An interesting accessory for the iPad Pro - unlike other manufacturers of portable keyboards, which often adapt ordinary accessories to tablets, Apple has created a gadget anew and only for the iPad Pro.
Design, construction
The most correct way to test this device is to write a review of the keyboard directly on the keyboard, which is what I'm doing now. I note that in Russia, tablet owners almost never use such accessories with tablets, at least in real life I have seen such people once or twice. In other countries, and especially in the US, third-party keyboards are very popular. People on the road answer letters, work with documents, write books - in general, they do a lot of very different things. This is surprising, especially at first, but the answer is simple - the tablet takes up a minimum of space, works for a long time, plus practical Americans often want to get the most out of the purchased gadget. Which is quite understandable. If you follow my thought, you will understand why Apple decided to create such a device as the iPad Pro at all. In corporate America, he found a place, on the one hand, it is an accessory for creativity and the creative class, on the other hand, an essential accessory for a middle manager. Why not a laptop? Well, many people like to work with a mobile OS more and there are no special tasks that require special programs. For some reason, it often seems to people that working with mail, correspondence, calls, parsing and correcting documents is some kind of fictional use case and there is no such thing in real life. How, yeah. For me personally, correspondence and solving various issues takes at least an hour a day, and the iPad, even Pro, even regular, even with a physical keyboard, even without it, always comes in handy, helps in everyday activities. Yes, I agree with those who stigmatize the Pro as a device from the series “would have done without it” - I easily agree with this, but I myself will not return to the Air. The company's niche devices like the iPhone 6 Plus, MacBook or iPad Pro are aimed at a limited audience, but it is always there and happy with its toys that help to live and create. In addition, someone who, and the gentlemen at Apple, can definitely afford the most daring experiments - why not? It turns out well.
I note that before I got the described keyboard, I used (tried to use) the good old set of the Apple wireless keyboard and the Incase Origami accessory. I have been recommending it to all iPad owners for a long time, a case with a keyboard stand, you can put a tablet there and work - but the Pro has one caveat, for some reason switching languages using the usual keyboard shortcut does not work. Until I figured out the problem, if you figured it out, please write how to solve it. The keyboard and stand can be seen in the photo, this is, let's say, the best budget set for the iPad Pro, the keyboard will serve you with other devices. True, it will have to be worn separately, but it does not matter.
Now let's look at the keyboard for Pro. At first I’ll tell you about the device, I ask you to forgive me for using official data, but it will be more correct this way. The keyboard does not require any manipulations with Bluetooth, it connects to the magnetic connector on the end of the iPad. I must say right away that it sits very tightly in place, you can print on your knees or on unstable surfaces. It is immediately clear that during the development they paid attention to this, thought about those who work in flight, on small tables and in other strange places. When folded, the keyboard turns into a cover and does not take up much space, although the tablet becomes noticeably heavier. Naturally, you can use the accessory as a stand for watching movies. The thing turned out to be unpretentious, special attention was paid to protection from an aggressive environment. If you look at the buttons, you will see that there are no gaps here - that is, you can spill coffee or something else, then clean the accessory and forget about the incident.
Now the official data, plus a little from myself:
- The top layer of the keyboard is made of a special durable laser-cut fabric that follows the shape of the keys. The fabric provides a spring tension to the buttons, eliminating the need for traditional mechanisms.
- The thickness of the keyboard is 4 mm, while the buttons have excellent travel. There is no feeling that you got into the country of Lilliputians, took away a laptop from one of them and try to work. There are decent places for hands, although I periodically press the screen with the fingers of my left hand, everything is fine with the right hand, I never reached the screen.
- The keyboard has 64 keys, one layout, QWERTY, there are no special options for any country yet - although our craftsmen have already got the hang of engraving without damaging the fabric. I have a negative attitude towards such experiments and I advise you to learn to type blindly, such a skill will always come in handy, and you will be able to work with QWERTY, at least with anything.
- The keyboard surface consists of three unique materials, the top layer is polyurethane, the bottom layer is microfiber - a soft material that cleans and protects the screen (I want to believe). The middle layer is made of a new conductive material, it is responsible for transmitting signals between the keyboard and the tablet. An interesting approach, not at all similar to the experience of other manufacturers of similar accessories. Usually, after all, how about, but let's take a regular keyboard and remake it a bit for a tablet, make it smaller, add Bluetooth, well, maybe add a stand or something else. It usually turns out awful. Another thing is when an accessory is created from scratch, from nothing - and it is intended for one device, and not for all.
- The keyboard sits securely on the table, does not move from side to side, the ports are open - you can charge, connect an audio cable and listen to music. Please note that here they sacrificed the "laptop" buttons for controlling playback and adjusting the sound, in general, fair reasoning: the screen is touch-sensitive, switching between applications is fast, the buttons on the end are available - there is nothing to load the keyboard.
Finally, the main feeling - done sensibly. Connected - you can immediately start working. Although we must once again make a reservation about the skill of blind input, but this is nothing, you can spend a couple of weeks on training, and everything will work out - without engraving. In addition, any third-party engraving (non-Apple) looks disgusting.
In work
Here I would like to draw your attention to several points. Firstly, in the settings (General - Keyboards - Physical keyboard), I personally chose Russian-PC, over the years of using "poppies" it is more familiar to me. Secondly, if you plan to use the keyboard, you should remove the emoji layout, it will interfere when switching languages. Thirdly, switching the language here is not through cmd + space, but using a special key in the corner on the left, it works quickly and efficiently, the habit appears after ten minutes of typing. Finally, all keyboard shortcuts work as expected.
Actually, I did not encounter any problems when typing, I liked working. Of course, it's not as convenient as a MacBook Pro keyboard, but it's quite possible to work on the road or somewhere in the city - and what do I mean by work? Let's say I can write an article with an iPad Pro and this keyboard, reply to mail, post a blog post, see what's happening on social networks and add posts there, then fold the keyboard and go on holding the tablet under my arm.
conclusions
In retail, the keyboard costs 13,290 rubles, the accessory turned out to be durable and extremely attractive to its audience - no problems with connection, feeling like from a miniature laptop, no special size restrictions. Yes, you need to master blind input - if you haven’t mastered it yet, you should do it, the skill is really necessary. A good and useful thing for iPad Pro owners, I recommend buying it right away with the tablet if you are purchasing a device just for the usage scenarios described above - for example, raking mail in any conditions.
