In Mark Gurman’s weekly edition of his Powered On newsletter, he reports that Apple is working on an all-new redesigned Magic Keyboard accessory for either the base iPad or iPad Air, rather than the iPad Pro. Although we may see updates to both the iPad and iPad mini in next month’s Apple Event, it’s unlikely we’ll see that new accessory at that event as Gurman expects that product to launch sometime early next year. While this keyboard may lack the aluminum base like that on the redesigned Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro (M4), it may feature the function keys.
I’m willing to believe that this upcoming product will likely be designed for the iPad Air, and here’s why. If we take a look at Apple’s lineup of Magic Keyboards for iPad, we have the following:
- Magic Keyboard Folio for iPad 10 for $249
- the previous-generation Magic Keyboard for iPad Air starting at $299
- the redesigned Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro starting at $299
Both the first and third products include the row of function keys, but the second one does not, which puts the model out of place in the lineup. If Apple were to redesign the Magic Keyboard that works for the current iPad Air as well as many previous generations of iPad Air/Pro, it could feature function keys, a haptic trackpad, and the same polyurethane material for the palm rests. That’ll make the Magic Keyboard lineup more consistent once again with function keys in every model. That’s my take, but what do you guys think, could Apple simplify the lineup by moving the Smart Connector from the side to the back of the base iPad so that it’ll work with the redesigned Magic Keyboard? Let us know in the comments below.
