Magic Keyboard For 9th Generation Ipad

[Rosella Brain]

Ihave a 2019 iPad Pro 12.9" and a 1st gen Magic Keyboard. I am considering upgrading my iPad. Will my 1st gen keyboard work with the current iPads. I remember reading somewhere that the current iPads are slightly thicker than the 2019's.

As illustrated, your iPad Magic Keyboard was designed for the fourth (or later) generation iPad Pro. The magnets that hold the iPad to the Magic Keyboard have the same arrangement as the newer models.

The first gen keybaord was made for the 2020 ipad pro, so it has the larger camera cut out (see photo below). But I believe the current ipad's are a hair wider then the 2020/2018 ipads. Per specs, the current 12.9" ipad is actually 6.4 mm. I am not sure if my 1st gen keyboard will acomodate this extra half mm.

The Magic Keyboard for iPad is similar to its desktop predecessor but features a trackpad. Its keys are backlit and use a scissor mechanism with 1 mm travel. It attaches magnetically to the iPad Pro, which sits above a cantilever that allows adjusting the viewing angle.

It does not contain a battery, but is powered by the iPad Pro's magnetic Smart Connector. It also has a USB-C port on the hinge of the keyboard for recharging the iPad Pro, and freeing the USB-C port on iPad Pro itself for other accessories.[2]

On April 30, 2021, a white version of the keyboard will become available for pre-order with the 5th-generation iPad Pros.[3] The 12.9-inch version was revised to accommodate slightly thicker dimensions due to the Liquid Retina XDR display.[4] Older versions of the keyboard will still function with the thicker iPads, though the fit will not be precise, especially with a screen protector.[5]

The Magic Keyboard Folio is the perfect iPad (10th generation) companion. It features an incredible typing experience, a built-in trackpad to handle tasks with precision, and a 14-key function row. The versatile two-piece design includes a detachable keyboard and a protective back panel that both attach magnetically to iPad. An adjustable stand offers smooth, continuous viewing. And the Magic Keyboard Folio helps iPad stay protected wherever you go.

The first, most obvious, difference between the two models is the finish. The new Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro (M4 chip) is built with an aluminum palm rest. The previous-gen Magic Keyboard's palm rest is soft matte neoprene like the cover. It's perfectly serviceable but in no way screams that it's a premium accessory.

The 13-inch Magic Keyboard technically has more space to work with, barely, over the 12.9-inch Magic Keyboard. However, Apple used the redesign opportunity to add a larger trackpad, shifting the keyboard (now with a row of function keys) a bit more towards the hinge.

The result is a palm rest that's vastly improved over the previous generation. While typing on the Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro is never going to be as comfortable as a full-sized desktop keyboard, it does a much better job of replicating the experience of typing on a MacBook Pro. You can rest your hands more naturally without scrunching your fingers.

But while typing action is essentially the same for both cases, the new row of function keys is brand new. You get all kinds of handy things like brightness, volume, and media control, just like you do on any other Apple computing device. It's a nice bit of synergy and a welcome bit of practicality.

I was surprised to see that the new Magic Keyboard defaults to a more aggressive viewing angle than the previous-gen. Granted, the mid-cover hinge will let you adjust the angle however you like, but there's definitely a "natural" angle that the cover opens to. I'll have to get a new iPad Pro in hand to see how this actually plays out, though, if it really is an improvement.

Why not just pop my last-gen iPad Pro on there to try it out? The redesigned iPad Pro no longer has the magnets in the same spot, so the magnets in the cover have changed as well. You can slap the old iPad Pro on the new case, but it sits at a decidedly rakish angle, not really great for evaluating anything.

One last thing that surprised me was the new, rectangular hinge. It's exposed aluminum (the previous gen is covered by the neoprene cover) and gives additional laptop vibes. It's also more grabbable than the previous gen.

I'll admit, previous generations of the Magic Keyboard (and Keyboard Folio, may it rest in peace) underwhelmed me. For their premium prices, they didn't offer any more (and sometimes less) than third-party accessories.

The new Magic Keyboard feels decidedly like a premium Apple accessory. The materials are impeccable, the design is smart and functional, and (I'm assuming, given that I don't have an iPad Pro to test it with) it will just work without any additional futzing required.

If you're looking for the best portable keyboard case for your new iPad Pro, Apple has finally delivered a true winner that's worth its $299-$349 price tag. Pick one up or find out if it's in stock near you on the Apple website.