This is my personal accessory, which I have been using for more than a month and a half, respectively, the story is about the living experience of operation, and not an essay on the topic “ how I fiddled with the test device for three days". The thing is unusual and there is something to compare. It will be interesting.
Delivery Adventure
The keyboard was ordered before the new year at the busiest time, when the accessory was available in limited quantities only in the United States. Moreover, even in the Apple Store it was problematic to buy it through the efforts of brisk dealers. In general, I found myself a copy on Amazon from those same resellers who sent only to the USA. Given the fact that I myself am from Ukraine, sending directly from Amazon in any case was not suitable, even if there was one. It's all about the duty free limit in my country €150 . Everything that is more expensive is at best subject to a 30% tax, at worst it is sent back, often without the knowledge of the addressee. For example, this is what DHL does - there have been precedents.
In the past, I had a positive experience with Parcel, when additional services were required in addition to the delivery of goods. Then I made a large combined package (the duty-free limit was also higher), which, among other things, included the road ordered from Amazon. But in the end it turned out not to be needed, as it was provided for review by the customer and ultimately came out cheaper than purchased from the USA. Through the parcel, I managed to return the backpack back to Amazon without any problems and get my money back.
This time there was a problem of a different nature. It was necessary to remove the Amazon invoice and put in a new one. The amount indicated in the first exceeded the duty-free limit (the reseller did his best). Even the real American price from Apple is a couple of euros higher. In general, in order to get a keyboard without unnecessary hassle, it was necessary to evaluate it a little cheaper. What Parcel did, investing an invoice with the amount of $159.
It's not even that I'm sorry to pay 30% of the cost. Apple Smart Keyboard in conjunction with - this is a small personal dream from the moment of the announcement (yes, I am such a pervert and a lover of big and strange gadgets), so I was ready for financial expenses. But besides them, it is quite possible that one would have to spend a lot of time and effort on a trip to Kyiv in order to arrange everything and pay on the spot. It's so strange with us, it happens, mail works. And this is at best. At worst, the package would simply be returned back, and I would be left without the coveted gadget.
Buy from local comrades without all these adventures and complexities? A dream is a dream, but I still wasn't ready to shell out $350 for a keyboard.
Whatever it was, but everything worked out. The customs officers cheerfully gutted the parcel, were satisfied with the invoice of the Parcel, and the accessory arrived to me without any hassle.
Customs didn't bother repackaging the keyboard in bubble wrap, but simply stuffed it into a white bag. Fortunately, the accessory was not damaged on the way from Kyiv to Chernihiv, even the original Apple box was without a single dent. Either the post office began to carefully work with parcels, or the thick box of the "Parcel" with air bags helped.
Separately, I want to pay attention to the packaging: a mighty box, a solid layer of bubble wrap, air seals - the package will withstand the attack of any vandalist loader. Also a bonus in the form of jelly sweets :).
Why does a tablet need a hardware keyboard?
Before I proceed directly to the review of the accessory and my impressions of it, I want to philosophize a little on the topic. Moreover, I have a lot of experience with this kind of devices and have something to talk about.
Good question, especially when it comes to the huge iPad Pro. It is even more interesting for the owner, which I am. In the past - in the case of - for me, a combination of a tablet with a keyboard was used as a typewriter on the road - a kind of ultra-compact laptop replacement:
A lot of articles were typed in this mode on trains, planes, at a party, and at home too, when it was necessary to isolate oneself from everything. The tablet has this - you turn on the mode " Do not disturb” and you are left face to face with the text. The last point is also relevant for the iPad Pro. And specifically, the Apple Smart Keyboard is perfect tablet stand when it is used in desktop and lap content consumption mode. I will tell you more about this below.
Finally, it is worth noting that it is much more convenient to consume content on a tablet than on a laptop, even if the device is on the table. We are talking about tablet software, which is beautiful on iOS. , social networking applications, touch screen web surfing, book reading, . Beautiful and comfortable - you quickly get used to all this.
In the process of fascinating interaction with the tablet, you answer letters, post different things on social networks, which is much more efficient to do with a hardware keyboard than with an on-screen one. Although I got used to working with the latter, holding the tablet in portrait orientation and typing with my thumbs. But that's a completely different story. Let's get back to Smart Keyboard.
Do it differently
I am sure that some of the readers had an idea, they say, Roma is fanboying again and attributes some kind of cosmic innovations to Apple, while everything was invented before her. If it's about Microsoft Touch Cover and Type cover, presented with the Surface tablet yet, the Cupertino company really borrowed one detail - the way the accessory is connected through the contact pad. The rest of the Smart Keyboard is unique.
So, the Microsoft Touch Cover keyboard is actually a touch pad, there is no mechanism and tactile feedback from pressing the buttons. Microsoft Type Cover, on the other hand, is an almost standard mobile keyboard, made according to the principle and similarity with a scissor key mechanism. Yes, and the thickness is similar - 7 mm versus 4 mm for the Smart Keyboard. The latter, by the way, is only 1 mm thicker than the Touch Cover, but in terms of response it is very close to devices with the above-mentioned scissor key mechanism. Which is actually not in the Apple keyboard.
In the design of a branded accessory, in principle, everything is different from others. As a spring (that is, instead of a scissor mechanism or "butterfly"), special fabric, laser cut for each key. This made it possible to "kill" three birds with one stone: save on thickness, simplify the design and make it more reliable. It also acts as an outer coating and protects the keyboard from splashes of water.
Among other pluses, it is worth noting the rough surface of the keyboard that is pleasant to the touch: it is not easily soiled, does not collect grease and dust, and is very easy to clean. In general, in terms of tactile sensations, this is the most pleasant keyboard of all that I have dealt with. Even better than the one in the MacBook 12 and other Apple laptops. There, the plastic keys quickly become covered with grease, become slippery, and have to be wiped from time to time.
