Here is the Logitech Keyboard for the iPad
Posted on September 27, 2012 Posted by John Scalzi 22 Comments
It arrived and I’ve been using it for a couple of days, and the verdict is: It’s all right. The keys are smaller than what I’m used to, but this is not terribly surprising, considering that they’re meant to fit into a cover for the iPad. It’s not hard to type on, however, and it’s definitely better than trying to type on the keyboard on the iPad screen (the row of numbers and a full set of punctuation marks helps, obviously).
Esthetically I like the way it looks; I got the white keyboard to go with the white iPad, so it looks all of a piece. The daughter looked at it and thought it was an actual laptop, so I suppose there’s that as well. I’ll take it with me on my upcoming trip to Austin and Washington DC and see how it does for me with actual travel. But so far, so good.
Is a can of Coke Zero and an iPad becoming a Scalzi mini-theme?
No, I just drink a lot of Coke Zero.
Obligatory can of Coke Zero.
Don’t leave them anywhere!!!!!
Question – comparing the combo to a Macbook Air, how much size are you saving with the iPad / Keyboard combo?
I see it as a Scalziesque way of showing relative scale. Others might use a ruler, or a quarter.
“I’ll take it with me on my upcoming trip to Austin and Washington DC…”
Are you sure that’s a good idea, considering your recent history of travel + electronic devices?
I do have to say that it does look like an ultra-thin laptop (which just begs the question: why not just use an ultra-thin laptop). Is the functionality that much more flexible/fun? I’m asking because I’m seriously considering getting one.
One thing to bear in mind: iPad + keyboard = “laptop, take it out” to a lot of TSA bag scanners. I hope your experiences are better than mine, but I often end up having the Nice TSA Agent explain I Must Take Laptops Out of My Bag, even after I verify with the other Nice TSA Agent at the front of the scanner that, yes, my iPad and keyboard should be left in the bag. I’ve even had agents tell me not to waste people’s time by pulling the iPad + keyboard out. Damned if I do, damned if I don’t.
You mention an upcoming trip to Austin. As someone currently in Austin, I’d like more details. I checked your Scheduled Appearances page, and I’m not seeing anything. Or is this not a public appearances trip? I suppose that kind of trip probably exists, too…
cool Austin. Does the keyboard fold!?
the thing i like about it is it is easy to take on and off, so you get to use the tablet as a laptop and as a tablet…
Can you chain it to your wrist when you travel?
iPad + keyboard = netbook with benefits?.. I know that iPads have certain advantages over other portable gadgets, but if one needs to buy a keyboard (and, I presume, use a mouse while using said keyboard), why not just buy a small but functional laptop? I swear I’m not trolling – I’m genuinely curious. :)
It surprises me that people actually use these things for work when they type twice as slow on them as on a normal keyboard.
Farley (and others) – the keyboard doesn’t fold, but it has a magnetic hinge thingy on one edge, and is the same size as the iPad, so can become a cover/protector for it (keyboard-side-in).
We have one, the only problem so far is that there’s a little rubber strip on the keyboard side of the groove that the iPad rests in, which has turned out to be insufficiently-glued to stay in place with repeated removals of the iPad (which we do quite a bit, switching between landscape and portrait).
In turn, this sometimes gets caught up in the regular screen protector we have on the iPad, and lifts part of it off, leaving lots of messy bubbles behind when we put it back … then again, maybe we don’t really need two screen protectors at once …
I’d also like to know if the Austin trip has a book signing somewhere, maybe Book People? I haven’t gotten Redshirts yet.
Also, if you haven’t seen them yet, the bats are probably still here for another week or two.
Oh look, I have one of those. It’s called a netbook…
I use the same configuration, but with a Zagg case/keyboard. For what I do, it works infinitely better than a netbook. I find that I do not type any slower on an iPad with this keyboard than with a laptop or netbook (which says something because I am fairly proficient).
I should mention that this is the four case of any kind (the second with a keyboard). The other one with a keyboard sits idle because the keys were in the wrong place and, for some functions, it required my fingers to do things that were next to impossible.
That looks much better than the keyboard/case I have, which is the Zagg/Mate. (It was a gift, but a gift I requested on the ground that I thought it looked useful.)
While of course in my heart you are metaphorically eight feet tall and made of solid unobtanium, your physical avatar in this reality is somewhat smaller than mine. I can’t type on the Zagg/Mate *at all* and this one looks iffy. The keyboard you showed before which came with one of your Mac desktops, I have one of as well, and it’s about the absolute smallest keyboard I can use for any kind of real typing. (I am a touch typist.) So if anyone else is considering this, please please please try the keyboard FIRST and make sure that not only is it comfortable for you, but that you can fit your hands on it at all. As the kids say, LFMF.
I must be the only person I know who actually prefers typing on a touchscreen. I have small hands and not very strong fingers, and I find the screen keyboard in landscape mode just the right size. All I miss are arrow keys (particularly left and right) to move the cursor. Does the Logitech keyboard have those?
In Europe one has to show airport security both laptops and tablets, so I may as well buy the keyboard BTW (and yes, I typed this on my iPad).
Our PC is down and I’ve been looking at an Ipad with keyboard option. Thanks for posting this.
Is it possible to use a normal-sized keyboard with an iPad?