It’s about that time of year when we started to think about what Apple will launch over the year in terms of hardware and software, so, being in the education field, naturally I start to think about what I want Apple to do with the iPad in 2021. The more I think about it, the more I think that Apple’s next act with the iPad has nothing to do with the iPad itself. This week, I want to talk about the need for a low-cost magic keyboard.
About Apple @ Work: Bradley Chambers has been managing a corporate IT network since 2009. Through his experience in deploying and managing firewalls, switches, a mobile device management system, enterprise-class Wi-Fi, hundreds of Macs and hundreds of iPads, Bradley will highlight the ways in which Apple IT managers deploy Apple devices, build networks to support and train users, as well as stories about the trenches of IT management and how Apple could improve its products for IT departments.
One of the most significant changes that Apple has made to the recent memory of the iPadOS is the addition of mouse support and the launch of the Magic Keyboard. I was initially hesitant about how the mouse support would translate to iPadOS, but after many months of seeing it in action, it’s clear that it opens up some new use cases to make the iPad work for more people. The problem is that the Magic Keyboard is expensive enough when you are buying one, but it has a prohibitive cost when buying a fleet of devices.
iPad Air with Magic Keyboard vs. MacBook Air
The Mac saw a kind of revival with the Apple Silicon transition. The Macbook Air was the 9to5Mac Product of the year in 2020. The battery life is excellent. It performs almost any task that you could easily perform. It was moved to a place comparable to the iPad years ago in terms of hardware. Instead of finding the balance between loving macOS, hating the processor and fighting the iPadOS, but loving the processor, they are the same. Now, the MacBook Air can go toe-to-toe with the iPad Air at hardware speed, so it becomes a comparison of software versus software.
I’m not here to debate whether you can do real work on iPadOS, because you can. I will argue that the iPad is a Better device with the smart keyboard, however. Some tasks are easier to do with a cursor and, for long periods, it is much more ergonomic to use a device where you can use a cursor.
The problem with Magic Keyboard is that it is expensive. It is a $ 200 accessory for a device that costs $ 599 (iPad Air). For schools and businesses to buy in bulk, adding a $ 200 accessory to an iPad will cost much. Most schools and businesses will choose the lowest cost iPad for their deployments. Apple should pair a low-cost Magic Keyboard with the low-cost iPad as a successor to the Smart Keyboard.
Will Apple launch a magic keyboard for the low-cost iPad?
I would love to see Apple launch a low-cost Magic Keyboard for the low-cost iPad. That price would put the full package for a Magic Keyboard, iPad and Apple Pencil below $ 500. If an organization wanted to skip the Apple Pencil, it would cost less than $ 400. An iPad with a magic keyboard is a powerful device in that price range. .
Will Apple launch a low-cost magic keyboard for the basic iPad? I haven’t seen rumors, but I think it should be a priority. A magic keyboard is the iPad’s best accessory for turning it into a full-time “computer”. What do you think? Leave a comment below!
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