
Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro review: Living the dream - tosh
https://sixcolors.com/post/2020/04/magic-keyboard-ipad-pro-review/
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igammarays
Is it just me, or do these iPad reviews really seem strained? Like the author
is trying really hard to love their new toy, despite the functional setbacks.
Don't get me wrong, I love my iPad Pro 11 too and look forward to using it as
a writing/notes device, but you'll never take my Mac away except out of my
cold, dead, hands.

~~~
sylens
I think it's more about justifying the case. I feel like Apple "pros" or
bloggers really spend a lot of words justifying how each new accessory or
device fits their use case instead of just saying "It looks cool, but it's not
for me". For me, I'm okay with my current keyboard folio case - I can just
pair a bluetooth mouse for the few times I need to work with a mouse, which is
not that often right now because there's no native code editor on iPadOS yet.

~~~
AmericanChopper
I also think it looks cool, and I can image how I could use it. But I think of
many situations where I’d prefer to use it over my MacBook. My 13” MBP is
already very portable. I’ve never struggled to work in a cafe or on a plane
with it, and it’s not too heavy to worry about lugging around.

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sylens
I own the the regular keyboard folio that launched alongside the 2018 iPad Pro
and have mostly enjoyed it so far. I wish it had more angles to tilt the IPad
at (similar to a Surface's kickstand) but I realize that's not practical with
just a case.

I would like to get this because it adds a trackpad, but $300 for a keyboard
case is a bit too high, even for an Apple product. The fact that I'm even
considering is goes to show just how much I use my iPad Pro in a variety of
situations. It was a far better investment than my 13" Macbook Pro.

~~~
rootusrootus
I just picked up an iPad Pro and the regular keyboard folio, and I'm really
torn. Don't know if I like it or not. I find it's a hassle to flip the
keyboard back around to close (when I've been holding it like a tablet)
without inadvertently detaching the whole folio from the ipad.

I may have fat fingers. Or maybe I'm just used to folios I have used in the
past that actually latched physically around the ipad.

But I'm completely with you, either way, on the value of the trackpad. Not
worth $300 to me.

~~~
sylens
It's a little odd to get used to flipping the keyboard back around to close,
but I've found that you get used to it pretty quickly. I almost always keep it
propped open using one of the two grooves in the keyboard, even when I'm just
using it as a tablet. It's nice to be able to rest it upright in my lap.

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lisper
> It’s a clever design, one that pushes the center of gravity of the combined
> unit forward, making it more stable (and requiring less weight to
> counterbalance it). But the result isn’t some new, weird floating-screen
> category of computer. The result is a laptop.

> This is a good thing.

But it's a laptop that runs iOS instead of MacOS. This is not a good thing.

~~~
ahnick
I think a lot of iOS developers would switch to this setup if Apple would just
port Xcode.

~~~
robenkleene
Out of curiosity, how would developers run git in a Xcode-on-iPad scenario?

UPDATE: Regarding the GUI git apps and Xcode's built-in git support, do you
think that’s enough? In my anecdotal experience these are normally used as an
accompaniment to CLI git, not a replacement?

~~~
lttlrck
This is great:

[https://apps.apple.com/us/app/working-copy-git-
client/id8966...](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/working-copy-git-
client/id896694807)

Edit: but if Xcode has it built in even better!!

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myrandomcomment
Well up until now I was flying 100K a year and bringing my MacBook Air and my
11 iPad Pro. The laptop was for working on presentations, docs, doing demos
and SSH. The iPad was for the airplane and the hotel room bed. If I can really
be productive on the iPad+keyboard setup then that changes what I will be
packing. After the Apple store open again I am looking forward to trying this
out. One downside, no Steam games for the airplane flight. When is the iPad
Pro Civ6 port coming?

~~~
chuckhendo
_When is the iPad Pro Civ6 port coming?_

You mean this? [https://apps.apple.com/us/app/sid-meiers-civilization-
vi/id1...](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/sid-meiers-civilization-
vi/id1235863443)

~~~
Mobius01
Maybe a specific iPad Pro version that’s not running at sub-native resolution
and with lower graphic settings than the Nintendo Switch port. Civ6 on iPad
was a very impressive port when released, but it hasn’t improved to take
advantage of recent hardware.

~~~
zachlatta
You can change the resolution to run at retina resolution:
[https://www.reddit.com/r/apple/comments/7ld2ht/civ_vi_is_cap...](https://www.reddit.com/r/apple/comments/7ld2ht/civ_vi_is_capable_of_retina_graphics_with_this/)

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hkchad
I got mine last week and have been using it for light editing of word docs.
It's works pretty well, the only thing I don't like is, 1) Not much (no)
protection on the edges 2) No positive retention of the $100 pencil, you are
stuck relying on the magnet to keep it in place during transport.

For the price, it should have included both of those.

~~~
samatman
Yeah, the lack of pencil protection in first-party Apple cases is baffling to
me.

I wonder if they figure everyone just carries a pen roll and Moleskine
everywhere they go? I don't get it.

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samatman
I have a hard requirement before I can pull the trigger on a keyboard for my
iPad: I need the same amount of control over keyboard layout that I get with
Karabiner.

Specifically, I have caps lock mapped to backspace, and "delete" mapped to
actual delete. This is deep in my muscle memory and I'm not interested in
changing it.

I'm keeping an eye on things, and when I see that this affordance exists I'll
probably get one. There are times when having a touchscreen laptop with a
built-in cellular modem is just what I want.

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seltzered_
I've been trying to justify this (along with finally buying an ipad), and my
main problems with it are:

\- It feels like a missed opportunity to solve an ergonomics problem where the
ipad could be raised higher to eye level. I realize this would require more
keyboard weight though. It feels a bit odd to see photos like this:
[https://www.reddit.com/r/ipad/comments/g61v3c/twelvesouth_cu...](https://www.reddit.com/r/ipad/comments/g61v3c/twelvesouth_curve_works_nicely_with_ipad_pro/)

\- The usb-c port on the hinge is strictly for charging only since ultimately
it connects via the smart connector.

\- It's a stretch but it would've been nice if the keyboard was wireless (like
the brydge) so one could connect it to other devices.

I get that I'm likely not an ideal ipad user here though, but it seems like
microsoft was stepping towards with their whole surface neo concept.

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bryanmgreen
It's getting a bit ridiculous how powerful the iPad is getting. Not
necessarily in a bad way, I'm just confused about the use case.

For anyone with personal real-world experience, what convinces you to buy an
iPad Pro + Keyboard over an Air or vice-versa?

~~~
walterbell
Battery life and instant-on. Many speakers/microphones for conferencing. Same
apps as iPhone. Just Works. LumaFusion, Flipboard.

