I've referred to Drew Coffman a lot recently. That's partly because we share similar interests, but it's also due to his use of Roam (he's writing a lot more). Anyway, he talks about Apple's iPad Pro Magic Keyboard in this post.
Well, he refers to it, but spends most of his time talking about the original Smart Keyboard for the iPad Pro.
The original Smart Keyboard was not a folio case like what we have today, instead it covered only the front of the screen and hid the keyboard away behind a fold. This fold was, weirdly, amazing. You would open up the keyboard with a flourish of the hand, popping the keyboard out and creating a little triangle tent on which the iPad would then stand firm, like a column on its pedestal.
And the best aspect of this tool?
I have nothing but the fondest memories for that keyboard. What I loved about it was the way in which any context felt possible. Did I want to write? I could write from anywhere! The couch, a desk, a coffee shop, an outdoor patio! Did I want to read? I could pull the iPad off the keyboard and, with a Pencil in my hand, take notes with ease! Did I want to lay in bed and watch YouTube? Sure, I could do that too! The original Smart Keyboard made changing contexts effortless. I never found myself worrying about whether or not I should change it up, I just did it.
This — and all the other articles about this recently — has caught my attention because I've just ventured back into the iPad realm after 5 or so years away from it.
