Apple smart keyboard folio ipad air 511/29/2023 ![]() Based on my usage, the iPad handles Pages, Spotify, Google Docs, gMail, YouTube and Apple TV+ with aplomb, and everything is zippy and fast. I'll be the first to admit that I'm not using the iPad and folio combination to the fullest of its ability, so I've never stressed about its relatively old chipset. Not to mention that the narrower profile means there's less risk of getting my elbows wedged in my seat mate's side. I've used it to work while on the train, and never felt it was much worse than using my Macbook Air. The 10.2-inch size, while not a massive departure from the 9.7-inch iPad, also makes a big difference with usability. Suddenly, I don't hate responding to emails in my off hours, because it's so delightful to type with this thing. And it's the right mix of travel and thinness, especially for a machine you can use when you're on the go. It's covered in fabric, meaning that the risk of dust ingress is much lower. Despite the company's terrible reputation with the MacBook Pro's butterfly switches, the folio's keys are surprisingly tactile and responsive. That's why the folio is so welcome: That physical keyboard fixes the iPad. For all of the claims that the iPad was a useful machine, its virtual keyboard was neither easy enough to use with two thumbs nor when touch-typing. But it never did, and quickly got relegated to bathroom duty for reading the news and playing Angry Birds Space. I bought the third-generation slate on launch day, excited to see if it could bridge the gap between my iPhone and iMac. I've always loved the idea of the iPad more than its execution, especially in the pre-smart connector days. My own history with the iPad is rather mixed. When I'd written that original piece, I had no idea that Apple would let the iPad price be cut so savagely. $349.98, even with New York's online sales tax, made the package a no-brainer. Best Buy discounted the 32GB, 10.2-inch iPad to $249.99, with the folio's price falling to $99.99. Either way, if you're patient enough to wait for deals, you can likely get an iPad with a fairly deep discount. Perhaps Apple knows the prices are a little too high but won't publicly dial them down, or maybe it made a deal with Amazon, Best Buy, and other stores. So I took it on trust that Apple would never deign to cut the price of the 10.2-inch iPad and its accessories.īut that doesn't seem to be the case these days, at least with third-party retailers. Even during sales holidays, it often adds on longer trials for Apple Music, or headphones, rather than slash sticker prices. ![]() Notable exceptions aside, Apple has always avoided discounting its products to juice sales (the $100 off the first iPhone being the one I could call to mind). It made no sense morally, or economically, to start gouging folks who may not be in the position to spend more. For a slate designed for school kids, I thought it was outrageous to charge that much to make a $329 tablet useful. After the launch of the seventh-generation iPad, I got mad at Apple charging $160 for the accompanying keyboard folio.
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