
Keyboard with Trackpad for iPad Pro - cmod
https://www.brydge.com/products/brydge-pro-plus-for-ipad-pro
======
jpalomaki
IMHO: The Macbook (the small one, that was killed) made more sense than these
iPad + keyboard attachments. You had a one, slim package that was easy to use
on lap and carry around with one hand (even if open). It was able to run
normal software, there was no need to resort to hacking to do for example
software development.

The negative thing with Macbook was the price point. It was a bit expensive to
have as a second computer and on the other hand not powerful enough to be the
primary workhorse. Also the battery life could have been better.

~~~
camillomiller
Have you ever tried to process RAW pictures (including pictures from
Hasselblad and Fuji medium format cameras, or Canon and Sony full frame
cameras) and/or edit 4K 60p video on a MacBook? Well, me neither, because it's
simply impossible. Surprisingly enough, that's what I do on a regular basis on
an iPad Pro. The power of the ARM setup on that machine is unbelievable. So,
there you go, that's single-handedly a reason why this kind of computer makes
more sense to Apple (and to me) than an underpowered Intel MacBook. I do agree
that the keyboard and trackpad setup is bullshit though, as it won't really
improve the apps I use for what I mentioned above--they're built for touch,
not for a mouse pointer.

As always, it's a matter of what's your purpose. As a developer you'll be much
better off with a MacBook Air, for that measure, which I think is a much
better piece of hardware than the 12" MacBook.

~~~
ulfw
Yes I have both. It’s not “impossible”. Why on earth would you think that?
It’s just slower. That Macbook Air you recommend uses the same processor as
the 12” MB did.

~~~
Redoubts
Not quite true, the 12" had <5W chips and didn't even need a fan. The airs
draw a little more and need active cooling.

------
walterbell
Nice keyboard that brings iPad Pro closer to Macbook Air. It seems inevitable
that Apple will launch an Arm laptop form factor with iOS.

Has Apple blocked keyboard makers from using the Smart Connector on iPad Pro
3? All 3rd-party keyboards for iPP3 are using Bluetooth, which does not have a
good security track record. Apple's iPad Pro keyboard does not have
backlighting, media keys or good key travel.

For iPad Pro 1 and 2, Logitech made good external keyboards with media keys
and backlighting, using the Smart Connector (no Bluetooth).

On iPad (regular) and Air, Apple's keyboard has a magnetic connector at the
bottom of the iPad, which has the ability to remotely enable (?!) Bluetooth,
even if the user has turned it off. No onscreen prompt is given to the user to
let them know that Bluetooth was turned on at the time of keyboard magnetic
attachment.

~~~
shantly
> It seems inevitable that Apple will launch an Arm laptop form factor with
> iOS.

Dropping 32bit already killed all the paid software my wife and I had, so
please, Apple, go Arm soon before we buy any more. At least that way anything
we buy for our Intel machines will probably be multi-arch and ready for the
future.

~~~
saagarjha
You only bought 32-bit apps?

~~~
shantly
All my wife’s Steam games (mostly solitaire type games and search-based
narrative games) are 32-bit only, and so was her copy of Scrivener. Every Mac-
capable Steam game I have that I checked doesn’t work, either. So yeah, we
did.

Luckily I haven’t paid for any “serious” software but it was really annoying
to have I install Win10 on a desktop machine again so my wife can remote-play
her games. Between that and usb-c she kinda hates her new MacBook Air.

------
rock_artist
Now if only Apple would provide decent iPadOS Xcode, and ability to sideload
apps (call it disabling SIP or whatever) we'll be able to actually use it.

I got this year a 2019 iPad 10.2". I even bought a logitech crayon. with the
exception of entertainment and being a nice tool to learn (watching online
courses, reading). it's not a computer replacement yet. and Apple's multi-
tasking gestures are horrible.

p.s. - Swift Playgrounds is interesting but not only it is limited I saw some
bugs with it and were able to make it unresponsive quite easily (without
infinite loops or nasty coding on my end...)