Another innovation is the use instead of wires conductive fabric. That is, you can not be afraid to push through some buttons, passing the contact, or break the wires during frequent bends of the cover. Thus, the latter consists of three layers:
- External made of polyurethane- it is exactly the same as in Smart Cover, without frills. Back in 2011, this material proved its suitability in Apple accessories. Yes, it gets dirty, but it is also easily cleaned of excess.
- Microfiber inner layer- soft, pleasant to the touch, protects the display from various bad things.
- And between these layers is conductive fabric.
Origami
At first glance, the design of the Apple Smart Keyboard is not much different from the Smart Cover, except that a module with a keyboard has been added. All the same two options for installing the tablet: as a photo frame and for printing. But there are nuances.
It was important to make the structure stable and monolithic. After all, the keyboard cover weighs only 335 g with a 13-inch tablet weighing more than 700 g and very impressive dimensions. Try to keep such a "sail" in the right position. For example, at Microsoft, the design of keyboard covers turned out to be not very stable in any conditions, except for their use on the table. In the case of the Smart Keyboard, everything is exactly the opposite.
In print mode, the tablet is almost in the center of the design. Its slope and balance are calculated so that the device remains stable even when used on your lap.
The second option - the photo album or TV mode - turned out to be no less stable. Not for the knees, of course, but on the table the tablet is much more reliable than the 10-inch counterparts in a similar position with the Smart Cover.
When folded, the Smart Keyboard turns into a cover. The keyboard in this mode is folded inward and only a microfiber surface adjoins the display. Outside, the keyboard part protrudes a little, but it is completely uncritical.
You can literally fold the keyboard or set it to its working position in one movement within a couple of seconds. You get used to it very quickly and in the future you do it automatically.
Operating experience
This is where I philosophize on the topic of why the Apple Smart Keyboard is the best keyboard for the iPad Pro.
When I was planning to buy such an accessory, I was tormented by the choice: whether to take or a branded piece. Yes, it was the Smart Keyboard that I originally dreamed of, but when there is a choice, doubts begin. For less money, the novelty from Logitech offered both key backlighting, a more convenient cursor control unit, and a number of additional buttons for controlling iOS (player, brightness, Home, etc.).
But do I need another compact laptop if available? No, not needed. Because I often use the tablet while lying on the couch and in this case the keyboard is superfluous. And Logitech CREATE turns the iPad Pro into a laptop, and you can’t immediately remove the gadget from the accessory. You can't put it back in right away either. There are no such problems with the Smart Keyboard - you can detach and attach the cover in one motion, just like the Smart Cover.
In addition, the Smart Keyboard practically does not affect the dimensions of the tablet - it adds a little to the thickness, but not as much as Logitech CREATE. In general, having savored the thoughts described above, I took a branded accessory and do not regret it at all.
Logitech CREATE in all its monstrous glory. Yes, the Retina MacBook Pro 13" is thinner than the iPad Pro with Logitech CREATE included
I will go directly to operating experience.
The design is held on magnets, and very firmly - the keyboard hangs on the iPad and does not fall off if it is lifted into the air. It is important to pay attention to the pad that is magnetized to the tablet. It is made of soft, but still plastic. That is, if a hard grain of sand gets between the tablet and the pad, you can scratch the edge of the iPad Pro. I've somehow managed to put a small "Kotska". So keep an eye on the contact pad and wipe it from time to time.
The buttons are slightly smaller than on the MacBook 12 and have slightly more travel. But not as big as other MacBook models. It turns out something average in terms of printing experience. A distinct click is felt, but the sound is more muffled than in laptops. By the way, the keyboard is quite quiet. Not silent, but quieter than Logitech notebook and keyboard covers.
Apple Smart Keyboard vs. Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Cover
The hardness of pressing is calculated perfectly, reminiscent of that in keyboards with a scissor mechanism. It’s hard to believe that this was done only with the help of the upper fabric layer and without any additional springs and tricks. The only caveat is that the “up” and “down” arrows are pressed rather tightly. Apparently, due to the fact that the buttons themselves are too small and the stiffness of the fabric for such a small pressing area turned out to be too big.
And, yes, the cursor control buttons will take some getting used to. Due to the fact that the side arrows are located a little further from the pair of keys in the center than on the MacBook 12 keyboard, this block is a little more convenient, but it would be better if the side arrows were the same size as the up / down. That is, the classic format, as in the keyboard of the MacBook Air and Pro.
The tilt of the tablet in print mode is ideal for working at your desk or on your lap. The same mode is the most convenient for content consumption in the mentioned conditions. I often watch videos and surf social networks while sitting in a chair - the iPad Pro is monolithic:
In the iOS settings (" General → Keyboard”), there is a separate item for the physical keyboard, where you can select the layout. I use " Russian PC”, just like in OS X. I’ve been used to this since the early days of working with Mac.
Just a good reason to remember the lack of Russian letters on the Apple Smart Keyboard. Even in the Russian Federation, it is sold in the American layout. As far as I know, our Kulibins have already learned how to accurately apply Russian letters, but, as in the case of engraving American MacBooks, the result does not look very good. So to work with the gadget you have to learn 10-finger touch typing. A very useful skill, believe me. I type fast enough with two fingers (about 300 characters per minute) and hardly look at the keyboard, which was an obstacle to mastering the 10-finger method. But the acquisition of Smart Keyboard was a good reason to do self-development in this direction.
By the way, this is one of my ways - to put yourself in conditions when you just need to do it and that's it, without options. At the moment, I have completed 65 exercises from the course "" and typed this entire article on the Smart Keyboard using the blind 10-finger method.
Another big plus of using a hardware keyboard is the support hot keys. On this topic was - I recommend to study and I will not focus on this issue. I will only highlight the most important points.
To view hotkeys for a specific application, just hold down on the keyboard cmd.
