At its iPad-focused event on Monday, Apple announced a new and improved Magic Keyboard, its iPad keyboard accessory.
The Magic Keyboard has been “completely redesigned” to be much thinner and lighter, Apple says, and now includes a feature row for quick access to controls like screen brightness, volume adjustment, and play/pause. Beyond that, the new Magic Keyboard features aluminum palm rests and a larger trackpad. Plus, it's more responsive, Apple says, with haptic feedback and a USB-C port for charging.
It's the first major revision to the Magic Keyboard since its launch in 2020. And with the addition of the feature row, it's now on par, feature-wise, with its counterpart, the Magic Keyboard Folio.
The new Magic Keyboard comes in two sizes, one for the 11-inch iPad Pro and one for the 13-inch model, and in two colors, black and white. It can be pre-ordered today for the same price as the previous-generation Magic Keyboard, $299 for the 11-inch and $349 for the 13-inch, and will be available in stores next week.
In other keyboard accessory news, there's a new Smart Folio for iPad Air. It attaches magnetically and supports multiple viewing angles for “greater flexibility” than the previous model.
The Smart Folio is available in charcoal gray, light purple, denim, and sage and is priced at $79 for the 11-inch iPad Air version and $99 for the 13-inch version.
Other announcements at Tuesday's event included a new iPad Air with M2 chip and the first 13-inch size; a new iPad Pro with all-new M4 chip and stacked OLED displays for higher fidelity viewing; a Pro version of the Apple Pencil with new sensors; and a new version of the Magic Keyboard. You can see the full video here:
