[NewsPoster]

New hardware from Apple is always interesting, and the new Magic Keyboard is no exception. Although not as intimate or personal as touchscreen computing, the keyboard is still one of the two principal ways in which you interact with your Mac. As such, the way it is engineered and designed play a significant role in the overall computing experience. We've got our hands on with the new Magic Keyboard and have been using it every day for the last couple of weeks -- read on to find out what we think about it.

When Apple redesigned the keyboard for the new 12-inch Retina MacBook with an all-new butterfly mechanism for enhanced stability, it seemed inevitable that Apple would take that approach to its other keyboards. Interestingly, the new Magic Keyboard doesn't adopt the same butterfly mechanism, but instead features a re-engineered (albeit more traditional) scissor mechanism.

The butterfly mechanism on the MacBook keyboard was designed not only to increase stability, but it was also designed to take up less vertical space because of the ultrathin overall design of that device. This means that its overall key travel is substantially reduced as well. Vertical space is not an as much of an issue for the Magic Keyboard, which is probably why Apple decided to continue with a scissor mechanism.

However, as Apple points out, its new scissor mechanism is now 33 percent more stable than its previous keyboard. The 12-inch MacBook keyboard uses larger keys than Apple has previously used on a MacBook, and though not quite as large as the keys on the MacBook, the keys on the new Magic Keyboard are also larger than standard, making each key an easier target to hit accurately. The key travel is also noticeably more generous than on the 12-inch MacBook, but it is less than what you will be used to if you have previously used Apple's Wireless Keyboard -- to that end, Apple says that it has "optimized key travel." That said, while the 12-inch MacBook keyboard takes a little while to get used to, most users will have no trouble adjusting to the key travel of the new Magic Keyboard.

The keyboard and keys are not the only things that Apple has given a complete overhaul for the new Magic Keyboard. It also features an all-new aluminum design, with a much lower profile that has been designed to help reduce hand fatigue during long sessions of typing. It is now also much lighter, which makes it easy to throw it in a bag and use with and iPad if you choose. Despite now also featuring larger full-size function keys, its overall footprint is substantially reduced, compared with the old Apple Wireless Keyboard.

Part of the reason it has a lower profile is that Apple has ditched the circular AA battery chamber in favor of a thin rechargeable lithium-ion battery. This can be charged via a Lightning port on the back side of the keyboard, with a full charge achieved in around two hours, which will provide you with around a month of use. It can also sense when it is not being used and defaults to a low power mode, helping to extend battery life further.

For iPhone users, it is great to see the uses for the Lightning cable expand. Not only can you now use the Lightning cable to charge the Magic Keyboard, you can now use it to charge the new Apple TV remote, the new Magic Mouse 2, and the new Magic Trackpad 2.

For Mac fans, the arrival of the Magic Keyboard is great news. It improves on the Apple Wireless Keyboard in every way, and has clearly benefited from Apple's exacting attention to detail. It will make typing on your Mac a comfortable and pleasant experience, so much so that it quickly starts to fade from your thoughts as you begin to focus on your work. This is they way it should be -- using an Apple computing product should feel intuitive and natural, with your attention and energy focused on your content. If you are looking for a new keyboard for your Mac, the Magic Keyboard is the natural choice.

[panjandrum]

As an excellent touch-typist (notwithstanding my typos; that's more an in-too-much-of-a-hurry and self-editing-blindness-issue on my part), it will be interesting to see how this keyboard really works. (As an example, I spent a LOT of time recently with the new MacBook keyboard, and there is simply no way I could *ever* get used to it, while am fine with the MacBook Pro keyboards). Although travel on the MacBook keyboard is an issue, my biggest issue is with the size of the keys. With tops too large and not-enough-space between them, it is very difficult to type on those keyboards, and I certainly hope Apple hasn't gone the same way on their new wireless keyboards. (As an experiment do this: Take two keyboards of roughly equal quality, in which one has narrow key-tops separated by considerable space, and the other of which has large key-tops separated by little space. See which one allows you to type faster... Large key-tops are a problem, not a boon, at least for me.)

[Paulrm]

Is there some reason that they won't make a wireless keyboard with the full number pad? Without that, I stay tethered.

[Inkling]

Disappointed. I was hoping for a keyboard/trackpad combination like the MacBook. That'd make switching from desktop to laptop easier. The price is dreadful too. Hopefully, that'd come down.

[bobolicious]

'Magic' for me would have been backlit:
http://www.cultofmac.com/316710/apple-store-leaks-images-of-new-wireless-keyboard-with-backlit-leds/

[Charles Martin]

panjandrum: as the article says, the Magic Keyboard has more travel than the Retina MacBook, but a little less than the MBP, and the keys are (I believe) the same size and spacing as the MBP, so we heavy typists should be okay.

Paulrm: the reason is because very, very, very few people really need that, and third-parties are doing a fine job of providing such keyboards.

Bobolicious: backlit would have hurt battery life, I expect, but I agree that would have been really nice.

[mr_strat]

So let's say you're working on something important for work...working under a deadline...and you get an on-screen notice that the keyboard battery is getting low. No problem; stop what you're doing; plug it into the computer (because Apple didn't include a charger, just a cable) and wait an hour or two. Brilliant design. But I suppose it's better than having to stop using the mouse, turn it over, poke in the cable, and wait for it to charge.

SMH

[Sanjiv Sathiah]

@mr_strat You do realise that it can still be used while charging?

[Mr. Strat]

The keyboard could be used while charging if you have a long enough cable and the computer or charger is close enough. Not everybody has that luxury. It's kinda difficult to use the mouse when it's charging though.