To take this screenshot, I had to press cmd with my nose, otherwise I could not reach the Home and tablet power buttons :)
All known OS X commands for cursor control and text selection work. The hotkey for switching between applications is similar - through cmd+tab(IOS 9 feature). And then you can select the desired application with the cursor keys. Yes, and the switching option itself began to work more stable, earlier it often just turned off - you press cmd + tab and nothing happens. Now this also happened a couple of times, but it happens many times less often. It is treated by disconnecting and connecting the keyboard.
Language switch by pressing the button at the bottom left. The one with the globe icon. Also, the standard combination from OS X El Capitan works - ctrl+space. Moreover, Apple also “fixed” it with the keyboard update mentioned above - the layout itself no longer jumps back to Russian if you immediately start typing after pressing the key combination.
Another useful hotkey for iOS only is cmd+shift+H. It duplicates a single button press Home, that is, returns to the desktop from any application. But double-clicking on "H" while holding cmd + shift does not work anymore, and you can't get into the multitasking menu in this way. I hope that in the future this moment will be implemented, it is logical.
I really like the ability to scroll web pages with the up and down keyboard arrows - it is often more comfortable than dragging your finger to the screen.
I would like to express my enthusiasm for Smart Connector- it is much more convenient to work with it than with Bluetooth, as I can judge from my past experience with keyboard covers. It happened that they were lost or for no reason the on-screen keyboard popped up. And the biggest pain is when you take a tablet without a keyboard to lie on the couch, try to reply to a tweet, and the on-screen keyboard does not appear. I have to turn off Bluetooth in the tablet - an extra gesture. And with it, the music is cut off, broadcast to the BT-column.
Another option is to physically turn off the external keyboard with the power lever. But either I forgot to do it, or I simply didn’t want to, because sometimes the accessory started acting up after that, and I had to create a Bluetooth pair again.
Well, power is another expense of time or money (the Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Cover for iPad Air 2 runs on a pair of button batteries). Maybe not often, but still. The Smart Keyboard, on the other hand, is powered by the iPad and, judging by experience, does not drain the tablet very much. This Smart Connector seems to be a trifle, but during operation such a trifle is very clearly felt in a positive light.
The best keyboard for iPad Pro
I don’t impose my opinion on anyone, but from the experience of using the Apple Smart Keyboard, I can safely call it the best keyboard for the iPad Pro. It doesn't increase the dimensions of the tablet, it can be unfastened and fastened instantly, very stable in any conditions, an ideal stand for content consumption, and even protected from water.
Smart Keyboard does not try to make a laptop out of iPad Pro, but only expands the capabilities of the tablet to a full-fledged typewriter. More is not needed. A tablet is a tablet, a laptop is a laptop.
Microsoft has experience in turning a tablet into a laptop even two. This and . Good devices, great for a very small category of users, but they are completely niche products. Not fish or meat. The adaptation to the touch interface in Windows is too weak and there is little suitable “tiled” software.
I hope in the future there will be worthy hybrids that work equally well in tablet and laptop mode, but for now, specialized devices rule. And in the case of the iPad, it is important to understand that a laptop will not work out of it with all the desire. I understand this and Apple understands this, which is clearly demonstrated by the Smart Keyboard with its original features.
(5.00 out of 5 rated: 1 )
Can you replace your laptop with an iPad Pro and Apple's Smart Keyboard? This question is the focus of our review, especially now that Apple is introducing a second version of the tablet that will go side by side with the original .
Apple released the first iPad Pro in 2015 with great fanfare, and for the second iteration of the tablet, Apple shrunk the screen and trimmed the memory to include some new and exciting display technologies.
The new iPad Pro won't be able to replace laptops, which is what Apple is aiming for, unless customers buy an Apple Smart Keyboard or something similar from a third party. Is the Apple keyboard worth the money? How well does it meet the needs of typing on the iPad Pro? Apple Smart Keyboard review more…
Apple Smart Keyboard: Design
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Users familiar with Apple's Smart Covers will recognize the Smart Keyboard's design language. The keyboard stays in place thanks to magnets along the left edge (in portrait mode) of the iPad Pro. The keyboard folds from an inner lid and keyboard back base with clever curves in the middle of the back of the lid to form a triangle stand.
The Smart Connector on the left edge of the iPad Pro connects to the connector above the number keys on the keyboard. The keyboard positions iPad Pro at comfortable viewing angles for typing or viewing multimedia content on the tablet. The contact is also responsible for transferring data between the tablet and keyboard, so the user does not have to rely on a Bluetooth connection. It's also a standalone keyboard, so it doesn't need a charging cable. And finally, the tablet will be able to update the keyboard firmware when Apple sends an update.
Pay attention to the three-pin connector on the edge of the iPad Pro.
Tapping on a text input field in an app or iOS 9 interface will bring up a quick access bar at the bottom of the screen that will display things like text formatting or automatic suggestion replacement.
Apple designed the iPad Pro Smart Keyboard with a textured polyurethane outer layer. It is made in dark gray, almost black. The keys don't have too much travel, but it does make the buttons low so they won't be pressed when the tablet and Smart Keyboard are folded.
Install the keyboard stand properly and the keyboard will act as a stand for what Apple calls "watch mode" (see above).
Users don't have to worry about crumbs, dust and other debris under the buttons as they are integrated into the outer layer of the keyboard material.
A teardown of the Smart Keyboard on the iFixit website, showing off the unique button technology.
The design of the keyboard remains dark and conservative, which is what most business users will prefer, although most creative users will prefer bright colors. I'd love a red Smart Keyboard, even if I use my tablet mostly for work.
The edges of the keyboard and lid feel a bit harsh, which may not be very comfortable. Also, when the keyboard is stowed on the inside of the lid and folded over the iPad Pro screen to protect it, half of the lid rises slightly higher than the other half due to the integrated keyboard. Not only does it look bad, but it's also annoying on a tactile level, though that's just nitpicking.
The magnetic mount holds up well, but not enough that you can lift the iPad Pro by the keyboard and let the tablet dangle underneath. You will drop your tablet and likely smash its screen or become a victim of other damage.
