The cool cats at iFixit have come through again, this time releasing x-ray photographs of Apple’s new Magic Keyboard, which point to a massive amount of stuff going under the hood.
While the COVID-19 lockdowns and social distancing have prevented iFixit from completing its teardown of the new Magic Keyboard, the company has teamed up with Creative Electron to create an “x-ray teardown” of the device.
“There is so much going on here, you might never guess that this is technically an accessory to the actual iPad Pro,” iFixit wrote, adding that “rarely have we had so much to think about from a single image.”
To begin with, the x-ray images show a switch to a scissor-based keyboard, which iFixit says is the “least complicated” change but “probably the biggest improvement.”
The trackpad appears to be a new design, and one that’s different from MacBook variants. This trackpad actually features what appear to be physical buttons. Next to the trackpad are two large metal plates that may be reinforcements.
Other changes include at least two spring-loaded hinge designs, which appear to be part of a “floating” mechanism that differentiates the Magic Keyboard from other products. iFixit also noticed separated cable routes, which could ease hinge tension on the cables, and a mass of tiny magnets near the camera cutout.
The Magic Keyboard with Trackpad accessory starts at $299 for the 11-inch model and scales to $349 for the 12.9-inch model. The units are compatible with both the 2020 iPad Pro and the 2018 iPad Pro tablets.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.
Via AppleInsider and iFixit