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iPad Pro Does your M4 iPad Pro (2024) Magic Keyboard rock / wobble?
- Thread starter EugW
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Certainly. It’s just if I’m spending this much on a keyboard I would expect the design to be flawless and not have to add my own rubber feet or tape to fix it.
The funny part it’s a 3T company with one or two product releases and nobody was able to point that out. This is beyond absurd.
I think a thicker hinge bar would have scraped some of the surfaces people use them on resulting in different complaints. The previous MKB had the exterior material wrapped around the hinge adding support. The hinge itself was elevated as the current one is. That material frayed, sometimes badly apparently, leading to many complaints here. No matter what, there will be complaints. Some issues are never going to be seen or noticed by many, others can be modified easily.
Overall I’m quite pleased; the only complaint I have is the power connector is not as easy to disconnect as previously. Many times I wind up pulling on the cord itself which gives me some concern over the durability of the cord and connector.
Overall I’m quite pleased; the only complaint I have is the power connector is not as easy to disconnect as previously. Many times I wind up pulling on the cord itself which gives me some concern over the durability of the cord and connector.
They could have added a couple of bumpers on the bottom of the hinge like they do for Macs.
I have an old MacBook Pro and an M2 MacBook Air. The only bumpers are underneath the base. The hinge portion is elevated above the surface, partially because of those bumpers. On the MBP if I tap strongly on the upper edge of the screen I can make the whole thing wobble back. I can’t get the MBA to wobble because the screen hinge is not as stiff so banging on that just pushes the screen down. On the Magic Keyboard I don’t tap like that so it’s never occurred. But I can make it do so if I want. But I use a lap desk 99% of the time which is angled slightly towards me so it would never happen unless I really banged on the screen. I do think for most this is a non-issue. For others there seem to be a number of ways to easily remedy it with little to no effort.
This YouTuber also complains the iPad Pro with Magic Keyboard is prone to tipping over, and demonstrates it in the video. He says it's not a dealbreaker, but is an issue, particularly when he reaches to grab his Pencil.
I know, but they could have put a bumper under the base of the iPad Pro hinge. It's usually not needed for the Macs because the bulk of the weight is underneath the keyboard, as that is where the battery and motherboard, etc. lie. The opposite is true with the iPad Pro, because it's a tablet, so the whole tablet/keyboard combo is quite top heavy.
I think his comments are pretty well balanced but he points out issues that you have to go looking for, most would never encounter any of them. Pushing on the top of the screen can make it tip back but who does that in normal use. Pulling the pencil off the charging area has never caused any issue for me. Storing the pencil was easy to solve for me. I purchased pencil sleeves that adhere securely to the back of the case about an inch from the right edge of the ipad and just above the Apple logo. This makes it easy to slide the pencil in without looking at the back. I think you can find fault with any product if you try hard enough. What’s been mentioned so far with the new MKB most will never encounter.
All in all it is an improvement over the previous one, though I never had a problem with it. I even think the exterior material is easier to clean smudges and fingerprints off. I bought a skin to apply but have yet to put it on. I had a Smart Keyboard Folio that developed scuffed areas on the base even though I normally had it placed on a lap desk on my lap, not on any rough surfaces. That led me to applying skins to these cases but I’m holding off on this one unless I start to notice some scuffs. So far it’s been easy to keep clean.
my 11pro does shake when you tap it. not an annoying amount, but it does shake
when I put a small garden label tab under it to make the hinge flush, the shake is reduced by 25-33%.
not like huge, but noticeable.
for my use, Im not tapping the screen 10 times a minute when its docked on the keyboard so I dont really think its a big deal either way
BUT. I can see how a creative or "pro" user that is using the touch screen constantly having an issue with this. I definitely suggest finding some plastic garden label tabs. they fit underneath perfectly and u can just tape them to the hinge
when I put a small garden label tab under it to make the hinge flush, the shake is reduced by 25-33%.
not like huge, but noticeable.
for my use, Im not tapping the screen 10 times a minute when its docked on the keyboard so I dont really think its a big deal either way
BUT. I can see how a creative or "pro" user that is using the touch screen constantly having an issue with this. I definitely suggest finding some plastic garden label tabs. they fit underneath perfectly and u can just tape them to the hinge
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Or, if it’s an issue, just put the edge of a napkin under it where you set up. Keep from taping things to the hinge or anywhere else. Prevents scratches that way too.
I bought some silicone nose pads for my glasses a few weeks ago off AliExpress. It turns out they are uncomfortable, so I won't use them for that purpose, but they may come in handy for my iPad Pro. 
They are listed as 1 mm thick, but are probably closer to 1.3 mm or something like that. I paid less than US$5 for 30 of them, including shipping to Canada, and to my pleasant surprise, they only took a week to get here.
I'm always impressed they can actually make money off such small orders shipped to the other side of the world.
They are listed as 1 mm thick, but are probably closer to 1.3 mm or something like that. I paid less than US$5 for 30 of them, including shipping to Canada, and to my pleasant surprise, they only took a week to get here.
I'm always impressed they can actually make money off such small orders shipped to the other side of the world.
That does seem to be warped in some way. Without actually seeing it I would suspect the surface below it is not flat. But, as you stated, if it is that badly warped he should definitely exchange it. That’s definitely more than a millimeter or two lifting up. Those who have closely looked at the gap between the hinge and the supporting surface have said it’s no more than a millimeter or so; so either the thing is warped or he has it sitting on a poor surface. I have to aggressively bang on mine to get the base to lift up at all, when on a totally flat surface. For those looking for an external case for the keyboard, the to be released Burton one appears to add a similar shape in back to the original MKB. It was that material that wrapped over the hinge that added the additional support. The new MKB has a bare hinge but looking at my previous version, without that material, the hinge would have had just as much of a gap, maybe even a larger one, which would have made it possible for the old keyboard to tip just as much.
