According to Mark Gurman’s Power On newsletter, Apple is testing a new lower end Magic Keyboard for the base model iPad and new iPad Air.
Unlike the new Magic Keyboard that was introduced on the iPad Pro lineup back in May, this cheaper Magic Keyboard won’t include a premium-feeling aluminum top case. It’ll likely use the same cheaper silicone material of the old iPad Magic Keyboards.
This new Magic Keyboard will likely succeed both the Magic Keyboard Folio (introduced in 2022 with the iPad 10) and the older Magic Keyboard for the iPad Air (introduced in 2020 with the iPad Pros). It’ll also reportedly include a function row, something that’d be new to the Magic Keyboard for iPad Air.
Gurman expects the keyboard to be released around mid 2025, if all goes to plan.
If Apple ends up following this strategy, this will undoubtedly simplify their iPad Keyboard lineup, which they already started doing by discontinuing the old Smart Keyboards – which still used butterfly switches!
Too bad they probably aren’t simplifying their Apple Pencil lineup anytime soon.
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