Today Brydge announced the Pro keyboard for the iPad Pro, which incorporates a trackpad. The keyboard was first revealed in connection with a lawsuit filed by Brydge against another keyboard maker that Brydge says violated a patent on the company’s keyboard hinge.
Everything about the Brydge Pro is exactly the same as the Brydge Pro except for the added trackpad. A company made a similar trackpad keyboard, but Brydge sued them, saying the other company violated its patent.
The keyboard comes in two sizes to accommodate the 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro models, connects via Bluetooth 4.1, has three levels of backlighting, 3-month battery life, and is space gray. It will be interesting to see how Brydge’s Pro+ keyboard and standalone trackpad do with users. Off-the-shelf pointing device support was an important addition to iPadOS 13 for people who need the feature for accessibility reasons.
Although Brydge’s official announcement doesn’t disclose when it will begin taking pre-orders, the company says it will be soon. Brydge also says that the first 500 pre-orders will be shipped in late February, with the remaining pre-orders shipping in late March.
The 11-inch keyboard costs US$199.99, and the 12.9-inch keyboard costs US$229.99. The price of the standalone trackpad isn’t listed. You can register on Brydge’s website to get an alert when pre-ordering starts for these products.
