Sources: the new 12.9" iPad Pro, which is 0.5mm thicker than its predecessor, is incompatible with the original $349 Magic Keyboard folio case for older models

The Verge 2021-04-24 Chaim Gartenberg

Context & Ripple Effects

The 12.9-inch iPad Pro had already been positioned around keyboard and stylus support, and the 2018 redesign made the larger model thinner while changing its hardware layout. This report put an accessory-compatibility cost alongside the new model’s design changes.

Apple later narrowed the apparent break: the first-generation keyboard was functionally compatible with the new iPad Pro, but Apple warned that it might not precisely fit when closed. That distinction makes physical fit—not basic input support—the immediate issue for existing owners.

First-order effects

Owners of the original $349 Magic Keyboard face a compromised closed fit with the new 12.9-inch iPad Pro, even though the keyboard remains usable according to Apple’s later clarification.
Apple has to explain the difference between functional compatibility and precise physical fit for a flagship accessory tied to the iPad Pro.

Second-order effects

The fit issue gives buyers of the new 12.9-inch iPad Pro a reason to weigh a newer keyboard purchase against continuing with an older accessory that does not close precisely.
Accessory compatibility becomes a sharper comparison point as iPad Pro hardware revisions alter dimensions while retaining support for earlier input accessories.

Third-order effects

If successive iPad Pro revisions preserve basic accessory functions while changing fit, the iPad ecosystem will increasingly separate electrical compatibility from the physical longevity of premium accessories.
The pattern points to design revisions placing more upgrade friction on accessory owners, even when Apple maintains nominal backward compatibility.

The trend: Premium device ecosystems are increasingly preserving accessory functionality across revisions while allowing industrial-design changes to limit physical interchangeability.

