Apple Magic Keyboard review: Blurring the line between iPad and MacBook

Thankfully, the Magic Keyboard showed up just as my mania was hitting its peak.With my MacBook screen totally borked, I spent the last few days writing this review on the 12.9-inch iPad Pro and Apple’s new keyboard, because I demand the ability to write anywhere I damn well please. But its technical elegance and the fact it draws inspiration from Apple’s much-improved MacBook keyboards, make this the best all-around option for being productive on your iPad Pro.The iPad Pro is a phenomenal tablet, and the Magic Keyboard makes it feel more like a bonafide computer than ever. Just know that it’s not ideal for every situation.Apple’s Magic Keyboard is a $299 (11-inch) or $349 (12.9-inch) case that magnetically attaches to your iPad Pro. Once connected, the iPad “hovers” above the keyboard, and you can pivot the tablet between 90 degrees (standing upright) and 130 (angled slightly up at your face.) The Magic Keyboard feeds power and data to the iPad through its rear smart connector, and that’s important to note for a few reasons. But it’s also quirky enough that you really, really have to be sold on Apple’s approach to choose this over any number of alternatives.It isn’t super-slimWith the Magic Keyboard attached, the 12.9-inch iPad Pro is just a hair thicker than a modern, 13-inch MacBook Pro, and almost exactly as heavy. You can’t angle the iPad too far back with the Magic Keyboard because it’s top-heavy; anything past 130 degrees and the whole thing would just topple over. The iPad Pro is a phenomenal tablet, and with a Magic Keyboard attached, it’s finally starting to feel like a proper computer. Apple has already started the work of blurring the line between iPad and laptop, and the Magic Keyboard turns a pricey tablet into a fascinating, functional hybrid.