**The Conundrum of Choosing between Apple's Magic Keyboards**

When it comes to choosing between Apple's different magic keyboards, many users are left wondering which one is better. However, this question can be quite tricky to answer, as it ultimately depends on individual needs and preferences. For instance, if you're a writer or someone who uses their keyboard for basic productivity tasks, they may prefer the lower-end Magic Keyboard Folio version over the more expensive Magic Keyboard Pro. This is because the Folio version has some features that make it more suitable for casual users, such as its portability and the ability to rip it right off.

On the other hand, if you're someone who uses their keyboard for more advanced tasks, such as using external monitors or editing software like DaVinci Resolve, they may prefer the Magic Keyboard Pro. This is because the Pro version has a function row that provides additional keys, making it more suitable for professional users. However, this also means that the Pro version is more expensive than the Folio version.

**The Apple Pencil Dilemma**

Another factor to consider when choosing between Apple's magic keyboards is the Apple Pencil. The original Apple Pencil and its newer Gen 2 version are both excellent tools, but they cater to different needs. The original Apple Pencil is a great starting point for those who want to try out the Apple Pencil experience, while the Gen 2 version offers more advanced features, such as improved accuracy and support for more apps.

However, if you're someone who wants to use the Apple Pencil with their iPad Pro, they may find that the original Apple Pencil is not sufficient. In this case, they may prefer the Magic Keyboard Pro, which can handle the demands of professional users. However, this also means that they may need to shell out more money for a keyboard that meets their needs.

**The Future of Apple's Magic Keyboards**

One potential solution to the conundrum of choosing between Apple's magic keyboards is to see if there will be any significant improvements or changes in future versions. According to the author, one possible feature that could make the Magic Keyboard Pro more appealing to users is a function row. However, this may not be the case, as the floating design of the Magic Keyboard Pro may be sufficient for many users.

Moreover, the author suggests that Apple's iPad lineup has become too complex, with multiple options available, including the iPad Mini. This sprawl can make it difficult for users to choose between different products and accessories, which can lead to confusion and frustration.

**The Impact of Apple's Product Lineup on User Experience**

The author believes that Apple needs to think more carefully about how they differentiate their products and decide whether certain products even need to exist. For instance, the iPad Mini may not be necessary for many users, as it offers similar features to the standard iPad Pro model.

Instead, Apple could focus on creating a more streamlined product lineup that caters to different user needs and preferences. This would enable them to provide better support and guidance to their customers, making it easier for them to choose between different products and accessories.

**The Author's Productivity System**

Finally, the author invites readers to sign up for notifications about an upcoming productivity course that they are working on. The course is expected to be game-changing and life-changing, as it builds upon the author's own productivity system, which has helped them achieve success in their personal and professional lives.

