So for a few years now people have been talking about whether or not an iPad can replace a laptop,
and with the new M1 chips in the new iPads, the question is more relevant than ever.
Big difference between an iPad and a laptop is that iPads don't come with keyboards. So
you have to buy an external keyboard. Obviously, there's quite a few options out there for keyboard
attachments but when I got my iPad around nine months ago I got the Smart Keyboard Folio. so in
today's video, I'm going to share my experience with this keyboard and whether or not I think
it improves the iPad experience and whether or not it's still worth buying in 2021. Hey guys,
my name is Nick and here we talk about using tech to improve your life. I post fresh videos
every single week so be sure to subscribe for more content and hit like if you enjoyed the video. so
like I said I've used my iPad which is the fourth generation iPad air for around nine months now
and I originally bought it to just help me be more productive in general. Particularly
with my YouTube channel but also at work. My hope was to use it as a laptop replacement for
work emails as well as writing scripts for YouTube and creating thumbnails. I was going to leave my
laptop at home and only use it for intensive tasks like video editing. and so I tried this out for
a few weeks. I left my laptop at home and I took my iPad to work and I use it for all my emailing,
note-taking at work, and then I used my laptop at home for editing. But this is where I ran into
my first problems with the smart keyboard folio. The typing experience just wasn't as good as on a
laptop or on a regular keyboard. all the keys are covered in a kind of plastic fabric which
is really good for keeping dirt and dust out of the keyboard, but it's just not so conducive for
typing in my experience. The covering just kind of takes away from that clicky feeling you get
on a regular keyboard which is what I really like. and I know a lot of people don't like
the butterfly keys on the 2018 MacBook pro which is what I've got, but I actually really like it.
so going from that to this sort of fabric-covered smaller keyboard I just found it to be not as nice
of a typing experience. and the other problem here was just the size of the keyboard itself.
and obviously, it's a smaller keyboard than the MacBook but I've got relatively large size
hands when it comes to typing on a keyboard, and so I found myself sort of mistyping a lot and
struggling to be accurate with my keystrokes. and so it began to defeat the purpose of why
I originally wanted an iPad in the first place. Because it was taking me longer to write emails,
it was taking me longer to type things and obviously the digital keyboard on the screen
really isn't an option because that's even worse it's tiny and it's not ergonomic at all.
and finally, I did miss the touch pad on my laptop it's just not as easy to do things
quickly without a mouse I found using a keyboard and the touchscreen just isn't as efficient. and
so that was another downside to this particular keyboard because it doesn't have a touch pad. so
after a few weeks of trying to make it work with my iPad as the primary device, my laptop slowly
but surely made its way back to center stage. But contrary to what I feared would happen with my
iPad which was that I was worried I'd just use it as a consumption device to watch Netflix and binge
on YouTube. But I actually found myself using it a lot more, but with the apple pencil. I've actually
done a whole other video on the apple pencil which you can check out up here, but i just
found the apple pencil a much more intuitive way of navigating around the iPad. as well as entering
information I used it for note-taking and writing out journals, creating mind maps and even helping
me to create YouTube thumbnails. and so I found the smart keyboard folio beginning to take a bit
of a back seat in the iPad experience for me. and to be sure I eventually got used to typing on the
keyboard. I got used to the size and the feel and became a lot more accurate with my
keystrokes. But it became more of a backup data entry device if that makes sense. My primary
way of entering information and navigating was with the apple pencil but when it was just more
efficient to use a keyboard that's when I would pop the keyboard out. Like for example, if I
wanted to write a YouTube script while I was at a cafe or something obviously it's going to take me
much longer to hand write a long script than is to type it out on a keyboard or if I want to quickly
type out or reply to an email or YouTube comment it's a lot more efficient and accurate to use a
keyboard than the apple pencil for that. and so to a degree, the keyboard does help me to achieve
what I bought the iPad for originally which was to help me be more productive and to get more stuff
done. Particularly because it's so much easier to pull out my iPad than it is to pull out my whole
laptop. But the question is if I could go back in time would I still buy this keyboard knowing what
I now know about what I use it for as well as how much I actually do use it? Well, the first thing
is I definitely would buy a keyboard for the iPad. It really is an indispensable accessory
for your iPad. Like I said for those moments where you do need to enter data more efficiently and
accurately than with an apple pencil or on the on-screen keyboard. The other thing is just the
protection that the case itself provides for your iPad. You can definitely see the wear and tear on
the folio itself which is kind of annoying that the marks sort of remain on the case. It's much
better than having the marks on the iPad itself and it gives me a lot more confidence to be not as
precious with my iPad. I feel confident throwing it around a little bit sometimes or using it in
places where I wouldn't be as confident to use my MacBook. For example, like often I'll use it
propped up while I'm cooking with a recipe and I'm not so concerned about getting water or bits
of food on the keyboard or the case because it is pretty resilient to damage. The other thing
I really do like about it is just how easy it is to take on and off it's just magnetic so it just
clips onto your iPad like that and then pops off when you don't need it which is kind of
nice because it's got a little bit of weight in it. it's not too heavy but it's nice to take
off sometimes if you're reading in bed or if you just want the real iPad experience without a case
on it. but both of these features can be found in other iPad keyboards and I know the obvious
answer is just to get the apple magic keyboard for iPad, but it's literally twice the price of the
smart keyboard folio. and I'm just not willing to spend almost half the value of the iPad itself
on a keyboard accessory. and so if I could go back in time I actually wouldn't get this smart
keyboard folio. I think for the price it's really not really worth it and you can get
better accessories for the same price or cheaper. For example, if I could go back in time I would
get the Logitech folio touch keyboard case because it's basically the same price. Because it's got
a better typing experience, it's got backlit keys, and it's got a touch pad. and it's the
same price as this keyboard without all those features. so that's my recommendation in 2021:
don't buy a smart keyboard folio. Go and buy like a third-party accessory like one of the
Logitech keyboards. when it comes to apple keyboards you're really just paying the apple tax
of buying an Apple branded product. so you're not really getting anything better or better quality
or more features so you might as well just go with a third-party accessory. so I hope that helps you
and your buying decision when it comes to your iPad accessories. if you're interested in more
videos on how tech can make you more productive then be sure to check out my productive tech
playlist. if you liked the video and you're up for more content like this, hit subscribe. and
other than that I hope you have a brilliant day and I'll see you very soon in the next video.