AppleSmartKeyboard: Typing experience
Some users see the iPad Pro keyboard as a luxury item, but for those users trying to replace their laptop, the typing experience is the most important aspect of Apple's new keyboard.
If users rely onSmartKeyboard?
For an objective review of Apple's Smart Keyboard, we'll compare the keyboard to the Logitech Create for iPad Pro.
Typing on the Logitech keyboard feels slightly better, but the keyboard doubles the thickness of the iPad Pro. And while a Bluetooth keyboard may offer users a slightly better typing experience, it's not as comfortable as a Smart Keyboard attached to a tablet. That is why it is the best option for those users who want to replace a laptop with a tablet. You don't have to charge the keyboard like with its Bluetooth counterparts, the Smart Keyboard doesn't add a lot of weight or bulk. And if you want to use your iPad Pro as a tablet, you can quickly remove Smart Keyboard.
Where, among other things, it mentions the branded Smart Keyboard accessory. Keyboard for iPad was interesting and at the same time ambiguous. Some consumers consider the tablet as a replacement for a laptop, and it is in typing that it competes on equal terms with gadgets on "large" OSes. We figure out what is good in a branded expensive accessory and what you have to sacrifice when buying it in comparison with alternatives.
Appearance and design
The Apple Smart Keyboard is reminiscent of the Smart Cover: polyurethane on the outside, velvet microfiber on the inside, and three segments for folding the cover into a stand. Only next is another block with a width of two segments, on which the buttons are located.
The keys are covered with a hard embossed fabric that resembles jeans. The material is interesting for its resistance to moisture (you can fill the smoothie keyboard and then rinse it - nothing will happen) and the fact that for several days of active use (10-15 thousand characters each) no visible fingerprints or any other traces of use.
At the top base of the keyboard there are small slots that are necessary for air to escape while pressing the keys, the same space is the most unprotected in the device, it is advisable not to pour water there. Contact with liquids should also be avoided because although the keys are protected, the bottom of the keyboard is covered with the same microfiber (because when folded it touches the display), and that, in turn, can become hard or dirty.
The coating on the bottom of the keyboard is constantly in contact with surfaces of varying degrees of cleanliness, which can grab grease marks, coffee residues, crumbs and any other debris, and then touch the iPad Pro display with the same dirty side. You have to constantly check before opening the keyboard if the countertop in the cafe is clean, and also look at the keyboard before folding it back.
The presence of a physical keyboard changed the flexibility of the Smart Cover, making it impossible for the user to position the machine at a 30% angle to type on the on-screen keyboard. This is not a big problem, since there are physical buttons. At the same time, in the “TV” position, the tablet is installed with a keyboard.
Edge Use Cases
Notebook installation of the iPad is limited by the only angle of inclination, which in the case of the 12.9-inch model can be considered the most successful (among other "fixes"): the screen is clearly visible both when placed on a table and when placed on your knees. It is inconvenient to use the device only when lying down, when the keyboard is placed on the chest - in this position, I want to put the screen at an angle of 60-70 degrees.
The only tilt angle also jeopardizes the tablet when you sit on a high bench and put the device on your knees: it can come unfastened and fall. The device is fixed with magnets on the block where the keyboard is located, but if you click too actively on the screen, the connection can be broken.
Under normal conditions, this won't happen, but when you try to write something as soon as possible, you don't always control the force - during testing, an unintentional disconnection happened once, the tablet was caught before contact with the asphalt, but those half-seconds of flight were truly frightening.
Such inconvenience arose due to objective reasons, namely the design of the keyboard and Apple's desire to make both a cover and a stand out of it, and the ability to fix the device at different angles would make the system too cumbersome.
Keys
Almost all keyboards for the 12.9-inch iPad remain close to laptop keyboards in size, especially the letter block. The differences from keyboard to keyboard relate to two aspects: button travel and palm space. Everything is bad with the latter in the Smart Keyboard - it is not there, which means that it is difficult to hold the device with your palms when you sit on a bench: your wrists quickly become numb, because you have to bend your arms unnaturally.
The key travel in the case of the Smart Keyboard lies between the Butterfly mechanism of the first (in the MacBook 12) and the second (in the new ones) generations. The depth of pressing is also small, but the buttons have a well-audible click, which partially compensates for the small travel. The sound is less loud than in the second generation of the Butterfly, but it is already sufficient to distinguish well between pressing the buttons.
The ease of typing, in comparison with the usual keyboards, is average, since it takes getting used to pressing the buttons more weakly. The first few thousand characters feel like you're hitting the surface the keyboard sits on, but the longer you use it, the more your fingers get used to it, and the easier it becomes to type.
The speed of typing remains exactly the same as when typing on a laptop keyboard, the number of typos initially increases, but this happens every time you change from one keyboard to another with slightly changed keys. The best part is that the response speed remains perfectly high, there are no micro delays.
The disadvantage is the lack of backlighting: at night, the screen brightness cannot be unscrewed, and at eye-friendly marks, the glow from the display is not enough to illuminate the button labels
The layout in the tested sample is traditional ANSI, which is good, but with half cursor buttons "Up" and "Down" placed one above the other and located in the same row as "Left" and "Right". A similar scheme is used in the latest MacBooks, it is inconvenient, because you constantly confuse them blindly.
A much more successful system from the company's old laptops does not seem to be returning anytime soon:
The proprietary keyboard does not have a row of function keys, so for many actions you will have to interact with the touch interface. Perhaps this is a deliberate restriction to keep sales of alternative solutions - most third-party keyboards contain useful buttons, including volume control and player control, exit to the desktop and screen lock.
Several languages
When connecting an external keyboard, the main inconvenience is working with the layout, since Apple has not provided any identifiers for which language is currently enabled. At the same time, a panel with some hot keys is displayed in a number of places where you can call the keyboard; it would be logical to show the active layout language on it (for example, with a flag, as implemented in macOS).
