This morning, I encountered this post on Reddit, titled PSA: Do not sit your new iPad Pro on top of your MacBook.
From the post:
> I unhooked my 2018 15” MacBook Pro from my Thunderbolt Display earlier and sat my new 12.9” iPad Pro on top of it so I could carry them into another room and I heard the fan inside the MacBook making a scraping noise.
>
> The magnets inside the iPad were pulling on it causing the blades to hit the fan housing. I moved the iPad away and it stopped making the noise immediately.
Take this with a grain of salt, but seems to me it could be possible.
As to magnets on the iPad Pro, take a look at this video:
I love how clearly this shows off the magnet placements. And there are a lot of them. Enough to impact a MacBook Pro fan?
Side note, from Federico Viticci’s continuing iPad Diaries:
> Thanks to its 102 built-in magnets, the Smart Keyboard Folio easily aligns with the flush back of the iPad Pro with little guidance required on your end. With the Smart Keyboard Folio completely open on a desk, I haven’t had any trouble placing the iPad on top of it and folding it in typing mode. In fact, I’ve noticed that Apple intelligently placed magnets both inside the iPad and the folio case so that if you try to place the device upside down on top of the case, it won’t attach.
And:
> If I had to point out a minor issue with the magnetic connection between the folio and the iPad Pro, I’d say that detaching the keyboard from the iPad now requires paying more attention and a stronger pull. To detach the iPad from the folio case, you have to hold the keyboard down with one hand then pull the iPad somewhat strongly out of one of the two grooves above the numeric keyboard row. Then you have to detach it from the folio case as well.
That’s a lot of magnetic power. I’m interested in finding out more about the iPad Pro magnets impacting the MacBook Pro. This a real thing? Seems to me, the only way this happens is if you place your MacBook on top of your iPad Pro and use it, or place your iPad Pro on the keyboard of an open and running MacBook.
If this does turn out to be a real issue, solution is, don’t do that.
I think, if real, it’s more of a problem than you make it out. Many people take their MacBooks and iPads together in a carrying case, and it’s not so simple to just “[not] do that” if they need access to both.
I put my old MacBook Air to sleep a few times by reaching over it with an Apple Watch with a Milanese Loop.
My glasses case sticks to the iPad Pro so it’s easy to carry around.
How are you finding the new keyboard setup?
I do frequently stack my 2017 iPad Pro and 2016 MBP together in my bag, but the MBP is typically not running, and there are far fewer magnets in the 2017 edition. (The Reddit thread also was updated to point out the iPad was underneath. If it was on top, it might have been fine.
Overall it’s a much better keyboard than the previous generation which was just too cute by half so it had a lot of problems.
I typed on it for about 2.5 hours on a plane last night and found that I got into a pretty good rhythm. The only problem that I have found is that I hit the caps lock from time to time and there is no visual feedback that it’s on – except what’s ON THE SCREEN.
Keyboards are a very personal thing for most people. I’ve been a touch typist for decades, can find my home row in the dark, and can adapt quickly to different types of keyboards in about half an hour. I personally like the feel but your mileage may vary.
The cover is utilitarian looking – hard to believe that it’s an Apple product. However it attaches/detaches quickly, easy to setup, covers both sides of the iPad well, and it fairly light. Basically it’s your lightweight keyboard and cover which handles a broad variety of uses.
However I don’t think it’s a “Pro” keyboard. I find my typing is probably about 20% slower on this keyboard because the keys are a little smaller. It kind of feels like a flattened out version of an old manual typewriter with smaller keys and space between them. Also there aren’t any function keys, arrow keys are a poor setup, etc. I will probably either buy a Brydge when they release a new model early next year or a Razr mechanical keyboard. I’ll use them for industrial typing tasks like long periods of writing or programming.