However Apple now also sells its own Apple Battery Charger, complete with six rechargeable batteries-enough to power a Wireless Keyboard, Magic Trackpad, and Magic Mouse simultaneously. The Magic Trackpad ships with two AA alkaline batteries. Very clever, and a welcome Apple touch-no pun intended-for those who hate touch-tapping. When you press down on the trackpad surface, the feet “click,” giving you the same tactile sensation as you get with Apple’s current MacBook trackpads. While the Magic Trackpad may not appear to support physical “clicking,” it indeed does: The two nubby, rubber feet on the bottom, along the front edge, actually have a button built into them. My favorite Magic Trackpad design feature is the feet. The Magic Trackpad is also a good match for Apple’s current wired keyboards: The thicknesses and inclinations are nearly identical, so when you align the front edge of the trackpad with either of Apple’s wired keyboards, the top surfaces align almost perfectly, although the trackpad’s battery compartment of course extends beyond the rear edge of the wired keyboard. (For a closer look, see our Magic Trackpad slideshow.) Apple’s Wireless Keyboard and Magic Trackpad, side by side Rubber feet on the bottom of the trackpad keep it from sliding around your desk. You’ll also find the same power button on the right-hand side and the same screw-shut cover for the battery compartment on the left-hand side. (The trackpad is ever-so-slightly deeper from front to back.) As with the Wireless Keyboard, the back edge is raised about half an inch to accommodate a cylindrical battery compartment that holds two AA batteries.
Make sure to take a look at our full video to get a look at the keyboard in action.Designed to complement Apple’s Wireless Keyboard, the Magic Trackpad uses the same aluminum-body design-and is almost the exact same height, depth, and inclination-as the Wireless Keyboard.
The keyboard is a bit wobbly when you touch the iPad's screen while using it, and the hinge is tight and it takes some force to adjust the position of the iPad, but overall, it's a solid keyboard and looks like it will be a good alternative to the Magic Keyboard.
Since this is a Bluetooth keyboard, it does not connect to the Smart Connector like the Magic Keyboard, which is not as convenient because it does need to be charged at times. You're not going to feel a lot of difference with this trackpad and the trackpad on the Magic Keyboard. You can tap anywhere on the trackpad (and click in most areas minus the edges), and it's a major improvement over the trackpad on Brydge keyboards that we tested last year. The trackpad works well, and there are no dead zones. The trackpad is huge, much larger than the trackpad on the Magic Keyboard and comparable to the trackpad on the MacBook Pro. There's a row of shortcut keys above the number row for controlling screen brightness, accessing media controls and emoji, and more. The keys, which are arguably one of the most important aspects of any keyboard, feel great under the fingers and have a good amount of travel. The Brydge 12.9 MAX+ is a keyboard case that connects to the back of the iPad Pro magnetically similar to the Magic Keyboard, but it does not have the same elevated angling, instead using a flatter, more typical laptop design. Like the Magic Keyboard, it offers a full keyboard and a trackpad that's compatible with the iPad Pro models, turning an iPad touch experience into a more laptop-like experience. Shipping out in June, the Brydge 12.9 MAX+ is priced at $250, which is quite expensive, but it is a full $100 cheaper than Apple's Magic Keyboard for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro. Note that we have a preproduction unit and haven't had a lot of time with it, so is more of an overview than an in-depth review. In our latest YouTube video, we checked out the new Brydge 12.9 MAX+ to see if it's a viable alternative to Apple's own Magic Keyboard. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.