How to get the most out of Magic Keyboard for iPad
Tips, tricks, and valuable shortcuts you need to know
It's been almost a year since Apple launched what may be the most expensive Keyboard you can get for your iPad. The Magic Keyboard for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro costs the same as the cheapest iPad. Unaffordable for some, a new dimension of iPad usage for others.
I use the Magic Keyboard along with my 11" iPad Pro (2018), and I must admit that even though I own a MacBook Pro, the iPad with the Magic Keyboard has become my primary device, and I get 95% of my work done on it. Let's take a look at some valuable tips on how Magic Keyboard can make working on your iPad easier, and maybe you'll be one of those users who don't need a MacBook, but an iPad will suffice.
Magic Keyboard, Magic Trackpad
Magic Keyboard is the only Keyboard with a trackpad built right in. The next dimension of iPad control. If you're familiar with the trackpad from the MacBook, it's probably not surprising that the entire interface on the iPad can be controlled with the mouse cursor. Using two fingers, you can move right or left between icon areas.
If you keep the cursor in the middle of the desktop and pull it down with two fingers, you'll open Search. This is essentially the Spotlight we know from the Mac. With three fingers pointing up, we can return to the home screen from the app. But if we swipe up with three fingers and stop, we'll see a multitasking screen with all the open apps, which we can navigate again with two fingers.
Swipe right with three fingers when you're in an app, like Notes, and you want to go to the second-to-last open app (to move around multitasking). You can then use three fingers to move right and left between apps. Move the cursor to the top right corner to bring up the Control Center. On the other hand, we can find the Notification Center in the top left corner. If we move the cursor down to the bottom of the display, we'll see the Dock.
The whole experience of controlling the iPad with the trackpad is, as Craig Federighi said, a combination of controlling a Mac and Apple TV. The cursor "sticks" to the nearest icons, allowing you to work more efficiently. I got used to this control very quickly, and as I said, I used the iPad for almost a year as my primary device for work and study.
Shortcuts to make your life easier
When I connected the Magic Keyboard to my iPad, I started using it, and once again, the Apple magic I love so much showed itself. iPad with Magic Keyboard I subconsciously used as I am used to — but I was used to using a MacBook. Most of the shortcuts you're used to from the Mac environment work on the iPad, so you won't be held back by wondering what device you're working on. However, a few shortcuts have logically been added. Even better, all these shortcuts work on both the Magic Keyboard and the Smart Keyboard Folio.
- Cmd + H — return to the home screen
- Cmd + spacebar — opens Search
- Cmd + tab — last open apps
- Cmd + Shift + 3 — screenshot
- Cmd + Shift + 4 — screenshot with the immediate opening of editing
- Cmd + Option + D — hide or show Dock
Already established shortcuts for editing text work the same way:
- Cmd + C — copy
- Cmd + V — paste
- Cmd + X — remove
- Cmd + B — bold text
- Cmd + U — underline text
- Cmd + I — italic
There are countless shortcuts, and every application has its shortcuts. So it is quite possible that one shortcut can do something different in one application than in another application. But over time, you'll get used to a specific workflow and experience the shortcuts. What will help you get oriented in all the shortcuts is a feature that helped me too. If you hold down Command for a few seconds, you'll see a table with all the shortcuts available for the application you're currently in.
A case and another USB-C port in one
The Magic Keyboard is not just a keyboard but also a case for your iPad Pro and iPad Air 4. Honestly, it's not the best or most durable case you can get for your iPad, but it will undoubtedly serve you well against everyday scratches in your backpack or bag. The Magic Keyboard has a USB-C port that can be used to charge the iPad. The Keyboard itself is set using the Smart connector directly from the iPad. However, if you want to connect, for example, some adapter to the iPad, this is only possible with the port on the iPad itself. The USB-C port on the Keyboard is for charging only. It cannot transfer data.
Final thoughts
For the case itself, I would expect a built-in battery in its price, for example, as the transformer books from Asus used to have. The Keyboard and trKeyboardombination add a new dimension to the iPad that can significantly advance productivity. However, whether a given keyboard is worth buying depends greatly on how much you can use it. In my case, I ended up choosing a combination of apple folio, apple pencil, and classic keyKeyboardpecifically Logitech MX Keys. The reason was simple traditional layout brings me better utility. Because it didn't get me much-added value as I expected, I sold it on the second-hand market and brought back the budget for other exciting stuff.
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