Apple Accessory Design: It’s not just Beauty

So there’s been much wailing and gnashing of teeth lately about the design of some of Apple’s accessories. This includes the new Magic Mouse 2 with the charging port on the bottom, the iPad Pro with the Pencil sticking out of it, and the iPhone 6s battery pack.

People need to remember that great design in not just about making something look good. It’s about making it work well.

As I said in the last couple of posts about the iPad Pro’s keyboard, great design is all about compromise, and Apple does that exceptionally well.

Today, let’s look at the iPad Pro’s Pencil accessory, and look at what the hubbub is all about.

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Compromise: How Apple designed the best keyboard cover for iPad Pro

Microsoft famously claimed that the Surface Pro was a “no-compromise” device—the best of both a tablet and laptop. John Gruber of Daring Fireball famously pointed to reviews calling that claim into question. It was a touchscreen tablet with a full laptop keyboard.

So it was not surprising that reviewers and people on Twitter complained bitterly about the iPad Pro’s Smart Keyboard, and how un-laptop-like it was.

IMG_2130 iPad Pro Top

So I did a little research, and in this post I’ll explain my thoughts with photos to back them up.

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