Start of text input - always a lottery if more than one letter layout is active in the system
Now, to find out which layout is active, you need to click Ctrl Space or a separate language switch key, if one is available (on the Smart Keyboard, this is the planet icon), after which a cloud with all active layouts is displayed on top of the program window. You can switch between them by repeatedly pressing the spacebar (without releasing Ctrl) or, when the list of layouts appears, use the Up and Down arrows.
iOS remembers the last two layouts used, thanks to which it switches between them with one click, but this partly solves the problem, only at the moments when the user is already writing something and has already checked which language is currently active.
An alternative solution could be functionality from the MLSwitcher application, in which the user assigns shortcuts for each layout. This method of work allows you to always activate the desired language - before you start typing, you click on the desired layout and start typing, which simplifies life, since you do not need to check whether the desired language is currently active or you should switch.
Implementation as in MLSwitcher is needed by a small number of users even on a Mac, on the iPad it would be used even less, therefore it is logical not to add such features to the OS, but third-party software will not solve this problem, because developers do not have such deep access in iOS , not to mention the parallel operation of several utilities.
There is only one way to cope with this limitation - to accept it. But in the settings you can change the layout, all the necessary options are available, including the familiar Windows users (“Russian-PC”, “Ukrainian-PC”).
Smart Connector
The keyboard is connected to the tablet via a proprietary three-pin connector, which is used to connect various accessories and allows you to transfer data and power. Its use is still limited to a small selection of accessories, but some advantages are already noticeable from it.
The keyboard is more responsive than when you connect a third-party accessory via Bluetooth, which is noticeable not so much in the speed of the appearance of letters, but in the response to keyboard shortcuts.
In addition, the device does not need to go to sleep, which means you do not have to restore communication after activation. The keyboard is always waiting for a command from the user, which pleases after using other solutions, which, after even a short break, need to be given 3-5 seconds to switch to operating mode.
The main consequence of using the Smart Connector is that since it is a direct connection with the ability to transfer energy, there is no battery in the keyboard, which means it never needs to be charged, any physical damage will not lead to ignition (at least break it in half), and the mass of the device due to this turned out to be not so big - only 340 grams.
Hotkeys
Any external keyboard paired with the iPad retains identical operating principles borrowed directly from the Mac, making familiar keyboard shortcuts work exactly the same, be it select all text (Cmd+A), copy (Cmd+C), paste (Cmd+V). ) or cut (Cmd+X), as well as bold (Cmd+B), italic (Cmd+I) and underlined text (Cmd+U). Even screenshots can be created like in macOS (Cmd+Shift+3).
Many computer users are limited to these combinations, and use the arrows and touchpad or mouse to move through the text. The last two are not supported on iOS, which could slow down the movement through the text, but other hotkeys make this process almost as efficient as paired with familiar manipulators:
Option + "Left" and "Right" arrows allow you to quickly jump through the words, and if you additionally hold down Shift, the words will be highlighted
Option + Up and Down Arrows - Paragraph jumps
Cmd + arrows "Up" and "Down" - analogues of Home and End, respectively
In any application, if you hold down Cmd, a list of abbreviations specific to the program will appear. It does not display standard shortcuts, only navigational keyboard shortcuts, whether moving to different sections, creating a new tab, or switching the display.
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The branded accessory does not know how to manage videos in the browser, for example, pause when pressing the space bar. This will change with the arrival of iOS 11, but for now you will have to touch the tablet display.
Alternatives
Third-party solutions are inferior to the Smart Keyboard in the complex, despite the fact that they win in certain aspects. If the accessory has an armrest, it will definitely be heavier and will not be able to fold to install the tablet like a TV, a larger key travel guarantees an increase in thickness, and the backlight deprives the keyboard of full protection against moisture.
The main alternatives to Smart Keyboard (worth it) are ordinary Bluetooth keyboards that can be comfortably used in one workplace, for example, the native Magic Keyboard.
Choosing these options makes it impossible to print out, but if the iPad is mainly used in the workplace, and you only need to take it with you to consume content or showcase projects, it will be more convenient. So the buttons will be pressed as usual, there is no need to retrain, and in pair with the iPad, you can take a less heavy Smart Cover, which will act both as a stand at the workplace and wired for the screen outside the home.
The best iPad keyboards are made by Logitech, ranging from the bulky CREATE with backlit keys to the massive Slim Combo with a flip-out Surface-like screen stand, a detachable keyboard and additional palm rest, and an Apple Pencil mount. Both start at $150.
conclusions
The Smart Keyboard for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro is an interesting accessory that isn't so much a display protector as it is a physical keyboard. A compromise between the convenience of the form factor, weight, thickness and a similar experience to laptop keyboards has been achieved. There is no backlighting of letters, yes, but this is not a problem for those who have mastered touch typing.
The typing process is spoiled only by the lack of space under the palms and the only angle of the display - these factors do not allow typing comfortably and for a long time when the iPad is on its knees (because of the first, the palms become numb, the second endangers an expensive tablet when the knees are much lower than the pelvis) .
If there is a surface where you can put a tablet with a connected keyboard, there will be no problems, and the lack of a zone under the palm of your hand will force you to put your hands closer to the screen, which at the motor level makes it comfortable to combine touch navigation through the OS and typing letters on a physical keyboard.
The design isn't ideal, but given that the Smart Keyboard protects the screen when folded without making the tablet too thick, and when fully opened remains rigid enough to hold it well, the decisions made by the engineers seem to be successful.
Buying a keyboard for the iPad Pro, if you consider not the most humane price, is only for those users who really type a lot. If the text remains a side process, it is better to answer short letters and communicate in instant messengers using on-screen buttons, and buy useful programs with the money saved.
3 reasons to buy Smart Keyboard:
- perfect responsiveness
- small thickness and weight
- moisture protection
3 reasons not to buy Smart Keyboard:
- there are no function keys
- no palm rest
- no need to write a lot of text on the tablet
Thanks to the online store for providing it for review.
Can you turn your tablet into a laptop?