The author believes that this productivity system will revolutionize the way people work and live, and they can't wait to share its secrets with readers. With its focus on streamlining workflows, increasing efficiency, and reducing stress, this course is set to be a game-changer for anyone looking to improve their productivity skills.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enhey it's Chris not sure if you realize this but there's two different magic keyboard models for different iPad users there's the original magic keyboard for iPad Pro and iPad Air users and then there's also this new magic keyboard folio which is just for the base iPad and there's a fair bit of weirdness happening here like there's a few features from the folio version of the magic keyboard that are actually better than the more expensive magic keyboard for iPad Pro users So today we're going to take a look at the magic keyboard lineup get a comprehensive overview talk about the differences talk about the weirdness from all the different angles and we're going to talk about the future of the magic keyboard lineup for productive iPad users speaking of productive I'm getting very close to finishing up my productivity course geared specifically for Apple users who want to be more efficient and experience less burnout so thousands of people have already given me their email to Ping them once that thing launches if you want to join them and be one of the first to know about it I'll leave the signup form down at the description all right let's start with the price and things already get weird when we're talking about the price this new folio version of the magic keyboard starts at 249 that's versus 349 as a starting price tag for the big magic keyboard now 249 dollars is an expensive price tag for Apple's base entry level iPad especially when it looks like this is Apple's attempt to copy logitech's combo touch which is actually much cheaper and has more features although I have to say I do definitely prefer the Apple aesthetic you know what I'll link all these keyboards up down in the description if you want to check them out for yourself but check this out something that iPad Pro users and air users have been missing for the longest time is a row of function keys up at the top of the magic keyboard well the folio fixes that it brings a row of function keys so you've got things like being able to adjust the brightness you've got a dictation button you can activate do not disturb control your media the volume all right there across the top of the keyboard so here's the question question doesn't that make the cheaper magic keyboard folio more Pro in this regard than the much more expensive magic keyboard for pro iPad users that is kind of weird isn't it but the weirdness flows in both directions so this has a backlit keyboard and this doesn't no you might be like well it is the base iPad model keyboard right yeah but look at the price it's really expensive and the way cheaper Logitech combo touch has backlighting there's just no excuse for not having backlighting especially if you're going to the trouble of adding in this row of function keys it's just so weird and look at this I'm not even sure that you can tell here on the video this is a very small point but it's worth pointing out the trackpad here is actually Slimmer it's not as tall or high on the bigger keyboard model here for the 12.9 inch iPad Pro then on this so you end up getting more surface area for your trackpad a little bit it's not like a lot but that's even with that row of function keys taking have a space on the keyboard like what is going on here and you'll notice something really very different about these designs this has this floating design over here and this has the kickstand well the kickstand ends up taking up more space on your desk or on your surface than this design which is much more space-saving and compact so that is actually a consideration that a lot of people don't think about when they're thinking about what kind of keyboard they should get for their iPad but here's something else and this actually applies to me some people say they don't care but this kickstand design is not good for using the iPad in your lap whereas you can just pick up this original magic keyboard here and take it all over the place and I have a specific chair that I love to ride in and I got an ottoman kicked my legs up and just get to work and this setup works really good for that and I couldn't use this setup at all with that sort of situation and that's because things are just kind of floppy and this is really solid and sturdy and I'm just going to go ahead and say this here the folio with this Microsoft Surface like kickstand and experience might end up doing some damage to the iPad brand as a whole because it's not unique contrast that with the very unique and one-of-a-kind design of the original magic keyboard here with this floating look that you're not going to find anywhere else it kind of gives off this only with apple Vibe and you know I feel like some of the brand cachet has been lost a little bit now let's talk about foldability and flexibility what I mean by that is this original magic keyboard here I can fold it like this or I can just take the actual iPad off like this and those are basically my options over here I can actually grab this and yes fold it up but I can actually rip the keyboard bottom all the way off or I can flip it around like this and fold it behind so I'm not like typing on any Keys when I'm holding it and actually they deactivate anyways but it's always nice to just be able to use this as kind of a display without the keyboard which normally is not even an option over here on the magic keyboard I say normally because wait until you see about today's sponsor but there are times when I want to integrate my iPad into my desk