Does anyone think I’m not a fool for buying a magic Keyboard for iPad air 4?

Hi, The version I have is the new, I am almost certain its that one you want as well. It comes with a leatherette magnetic cover which just attaches and protects the back of the iPad but TBH I use it without as the cover is more weight I don’t need and I have come to think of this device as a laptop, The iPad is never removed and its just the best laptop I’ve ever owned with all the advantages of iOS and a touchscreen. It feels exactly like a laptop and even looks exactly like one on the table. The keyboard is approximately the same weight as the iPad which is a shame as it would be easy to make it lighter, they obviously had to make it heavy so it holds the iPad down. I guess because the iPad is heavy it would just fall backward without the weight on the bottom. In total I guess the “laptop” weighs about 1kg. The Keyboard is the exact same shape as the ipad so they fit together like a single unit. I just checked the weight of the MacBook Air and its 1.3kg so a little heavier than the iPad Brydge combo. Its just so cute too. Lol.

hey you said in your part of the world… Is that US, Mexico or somewhere else? I only ask because 15 years ago it was my dream to move to Mazatlan. I ultimately didn’t because i was scared of moving from the UK where being blind is a lot easier than in Mexico but I always wondered if I missed a massive adventure.

Yeah the trackpad is pretty much useless with VoiceOver. You can have VoiceOver read what's under the pointer, but that brings with it all kinds of problems with VoiceOver focus, so I would recommend switching to Ignore Pointer immediately!
The trackpad cannot be used like you can on the Mac unfortunately. This doesn't bother me as I rarely use it on the Mac either, but that's personal preference.
Bear in mind though that, unlike the Mac, you do have a touch screen on the device itself.
Overall I find it to be a great accessory, albeit I'd like some software improvements.

Hi, I really hope they continue to make improvements across the whole OS and the M1 IPad Pro suggests they have good things in store for iOS 15 but I wouldn’t be surprised if trackpad support comes with iOS 15. Have you seen the Brydge? If so do you prefer it or the Apple. I just couldn’t bring myself to spend that much on the Apple especially when the Brydge seems about as perfect as I could ask for.

Hi Andy. No I’ve never used the Bridge. I do like the Apple one a lot, but definitely admit I could have shopped around a bit more before buying it. No real regrets but I would be curious to see others.
Yeah I’m really really hoping for big improvements in iPad OS 15. I mean have you tried to use Excel or Numbers with a keyboard and VoiceOver, it can’t be done. Not good enough.
Also, correct me if I’m wrong, but in the customised VoiceOver keyboard gestures area, they’re’s no option to assign moving to previous and next container. As iPad does not have the interaction model from Mac, containers are very important to getting around different sections and panels on the screen.
So yep, I really hope they step it up a gear this year, because it’s an amazing device which is frustratingly constrained.

Those are 2 great examples of where Apple needs to step it up, its embarrassing. I’ve spent thousands and can’t edit a spreadsheet? Get real. No way this would be accepted in mainstream. I’m sick of accepting 3rd class for a 1st class price. My biggest 2 issues are that I can’t edit text without stress. Arrowing up and down through the text always misses chunks out. This makes formatting and editing at least overly burdensome and at worst impossible. Certainly almost impossible to have an experience equal to someone looking at the screen. Another one is the size of targets we touch with our fingers. Why is there so much dead space around the keyboard? Why must I hunt for the exact set of pixels that represent the element I want to touch. It’s frustrating and doesn’t need to be. I won’t even start on the state of safari losing focus, not announcing pop ups and pop overs and elements voiceover can’t interact with otherwise my head very well may go bang. It really matters and they don’t seem to be working on it. These small issues can have massive impacts on my capabilities and state of mind while trying to achieve my goals. How productive would a sighted person be if they had to battle and fight through the number of small annoyances, ongoing frustrations and outright impossibilities on a daily basis to get simple things done that should take seconds and can end up taking hours. Apple either don’t know or don’t care. I very much hope its don’t know.

hey, So I’m not sure about the sleep wake. I’d imagine it works fine as its just a magnet that tells the iPad to wake and all the cases are interchangeable between iPads so the sensor must be in the same place. I think the Brydge cover will fit but if I’m not wrong the Air has a rectangular camera bump and the pro has a larger square so there will be a slight gap. TBH I wouldn’t worry about that too much, I haven’t used the coversince I got it even though it fits mine fine. The reason I don’t use it is because its quite heavy and makes the ipad quite a bit thicker. Since I Got the Brydge I’ve rethought how I use the iPad. its not really just an iPad anymore. It’s more like a full laptop that has touch. You can remove the iPad from the keyboard but I’ve only done it once in a few weeks because then it just becomes an iPad again which is such a shame when it was this amazing laptop thats way better than an iPad on your knee or a table and it also has touch and iOS. The way it attaches is there is a hinge at the back just like a laptop with 2 little clamps sticking up They are about 2.5cm tall and you push the iPad down into them. They can’t scratch the iPad because they are covered in silicon on each of the surfaces that would be able to scratch the iPad. I think the only thing you’d have to know is that you need to push the iPad all the way down into the clamps before you close the iPad because they aren’t very tall so if you only pushed the iPad down a little I think it would be possible to dent or damage the iPad. That wouldn’t be a problem as long as you know to make sure its all the way down which you do now. :) As for Mazatlan, I had some of the happiest times in my life there, It’s an amazing place with just incredibly friendly and open people. I’ve actually got goosebumps all over thinking about how much of a happy time it was in my life. In the UK people aren’t as open and present as I like being. I’ve also been to Tulum and Playa del carmen on a couple of holidays and although they were amazing I didn’t feel like people were quite as natural, I guess its just tourism whereas I was visiting friends in Mazatlan so that was very different. I’d love to chat, My iMessage is andylanesemail@gmail.com. About the keyboards. Why don’t you just give one of them a try. You can always return them if you don’t like them for any reason but You don’t want to miss out on how great the iPad is with a keyboard because you spend weeks trying to decide without holding one and seeing whether it gives you a better device.