Apple iPad Keyboard Dock - British

At £55, the keyboard dock for the iPad isn’t cheap. For your money you get a nice aluminium keyboard, just like the Apple wireless ones, with a docking extension at the back. As well as the USB connector, there’s a 3.5mm audio line out jack.

The whole feels very solid. You can move the docked iPad/keyboard combo around without it feeling like it’s going to wobble or collapse. It’s easy to dock and undock securely.

The audio line out is intended for hooking up to external speakers or amp, it’s a bit overpowering through cans. The device volume control has no effect on line out.

So much for IO. The keyboard itself has the same layout as the standard Apple one, apart from the top row of function keys. They don’t actually bear F-number designations, and offer iPad-specific functions such as home screen, lock device, etc.

I’ve written this post on it using WordPress. Nice touches are things like Cmd-C/V working to cut and paste, and shift-arrow to select, working as you’d expect on a desktop. I also got over the urge – quickly – to grab to the right for the mouse. (There’s probably some mileage in optional mouse support for iPad).

All up it’s a very solid little piece of tech, although I’m not sure who or what it’s aimed at. If you’re in the kind of job where you can use basic browsing, email, calendar, and text editing/light word processing, then it’s pretty much an all-in-one office. Sure, you have to work in portrait mode – obviously – but for a very lightweight (if expensive) workstation if could work.

Unfortunately I’m not sure how many people this applies to – like many people, I can’t work without access to Word and Excel.

As a docking station to sit next to the Mac – maybe running Air Display as a screen extension – it’s perfectly serviceable, but takes up more space than a plain dock and costs more than twice as much.

It’s also just a bit less than portable, due to the sticky-out-ness of the brace for the back of the iPad, and the base for stability.

Mind you, it would certainly be a very cool way to be seen surfing in your local coffee chain. …More

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well i got the keyboard as part of a christmas present(iPad&keyboard) and i used it everyday, it did its job, it were good as its easier to type on rather than on the screen, but one day i just put it on, very gently and as i pulled it off after i had used it, it broke! it wouldnt connect to my ipad! after less than like a monbth of using it! i got it in december, it broke, hmm lke 2 weeks into january. Its good, Just not worth the £57. Im going to the Genius Bar at my local store tomorrow; see if they can do anything, If they cant ill be extremely angry, as it wasnt my fault the keyboard connector broke. …More

33 of 69 people found this useful