setup and I don't want an extra keyboard laying around because I've already got a magic keyboard and a mouse setup with a monitor and everything it's just redundant and it takes up a bunch of space unnecessarily so that's kind of a bummer also the original magic keyboard does have an extra charging port in the back which frees up your normal port for use with like a hub or a drive or something like that so those are some of the main differences but the weirdness gets even weirder as you're about to find out but first let me tell you about moff's snap system for iPads which is a great way to supercharge your productivity especially For You digital Nomads out there the snap case is magic keyboard compatible it'll make sure your apple pencil never gets lost again and then there's the popular snap tablet stand which is so slim you'll barely notice you brought it with you and it's got the perfect angles for streaming drawing or video calls and get this you can easily switch between using it and your magic keyboard which is really cool finally there's the snap flow of folio which is making big waves because it can float your iPad up to 3.6 inches off of the desk so it's way more ergonomic and what's not to like about a shape-shifting folio design so you're definitely going to want to check into the full snap system for iPad including the wall stand and snap PAD as well all of which are accessible using the link down in the description okay so there's plenty of weirdness that we still need to discuss starting with this conundrum if I ask you which one of these keyboards was better how difficult of a question would that actually be I think more difficult than it should be or put differently it might be kind of hard for people to articulate and if it's hard to articulate It's probably hard for a consumer when you know they're thinking about a buying decision why the more expensive magic keyboard is actually better than this cheaper although not budget friendly magic keyboard folio version it's not like the apple pencil situation where you've got the original apple pencil and this newer Gen 2 the new Gen 2 does so much more that it's obviously in a totally different League than that more base entry level iPad stylus right I mean if I'm Apple I don't think I would actually want to have anything about the cheaper model be better than the model that is supposed to be used for the pro people out there now obviously the folio is not entirely better but still I'm thinking about somebody who's like a writer and a keyboard's basically their life are they going to prefer a keyboard that actually has function keys one without probably are they going to prefer a keyboard that they can just rip right off which might be better for apple pencil and just taking handwritten notes you know I think we're in the weird situation where for some people who like a rider or people who do basic productivity they may end up preferring the lower end solution over the higher end because it feels higher end even though it's lower end you know what I mean so I think we're at this weird spot where it's like well what is Apple going to do in the future with this magic keyboard how are they going to improve it so that like the apple pencil that's meant to go with the pro device here it's obvious that when you go with the pro lineup you end up getting way way way way more in terms of features and not missing out on stuff that even the base level has well my guess is that in the next version of the magic keyboard for the Aaron Pro we're probably likely to see a function row at it that's my guess I could be wrong though because there could be something about this floating design where Apple's just like no we're not going to do that other than that I don't really see a lot that can change or that will change because this floating design here that signature we talked about that already you know from a technical standpoint is just fancier and it just looks cooler right so I think that is what apple right now is considering Pro about this keyboard in and of itself mostly just the design but think about this maybe part of the problem is sprawl in terms of the iPad lineup I know that Apple's trying to present a good better and best option but don't forget we also have the iPad Mini right thrown into the mix but as you can see from this video there are already times when the good option is better than the best at least when it comes to the accessories which is just weird now from a workflow point of view I think obviously you get an iPad Pro and it does have this extra Port which frees up this port over here and if you're doing anything like actually Pro like maybe using the new DaVinci Resolve or for instance with an external monitor okay this little iPad over here is not going to be able to handle that sort of a more robust workflow okay so this video really is talking more about your portable setup or just an iPad setup with no external accessories kind of so an iPad only setup but still I think this does illustrate pretty robustly that Apple has some thinking to do in terms of how they need to differentiate these products and do certain products even need to exist maybe alright that's it for today's kind of different video I've got so many iPad accessories that have been shipped here that I'm waiting to get on the channel in front of your eyes but I've been knee-deep in this productivity course it's time to just finalize it get it done trying to get it finished by the end of the year so if you want to be one of the first people to know about it when it finally launches I'm so excited for it I do think this is going to be game changing not just game changing life-changing first basically most people that end up watching it and I gotta tell you I've invented my own productivity system and I'm going to teach you about that it's the one that