At the presentation of the iPad Pro, along with the tablet itself, two key accessories for it were also presented: the Apple Pencil stylus and the Smart Keyboard cover. We told you about the Apple Pencil in the iPad Pro review. Now we have the opportunity to get acquainted with the keyboard. For some unknown reason, it went on official sale in Russia much later than the tablet itself - only in the new year (whereas the tablet was available back in November). In addition, both in Russia and in other countries, the keyboard is sold without the letters of the national language. That is, in the case of Russia, we are talking about the absence of the Cyrillic alphabet. Nevertheless, the product is available and not without interest. Therefore, it's time to study it in detail.
To be honest, the very idea of an iPad Pro keyboard caused some skepticism. It seemed that Apple could come up with such an unusual thing here and how much does it fit with the philosophy of the Cupertino company, which prefers to very clearly define the functionality of the device and almost never releases “crutches” for them?
It's no secret that there are many third-party accessories for the regular iPad, including keyboards of various types. Apple has never released such things. And the second doubt was connected with this fact: how necessary it is in principle - a keyboard for the iPad Pro. Third-party manufacturers, of course, strive to satisfy even the very specific needs of iPad users, offering accessories for every taste. But in the case of Apple's branded accessory, we are clearly talking about a much wider audience.
We will try to figure out how successful this solution turned out to be and how justified its considerable price ($170 in the US and 13,290 rubles here).
Equipment
The keyboard comes in a traditional white box with an image of an accessory.
In addition to the device itself, only a set of information leaflets is included in the kit.
In fact, the keyboard does not require any chargers or other auxiliary things, so it's even hard to imagine what else could be here.
Design
When closed, the Smart Keyboard looks like a twin of the Smart Cover. We also told you about the Smart Cover for iPad Pro, and in general it is one of the most famous accessories for the iPad line. The idea behind the Smart Keyboard is that it replaces the Smart Cover, and of course offers features that the cover doesn't have.
The material of the outer and inner surfaces of the closed Smart Keyboard is identical to the Smart Cover. It is very pleasant to the touch polyurethane and velvety microfiber.
Smart Keyboard connects to iPad Pro using a proprietary three-pin connector made on iPad Pro specifically for Smart keyboard.
In the photo below - Smart Cover (left) and Smart Keyboard (right). Here you can notice the visual difference between the Smart Keyboard and the Smart Cover: because of the keyboard, part of the Smart Keyboard is thicker than the Smart Cover.
But, of course, the main difference becomes apparent when you turn the Smart Keyboard over and open it completely. Here we see the keyboard itself, and above it is a magnetic chute for installing the tablet.
You may notice that the keyboard itself takes up about a quarter of the area of the Smart Keyboard. At first glance, this is not much, but in fact, we have an almost full-fledged Mac keyboard.
Keyboard layout
Layout - as close as possible to the usual layout of the MacBook or iMac / Mac Pro / Mac mini (Apple Keyboard) keyboards. Below are photos of the Apple Keyboard and Smart Keyboard (ignore the proportions - the Smart Keyboard is actually a tad longer than the Keyboard, so the keys aren't that much smaller).
As we can see, in terms of layout, the five rows of Smart Keyboard keys are absolutely identical to the bottom five rows of the Keyboard. There is no top row of function keys on the Smart Keyboard, but iOS does not need it. Otherwise, the only difference is the layout switch key in the lower left corner instead of the Fn key. This is unaccustomed to getting in the way, because in OS X we are used to switching the layout with the Command + spacebar combination, but here you just need to press the key with the globe icon (it is most convenient to do this with the little finger of your left hand).
It is very important that many familiar combinations work: for example, Cmd + C - copy, Command + V - paste, Ctrl + Shift + hyphen - em dash ... But Command + Shift + 3 does not work to take a screenshot and some other commands, not related to typing.
Keyboard Ergonomics
The weakest point of most of these devices is the lack of tangible key travel, their too small size and insufficient distance between the keys. Often, because of these three features, touch typing on such a keyboard is almost impossible, even if the layout is completely identical to the usual one.
Fortunately, the Smart Keyboard has all these options in order. Of course, the size of the keys is slightly smaller than that of a full-fledged keyboard: 14 mm horizontally versus the usual 16 mm. But this is compensated by a sufficient distance between the keys, due to which there are almost no erroneous hits when typing blindly. Excellent result!
As for the key travel, it is clear, moderately resilient and, as far as possible in such conditions, even quite high. There is even a click sound when typing fast (not particularly annoying). In general, the keyboard is really pleasant to type on (despite the objective disadvantages compared to full-fledged desktop keyboards).
Let's note one more detail: the surface of the keys and the surface surrounding them is rough and grainy. And in this case, this seems to be a very right decision, since such a surface does not collect fingerprints at all, is not damaged in any way (well, only if it is specially scratched) and does not slip.
On top of that, the keyboard is waterproof, so you can safely spill coffee or tea on it, and then wash it under water. There are simply no gaps through which water could penetrate inside. Unless interaction with moisture will not be very useful for microfiber. But if you spill coffee on the keyboard while typing, the microfiber cover won't get wet anyway.
Using Smart Keyboard as a cover
As we have already noted, the design of the Smart Keyboard was deliberately as close as possible to the design of the Smart Cover. Indeed, Smart Keyboard can replace Smart Cover in almost everything. With the Smart Keyboard, the tablet can be placed in one of two positions. The first is for printing.
In this position, the bottom of the tablet, to which the Smart Keyboard spine is connected, is installed in the magnetic groove, firmly fixing in it. And at the back, the structure is supported by three free sections of the Smart Keyboard.
The second position is ideal for reading or viewing content.
In this case, the keyboard unit is at the back, being pressed with the back to the “back” of the tablet.
Of course, all sections can be folded back, completely covering the “back” of the tablet, or you can close the screen with them. It will look like this.
Of course, the design turns out to be thicker than in the case of the Smart Cover, but in practice it almost never gets in the way and does not take up much more space in the bag than the iPad Pro in the Smart Cover. At the same time, when we open the Smart Keyboard on the screen, the tablet wakes up, just like when working with Smart Cover.
The only way to use the Smart Cover that is not available in the case of the Smart Keyboard is like the one in the photo below.