The eyeglass pads you show in your previous post would be an excellent and cheap soLutron. They wouldn’t help that guy in the video though.
I have the first gen and second gen for the 13” iPads, even with the old one, It never wobbled and never ever fell out from the iPad unless it was dropped. However since the new iPad is 1.5lbs lighter than the 6th gen iPad pro’s, there’s no wobble at all.
although I agree with some about the exposed hinged, I prefer the older one, because it was covered because and you can feel how cold that aluminum from the new one can get. With that mentioned though i prefer typing with the new one, maybe the aluminum frame has something to do with it because the first gen, although i loved it, now feels plasticky to an extent but a bit stiff.
although I agree with some about the exposed hinged, I prefer the older one, because it was covered because and you can feel how cold that aluminum from the new one can get. With that mentioned though i prefer typing with the new one, maybe the aluminum frame has something to do with it because the first gen, although i loved it, now feels plasticky to an extent but a bit stiff.
Everyone’s use will differ in some way. For me 99% of the time I’m sitting on my couch with the ipad and MKB on a lap desk on my lap. The desk is angled up in back a little to provide me a better view and typing angle, so there really can’t be a wobble. When I’m sitting at a table or desk with the combo on the flat surface, my wrists or palms are on the side palm rests stabilizing the whole thing. The lap desk has a wrist rest cushion along the bottom of the desk which I constantly have my wrists on, but with that slight up angle I never experience a wobble. Never knew there could be a wobble till I saw some of these posts. In real world use I think you have to go searching for the “issue”. The majority of users will never know.
He went looking for the problem. Unless I tap aggressively on the top of the screen where he is tapping, the base does not lift. And no one taps up there in that manner. The ipad itself will bounce a bit because it’s able to be put back at an angle that was not possible with the previous MKB. I assume that most who spend this kind of money on this keyboard are looking to use the keyboard and/or the trackpad more than banging around on the top part of the screen. Overall it’s a neater, cleaner, and more compact design than previously. If you’re actually using the keyboard and trackpad, or, as I frequently do, a stylus and the Apple Pencil, you will never encounter a wobble. If you’re someone who rarely uses the keyboard and trackpad and mostly taps on the screen you can stick little bumpers on the hinge. But would you really have gotten this thing if that were the case?
So basically your argument is "he's tapping it wrong". That's a pretty weak argument.
This is clearly a design flaw, but a design flaw will affect some people more than others, and some people not at all.
No, my point is it will do that if you want to demonstrate it. Holding the phone, which led to that “you’re holding it wrong” phrase did diminish the signal strength. I realized with that phone how you could hold it to mitigate the issue, but it was an issue. With the iPad and MKB no one bangs their finger on the top of the screen when the iPad is tilted all the way back. That’s not how it’s used, at least I’ve never seen anyone with a keyboard case do that. Even in that tilted back position a normal, gentle tap will not cause the base to lift up. If I’m sitting at a table or desk and have the keyboard on the flat surface my wrists or palms are on the palm rests which I think is how most people use a keyboard. When doing so no tipping is possible. My normal use is with a lap desk that has a slight upward tilt in back while I’m on my couch. In that use there is absolutely no wobble. If the purpose is to make a video to demonstrate how a problem can be made to happen, and create click baits, then this is one way to do it. I really haven’t seen many complaints from those who have experienced an issue while actually using it normally, only videos from those who aren’t actually using it but just hard tapping at the top of the screen.
Of course people do. I know I do. That's where the Control Center is. Mind you, now that it has function keys, hopefully we'll need Control Center less.
Actually, ergonomic recommendations are to have the palms hover above the level of the keyboard. I know most people don't do this, particularly with these types of setups, but nonetheless, that's the recommendation.
I never have, even on a laptop. On my lap desk that I use most the time there is a wrist rest cushion that extends across the surface. That where my wrists are supported, I don’t actually contact the keyboard’s wrist rests with the lap desk. As far as Control Center, a quick, easy diagonal swipe triggers it. I’ve never had to tap on that edge and forcefully drag my finger down to bring it up. Of course I can make myself do that to see if there is any “lift”. But even then my other hand will probably be on the opposite wrist rest when on a table or desk. If you use this combo in a way that makes it lift and wobble then there are easy fixes. But I’m guessing most do not encounter this in regular use. And, as you mentioned, the new design with a function row minimizes the need to tap, drag, or swipe for Control Center. Improvements all around.
I just got the 13” version and it absolutely rocks all over the place, and is far worse than my M2 12.9” was. I saw people talking about it online before mine arrived but i was actually quite surprised to discover how bad the issue is, tapping anywhere above the middle of the display makes the entire thing rock back on itself
I was beginning to think I was doing something wrong—my palms NEVER rest on the areas to the side of the trackpad.
If I’m using my iPP and Magic Keyboard on a flat surface like a table top or desk, some part of my palms or wrists are always on those areas. When I use my lap desk on my lap it has a padded cushion that supports my wrists. In neither instance is there any rocking of the MKB unless I intentionally attempt to make it do so. But we all use these things differently; some used a skin on those areas with the previous MKB to keep them from scuffing through use, now they don’t have to with the metal surface. I never skinned mine because I used that padded lap desk 99% of the time.