------
Stay_frostJebel
God damn it. I bought the non trackpad version. Its garbage. Keys drop when
you type unless you hit dead center and hit hard.

~~~
oefrha
Are you talking about the Apple Smart Keyboard Folio, or some non-trackpad
keyboard from this vendor (Brydge)? If you’re talking about the former: well,
it’s not my experience (with my 12.9’’ anyway), I’ve been trying hard to make
it drop a key for the last minute and not a single one dropped. If you’re
talking about the latter, then it’s making me have reservations about the new
product, which seems somewhat attractive.

------
_ph_
Looks very nice. And shows us, that Apple wouldn't need to bring out a
separate ARM powered MacBook. If they wanted, they could have effectively had
an ARM powered laptop years ago. Just by unshackeling the software of the
iPads they make. My iPad Pro would be a great laptop for me, except for the
limitations of the software. Proper mouse support for applications which
require it would be one thing. The other would be dropping limitations about
what kind of Apps are allowed on the machine the other. I fully support that
Apps are sandboxed and plain MacOS would not be an ideal fit for a tablet,
which is mostly operated by touch. But that doesn't mean that applications
like tmux aren't allowed in a sandbox. Or full IDEs.

------
osobo
It's nice. It's also kind of blatant advertising. Is that going to be a thing
here?

~~~
oefrha
[https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html](https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html)

> On-Topic: Anything that good hackers would find interesting. That includes
> more than hacking and startups. If you had to reduce it to a sentence, the
> answer might be: anything that gratifies one's intellectual curiosity.

If you have a nice developer-oriented product to sell that good hackers find
interesting then by all means. In fact, check out Show HN.

------
mwlp
I recently purchased a Ducky One 2 SF [1], which has built-in mouse functions.
After remapping caps lock to Fn: left pinky + wasd for movement, q left click,
e right click, r/f scroll. The default tracking speed is low, but thankfully
iOS lets you change that. Configuring accessibility stuff to hide by default,
you get a “mouse” when you need it and a pretty good keyboard when you don’t.

Other features: USB-C connector. It let me swap windows/alt-option so the
command key is in the right place. Light weight plastic, but it’s Ducky so it
still feels well built. Surprisingly, the silent red switches bottom-out
quieter than my MacBook keys.

I leave you with my PgDn macro: sleep snug, smug.

[1]: [https://www.duckychannel.com.tw/en/Ducky-
One2-SF](https://www.duckychannel.com.tw/en/Ducky-One2-SF)

------
funkaster
I bought the logitech one, with a full keyboard. I would imagine this is
similar but have the same drawbacks (for my use case). It's nice, but a bit
clumsy and won't allow me to swap caps <-> ctrl. These days I'm using a very
small stand and a 61 keys wasd keyboard: I can swap caps <> ctrl and even
choose a dvorak layout at the hardware layer. Keybord is small enough that I
can carry it with me on my backpack. It's not good for "laptop" mode, of
course, but super easy to setup on any desk/coffee shop.

wasd keyboard: [https://www.wasdkeyboards.com/wasd-vp3-61-key-custom-
mechani...](https://www.wasdkeyboards.com/wasd-vp3-61-key-custom-mechanical-
keyboard.html)

------
kristiandupont
I have made something similar by detaching the display from an old Macbook
Air.

That gives me the keyboard that I love the most with the best trackpad, placed
below the keyboard the way I like it, working with my PC.

~~~
odshoifsdhfs
I have been thinking about doing this with an old macbookpro where the display
died. Any tips/guides on how to make this 'machine' be just a remote
keyboard/trackpad to another machine (namely a i5k iMac)

~~~
kristiandupont
I run macos on it, and use a fork of Synergy called Barrier. It works quite
well. Now and then I have to VNC to it to fix a problem and since the wifi
antenna is in the display that doesn’t work so I use a USB ethernet widget to
connect it.

------
evgen
Too bad it doesn't let me swap Caps Lock and Control. This fact alone makes
this (and most other iPad keyboards) a non-starter for me.

------
j45
That looks really nice. Kudos to them. These are nice enough that Apple could
acquire them.

Too bad it’s still possible to bend the iPad Pro in without much force or
pressure. This keyboard would be a big reason to consider an iPad Pro.

