I got an email from Brydge this afternoon letting me know that they had just released a new firmware update for their new Pro+ Keyboard and Trackpad. The update came in the form of an iPad app that connects to the Pro+ via Bluetooth and is very easy to use. I did have to plug my keyboard in to run the update, but that was the only minor hassle.
If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. Microsoft is taking the old saying to heart as they make another go with the Surface Go. The least expensive member of the Surface family was originally released two years ago and was clearly positioned against Apple’s entry-level iPad. While it certainly wasn’t a disaster, when measured against the sales of Apple’s tablets, there’s no way it could be considered a major success, either.
In these days of pandemic and quarantines, some still have the ability to make the water a refuge as the weather grows warmer. If you have a pool, what better way to spend some of these hours trapped at home? If you have a boat and live near a lake, what better way to social distance?
While all eyes, including my own, have been focused on Apple’s Magic Keyboard, Brydge has been starting to ship their new Pro+ Bluetooth Keyboard and Trackpad. While it was announced and preorders opened before iPadOS 13.4 and the Magic Keyboard were unveiled, Apple still beat them to market, putting them at a bit of a disadvantage. That’s the game, I guess.
Are you a fan of the Raspberry Pi? If so and you also love a tablet interface, then we have a great way to combine those interests without breaking the bank.
I’ll say right up front that I think my case may be the exception, rather than the rule with the Magic Keyboard. However, that doesn’t change the fact that it is taking a major toll on my iPad Pro’s battery life right now. You can see a good example highlighted in the chart above, which shows me dropping a massive 50% of battery life with only 2.5 hours of screen time on Thursday. That time was split between working on an article and marking up some PDFs for work. That is downright terrible performance that I don’t even see during gaming or watching movies.
While shipments of all tablets, including Apple’s iPads, were down over the first quarter of 2020, Digitimes Research is predicting a big rebound coming up. We should know more about the last three months after Apple announces its earnings later today, but what’s coming up sounds pretty exciting for iPad users and fans.
If Apple’s new Magic Keyboard isn’t portable enough for your tastes, or if you would like an ultra-portable Bluetooth keyboard to use with your iPhone, then we have a great option for you. It’s a foldable Bluetooth keyboard complete with trackpad. Interesting.
If you a regular reader, you may have already picked up on this, but I am not quite as enthusiastic about the Magic Keyboard as most of the Apple blogosphere. I’m not saying that I don’t like it, because I actually do in a lot of respects. It is very good at the things that Apple designed it for. But it is that narrowness of scope, along with a few other drawbacks, that I can’t completely shake off.
While there are still plenty of good things I have to say about the Magic Keyboard in the future, here is all of the bad news I’ve come across so far.
I got my first Apple Watch on launch day in April of 2015 and there has only been one month since that I haven’t owned and worn one. That first one was a Sport model in silver with a blue Sport Band. I remember how excited I was on launch day to hold what felt like a piece of the future. I remember wearing out the battery trying out every app and feature that first week. However, like the new shine on many gadgets, that faded over time. In fact, my time and experience with the Series 0 was much the same as many others- mixed.
I covered my reasons for being a little sluggish with my Magic Keyboard overage yesterday. While today was better, I am still running about half speed. However, I have had a lot more time to use Apple’s newest keyboard accessory and start to form some early impressions.