Will the iPad gen 4 smart keyboard folio fit and work with the new iPad M4 11.0"

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Level 1

77 points

Will the iPad gen 4 smart keyboard folio fit and work with the new iPad M4 11.0"

I sold my previous iPad Pro 11" which had the perfect smart keyboard folio, which was just a thin keyboard that folded onto the face of the iPad. You could flip it over and provide an A-Frame stand while you sat on the couch or in bed. The new iPad M4 Pro 11" only has that very rigid and very heavy aluminum keyboard. It is way too heavy and does not bend to provide an A-Frame support while relaxing on a couch, chair or in bed. I returned the heavy keyboard as I rarely use my iPad on a desk. I use my MacBook Pro on my desk and don't need an iPad on my desk. Apple seems to be selling agendas and not providing what their customers want or need. Yes, we know you are selling to businesses to replace computers with iPads but the rest of us who use these iPads on couches, chairs and in bed can't use the heavy keyboard and the tri-fold cover doesn't provide enough area to hold the iPad up. If you move slightly or press the screen with your fancy new pencil it will fall over. Very very frustrating from Apple... again.

Has anyone tried to use the new iPad M4 Pro 11 inch with the previous generation smart keyboard folio... the one with the fabric like cover over the keys. That keyboard was perfect... for my uses.

Smart Keyboard Folio for iPad Pro 11-inch (4th generation) and iPad Air 11-inch (M2) - US English - Apple

iPad Pro (M4, 2024)

Posted on Jul 7, 2024 1:52 PM

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Answer 1

Hiley

Level 1

23 points

Jul 9, 2024 4:34 AM in response to J Bertram

I completely agree! I wrote this on a separate post:

I’ve been forced to purchase a Logitech keyboard for my iPad Pro M4, which cost about twice as much as the Smart Folio Keyboard should, but only does SOME of what it did. I have no use whatsoever for a Magic Keyboard:

I've had every version of iPad Pros and apple's Smart Folio Keyboards since 2017. When i pick it up to go, i can open it anytime and flip around the keyboard to use the iPad the way it's supposed to be used. Sitting on your knee? No problem, the Smart Folio Keyboard has a tiny footprint and is perfectly balanced and stable. It's a perfect accessory for a PORTABLE device. I probably spend 70% of my time with the keyboard folded behind, standing or sitting.

The Magic keyboard is for desk-bound people. If you're mobile and you want to use the ipad handheld with the Magic Keyboard, you can't, unless you remove it from the keyboard completely, and then what? Hold the thing under your arm, while you're trying to use the iPad? Leave it on the ground, close to you so no-one stands on it?

Next, the touchpad: Apple and a million developers create the planet's most incredible touch screen and an OS designed for touch. This keyboard effectively disables everything the ipad is about and gives you a touchpad a few inches from a massive touchscreen. A touchpad is a workaround for devices WITHOUT a touchscreen. I left my MacBook behind years ago and believe iPadOS is the future. Once you convert, TOUCH is more natural and just as fast, or faster for some tasks. It is unquestionably more intuitive. The touchpad destroys billions of dollars of development, turning your incredible iPad back into... a MacBook.

Next, weight: the iPad and Magic keyboard is THE SAME WEIGHT AS A MACBOOK AIR!

So if you want to turn your iPad into a non-mobile device, have a trackpad to prevent you from learning to use the touchscreen, and want something the same weight as a MacBook Air, why not save a fortune and get a MacBook Air?

Astonishingly, Apple have stopped making the one device that made the iPad mobile for people who want to work and play on the go: the Smart Folio Keyboard.

The Logitech alternative is a good try, but it just isn’t the same: you can not type on your lap because the footprint is 2 or 3 times what the Folio Keyboard was, and because it bends on all but a desktop, it triggers the trackpad and keeps closing or changing whatever you have open. It’s a heavier, bigger, poorer and more expensive substitute for the Smart Folio Keyboard.

So my question: PLEASE…is there a Folio Keyboard coming?.

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Answer 2

J Bertram Author

Level 1

77 points

Jul 9, 2024 6:46 AM in response to Hiley

Exactly. Apple just continues to fail. They discontinued the perfect keyboard and put out a heavy keyboard that turns an iPad into a laptop when their laptops already exist. I hope someone tries that great keyboard with this M4 to see if it will work. Now I have an Apple tri fold cover on it which is a failure too because it wont keep the ipad upright while on your lap.

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Answer 3

Tesserax

Level 10

158,670 points

Jul 9, 2024 8:44 AM in response to Hiley

Hiley wrote:

So my question: PLEASE…is there a Folio Keyboard coming?.

You bring up some very good points; however, only Apple can provide the answer to your question. No one here can ... and, to date, Apple has never revealed anything before they make an "official" announcement to us mere mortals.

However, you can certainly let them know here: Product Feedback - Apple

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Will the iPad gen 4 smart keyboard folio fit and work with the new iPad M4 11.0"

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