Apple Smart Keyboard: iPad Keyboard and case for iPad Pro 10.5-inch, iPad Air (3rd Generation), and iPad (7th, 8th, and 9th Generation), Comfortable Typing Experience, US English - Black

Well i have to say I love this keyboard that is what I am using right now to do these Amazon reviews. So convenient if I don’t feel like going on desktop and small enough where i can put my little couch desk up and connect my keyboard to my tablet and off I go. Very easy to use and easy to use the keyboard. I would recommend this keyboard for anyone. You will love it I am sure.

I started out with a 3rd party keyboard because of its features and ended up disappointed by its flaws. The Apple Smart Keyboard is great!!According to Apple, this Apple Smart Keyboard is covered under the iPad's Apple Care+, if you purchased it.While not a full folio, the Apple Smart keyboard offers many benefits:1. Compacta. It easily connects and disconnects via the quick connect magnets on the iPad Air 3rd genb. Seamless signal connection, no Bluetooth to pair, no batteries required, powered from the iPad.c. Easy to pack up and throw in a back pack, attached or unattached to your iPad.2. Keyboard Shortcutsa. The shortcuts will spoil you and make you more productive. Very useful!b. Besides all the usual cmd key shortcuts, there’s a group of Tab key shortcuts, too!c. Customizable keyboard shortcuts via the iPad Settingsd. Great for foreign language typing as well as native language typing.3. The Smart Keyboard as a folio/stand/holdera. Makes a nice viewing angle when used as a stand in landscape modeb. Magnetic, so it sticks to metal surfaces and does NOT slide around!c. Does NOT provide full protection for the iPad, leading to “d.” below.d. I plan on getting some kind of full case to hold and protect both the iPad and Smart Keyboard,Then I will transport them attached together and toss the unit in a backpack or carrying bag.e. The entire keyboard and folio are fully sealed to keep out dirt, dust, and liquids.f. When folded up, the keys never come in contact with the screen.Finally, if you combine the keyboard with a mouse your productivity and ease of use will go up even more. And, you’ll keep your fingerprints, skin oil and dirt from ever contacting the screen. With the keyboard and mouse, it’s extremely rare I ever touch the screen now. FYI, the Apple Magic Mouse accommodates screen/trackpad gestures right on the mouse.

I bought this ipad cover for me brand new iPad, and I am thrilled with the way it operates as cover, but also the keyboard is extremely tactile and responsive. Takes all the irritation out of pounding the touch screen with your finger. And the dual design that lets you flip easily from screening to typing is brilliant. Only negative is that, because it is the”face” of the iPad, it takes a beating, and could be a little sturdier. But this is a minor objection.

I bought this because the description says: "This Smart Keyboard is designed to work seamlessly with iPad (7th, 8th, and 9th generation), iPad Air (3rd generation), and iPad Pro 10.5‑inch, providing a comfortable typing experience on the go."This keyboard looks and feels like an OEM Apple keyboard and it works fine on my 2017 Release iPad Pro, which I use every day and still works fantastically well.

I have tried and reviewed two keyboards recently for the 7th Gen iPad. One I did not like at all, and then there's this one.This design is clearly well thought out. I was disappointed because I misread that this one was backlit. It isn't. I am also a little disappointed that the back of the iPad isn't protected at all by this case -- it isn't a folio. However, it ends up having a slight advantage by not being a folio -- the cover is removable easily and quickly when you don't need it, and there is as little bulk as possible. This is hardly bigger/heavier than a simple front cover with no keyboard.Those of you who have had iPads for years will remember the first "covers" that ever came out were pretty much just like this -- a magnetic flap that covers only the screen portion of the iPad. I assume those still exist. I've only used the folio version the past 7+ years, myself. I hate the idea of the back getting damaged from regular use or dropping.That said, I don't think you could design a keyboard cover any better than this one. It folds two ways, one with the keyboard in front of the screen and one way with the keyboard behind. When the cover is folded over either way, the hard plastic of the keys does NOT touch either the front or the back of the iPad. That's good design! The other, much cheaper, folio I bought and reviewed scratched my screen when it was closed. Yuck.One thing I really appreciate about this keyboard is that it does not need charging or a Bluetooth connection. That is one less cable to worry about and the keyboard will never run out of power while you're using it. The way the cover connects is securely via the magnets on the side of the iPad. I suppose were it backlit, it would draw more power from the iPad. As it is, this keyboard is impossible to use in dark rooms if you don't touch-type, but fine in average-lit rooms or daylight. Honestly, I don't do that much writing on the iPad, but when I do, this works much better than the onscreen keyboard.The keyboard is touted to be "full sized" but it falls a bit short of the width and height of full-sized Air keyboard. The action is pretty stiff, but the layout is such that you're not randomly hitting extra keys or functions. The delete and shift keys are where your hands expect them to be. I've owned some other third-party iPad keyboards that stuffed in random function keys or made the right shift key too small, so I always had to look at my hands rather than touch-type.I do not think I would have paid full price for this keyboard, especially since it isn't backlit. The Amazon price is decent, especially if you want to have a very slim, very convenient keyboard that you never have to charge right at your fingertips. It definitely makes the iPad even more portable and functional. Whether you want to use the iPad to view videos at almost 90 degrees, to write with the keyboard at around 50 degrees, or take the cover completely off and hold just the pad in your hands, you can do all of that very quickly and easily. That, I think, are the smarts in this design.I'll be looking for some sort of back cover or film, though, that fits with this cover. That way, the metal will be protected even when the front cover is off.