I I've been using my whole life that has helped lead to much of My Success for what it's worth so I'm excited get yourself signed up for notifications and I'll catch you in the next video laterhey it's Chris not sure if you realize this but there's two different magic keyboard models for different iPad users there's the original magic keyboard for iPad Pro and iPad Air users and then there's also this new magic keyboard folio which is just for the base iPad and there's a fair bit of weirdness happening here like there's a few features from the folio version of the magic keyboard that are actually better than the more expensive magic keyboard for iPad Pro users So today we're going to take a look at the magic keyboard lineup get a comprehensive overview talk about the differences talk about the weirdness from all the different angles and we're going to talk about the future of the magic keyboard lineup for productive iPad users speaking of productive I'm getting very close to finishing up my productivity course geared specifically for Apple users who want to be more efficient and experience less burnout so thousands of people have already given me their email to Ping them once that thing launches if you want to join them and be one of the first to know about it I'll leave the signup form down at the description all right let's start with the price and things already get weird when we're talking about the price this new folio version of the magic keyboard starts at 249 that's versus 349 as a starting price tag for the big magic keyboard now 249 dollars is an expensive price tag for Apple's base entry level iPad especially when it looks like this is Apple's attempt to copy logitech's combo touch which is actually much cheaper and has more features although I have to say I do definitely prefer the Apple aesthetic you know what I'll link all these keyboards up down in the description if you want to check them out for yourself but check this out something that iPad Pro users and air users have been missing for the longest time is a row of function keys up at the top of the magic keyboard well the folio fixes that it brings a row of function keys so you've got things like being able to adjust the brightness you've got a dictation button you can activate do not disturb control your media the volume all right there across the top of the keyboard so here's the question question doesn't that make the cheaper magic keyboard folio more Pro in this regard than the much more expensive magic keyboard for pro iPad users that is kind of weird isn't it but the weirdness flows in both directions so this has a backlit keyboard and this doesn't no you might be like well it is the base iPad model keyboard right yeah but look at the price it's really expensive and the way cheaper Logitech combo touch has backlighting there's just no excuse for not having backlighting especially if you're going to the trouble of adding in this row of function keys it's just so weird and look at this I'm not even sure that you can tell here on the video this is a very small point but it's worth pointing out the trackpad here is actually Slimmer it's not as tall or high on the bigger keyboard model here for the 12.9 inch iPad Pro then on this so you end up getting more surface area for your trackpad a little bit it's not like a lot but that's even with that row of function keys taking have a space on the keyboard like what is going on here and you'll notice something really very different about these designs this has this floating design over here and this has the kickstand well the kickstand ends up taking up more space on your desk or on your surface than this design which is much more space-saving and compact so that is actually a consideration that a lot of people don't think about when they're thinking about what kind of keyboard they should get for their iPad but here's something else and this actually applies to me some people say they don't care but this kickstand design is not good for using the iPad in your lap whereas you can just pick up this original magic keyboard here and take it all over the place and I have a specific chair that I love to ride in and I got an ottoman kicked my legs up and just get to work and this setup works really good for that and I couldn't use this setup at all with that sort of situation and that's because things are just kind of floppy and this is really solid and sturdy and I'm just going to go ahead and say this here the folio with this Microsoft Surface like kickstand and experience might end up doing some damage to the iPad brand as a whole because it's not unique contrast that with the very unique and one-of-a-kind design of the original magic keyboard here with this floating look that you're not going to find anywhere else it kind of gives off this only with apple Vibe and you know I feel like some of the brand cachet has been lost a little bit now let's talk about foldability and flexibility what I mean by that is this original magic keyboard here I can fold it like this or I can just take the actual iPad off like this and those are basically my options over here I can actually grab this and yes fold it up but I can actually rip the keyboard bottom all the way off or I can flip it around like this and fold it behind so I'm not like typing on any Keys when I'm holding it and actually they deactivate anyways but it's always nice to just be able to use this as kind of a display without the keyboard which normally is not even an option over here on the magic keyboard I say normally because wait until you see about today's sponsor but there are times when I want to integrate my iPad into my desk setup and I don't want an extra keyboard laying around because I've already got a magic keyboard and a mouse setup with a monitor and everything it's just redundant and it takes up a bunch of space