Here is Apple’s $299 Magic Keyboard for the iPad Pro

If you remember, Apple announced the arrival of a new Magic Keyboard for the iPad Pros a couple of weeks back. This keyboard differed from the rest by one main feature: a trackpad. However, there’s a suite of other delicacies which can be found with the keyboard, and we’re here to cover them all.

Apple officially introduced mouse functionality in iPad OS 13 a couple of months ago.

The Magic Keyboard provides a whole new keyboard as well, contrary to the previous one found in the Smart Keyboard Folio. These keys are the same ones you’ll find in the recent 16-inch MacBook Pro and MacBook Air. They feel responsive, and offer a fair bit of key travel. Another cool addition, the keyboard is backlit, and the keys adjust based on the light sources around you. Some pros might have complained that the one USB-C port on the iPad was inconvenient, since you couldn’t charge and do data transfers at once, so Apple added a USB-C passthrough on the left side of the keyboard. This port is only for charging, which frees up the port on the iPad for other uses.

The trackpad is substantially smaller than what you’d find on Apple’s computers, yet getting used to it isn’t that much of a challenge. Amd yes, you can click anywhere on the trackpad and it’ll register your click. iPad OS offers great usability with a cursor, and Apple has implemented this feature very well. The Magic Keyboard is meant for the 4th-gen iPad Pros, but will also function with the previous 3rd-gen iPad Pros, simply the camera cutout will be a bit large. A small detail, there is no function row on this computer, but we doubt it would be much of a need when you have gesture controls on the trackpad.

Overall, it’s a very well-built accessory. You can move the screen anywhere in the range of 90 to 130 degrees. There is one big drawback to the build conditions of this accessory: it’s very heavy. The 12.9-inch iPad Pro with the Magic Keyboard comes in at almost 3 pounds – very similar to the 13-inch MacBook Pro.

In conclusion, the Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro is the perfect companion to your iPad, to make it go from a tablet to a full-fledged laptop replacement, if you don’t mind the premium price tag.