The first reviews are in for the iPad Pro, Apple’s giant tablet that launches this week.
Critics love the iPad Pro as a tablet but are skeptical the device can actually replace their laptops anytime soon. But there was one aspect of the iPad Pro almost every critic agreed with: The $170 Smart Keyboard for iPad Pro is overpriced and underwhelming.
TechCrunch’s Matthew Panzarino
praised the keyboard’s sealed design that prevents spills and splashing
from affecting any circuitry, but he said “the feel of the keys are a
bit musky for my tastes and isn’t nearly as good on the rapid fly as a
MacBook keyboard.”
Bloomberg’s Sam Grobart
calls the Smart Keyboard “clever, but a little clumsy.” He notes “you
can’t really use it on your lap, much less perched on your legs while
sitting in bed.”
Lauren Goode from The Vergewas much less forgiving of the keyboard in her iPad Pro review:
“Due
to the taut layer of laser-cut fabric covering it, the keys felt
comparatively shallow and rough,” Goode said. “It’s not backlit. It can
only prop the iPad up at one angle (unlike Microsoft’s Surface). And
while most common shortcuts work, depending on the app — Command + Tab
tabs through open apps, Command + Z erases your last entry — the entire
top row of the Mac keyboard is missing on the Smart Cover keyboard. This
doesn’t seem like a big deal at first until you consider that a) you’re
missing things like volume and brightness keys and b) those keys are
present on accessory keyboards that cost much, much less than $169.”
Comparing
the Smart Keyboard to two other keyboards — Logitech’s Create keyboard
for iPad Pro, and Apple’s MacBook Pro keyboard — The Verge’s Walt Mossberg ranked the Smart Keyboard “dead last.”
“I
was disappointed with Apple’s optional keyboard case,” Mossberg said.
“It’s essentially a shallow Mac keyboard, with keys like Command that
mean something only in Mac OS X, but not a single shortcut key to an
iPad function, like Home or Search. It’s also not backlit, and it has
only one angle in which it holds the screen. Additionally, it’s so light
and small compared to the screen that I find it difficult to balance
properly on my lap for typing. It’s also really costly, at $169.”
Mossberg
said he kept “looking for shortcut keys that weren’t there” and “kept
wishing for a trackpad, so I didn’t have to keep reaching for the
screen.”
Ars Technica’s Andrew Cunningham
had similar complaints. “There’s no hardware or software indicator for
the Caps Lock key, for instance, making it hard to tell that it’s
engaged without actually typing,” he said. “There’s no row of function
keys, which could have been dedicated to media playback and volume and
brightness controls (among other things) the way they are on a Mac
keyboard. The fn key has been replaced by a key used to bring up
alternate keyboards (including emoji), which is nice for iOS but
deprives you of common shortcuts like fn-backspace for delete. There’s no backlight either.” Almost every review we’ve found had at least some issues with the $170 Smart Keyboard, particularly with its value proposition and its lack of useful features for getting stuff done. Luckily, third-party keyboards are there to fill the void. Notably, Logitech is selling its Create keyboard for iPad Pro for $20 less than Apple’s optional keyboard, and that accessory comes with plenty of useful keys and it charges directly through the iPad Pro’s Smart Connector. We look forward to reviewing this accessory for Tech Insider.
In the meantime, be wary of the Smart Keyboard if you’re thinking ofpurchasing an iPad Pro — or, at the very least, go and try out the Smart Keyboard at an Apple Store, and see if you like it.
