MacBook.

Anyhow, people shouldn't be surprised that the new Magic Keyboard doesn't fit the old iPad Pro. Some of us have been saying for years now that when the OLED / landscape iPad Pro redesign arrived, the Magic Keyboard would also get a redesign. The old Magic Keyboard had its run (and as mentioned, even that one had to be redesigned), so it's fine now after 6 years to move on.

EDIT:

Beat me to it:
Macintosh101 said:
So the M4 iPad Pro 11” weight with Magic Keyboard = 1.024kg

For comparison, the Macbook Air weighs 1.24 kg

And for further reference, the 12" retina MacBook weighed 0.92 kg
Click to expand...
 
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Yebubbleman

Yebubbleman

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Honestly, I'm MUCH more curious to hear if the Smart Keyboard Folios from the previous iPad Air and Pros will work on the M2 Airs. Particularly if the Smart Keyboard Folio from the 12.9-inch iPad Pro will work on the "13-inch" Air. At $1300, I'm not about to drop money on the new larger iPad Pro and Magic Keyboard for it. But if I'm limited to the old Magic Keyboard, then I might end up ditching Apple as far as the larger-tablet portion of my device arsenal goes.
 
EugW

EugW

macrumors G5
Jun 18, 2017
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Yebubbleman said:
Honestly, I'm MUCH more curious to hear if the Smart Keyboard Folios from the previous iPad Air and Pros will work on the M2 Airs. Particularly if the Smart Keyboard Folio from the 12.9-inch iPad Pro will work on the "13-inch" Air. At $1300, I'm not about to drop money on the new larger iPad Pro and Magic Keyboard for it. But if I'm limited to the old Magic Keyboard, then I might end up ditching Apple as far as the larger-tablet portion of my device arsenal goes.
Click to expand...
Good question. I'm guessing yes the old Smart Keyboard Folios will work on the new M2 Airs, but I'm not sure. Apple does NOT list it as compatible.

I'll note that when Apple released the iPad Air in 2019, the Smart Keyboard Folio for the 2017 iPad Pro was compatible.
 
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prospervic

prospervic

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Ludatyk said:
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.
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Because the “old” MKB is still a current product as it’s now matched with the “new“ iPad Air.
 
prospervic

prospervic

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Shirasaki said:
Nothing stopping them from designing the new iPad Pro in a way that’s compatible with older keyboard, weight balance and connector position wise. My guess is they want to boost accessory sale so they cut off support for older iPad Pro.
Click to expand...
Is it reasonable to expect Apple to not significantly change the design after 6 years in order to accommodate people who don’t want to upgrade their accessories? If so, we should still be using the huge and heavy original iPad Pro design.
 
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Ludatyk

Ludatyk

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prospervic said:
Because the “old” MKB is still a current product as it’s now matched with the “new“ iPad Air.
Click to expand...
I’m aware of that, I was responding to that post alluding to the “old” accessory somehow being discontinued to make way for the new accessory.

They are selling both at the same price. And the old one is a small revision to the original (which Apple was attempting to make us buy the new Magic Keyboard during that period). But I retire from discussing it, it appears as though everyone is completely onboard with it. Once more, I give it a rest.
 
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darngooddesign

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Jul 4, 2007
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ZombiePete said:
Not sure how I feel about it being around the keyboard and not the edge; I am concerned it’s going to contact the aluminum in the top edge of the iPad when closed and picked up.
Click to expand...
I think thats the only place it could be without making the palm-rests uncomfortable. Maybe retrain yourself to pick up the hinge side.
 
U

uecker87

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Oct 9, 2014
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I lifted this from Logitech's website for the 11" M4 Pro Combo Touch keyboard:

Combo Touch for iPad Pro 11-inch (M4)​

  • Height: 10 in (25.41 cm)
  • Width: 7.46 in (18.94 cm)
  • Depth: 0.54 in (1.35 cm)
  • Weight: 16.72 oz (474 g)
Looks like I'll be going with them this time around. 100 grams less and you can snap off the keyboard and still have a protected iPad with a kickstand!
 
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Shirasaki

Shirasaki

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prospervic said:
Is it reasonable to expect Apple to not significantly change the design after 6 years in order to accommodate people who don’t want to upgrade their accessories? If so, we should still be using the huge and heavy original iPad Pro design.
Click to expand...
Reasonable or not, now users wanting to get a keyboard case from Apple for their M4 iPad Pro needs to spend money on new accessories, and for most, it’s all that matters: need to replace accessories and spend more money. We forum members can try to justify the expense in our own way, but I can tell ya, most buying new iPad Pro unlikely think about that the same way.
 
