Magic keyboard ipad trackpad not working9/21/2023 ![]() A month of life between charges is short by modern Bluetooth keyboard standards, but based on my early testing, Apple may be understating the Magic Keyboard’s longevity (at least for some Macs).* Update: You can expect around 2.5 months of real-world use on a single charge long-term testing took my Magic Keyboard from October 19 to December 31 before a “Keyboard Batteries Very Low” warning appeared. The same trick works with the Magic Trackpad 2 (and the Magic Mouse 2), and all three promise the same one-month battery life on a complete charge, with the ability to run for an extended work session off a two-minute charge. The Magic Keyboard’s biggest advance over its 2007 predecessor is a built-in battery that can be refueled using an included Lightning cable. Plug the cable into your Mac and the Magic Keyboard into the cable, and the Mac will instantly pair the two together without requiring wireless configuration - a welcome but very minor trick that turns out to be the most “magic” you’ll find with this keyboard. Instead, the Magic Keyboard feels like more of a “shrug” of a design, doing just enough to be “better than before” without attempting to push the envelope in any particular way. Given the growth of Bluetooth keyboards since the Wireless Keyboard debuted in 2007, Apple could have gone in a half-dozen directions with the Magic Keyboard - it could have added multi-device-compatibility and backlit keys like Logitech’s K811, stripped features to go ultra-thin and light, or kept a body as thick as the Wireless Keyboard but with far longer lasting batteries, just to name a few possibilities. ![]() Rechargeable batteries are late in arriving, use Lightning cables for only decent 1-month power.Typically high manufacturing quality, clean designs.Should you buy Apple’s latest accessories, or go with excellent third-party alternatives such as Logitech’s K811 Keyboard and Rechargeable Trackpad for Mac instead?… (Updated November 2015 and December 2015 with new battery testing results.) My review is focused on the Magic Keyboard and Magic Trackpad 2, neither of which I’d call “must-have” accessories, though each has a couple of worthwhile assets, and at least one surprising Apple device compatibility limitation. Having given up mice five years ago (and radically improved a carpal tunnel-damaged wrist in the process), I opted not to test the Magic Mouse 2, but my colleague Dom Esposito discusses it and the other Magic accessories in the video below. ![]() Apple also tweaked each of the accessory designs, one more significantly than the others. The signature improvement to each is the replacement of AA batteries with integrated Lithium-Ion rechargeable cells, refueled once per month with an included Lightning cable - previously only used for iPad, iPhone, and iPod accessories. Last week, Apple finally released sequels to its three major input devices: the new Magic Keyboard ($99) replaces the $69 Wireless Keyboard, the Magic Mouse 2 ($79) updates the $59 Magic Mouse, and the Magic Trackpad 2 ($129) vaults over the $69 Magic Trackpad. Although I preferred the minimalism of a wire-free desk, I reluctantly switched back to Apple’s old but still excellent Wired Keyboard to cut “low battery” notices in half, hoping that Apple would leverage 5+ years of Bluetooth and battery improvements to produce better wireless input accessories. ![]() ![]() I’ve been waiting for Apple to update the 2007-vintage Apple Wireless Keyboard and 2010 Magic Trackpad since the first time OS X displayed a “low battery” notification - since then, I’ve had years of near-daily pop-up reminders that either my keyboard or my trackpad (both fueled by Apple’s official Battery Charger, no less) were supposedly running low on power. ![]()
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