X

Does iPad + keyboard case = goodbye, Netbook?

Finally, a forthcoming iPad case with a built-in Bluetooth keyboard. Is this just the beginning?

Scott Stein Editor at Large
I started with CNET reviewing laptops in 2009. Now I explore wearable tech, VR/AR, tablets, gaming and future/emerging trends in our changing world. Other obsessions include magic, immersive theater, puzzles, board games, cooking, improv and the New York Jets. My background includes an MFA in theater which I apply to thinking about immersive experiences of the future.
Expertise VR and AR, gaming, metaverse technologies, wearable tech, tablets Credentials
  • Nearly 20 years writing about tech, and over a decade reviewing wearable tech, VR, and AR products and apps
Scott Stein
Is this the keyboard case you're looking for?
Is this the keyboard case you're looking for? Engadget

We've waited for one for months, and now someone's finally done it: an iPad case with a keyboard is finally here. Actually, it's already sold out. The KeyCase iPad Folio with Integrated Bluetooth Keyboard is a thin leather stand-type case for the iPad not unlike other cases we've seen, except with a silicone Bluetooth 2.0 keyboard built in. The keyboard recharges with Apple's standard iPad charge cable and lasts 45 hours.

At the rough equivalent of 90 U.S. dollars, it's not a bad deal for a case that would always be ready to convert your iPad into a quasi-Netbook. It seems more ergonomic in landscape mode than the awkward, vertically aligned Apple keyboard dock. And the good news is that, with this on the way, more such keyboard cases should be on the horizon shortly.

Is this the missing link in making the iPad a true ultraportable laptop replacement?

(Via Engadget)