Peripheral maker Logitech was one of the first third-party accessory makers to announce that they were making a Smart Connect enabled keyboard for the iPad Pro. That was back when the iPad Pro was officially released and has seen many tech sites talk about the typing experience that Logitech offers.
If you threw down some serious Ringgit on an iPad Pro, many have suggested this to be the best keyboard option (out of only two keyboards currently available). It’s also more affordable than Apple’s own option which battles us. Apple’s version has keys that are covered by a nylon fabric while Logitech’s is more robust (725 grams) and made out of plastic.
The CREATE Keyboard case makes use of the dedicated Smart Connector on the iPad Pro for connecting the two together. Using this technology allows the keyboard to be thin and light as it doesn’t require inbuilt power, drawing that from the Apple tablet it attaches to. This is similar to the technology on the Surface Pro 4.
Typing on this keyboard, in theory, should be a good experience as it uses full-size 19mm keys with a key travel of 1.5mm. Each individual key is backlit ensuring you won’t be lost when typing in low-light.
Because it is backlit, you’ll have to keep in mind that it’ll draw more power and you’ll have to manually turn the backlighting off when you’re using the iPad Pro while the keyboard is attached. However, it does auto wake and auto sleep when you shut the case, saving battery when doing so.
On the keyboard itself, you’ll find an iOS shortcut keys that’ll allow easy navigation through iOS 9. Some of the shortcuts include changing volume, play/pause for music and video, home button, search and etc. More special keys mean you’re less likely to touch the screen and that’s fit nicely with Tim Cook’s suggestion that the iPad Pro will replace a laptop – we don’t think it will, not even close but at least, it’ll help his “reasoning”.
Built in a way that makes it adjustable to two angles, users are allowed to orientate it in a manner that eases their interactions with the tablet: typing and viewing mode, as they refer to it. Logitech puts an MSRP price of RM 699 (w/ GST) and you can expect to find it from Bluelogic Enterprise Sdn Bhd and MCL Bhd.
At the same time, Logitech also delivered the Focus a protective case with an integrated keyboard for the iPad Mini 4. A similar typing experience with plastic keys but with fewer keys. This keyboard also has iOS shortcuts and is capable of an adjustable viewing angle within its 50-degree range. You can find it at the same retailers mentioned earlier and go for an MSRP of RM 199 (w/ GST).
Both keyboards will be available in 3 colours: black, red or blue.
