Did Amazon goof and reveal the launch date for this eagerly awaited Apple accessory?
Last month, Apple launched a pair of new premium iPad Pro tablets. The new 2020 slates carry the exact same size LCD screens as the 2018 models (11-inches and 12.9-inches) but do feature some changes. One important difference is found under the hood where the latest versions of these slates are powered by the A12Z Bionic chipset as opposed to the A12X Bionic SoC found on the older models. The newer chipset features an improved octo-core GPU, an octo-core CPU and a 50% hike in memory to 6GB of RAM.
Apple also improved the camera module on the back of the tablets, not only by copying the design of the module used on the iPhone 11 Pro models, but also by adding a 10MP Ultra-wide camera and a LiDar Time of Flight depth sensor that improves AR capabilities. There also is a 12MP Wide camera and a 7MP FaceTime camera in the front. When Apple announced the new premium tablets last month, it also introduced the Magic Keyboard for both the 2018 and 2020 iPad Pro models. The accessory attaches to the tablet via a magnet and includes a trackpad that will work with iPadOS 13.4 or later.
Did Amazon U.K. leak the release date for the Magic Keyboard, or is the date merely a placeholder?
Because of the production shutdowns in China that were caused by the coronavirus outbreak, Apple did not have the Magic Keyboard ready when it released the new iPad Pro models. At the time, all we were told was to expect the accessory to be ready sometime in May. And now we might have a better idea when it will be shipping thanks to Amazon’s U.K. website (via AppleInsider). The latter shows a shipping date of May 30th for the Magic Keyboard while the U.S. site merely says that the product has yet to be released. However, you can pre-order the Magic Keyboard from either the U.S or U.K. Amazon online store. In the states, the accessory is priced at $349 for the 12.9-inch tablets and $299 for the 11-inch tablets.
There is a possibility that the May 30th date is simply a placeholder for Amazon’s U.K. site. That would make sense; since Apple has already committed to a launch in May, if the official release date is earlier than the end of the month, Amazon would just move up the shipping date online to dovetail with whatever official date is announced by the tech giant.
The Magic Keyboard with the trackpad is another attempt by Apple to turn the iPad into a legitimate alternative for a laptop. The same day that it unveiled the new iPad Pro (2020) tablets, the company released a couple of promotional videos; one was called “Your next computer is not a computer” and it pointed out that the iPad Pro is faster than most laptops. The second video, “How to correctly use a computer,” shows that rules that apply for a regular laptop do not apply when it comes to the iPad.
The 11-inch Wi-Fi only iPad Pro is available in Space Gray and Silver priced at $799 (128GB of storage) If you need more storage, there is a 256GB version ($899), a model with 512GB of storage ($1,099) and a version with 1TB of storage ($1,299).
The 12.9-inch Wi-Fi only iPad Pro model is also available in Space Gray and Silver and starts at $999 for the model sporting 128GB of storage. The 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB models are tagged at $1,099, $1,299, and $1,499 respectively.
If you want your new iPad Pro to support cellular connectivity, you can add LTE connectivity for an extra $150. Remember, the tablets are available now.