Shoppers are raring to go for the holiday season, with many Apple products at the top of holiday wish lists. Those who are eyeing the Smart Keyboard that’s designed to go with the iPad Pro may be interested in how it works, so the folks at iFixit tore it down to see what makes it tick, so to speak.
Fabrics and fibers
iFixit is known for tearing down tech gadgets made by the world’s most popular electronics manufacturer. The website’s techs have taken apart the iPad Smart Cover and a number of Apple keyboards in the past, but they said that they never expected to find what they found inside the Smart Keyboard, which is basically a combination of the technology used in both devices.
They note that a close look at the exterior of the Smart Keyboard reveals that it is entirely glued together and then covered in fabric, making it pretty difficult to take apart. This is not unusual with Apple products, however, and in the case of something so thin, it should not be surprising.
What’s inside Apple’s Smart Keyboard
They had to slice and pry their way into the Smart Keyboard, which enabled them to get a closer look at the “high-tech synthetic fabrics” that hold the entire device together and protect it against staining and water. Upon going inside the keyboard, they found fibers that conduct power to the keyboard to send keystrokes to the iPad it is connected to.
There’s a “huge PCB” spanning the Smart Keyboard, they add, which holds 64 of the same type of switch they discovered in this year’s MacBook.
Smart Keyboard, Apple Pencil in short supply
It’s worth mentioning that you might not be able to get a Smart Keyboard in time for Christmas—unless, of course, you don’t mind paying much more than retail price for it as scalpers are having a field day with the ultra-low supply of the device. On Apple’s website, the shipping date has been expected to a time span of four to five weeks.
Supply of the Apple Pencil stylus (Apple says it’s not a stylus, but seriously…) isn’t any better, as shipping times for it are also at four to five weeks.
