Apple could be working on a low-cost Magic Keyboard for entry-level iPads

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

Apple's Magic Keyboard is an excellent accessory for making your iPad Pro or Air more like a proper laptop — but there's no denying it comes at a price. Earlier this year, Apple upgraded the Magic Keyboard for the first time since its 2020 debut. But it still commands a $299/£299 starting price for the 11-inch model and $349/£349 for the 13-inch version. Perhaps that's what prompts iPad users to seek out cheaper alternatives.

However, according to Bloomberg's resident Apple tipster Mark Gurman, Apple itself is working on a lower cost version of the Magic Keyboard. Specifically, this'll be designed for the entry-level iPad or the new iPad Airs.

According to Gurman's Power On newsletter, the new Magic Keyboard will "lack pricier components like the metal palm rest, but will have some new features — perhaps including a function row."

You may like

It doesn't look likely we'll see the new Magic Keyboard in October, when Apple could reveal new M4 MacBooks and, possibly, the iPad mini 7. Instead, Gurman believes we'll see the new 'board released by the middle of next year if all goes to plan. Whether or not that comes alongside refreshed iPads remains to be seen.

The iPad Pro and iPad Air were both updated at Apple's "Let Loose" event earlier this year but the iPad mini 7 and iPad (11th generation) have yet to break cover.

If I was being choosy, I'd suggest iPad users could probably live without the larger trackpad and that aluminum palm rest if that kept the cost down. But I'd wager the function row is a must-have. Apple finally added the14-key function row to its 2024 Magic Keyboard (along with trimming the weight) and it allows for access to tools like screen brightness and volume and media controls. And since the Magic Keyboard Folio for iPad 10th generation (which itself still costs $249 at Apple) also packs the function row, I'd be very surprised if Apple axed it.

So, what's the likely price point of this lower-cost Magic Keyboard to be? Unfortunately, Gurman isn't able to specify (or even give us an estimate) but in my mind it would need to be $200 or lower to make it competitive with some of the best iPad keyboards out there.

More From Tom's Guide

TOPICS

Jeff is UK Editor-in-Chief for Tom’s Guide looking after the day-to-day output of the site’s British contingent. Rising early and heading straight for the coffee machine, Jeff loves nothing more than dialling into the zeitgeist of the day’s tech news.

A tech journalist for over a decade, he’s travelled the world testing any gadget he can get his hands on. Jeff has a keen interest in fitness and wearables as well as the latest tablets and laptops. A lapsed gamer, he fondly remembers the days when problems were solved by taking out the cartridge and blowing away the dust.