Apple unveils a new Magic Keyboard at iPad event | TechCrunch

At its iPad-focused event on Monday, Apple announced a new and improved Magic Keyboard, its keyboard accessory for iPad.

The Magic Keyboard has been “completely redesigned” to be much thinner and lighter, Apple says, and now includes a function row for quick access to controls like screen brightness, volume adjustment and play/pause. Beyond that, the new Magic Keyboard features aluminum palm rests and a larger trackpad. Plus it’s more responsive, Apple says, with haptic feedback and a USB-C port for charging.

It’s the first major revision of the Magic Keyboard since its launch in 2020. And — with the addition of the function row — it’s now on par, feature-wise, with its counterpart the Magic Keyboard Folio.

The new Magic Keyboard comes in two sizes — one for the 11-inch iPad Pro and one for the 13-inch model — and in two colors, black and white. It can be pre-ordered today for the same price as the previous-gen Magic Keyboard, $299 for the 11-inch and $349 for the 13-inch, and will be available in stores next week.

In other keyboard accessory news, there’s a new Smart Folio for iPad Air. It attaches magnetically and supports multiple viewing angles for “greater flexibility” than the old model.

The Smart Folio is available in charcoal gray, light violet, denim and sage and priced at $79 for the 11-inch iPad Air version and $99 for the 13-inch version.

Other announcements at Tuesday’s event included a new iPad Air with an M2 chip and first-ever 13-inch size; a new iPad Pro with completely new M4 chip and stacked OLED screens for higher-fidelity display; a Pro version of the Apple Pencil featuring new sensors; and a new version of the Magic Keyboard. You can catch the full video here: