I have one of these for my 11 Pro. It’s lighter than my Air and much more portable.

https://www.logitech.com/en-us/products/ipad-keyboards/folio...

My iPad has better battery, cellular, etc…

Do I use it to code, no, but that is because I don’t really code anymore. I have used it along with parallels access to remote in to my Air from literally across the world, and run VSCode to troubleshoot some code for a friend. It worked fine. Anymore it’s become my travel machine.

> The benefit of the iPad is the touch screen, that's it.

The fact that you can remove the keyboard half is a big benefit to some as well.

Yes, but that's only helpful because it has a touch screen. I don't think detraching a screen from it's input devices would be a helpful feature. Touch makes that possible.

and that you can write on it. Super cool for documenting technical stuff with diagrams etc..

The Magic Keyboard is not a portable device. It is built and obviously intended to be a desk-based “dock” for your iPad. It’s weight isn’t really relevant, in fact I expect that they added weight as a counterbalance. I use the Smart Folio Keyboard for my iPad as it is lighter and more portable. Not as good for typing but I don’t type as much on the iPad as on a laptop.

I think there are two camps. Those who are constaintly removing their iPad from the Magic Keyboard for using it with touch and those who never it connected all the time.

If you are going somewhere and will want to type when you get there, the Magic Keyboard is coming with you. It folds up to act as a case for your iPad during transit... it is a portable device.

It’s ergonomic if you set it up right. I have a stand that I attach my IPAD to and pull out my mini mouse and keyboard and don’t have neck pains. With a laptop, you have to crane your neck down to look at it. I see it as like a laptop with a detachable screen.

It’s also less invasive that way, you can get a laptop stand but it looks ridiculous in coffee shops.