Magic Keyboard (Mac)

The Magic Keyboard is a family of wireless computer keyboards manufactured by Foxconn under contract for Apple Inc. The keyboards are bundled with the iMac and Mac Pro, and also sold as standalone accessories. They replaced the Apple Wireless Keyboard product line. Each Magic Keyboard model combination has a compact or full-size key layout for a specific region, a function key or Touch ID sensor next to F12, and color scheme variant.

Magic Keyboard

Magic Keyboard with Touch ID and Numeric Keypad (Space Gray with black keys)
Developer	Apple Inc.
Manufacturer	Foxconn (contract manufacturer)
Type	Bluetooth and USB keyboard
Release date	Original: October 13, 2015; 7 years ago (2015-10-13) With Numeric Keypad: June 5, 2017; 5 years ago (2017-06-05) 2021 revisions: May 21, 2021; 20 months ago (2021-05-21)
Input	QWERTY keyboard
Connectivity	Bluetooth 3.0+EDR Lightning port
Power	Recyclable Rechargeable Li-Po Battery (2980 mAh)
Platform	Bluetooth-enabled Mac computer with OS X 10.11 or later and iOS devices with iOS 9.1 or later
Dimensions	Magic Keyboard: 0.16–0.43 inch (0.41–1.09 cm) x 10.98 inches (27.9 cm) x 4.52 inches (11.49 cm) Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad: 0.16–0.43 inch (0.41–1.09 cm) x 16.48 inches (41.86 cm) x 4.52 inches (11.49 cm) (H x W x D)
Mass	Magic Keyboard: 0.51 pound (0.231 kg) Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad: 0.86 pound (0.39 kg)
Predecessor	Apple Wireless Keyboard
Related	Magic Mouse 2 Magic Trackpad 2
Website	https://apple.com/magic-accessories/

The eject key, a distinctive feature of the first generation Magic Keyboard

Apple also refers to the internal keyboards in MacBooks released after November 2019 as the Magic Keyboard, which uses an identical scissor-mechanism with slightly shallower keys.^[1]

Features

First generation

The original Magic Keyboard design was available in two models:

• (A1644) Magic Keyboard, first available in October 2015
• (A1843) Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad,^[2] first available in June 2017

This keyboard's design was similar to its predecessor, but had a lower profile. Apple re-engineered the scissor mechanism to increase key stability by 33 percent and reduce key travel. Typeface on the keys was also changed, from VAG Rounded to San Francisco.

It had a sealed non-replaceable rechargeable Lithium-ion battery which is charged via a Lightning port on the rear of the keyboard.^[3] The rechargeable battery lasted one month between charges. It used an ST Microelectronics STM32F103VB 72 MHz 32-bit RISC ARM Cortex-M3 processor and included the Broadcom BCM20733 Enhanced Data Rate Bluetooth 3.0 Single-Chip Solution.

It was compatible with Macs running OS X El Capitan and later, iPhones and iPads running iOS 9 or later, and TVs running Apple TV Software 7.0 or tvOS 10 or later.

Release

The Magic Keyboard (A1644) was released alongside the Magic Mouse 2 and the Magic Trackpad 2 in October 2015.

On June 5, 2017, Apple released the Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad (A1843) to replace the wired Apple Keyboard which was discontinued that day. It was longer, and had an extended key layout with a numeric keypad and a different arrow key arrangement. At the same time, the Magic Keyboard without the numeric keypad (A1644) received a minor visual update with new Control and Option key symbols.