unnecessarily so that's kind of a bummer also the original magic keyboard does have an extra charging port in the back which frees up your normal port for use with like a hub or a drive or something like that so those are some of the main differences but the weirdness gets even weirder as you're about to find out but first let me tell you about moff's snap system for iPads which is a great way to supercharge your productivity especially For You digital Nomads out there the snap case is magic keyboard compatible it'll make sure your apple pencil never gets lost again and then there's the popular snap tablet stand which is so slim you'll barely notice you brought it with you and it's got the perfect angles for streaming drawing or video calls and get this you can easily switch between using it and your magic keyboard which is really cool finally there's the snap flow of folio which is making big waves because it can float your iPad up to 3.6 inches off of the desk so it's way more ergonomic and what's not to like about a shape-shifting folio design so you're definitely going to want to check into the full snap system for iPad including the wall stand and snap PAD as well all of which are accessible using the link down in the description okay so there's plenty of weirdness that we still need to discuss starting with this conundrum if I ask you which one of these keyboards was better how difficult of a question would that actually be I think more difficult than it should be or put differently it might be kind of hard for people to articulate and if it's hard to articulate It's probably hard for a consumer when you know they're thinking about a buying decision why the more expensive magic keyboard is actually better than this cheaper although not budget friendly magic keyboard folio version it's not like the apple pencil situation where you've got the original apple pencil and this newer Gen 2 the new Gen 2 does so much more that it's obviously in a totally different League than that more base entry level iPad stylus right I mean if I'm Apple I don't think I would actually want to have anything about the cheaper model be better than the model that is supposed to be used for the pro people out there now obviously the folio is not entirely better but still I'm thinking about somebody who's like a writer and a keyboard's basically their life are they going to prefer a keyboard that actually has function keys one without probably are they going to prefer a keyboard that they can just rip right off which might be better for apple pencil and just taking handwritten notes you know I think we're in the weird situation where for some people who like a rider or people who do basic productivity they may end up preferring the lower end solution over the higher end because it feels higher end even though it's lower end you know what I mean so I think we're at this weird spot where it's like well what is Apple going to do in the future with this magic keyboard how are they going to improve it so that like the apple pencil that's meant to go with the pro device here it's obvious that when you go with the pro lineup you end up getting way way way way more in terms of features and not missing out on stuff that even the base level has well my guess is that in the next version of the magic keyboard for the Aaron Pro we're probably likely to see a function row at it that's my guess I could be wrong though because there could be something about this floating design where Apple's just like no we're not going to do that other than that I don't really see a lot that can change or that will change because this floating design here that signature we talked about that already you know from a technical standpoint is just fancier and it just looks cooler right so I think that is what apple right now is considering Pro about this keyboard in and of itself mostly just the design but think about this maybe part of the problem is sprawl in terms of the iPad lineup I know that Apple's trying to present a good better and best option but don't forget we also have the iPad Mini right thrown into the mix but as you can see from this video there are already times when the good option is better than the best at least when it comes to the accessories which is just weird now from a workflow point of view I think obviously you get an iPad Pro and it does have this extra Port which frees up this port over here and if you're doing anything like actually Pro like maybe using the new DaVinci Resolve or for instance with an external monitor okay this little iPad over here is not going to be able to handle that sort of a more robust workflow okay so this video really is talking more about your portable setup or just an iPad setup with no external accessories kind of so an iPad only setup but still I think this does illustrate pretty robustly that Apple has some thinking to do in terms of how they need to differentiate these products and do certain products even need to exist maybe alright that's it for today's kind of different video I've got so many iPad accessories that have been shipped here that I'm waiting to get on the channel in front of your eyes but I've been knee-deep in this productivity course it's time to just finalize it get it done trying to get it finished by the end of the year so if you want to be one of the first people to know about it when it finally launches I'm so excited for it I do think this is going to be game changing not just game changing life-changing first basically most people that end up watching it and I gotta tell you I've invented my own productivity system and I'm going to teach you about that it's the one that I I've been using my whole life that has helped lead to much of My Success for what it's worth so I'm excited get yourself signed up for notifications and I'll catch you in the next video later\n"