Brydge announces a keyboard and trackpad accessory for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro (via 9to5Mac). Like the company’s previous accessories, the Brydge 12.9 Max Plus lets you turn your iPad from tablet to laptop by simply plugging it into the accessory. With Apple’s new M1-powered iPad Pro, some may already be thinking about using it to make a MacBook replacement, while others may just be excited about the way you can now neatly attach it with magnets.
The answer to whether this will help replace your MacBook with an iPad is more or less what it always has been: it depends on whether you can do all your work with what’s available on iPadOS. The iPad Pro has been more powerful than many MacBooks for years, but hardware is only part of the equation. While the 12.9-inch iPad Pro now has a processor as fast as a MacBook and a better screen to boot, it still uses an operating system that may not take full advantage of these features for some. If you’re okay with the limitations of iPadOS, the Brydge 12.9 Max Plus could be a new solution to put the iPad into laptop mode.
The iPad will attach to the new Max Plus magnetically, instead of using the clamping system used by previous Brydge keyboards. That system required you to clamp your expensive tablet between clamps that then clung to that breakable glass – a nerve-wracking and unpleasant experience. This brings Brydge’s offering more in line with the Magic Keyboard, and users are likely to appreciate more convenience in switching between laptop and tablet modes. Simple, magnetic mount is something generally associated with Apple’s iPad keyboards rather than third-party ones.
While Brydge’s built-in trackpads aren’t generally favorable compared to Apple’s, the company hopes to change that by adding native multitouch support. With the Max Plus, Brydge is also playing the game of size comparison – the trackpad is the largest on an iPad keyboard, according to the company’s site. That can be a nice bonus if you are the type of person who likes to work with the mouse a lot.
The Brydge 12.9 Max Plus is available for pre-order at Brydge’s site and is expected to ship in June. It is available in three colors (space gray, silver, and white) and costs $ 249.99 – $ 100 cheaper than Apple’s Magic Keyboard for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro.