Brydge announced keyboard and trackpad accessories for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro (through 9to5Mac). Like the company’s previous accessories, Brydge 12.9 Max Plus allows you to transfer your iPad from a tablet to a laptop simply by connecting it to the accessory. With Apple’s new iPad Pro with M1 technology, some people may already be considering using it as an alternative to a MacBook, while others may be excited that it can now be fixed perfectly with magnets.
The answer to whether you can replace the iPad with a MacBook, as usual, is, more or less: it depends on whether you can use all of the iPad’s features to do all the work. Over the years, the iPad Pro has been more powerful than many MacBooks, but the hardware is only part of it. Although the current 12.9-inch iPad Pro may have a processor as fast as a MacBook and a better home screen, it still uses some operating systems that cannot take full advantage of these features. If you are satisfied with the limitations of iPadOS, Brydge 12.9 Max Plus may be a new solution to put the iPad in portable mode.
The iPad will be magnetically attached to the new Max Plus instead of using the attachment system used by the previous Brydge keyboard. The system requires you to place an expensive tablet between the clips and then fix it in brittle glass, which is not a pleasant experience. This makes Brydge products more compatible with Magic Keyboard, and users may like it more convenient to switch between laptop and tablet modes. Simple magnetic accessories are generally associated with the Apple iPad keyboard (not a third-party keyboard).
Although Brydge’s built-in trackpad is generally no better than Apple’s trackpad, the company hopes to change this by adding native multi-touch support. Brydge also plays a size comparison game on the Max Plus. According to the company’s website, its trackpad is the largest on an iPad keyboard. If you are a person who likes to use the mouse a lot, then this can be a good reward.
Brydge 12.9 Max Plus has been pre-ordered on the Brydge website and is expected to ship in June. It offers three color options (dark gray, silver, and white) and is priced at $ 249.99, which is $ 100 cheaper than the Apple Magic Keyboard for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro.