Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
iPad users can look forward to a less expensive version of Apple’s Magic Keyboard, according to information leaking out of Apple. The goal is apparently a variant more appealing to buyers of entry-level tablets.
Expect a launch in 2025.
Increasing iPad Magic Keyboard appeal
The Apple Magic Keyboard for iPad sports a cool cantilever design, a slim form, trackpad, and even a USB-C port to charge the tablet. The clamshell keyboard converts the tablet into a notebook computer ready to enter large amounts of text, while leaving it ready to become a lightweight tablet again when it’s time to lean back and watch video.
Unfortunately, the accessory also includes a feature that limits its appeal: a high price. The version for 13-inch iPad Pro costs $349, and the 11-inch variant is $299. The one for the budget iPad 10 sells for $249 — only $100 less than the tablet itself.
A solution might be in the offing, however. Apple set its sights on “a low-end version that may be designed for an entry-level iPad or the new iPad Airs,” according to Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman. Supposedly, the features like the metal palm rest from the 2024 version of Magic Keyboard will be left out to reduce the cost.
It’s not known what the cost of the low-end version of the iPad Magic Keyboard will be. But Bloomberg reports, “The product should be released by the middle of next year if all goes to plan.”