I

Isengardtom

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Feb 14, 2009
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Isengardtom said:
I’m going to guess and say 1.19 kg for the 13” (keyboard + iPad Pro) @Seanm87

iPad : 579 grams
keyboard : 607 grams


Edit : might be a bit too optimistic - 1.23 kg is my modified guess
Click to expand...
From the video of Christopher

667 grams for the 13” keyboard - about 1.246 grams total basically the same weight as a MacBook Air
 
D

darngooddesign

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prospervic said:
Is it reasonable to expect Apple to not significantly change the design after 6 years in order to accommodate people who don’t want to upgrade their accessories? If so, we should still be using the huge and heavy original iPad Pro design.
Click to expand...
Remember when the 9.7" Pro's Smart Keyboard didn't work on the 10.5" Pro, and when the 10.5" Smart Keyboard didn't work on the 11" Pro? I think we were spoilt by the same keyboards working for six years on the 2018, 2020, 2021, and 2022 Pros.

Until a teardown proves otherwise, I believe that Apple could have let the existing MK work on the new iPads, albeit not in an ideal way; the fact that the Smart Connector is still in the same portrait orientation, instead of changing to horizontal to match the camera, reinforces this to me.
 
D

Digitalguy

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Apr 15, 2019
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darngooddesign said:
Remember when the 9.7" Pro's Smart Keyboard didn't work on the 10.5" Pro, and when the 10.5" Smart Keyboard didn't work on the 11" Pro? I think we were spoilt by the same keyboards working for six years on the 2018, 2020, 2021, and 2022 Pros.
Click to expand...
The 9.7 pro keyboard work with the 10.5 and vice versa. Actually it even worked with the 12.9, although the dimensions were different.
 
EugW

EugW

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Jun 18, 2017
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Digitalguy said:
The 9.7 pro keyboard work with the 10.5 and vice versa. Actually it even worked with the 12.9, although the dimensions were different.
Click to expand...
While it may have technically worked if you forced them together, the 9.7 Pro Keyboard did not fit the 10.5. They are physically different sizes. Plus the key spacing is something like 17.5 mm on the 9.7 (which I found uncomfortable), whereas the 10.5 is the ergonomically proper 18 mm. (Ergo recommendations usually state 18-19 mm, with 19 mm being the standard for all Macs and the 12.9" iPad Pro.)
 
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KPOM

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Oct 23, 2010
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darngooddesign said:
Remember when the 9.7" Pro's Smart Keyboard didn't work on the 10.5" Pro, and when the 10.5" Smart Keyboard didn't work on the 11" Pro? I think we were spoilt by the same keyboards working for six years on the 2018, 2020, 2021, and 2022 Pros.

Until a teardown proves otherwise, I believe that Apple could have let the existing MK work on the new iPads, albeit not in an ideal way; the fact that the Smart Connector is still in the same portrait orientation, instead of changing to horizontal to match the camera, reinforces this to me.
Click to expand...
It is a bit perplexing to me that each current model of iPad uses a different keyboard. The 10th-gen iPad, 11” iPad Air, and 11” iPad Pro are all about the same size. Height and width are all within 2mm of each other on all models. The base is thicker, though. I could see limiting the Magic Keyboard Pro to the higher end models, but why can’t the $249 Magic Keyboard Folio work with the Air or even the Pro?
 
D

darngooddesign

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KPOM said:
It is a bit perplexing to me that each current model of iPad uses a different keyboard. The 10th-gen iPad, 11” iPad Air, and 11” iPad Pro are all about the same size. Height and width are all within 2mm of each other on all models. The base is thicker, though. I could see limiting the Magic Keyboard Pro to the higher end models, but why can’t the $249 Magic Keyboard Folio work with the Air or even the Pro?
Click to expand...
Smart Connector location.
 
D

Digitalguy

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Apr 15, 2019
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EugW said:
While it may have technically worked if you forced them together, the 9.7 Pro Keyboard did not fit the 10.5. They are physically different sizes. Plus the key spacing is something like 17.5 mm on the 9.7 (which I found uncomfortable), whereas the 10.5 is the ergonomically proper 18 mm. (Ergo recommendations usually state 18-19 mm, with 19 mm being the standard for all Macs and the 12.9" iPad Pro.)
Click to expand...
I didn't say the dimensions fit perfectly, I just said they worked (and without any "forcing" other than being aestetically ugly since one is a bit smaller/larger than the other). Nor did I mention typing comfort (which indeed is better on the 10.5 / 11, I still have all of them). I also said that even the 12.9 keyboard worked, it was just much bigger.
The point here is that some people were hoping that the old MK would still work with the new iPads while not being a perfect fit because of slightly different dimensions. It turns out that Apple made that totally impossible since the magnets are totally different.
As an example the 2018 smart keyboard tecnically works with the 2020 iPads pro or newer but the camera does not fit, so it does not close perfectly, but magnets work and you can use the keyboard relatively safely, it's just not perfect or ideal, but I can see some people being fine with that, especially if they only need the keyboard occasionally.
 
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