A cheaper Magic Keyboard for non-Pro iPads is on the way

As Apple’s legions of fans look ahead to the launch of the iPhone 16 next Monday, one leaker has slipped out a surprising prediction about a different (and potentially very popular) product: the iPad Magic Keyboard.

Apple sells a range of Magic Keyboards for the iPad Air and Pro, and while these are highly rated for their comfort, ease of use, and attractive and functional cantilever design, they are also incredibly expensive: the 11-inch models are $299, while the 13-inch models cost a startling $349, as much as the 10th-gen iPad. (There is a cheaper alternative for the low-end iPad, the Magic Keyboard Folio, but this doesn’t have the cantilever design and still costs $249.)

In other words, even those who can afford an iPad Air or Pro frequently balk at the further expense of a Magic Keyboard… which is a shame, because it’s one of the best accessories for turning an iPad into an effective work machine.

Well, if that describes you, get ready for some (possible) good news. In the latest edition of his Power On newsletter, Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman mentions almost in passing that Apple is working on a cheaper version of the Magic Keyboard.

“I’m told that Apple suppliers are hard at work on a new iPad keyboard for next year,” he writes. “This accessory will be a low-end version [of the Magic Keyboard] that may be designed for an entry-level iPad or the new iPad Airs.”

The key factor here is that it sounds like the new keyboard will get the cantilever design, or at least Gurman doesn’t specify otherwise. He notes that it will differ from the higher-end keyboard in its lack of “pricier components like the metal palm rest” but mentions nothing about a fundamentally different design.

The other question this prompts, of course, is how “low-end” are we talking? Gurman doesn’t offer a figure, but we can take an educated guess by thinking in terms of upper and lower bounds. It will obviously cost less than the $299 of the current 11-inch Magic Keyboard; but similarly, it’s hard to imagine that it will dramatically undercut the $249 currently charged for the Magic Keyboard Folio. My expectation is that Apple will be looking to sell the Magic Keyboard ‘Lite’ (it definitely won’t be called that, by the way) for somewhere between $219 and $249, and simultaneously give the Folio a price cut, or discontinue it entirely.

As for its release date, Gurman says to expect the new product by the middle of 2025, “if all goes to plan.” So it’s debatable whether prospective iPad buyers should take this into consideration when mulling a purchase. And of course, like all “budget” Apple products, bear in mind that, as we’ve discussed, it probably won’t be especially cheap.