I ended up with an iPad mini for this reason, but the thought of an iPad mini
pro would be intriguing. I hope someone might make a keyboard (maybe
expanding) for the iPad mini

~~~
yborg
I have had the 3rd gen iPad Pro since its introduction and game on it daily
for extended periods often held by one edge or corner, because gaming. If I'm
not bending this thing, I don't know what "without much force or pressure"
means to anybody.

I don't travel with it - if you're dumping this thing in a backpack or
something without support and with other stuff in there, I'm sure you can bend
it; I'd suggest not doing that, I keep my laptop in a separate shock case in
my messenger bag for this reason.

------
SkyMarshal
How does this connect to the iPad, via Bluetooth or the Smart Connector
electrical contacts on the iPad?

I have a 2nd gen iPad Pro and Logitech keyboard that uses the Smart Connector.
Great combo. I don't really want a Bluetooth connection though.

------
RBerenguel
I have a Brydge on my Pro V1 and iPad Mini 5 (the previous iteration of the
Brydge mini) and they completely change how you can interact with them.
Specially for the mini, which then becomes a very small laptop-ish. Very
recommended products.

------
qubex
I like the design and would buy it in a heartbeat (particularly as my iPad
Pro’s current Logitech keyboard recently had an unfortunate run-in with honey
that seeped under the space bar) but it seems I’m unable to register for
updates.

~~~
oefrha
> it seems I’m unable to register for updates.

Same here, clicking “register now” just makes the page jump to the comments
section for whatever reason. And I’m probably not gonna make an account just
to subscribe to an email newsletter.

Missed opportunity for them. I’m in the potential audience of this but isn’t
convinced enough to preorder, but might take another look when it’s actually
shipping and reviewers have taken a spin. Now I’m most likely gonna forget
about it.

------
vmurthy
As someone suffering from RSI, I’d buy this in an instant if it worked with
MacBook Pro and connects wirelessly (so that I can rest the keyboard on my
lap). Promising !

~~~
earenndil
If you have RSI, you would probably be better served by a bowl keyboard like a
kinesis or a maltron; or, at least, a split keyboard like an ergodox.

~~~
vmurthy
It’s been sometime since I last checked out either but the last time I checked
they were all wired and Windows specific? I know I can re-map keys and all
that but was holding out mainly because I need to keep the keyboard on my lap.

~~~
earenndil
Definitely not windows-specific; they're standard USB, so should work
anywhere.

As for holding in your lap, the cord on mine (kinesis advantage) is long
enough that I can comfortably take it off my desk and put it in my lap. YMMV,
of course, depending on how you have your desktop set up, but I doubt that's
an insurmountable problem.

------
k_sze
Their keyboards for Microsoft Surface Pros also make them interesting
alternatives to Surface Book and Surface Laptop.

------
chillaxtian
> The Brydge Pro+ has been designed to bring a better experience to the iPad
> Pro. We've created hardware that maximizes the current functionality within
> iPadOS, and as accessibility features evolve and improve, the user
> experience will become more intuitive.

------
discordance
Anyone know if using a mouse/trackpad with iOS works well?

~~~
zidoo
Yes. Works well in the browser, and in my case, that covers a lot of time in
google docs. I believe that is the case for a lot of people. For a lot of
actual mobile/tablet app, it is kind unintuitive.

------
rahuldottech
> 3-Month Battery Life Per Charge * *

But... there's no * * footnote.

~~~
ooklala
FWIW, I've got the one for the iPad Air and it seems to live up to that...

------
haecceity
Does iOS support mouse cursors?

~~~
saagarjha
Kinda, there’s this accessibility circle thing in iOS 13.

~~~
RBerenguel
It’s “decently functional”. I mapped several of my mouse buttons for “go
home”, “show dock” and “open multitasking” I don’t remember and the experience
feels “better” than using MacOS with a non-Apple mouse.

------
20191224234044
where is this made? Can't find information about country of origin.

~~~
diffeomorphism
Brydge is headquartered in Utah: [https://www.brydge.com/pages/about-
us](https://www.brydge.com/pages/about-us)

For the manufacturing they don't say, but probably same as Apple: "Designed in
the US, actually made in China".

~~~
soneil
I have the non-trackpad version of this, and you almost nailed it word for
word. The bottom is marked “Designed in Park City, UT. Assembled in China”

------
rodgerd
Congratulations, you've invented the Surface.

