I know that a lot of folks who are getting a new iPad Pro are also buying Apple's Smart Keyboard Folio, which costs $199 for the version that works with the 12.9" iPad Pro. (There is also a smaller $179 version for the 11" iPad Pro.) I understand the advantage of having a keyboard that is part of the case if you are the sort of person who uses a keyboard with an iPad all of the time, and Apple has done an impressive job of fitting a case into a thin protective cover. This is not the product for me, however. First, I don't use a keyboard with my iPad very often, and I will sometimes go weeks without touching an external keyboard. When I'm traveling and using my iPad as a stand-in for a computer, then I use the keyboard far more often, but fortunately my job doesn't require me to travel every week. Second, I'm not a big fan of how little key travel there is with the Smart Keyboard Folio.
I prefer to use Apple's $99 Magic Keyboard with my iPad ($87.99 on Amazon), a fantastic Bluetooth keyboard with full-size keys. This is the same keyboard that Apple ships with the iMac, and you may not have to spend a dime to get one if you have one from an old iMac, or perhaps can get one from a friend who has accumulated extra Apple keyboards over the years. But if you are going to carry around this keyboard in your briefcase or purse, it is nice to have a cover to protect the keyboard. Last year, Studio Neat sent me a free review unit of its $40 Canopy product, and it is this perfect case for the Apple Magic Keyboard. It wraps around the keyboard and protects it when you are not using it.
It also creates a fantastic stand for your iPad when you are ready to type.
I gave it a very favorable review last year, and I continue to recommend this product when I give presentations to lawyers about the best accessories for an iPhone and iPad. I love this device.
Because the iPad sits right behind the keyboard in the Canopy, I was a little worried that the new 2018 version of the 12.9" iPad Pro, with its reduced bezel, would place the screen of the iPad too low behind the keyboard, making it difficult to swipe up from the bottom of the screen when the iPad is in the Canopy. And as you know, swiping up from the bottom of the screen is a pretty important gesture on the iPad and the iPhone.
I'm happy to report that you can still use the Canopy with the new 12.9" iPad Pro, and I have two different recommendations for doing so. The first one is obvious. The second one sounds bizarre, but stay with me ... it really works.
Method 1: Just use it
The easiest way to use the Studio Neat Canopy with the new iPad Pro is to just use it. It still works.
Yes, the edge of the screen is lower. In the following picture, the iPad on the left is the new iPad Pro, and the iPad on the right is the old iPad Pro.
As you can see, the usable portion of the screen is lower with the new iPad Pro, which means that you do need to try a little bit harder to touch the bottom of the screen. But it is not a very big difference, so it is only a little bit harder to do. I have pretty large hands, and my pointer finger usually works just fine if I go as far down as I can go along the edge of the keyboard. Better yet, if I use my thumb with my thumbnail pointing down towards the keyboard, I can always flick up from the bottom of the screen just fine.
One thing to keep in mind is that when you are using a keyboard, you actually don't need to swipe up from the bottom of the screen as often as you do when you are not using a keyboard. First, swiping up is a way to make the dock appear, but you can also press Command-Option-D to make the dock pop up. That's pretty easy to do because I can hold down the Command and Option key at the same time with my left thumb (they are next to each other on the Magic Keyboard) and I can press D ("D" for dock") with my left pointer finger. Second, swiping up is a way to switch to another app, but a far better way to do so with an external keyboard is to type Command-Tab — much like you would do on a Mac, or like you would do in Windows using Control-Tab. Third, if you want to go back to the home screen, you can either type Command-H, or you can use Command-Tab to go to the icon representing the home screen.
Finally, you can also swipe through apps by swiping across the bottom of an iPad (or iPhone) screen, across the line that is at the bottom of the screen. That works just fine in the Canopy. Just place a finger along the top of the keyboard and move across. The edge of the keyboard almost acts as a guide for your finger.
Method 2: Use the Apple Pencil
This second approach may sound silly, but I've used it quite a bit over the last week, and it really works well. If you want even more space to reach the bottom of the iPad screen while it is in the Canopy, you just need to put something below it to prop it up a little. You know what works perfect for that? The Apple Pencil.
Attach the Pencil to the side of the new iPad Pro using the magnets, and then put that end down in the canal behind the keyboard. The Pencil will prop up the iPad Pro just a little bit, the perfect amount to make it easier than ever to reach the bottom of the screen. And with the Pencil magnetically attached to the iPad Pro, it is all very stable, even when you are using your finger to tap and swipe across the screen.
You barely even notice that there is a Pencil underneath the iPad, but you do notice that the iPad is propped up higher.
The potential downside is that you cannot easily use the Pencil when it is down there. If you want to use the Pencil, you need to lift up the iPad and remove the Pencil, and then you are back to Method 1. But for me, an external keyboard and the Pencil are almost 100% mutually exclusive. If I am typing, I don't need a Pencil to draw or annotate on the screen. If I am using the Pencil to annotate a document, I don't need the keyboard because I am reading and marking up, not typing.
Conclusion
The answer to the question is yes: you can continue to use the Studio Neat Canopy with the new 12.9" iPad Pro. You can use either of these two methods, and you can go back and forth between each method as the mood suits you.
Best of all, in one way the Canopy is actually better than ever. The Canopy is almost exactly 11" long — the same width as the new 12.9" iPad Pro. So unlike the old 12.9" iPad Pro which stuck out at both edges, the Canopy almost looks like it was designed with the new 12.9" iPad Pro in mind. Indeed, anyone who sees you using the two together may just assume that you are using a laptop computer because the two are such a good match.
If you are in the market to buy a 12.9" iPad Pro. think about whether Apple's Smart Keyboard Folio is the right option for you. If you aren't going to use a keyboard very often, it is cumbersome to have to always carry around a keyboard just because it is built into the case of your iPad. And even if you will use a keyboard frequently, I think that most folks would agree that Apple's Magic Keyboard is a far better keyboard for typing. Using an Apple Magic Keyboard with a Studio Neat Canopy has been a great combination for me for the past year, and that continues to be true with the new iPad Pro.
Click here to get the Studio Neat Canopy on Amazon ($40)
Click here to get the Apple Magic Keyboard on Amazon ($87.99)