I know there have been requests for SketchUp for IPad use in the past and somewhere I believe that the question was asked why was the biggest problem getting it to work on a IPad, I am not totally sure but i thought i was told the reason was that there was no mouse to use with the iPad. If that is the case then would the new Magic Keyboard for the IPad 2020 be an answer since it has a built in Track Pad in the Keyboard? My self like a lot of others would still like to see SketchUp work on our iPad. Thanks up front for any help or guidance anyone can give.

Yeah, that woud be nice. Not in the browser, but natively on iOS.

The thing with the trackpad is expensive, though, as I understand, the new iOS supports (Bluetooth) mouses.

I have a cheap Bluetooth keyboard and a pencil, that works for me, do you have one as well? I did hook a mouse for a while through the accessibility settings.

I have not thought of trying a blue tooth mouse on my ipad. I currently have the 3rd generation IPad Pro i think, it was a 2018 IPad Pro. I was thinking about up grading to the new IPad Pro 2020 with the new Magic Keyboard especially if it would make SketchUp work. I have always wanted to learn SketchUp to use with my hobby of woodworking. I know it is available with PC but I do not use a PC very often except at work. But like a lot of others I always have my IPad with me and can use it in my spare time. I know the company wants to cater to the most users but i would think that they are missing out on a large population of IPad users, but that is just my humble opinion.

Yet whenever I try to spend serious time computing on an iPad, even with a keyboard attached, I always come crawling back to my laptop or desktop. The iPad might be where I go to focus on a single task or enjoy a change in computing scenery, but traditional PCs are where my serious work happens. (Case in point: I drafted this story on an iPad, but loaded it into WordPress with a Lenovo Yoga C940 laptop.)

Later this year, Apple plans to add proper external display support for the iPad, giving you an interface that fills the entire monitor. But this feature only works on iPads with M1 or higher processors, ruling out the 10th-generation iPad that Apple just launched last week.

Jared has been a freelance technology journalist for more than 15 years and is a regular contributor to PCWorld, Fast Company, and TechHive, where he's written a weekly cord-cutting column since 2014. His Cord Cutter Weekly newsletter has more than 30,000 subscribers, and his Advisorator tech advice newsletter is read by nearly 10,000 people each week. Jared has a master's degree in journalism from NYU and specializes in making complex tech topics easy to understand, from streaming and cord-cutting to neat apps and useful tech tricks. He is based in Cincinnati, OH.

Apple was expected to launch a number of new products in quick succession, with the MacBook Air and iPad Pro changes arriving at around the same time. Though MacBook Air with M3 did launch in the first week of March, customers are still waiting on the rest of the rumored items.

Writing in Sunday's "Power On" newsletter for Bloomberg, Mark Gurman insists Apple is preparing to launch updated models of the iPad Pro and iPad Air, along with a redesigned Magic Keyboard and yet another version of the Apple Pencil. These changes are expected sometime around the end of March or in April, with a possible revision to iPadOS 17.4 to ensure compatibility.

One of the anticipated changes coming to the iPad Air and Pro lineup is expected to be moving the FaceTime Camera in all models to the long side of the devices, which makes more sense for FaceTime calls. The current 10th-generation iPad was the first model to move the camera to a landscape orientation, and code within iPadOS 17.4 suggests that cameras will be in that position when users set up FaceTime on the as-yet-unreleased models.

The moving of the camera to the landscape orientation may come at a cost, though. The existing iPad Pros have a magnetic attachment on the landscape side where the Apple Pencil can both attach and charge, and it is unclear if that feature could remain if the front-facing camera moves to that position.

Consequently, rumors have indicated that yet another version of the Apple Pencil will be forthcoming. Apple brought out a less-expensive but non-magnetic Apple Pencil with USB-C last year, which can still "snap" magnetically to existing iPad Air and Pro models but no longer charges that way, relying instead on a sliding USB-C cap for wired charging.

The USB-C version lacks pressure sensitivity, however, and thus is more for traditional handwriting and note-taking uses than drawing. Because Apple will likely soon be dropping support for the original Apple Pencil and the older Lightning-based iPad models, it is hard to say what features the next version would support that would go beyond those of the second-generation model.

The new version is expected to sport an aluminum material for the "top case," the area around the keyboard, to make the unit sturdier and more closely resemble the look and feel of the MacBook Pro and Air keyboard. A larger trackpad area is also anticipated.

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