A space gray Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad with black keys was bundled with the iMac Pro^[4] and later made available for standalone purchase.^[5]

A version in a silver finish with black keys was bundled with the 2019 Mac Pro, though never available as standalone purchase.^[6]

Second generation

An updated Magic Keyboard design introduced in 2021 includes aluminum casing on the bottom side, asymmetric corner keys, eject key assigned to Sleep, fn key assigned to Input Source, and F4-F6 function keys reassigned to Spotlight, Dictation/Siri, and Do Not Disturb. Using this new design, two additional model options also include Touch ID sensors in place of the eject key. This update also discontinued the space gray Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad. The updated keyboard models include:

• A2449 Magic Keyboard with Touch ID: 79 keys^[7]
  • May 2021: Bundled with M1 iMac in any of seven colors: silver, pink, blue, green, purple, orange, or yellow
  • August 2021: Standalone ($149) (MK293LL/A EMC 3579): Silver
• A2450 Magic Keyboard with Lock Key: 78 keys^[8]
  • May 2021 (MK2A3LL/A $99 EMC 3619); Silver
• A2520 Magic Keyboard with Touch ID and Numeric Keypad: 109 keys^[9]
  • May 2021: Bundled with M1 iMac in any of seven colors: silver, pink, blue, green, purple, orange, or yellow
  • August 2021: Standalone (MK2C3LL/A: Silver with white keys $179 EMC 3957)
  • August 2021: Standalone (MMMR3LL/A: Silver with black keys $199; EMC 3957)

The keyboards that have Touch ID sensors can scan the user's fingerprint to unlock Mac models that use Apple M-series chips.^[10][11] Keyboards that come bundled with the iMac M1 also have a color-matched aluminum finish.

The Magic Keyboard with Touch ID and Numeric Keypad (A2520) was available initially only in silver with white keys. In March 2022, a version with black keys was introduced alongside the launch of the Mac Studio.^[12]

Layout

US layout

 

iPad version

Main article: Magic Keyboard for iPad

In March 2020, Apple announced a Magic Keyboard with integrated trackpad for 2018 and newer iPad Pros with trackpad support which connects through Smart Connector.^[13] It also supports the iPad Air released later that year.^[14]

References

1. "MacBook Pro 16" 2019 Teardown". iFixit. 2019-11-18. Retrieved 2019-12-15.
2. "A1843 Wireless Keyboard Cover Letter Cover Letter Apple". FCC ID. Retrieved 2021-08-04.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
3. Becerra, Leah (2015-10-13). "Apple's New Magic Keyboard, Mouse, and Force Touch Trackpad Are All Rechargeable". Gizmodo. Retrieved 2015-11-01.
4. "Space Gray Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse, and Magic Trackpad Are Currently Sold With iMac Pro Only". MacRumors. 2017-12-14.
5. "Apple Now Selling Standalone Space Gray Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse 2, and Magic Trackpad 2". MacRumors. 2018-03-27.
6. Potuck, Michael (2019-12-10). "New black and silver Magic Keyboard and Mouse only coming with Mac Pro, at least for now". 9to5Mac. Retrieved 2022-05-19.
7. "A2449 Apple Magic Keyboard with Touch ID Cover Letter Cover Letter for BCGA2449v1.1 Apple". FCC ID. from the original on August 4, 2021. Retrieved 2021-08-04.
8. "A2450 Apple Magic Keyboard Cover Letter Cover Letter for BCGA2449v1.1 Apple". FCC ID. from the original on August 4, 2021. Retrieved 2021-08-04.
9. "A2520 Apple Magic Keyboard with Touch ID and Numeric Keypad Cover Letter Cover Letter for BCGA2520v1.1 Apple ". FCC ID. from the original on August 4, 2021. Retrieved 2021-08-04.
10. "Apple brings Touch ID to the Magic Keyboard". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2021-04-22.
11. "Magic Keyboard With Touch ID Compatible With All M1 Macs, But Only Sold With iMac For Now". MacRumors. Retrieved 2021-04-22.
12. "Apple Releases Black and Silver Magic Keyboard With Touch ID, Magic Trackpad, and Magic Mouse". MacRumors. Retrieved 2023-01-26.
13. "Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro 11‑inch (2nd generation) - US English". Apple. Retrieved 2020-03-18.
14. "Apple unveils all-new iPad Air with A14 Bionic, Apple's most advanced chip - Apple". Apple. Retrieved 2020-09-25.

External links

 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Apple Magic Keyboard.

• Magic Keyboard and Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad at Apple.com