Is The Apple Magic Keyboard Not All That?
So, after a very long time, I finally went ahead and snatched up an iPad Magic Keyboard after reading nothing but rave reviews. Some fellow writers that I respect mentioned that with the Magic Keyboard, they didn’t even need a laptop.
When I saw that I could get one at Walmart for $199, that seemed like the lowest I had seen it around for, and the budget for the business was looking just fine for this month, so I pounced.
Apple Magic Keyboard Disappointment
Maybe I just didn’t know what to expect, or maybe me and my online compatriots don’t value the same things when it comes to a potential writing device, but it seems underwhelming.
Sure, it is a solid keyboard with good feel and key distance and return. And, yes, this is delicious irony considering the well-publicized and embarrassing troubles Apple had with its various laptop keyboards, but…
For starters, I thought there might be some more flexibility in its physical operation. It would seem that the keyboard/cased as it is implemented cannot be folded completely back over. Additionally, while I appreciate that it is magnetic, the pen will come detached the second I put it in a bag of any kind unless I put it in another case!
Of course, I don’t want to put it in another case because now, with this keyboard, my iPad is quite heavy. I believe my son’s full laptop weighs less than this iPad and keyboard combo. (I’ll have to snag it tomorrow and head to the kitchen scale for a grams showdown.)
As far as the keyboard itself goes, I guess I can’t complain too much. In many ways it seems small and crammed, although it is limited in its dimensions by the iPad size itself. Since I have an iPad Air (4th generation), those dimensions don’t leave a lot of room to work with.
Maybe the iPad Keyboard Really Is Awesome
And, yet here I am banging out a stream of consciousness semi-review inside of the Medium app itself without any issues of pressing the wrong key. Yes, I touch type without looking at my fingers and the only time I seem to be hitting backspace is when my fingers made a mistake, not the keyboard.
And, it really does have a solid feel to it. I wonder what the other options even are. How could they improve on what I have right now?
It has just now occurred to me that this thing should have some sort of touchpad. This is important for two reasons. One, I have yet to accidentally bump or otherwise trigger said touchpad, and two, if it is there, provides a solid bit of functionality since touch screen touching isn’t my favorite way to handle working with documents and text.
Yup, there is a touchpad and, it is very responsive with intuitive feel. Okay. I’m going to give this thing a real shot and get back to without you all (and myself) on this later.
What even is this?
This little Medium article was written entirely on my new iPad Magic Keyboard seconds after opening it. I figured it would be an easy way to test it as well as a cheap way to get something to post here so that my account stays active and fresh and all of that.
Unintentionally, I also tested out the Medium app on the iPad and am pleased to report that it handles the functionality of typing and minimal editing surprisingly well.
I’ll have to download Google Docs or something, or hey, maybe I’ll try whatever comes native with the iPad. For now, this has at least partially assuaged my concerns that I had made a blunder with my purchase.
