Apple set to introduce major changes to the iPad Magic Keyboard

iPads are becoming more and more capable of serving as effective laptop replacements. With the advent of iPadOS 16, the iPad Pro in particular has never been better equipped to handle all the tasks that a typical Mac can.

However, there is one crucial accessory that your iPad is going to need in order to fill the shoes of any respectable laptop - a keyboard. As per information shown on PattentlyApple, the Magic Keyboard for the iPad could be in for some major improvements.

With a price tag that can reach the borderline ridiculous $349, one expects nothing but excellence from Apple’s Magic Keyboard. Unfortunately, that is not the case in its current iteration. There are at least three major flaws in this crucial Apple accessory that makes or breaks the iPad laptop experience.

Firstly, the current Magic Keyboard for the iPad lacks something that almost all alternatives on the market (including Apple’s own Smart Keyboard Folio) feature - a clipboard mode. By this we understand a way for the keyboard to be configured so as to allow users to use the iPad as a typical tablet.

Currently, users have to detach the iPad from the Magic Keyboard in order to effectively use the touchscreen interface. This leaves the iPad exposed and prone to being damaged. The viewing angles that the keyboard supports are simply not ideal for prolonged touchscreen input.

The patent addresses this issue through added support for a clipboard mode which will enable users to fold the keyboard and write easily on the slanted touchscreen surface.

Additionally, the patent fixes another notable issue with the current Magic Keyboard - it adds a dedicated container for the Apple Pencil. Currently, the latter attaches magnetically to the iPad, but this solution seldom holds up and the Pencil falls off easily.

The one issue that the new patent does not address is the lack of protection that the Magic Keyboard provides, or rather fails to provide. Maybe this will be left for the next generation.