Discussion

@mattbirchler Matt Birchler on x
I'm not saying this it perfectly scientific, but I added 7 sheets of paper to the front of my 2018 iPad Pro and folded up the Magic Keyboard and it all fit perfectly. I look forward to seeing why I'm wrong and the new iPad is simply too thick to work in this keyboard, but 🤨 https…
@kylealden Kyle Pflug on x
this is a one year old, $350 keyboard. surface pro type covers are backwards compatible to the 2014 model. https://twitter.com/...
@dcseifert Dan Seifert on x
this is really lousy. I do wonder if it will just work anyways if you try it, even if Apple claims it's not officially supported. this keyboard came out a year ago and is very expensive! https://twitter.com/...
@raywongy @raywongy on x
Apple should do a trade-in where if you show proof you bought the Magic Keyboard last year for an iPad Pro and you buy a new one this year, you get a new compatible one for free
@dcseifert Dan Seifert on x
Apple loves to talk about how green of a company it is, but turning a bunch of year old iPad cases into waste sure doesn't seem very green to me!
@maxwinebach Max Weinbach on x
@RafayAg07 @stick0248 M1 sure but lets say they knew the Magic Keyboard was gonna support the 2020 iPad Pro and the Magic Keyboard was completely finished maybe 6 months before release. That puts it at late 2019. The 2020 iPad was likely being worked on then with the 2021 iPad st…
@dcseifert Dan Seifert on x
part of me thinks that Apple is just trying to absolve itself of any cracked screens if you do try to use the old keyboard case with the new iPad Pro because the fit is tighter by saying it's not officially supported.
@tolmasky Francisco Tolmasky on x
Hard to take Apple seriously when they say they're not merging the iPad and the Mac when they keep making the iPad more MacBook-like like this: No one expects to be able to use their old MacBook's keyboard and just buy a new screen silly. https://www.macrumors.com/...
@maxwinebach Max Weinbach on x
@RafayAg07 @stick0248 They probably didn't know how much thicker the M1 12.9" iPad Pro needed to be to fit the new display. If they did, I bet it would have been thick enough to fit. You also have to remember it's usually different teams making these products.
@backlon Dieter Bohn on x
Sometimes I think it's so clear that Apple plans its product roadmap years in advance and has a grand strategy for everything and other times this happens: https://t.co/lfBs1bkSsX
@tailosivetech @tailosivetech on x
Apple Support is claiming otherwise and many are saying the new m1 iPad Pro will still work just won't be quite as good a fit as the new keyboard they launched recently. https://twitter.com/...
@raywongy @raywongy on x
This so dumb. Imagine spending $350 on a keyboard last year only for it to not work with the new 12.9 iPad Pro this year PSA: New 12.9-inch iPad Pro isn't compatible with the older Magic Keyboard https://9to5mac.com/... via @9to5mac
@stevemoser Steve Moser on x
If the older 12.9" Magic Keyboard is incompatible because of the added thickness of the mini-LED then why buy the current 11" Magic Keyboard at full price if you're planning to use it with a future 11"? https://twitter.com/...
@maxwinebach Max Weinbach on x
Not to defend them here, this is stupid, but adding a screen protector to my 11-inch iPad Pro made the Magic Keyboard noticeably tighter while shut. Like, it was a noticeable difference. With a 0.5mm difference between the iPads, I could see why it only works with the new one. ht…
@dcseifert Dan Seifert on x
that said! apple knows better than anyone else its upcoming product road map and it's absolutely certain the Mini LED model was known at the time of the original Magic Keyboard release. it should have designed ahead for it.
@film_girl Christina Warren on x
Oof. Like @gruber says, I don't know if Apple could've necessarily done anything about this but maybe there is a way to design the tolerances on the keyboards in the future so they aren't so ensnared by these sort of intra-generation designs. https://9to5mac.com/...
@film_girl Christina Warren on x
The good news is that I imagine a well-preserved magic keyboard can probably get a decent amount on the resell market (paired with or without the old 12.9" iPad Pro) but that's still a gut punch on a $350 accessory.
@llsethj Seth Weintraub on x
Only Apple™ But seriously half a mm? That's likely still going to fit - I'm surprised it is outside of the tolerances and more likely Apple is just being Apple here. https://twitter.com/...
@gartenberg Michael Gartenberg on x
Ouch. That's a pretty expensive upgrade for 12.9" owners. By the time you're done with everything you've got the cost of a nice MacBook Pro on your hands. With change left over for a few AirTags. https://twitter.com/...
@ow @ow on x
me, an idiot, bought this keyboard an hour before seeing this https://twitter.com/...
@mcwm Mike Murphy on x
this year old keyboard that costs as much as many laptops is incompatible ? that's a lot of waste !! https://twitter.com/...
@fmanjoo Farhad Manjoo on x
ugh this is so bad. The keyboard is nice. that it's already obsolete is the worst https://twitter.com/...
@vladsavov Vlad Savov on x
What this lacks in backward compatibility, it makes up for in backward thinking. https://twitter.com/...
@drewharwell Drew Harwell on x
Nothing says environmentally friendly pro-consumer “It Just Works” technology like a $349 keyboard that is obsolete after one year https://twitter.com/...
@dyountmusic Daniel Yount on x
Similar to watch bands, a keyboard that is a separate entity to your device (as an accessory that is fundamental to the device) compatibility between generations is critical. Apple definitely made a mistake here, but I do not think it's out of malice. https://twitter.com/...
@bitandbang Tierney Cyren on x
you get thunderbolt, but you also need to pay us for a new multi-hundred dollar peripheral https://twitter.com/...
@parismarx Paris Marx on x
Apple cares about the environment so much that it wants you to frequently replace your devices, won't let you repair them, and even makes your accessories obsolete so you have to toss them and buy new ones. At least there's no charging block in the box! https://www.theverge.com/.…
@snazzyq Quinn Nelson on x
Ooooofffff. I mean, I get it. Seems like it was out of necessity since the 2021 11-inch is still backwards compatible but still, ughhhh that sucks for anyone who wants to upgrade to a 2021 iPad from a kitted-out 2018/2020. https://twitter.com/...
@stroughtonsmith Steve Troughton-Smith on x
This is an awful, awful design tradeoff just to fit a new display technology that only a small percentage of the userbase will appreciate. It certainly wipes out any appetite I might have had for upgrading to this year's M1 iPads https://twitter.com/...
@tomwarren Tom Warren on x
Apple's Magic keyboard is so magical you have to buy a new one for the latest iPad Pro. And yet the Surface Pro 3 keyboards released 7 years ago still work on Surface Pro 7 models. Compatibility matters when you're spending $350 on a keyboard 🤦‍♂️ https://twitter.com/...
@appleinsider @appleinsider on x
Buyers of the new 2021 #12.9-inch #iPadPro will not be able to use the previous model's #Magi Keyboard because of the new device's thicker size. https://appleinsider.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@parkerortolani Parker Ortolani on x
Feels about right that the iPad that's already $100 more than the last one doesn't work with the previous $349 keyboard because its TOO THIN and requires you to buy a new nearly identical $349 keyboard. https://9to5mac.com/...
@samifathi_ Sami Fathi on x
The new 12.9-inch iPad Pro is 0.5mm thicker, so if you try to use an older keyboard, the hinge won't work and it won't close properly. It makes sense, but a very unpleasant move for Apple to make. https://twitter.com/...
@javi @javi on x
Imagine spending $350 on a freaking keyboard, and having to throw it away in order to upgrade your iPad 🙄 New keyboard doesn't even have any improvements! (Still no escape key) https://twitter.com/...

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