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://t.co/TYG0AuwSuu

— dan seifert (@dcseifert) April 23, 2021

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://t.co/qrZNSok6D8

— Steve Troughton-Smith (@stroughtonsmith) April 23, 2021

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://t.co/FEbH9YMKM4

— Parker Ortolani (@ParkerOrtolani) April 23, 2021

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://t.co/t6qtizXMtc

— Steve Moser (@SteveMoser) April 23, 2021

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://t.co/wEmH1vUuZY via @9to5mac

— Ray Wong #StopAAPIHate (@raywongy) April 23, 2021

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://t.co/SlmvWZbVn2

— Javi #BlackLivesMatter (@Javi) April 23, 2021

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://t.co/F9HdVpYtgb

— Tom Warren (@tomwarren) April 23, 2021

What this lacks in backward compatibility, it makes up for in backward thinking. https://t.co/RwJVwx2oy4

— Vlad Savov (@vladsavov) April 23, 2021

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.

— Christina Warren (@film_girl) April 23, 2021

Nothing says environmentally friendly pro-consumer "It Just Works" technology like a $349 keyboard that is obsolete after one year https://t.co/VElrBDvi0z

— Drew Harwell (@drewharwell) April 23, 2021

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. https://t.co/dO6LBJcK6k

— Max Weinbach (@MaxWinebach) April 23, 2021

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://t.co/kK0BRkb8K0

— Daniel Yount (@dyountmusic) April 23, 2021

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://t.co/NDhLz9SF00

— Quinn Nelson (@SnazzyQ) April 23, 2021

ugh this is so bad. The keyboard is nice. that it’s already obsolete is the worst https://t.co/cfwuIVNmER

— farhad manjoo (@fmanjoo) April 23, 2021

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://t.co/lwIYts55ja

— Paris Marx ☭ (@parismarx) April 23, 2021

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://t.co/h9pGzb5FY2

— Christina Warren (@film_girl) April 23, 2021

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.

— dan seifert (@dcseifert) April 23, 2021

you get thunderbolt, but you also need to pay us for a new multi-hundred dollar peripheral https://t.co/pQjEa8bQoE

— Tierney Cyren (@bitandbang) April 23, 2021

me, an idiot, bought this keyboard an hour before seeing this https://t.co/Suc0c2darS

— Owen Williams ⚡ (@ow) April 23, 2021

this is a one year old, $350 keyboard.

surface pro type covers are backwards compatible to the 2014 model. https://t.co/7dzAuizorJ

— Kyle Pflug (@kylealden) April 23, 2021

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://t.co/dP0uuXGzDq

— Sami Fathi (@SamiFathi_) April 23, 2021

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://t.co/FEbH9YMKM4

— Parker Ortolani (@ParkerOrtolani) April 23, 2021

PSA: New 12.9-inch iPad Pro isn't compatible with the older Magic Keyboard https://t.co/h2AmUDLBw4 via @9to5mac

— Michael Kukielka ? (@DetroitBORG) April 23, 2021