OCTOBER 2019 MACWORLD 67weakness of hinges is
likely one reason why
Apple prefers magnets
and “origami” folds for its
own designs. Fortunately,
I’ve had no troubles with
the near-identical hinge
on the 9.7-inch model I’ve
used since last year. In
fact, I prefer it over
Apple’s origami designs
because I can tilt it to the
proper angle.
This plastic extends to
the Micro USB port used
to charge the keyboard, although you may
not be using it that often. Zagg claims the
keyboard will hold a charge for as long as
two years, although I had no way of testing
such a long-range claim. Suffice it to say
that I had no issues over the few days I
used it (and I had no issues pairing with
the iPad, for that matter).
KEYS TO SUCCESS
I love the keyboard itself, even if the
tightly-bunched keys take a few minutes to
get used to. The Folio sports pleasantly
tactile and responsive keys, which are far
more comfortable to type on than the
canvas-covered keys Apple uses on cases
like the Smart Folio Keyboard for the iPad
Pros. Technically, through, Zagg’s
keyboard isn’t as structurally sound
because the openings beneath the keys
might let crumbs and other particles get
stuck underneath.
Still, I say it’s worth the risk for a better
typing experience. The gaps allow for
more key travel than I would have
expected for so thin a case, and I
especially like how I can make them glow
in teal, green, yellow, red, purple, white, or
blue by pressing the Function key and the
right arrow key at the same time.
The keyboard boasts other shortcuts,
too, including ones for music playback,
home screen, Expose, Spotlight search,
hiding the keyboard, and adjusting the
brightness of the backlit keys. You’ll have
to use the function keys for some of these
shortcuts since it’s such a small keyboard,
but that’s hardly a big hurdle.Changing the backlight colors is a surprisingly effective way of
making the case feel “new” from time to time.