But in fact, he is not needed here. After all, in the absence of a keyboard, such an iPad installation is useful just for the possibility of convenient typing on a virtual keyboard. And if we have a physical keyboard, why type on a virtual one?
Settings and additional features
Considering the fact that the Smart Keyboard turns the iPad Pro into a kind of laptop, it would be logical to expect some special settings for this accessory. But here Apple was true to its minimalism.
Everything related to Smart Keyboard settings is located at Settings / General / Keyboards / Physical keyboard. And this is just a selection of available layouts. Moreover, this menu subsection appears only when the tablet is set on the Smart Keyboard in the print position. If the Smart Keyboard simply closes the tablet as a cover, then there is no subsection.
Another thing is that for the physical keyboard, of course, those settings that are for the virtual keyboard also work. And here we highly recommend that you go to the "Keyboards" subsection and delete the emoji keyboard, which, it turns out, is the third one (after Russian and English). In general, iPad owners should do this anyway (well, unless you love to chat with emoticons :)), but when using the Smart Keyboard, the presence of a third keyboard (it doesn’t matter, emoji or any other) significantly slows down typing. Because then when you press the language switch key, we see this picture.
Therefore, to switch from Russian to English, you also need to click on the screen, selecting the desired keyboard from the three. Obviously, this is terribly inconvenient (at least if you regularly need to switch between Russian and English layouts). If there are only two keyboards, then this miniature menu does not even appear, but the languages \u200b\u200bswitch immediately occurs, similar to what is done in iOS by pressing Command + space.
So, this completes the Smart Keyboard settings. In fact, to work with the keyboard, simply connect it to the iPad Pro and set the tablet to print mode (that is, with the keyboard facing you). And that's it. But there are still hidden possibilities. And these are the various keyboard shortcuts that we can find out about for a particular application by pressing and holding Command. For example, here is what opens in the browser.
And here it is on the home screen.
Curiously, this option even works in some third-party applications. For example, in Microsoft Word.
Of course, we were interested in how well the Smart Keyboard would work in Parallels Access, with which you can remotely connect to your MacBook and work on your iPad Pro in an OS X environment. As it turned out, there are no obstacles here, except for the fact that Parallels Access is still not properly optimized for the iPad Pro (this is manifested in the screen resolution, as well as in some glitches). That is, if the program is correctly launched through Parallels Access, then the physical keyboard will also work normally. Up to the point that using Command + Shift + 4 you can take a screenshot (and it will be saved on the MacBook), and the layout can be switched with the globe key.
Impressions from use and conclusions
We've been using the Smart Keyboard with an iPad Pro for about two weeks. At first glance, this is an optional accessory, especially if you have a MacBook Pro. And it is clear that even if you have a physical keyboard, it is better to do serious work in the OS X environment than in iOS. But still, you don’t want to part with the Smart Keyboard at all, and, as it turns out, this device can really be useful.
However, the result exceeded expectations. First of all, the accessory itself turned out to be very successful. Typing on the keyboard is almost as pleasant and comfortable as on a regular Apple keyboard and incomparably more comfortable than on the iPad Pro virtual keyboard. But at the same time, the Smart Keyboard takes up almost no space - with it, the iPad Pro becomes only a little thicker than with the branded Smart Cover, and a little heavier. To be precise, the weight of the Smart Keyboard is 335 grams, and the Smart Cover is 164 grams. But even in the case of home use, and in the case of some trips, this almost does not entail any inconvenience. True, the mass of the tablet still becomes more than the psychological threshold of 1 kg, and it is no longer so easy to casually take it with one hand from the windowsill or shelf. However, it would be unfair to say that this somehow limits the scenarios for using the tablet.
But the opposite is obvious: Smart Keyboard significantly expands the possibilities of using the iPad Pro, turning it into a full-fledged laptop replacement when it comes to typing, working with mail, communicating in social networks and instant messengers ... That is, if you have a laptop and an iPad Pro with Smart Keyboard, there will be much fewer cases when you need to take a laptop with you, and not an iPad. Do you like to write text in transport? Please. Do you want to work outdoors or in a cafe, sorting out mail and communicating with colleagues via the Internet? It's also possible. More to the point, if you have the cellular version of the iPad Pro, then the iPad Pro becomes an even better option because you won't be tied to Wi-Fi hotspots.
Perhaps the main thing that does not allow you to forget when working with the iPad Pro and Smart Keyboard that this is still not a full-fledged laptop is the lack of a mouse, which can be very useful even in a text editor, not to mention other professional tasks. For example, selecting large chunks of text with your finger is still not as convenient as with the mouse. But this remark has nothing to do directly with the Smart Keyboard.
As for home use, here too the Smart Keyboard turns out to be an unexpectedly useful accessory. Imagine lying on the couch surfing the web or watching YouTube using an iPad Pro. And now you have received some kind of letter, to which it is desirable to respond in detail. Or a friend started chatting in the messenger. Or wanted to comment on a post on a social network. It seems that you don’t want to get up for this, turn on the computer and change seats for it, but typing any extended phrases on the virtual keyboard is not pleasant enough. It is in this situation that Smart Keyboard comes to the rescue. By the way, the tablet in the Smart Keyboard is quite stable even on your knees or other uneven surfaces (which, by the way, not all external keyboards can boast of).
In general, this, of course, is not a matter of prime necessity. But it's a very welcome and in many cases useful addition to the iPad Pro, and far exceeded our expectations and allayed our fears. Three things can keep you from buying a Smart Keyboard: firstly, the high price (although Apple accessories have never been cheap), secondly, the lack of Russian letters on the keys, and thirdly, the mass - despite the success of the keyboard, the tablet with it becomes is, of course, harder. And whether these moments outweigh or not - depends primarily on how and where you use the iPad Pro, whether you type blindly and whether you are ready to spend 13,290 rubles on such a thing.
As a conclusion, we offer you our video review of the Smart Keyboard, which clearly shows the possibilities of using it.
P.S. For good looks, water resistance, and great functionality, we give the Smart Keyboard our Editorial Original Design Award: