• accessories,  iphone 14,  mophie

    iPhone 14 Pro Max and Mophie Wireless Charging Pad Problem

    Mophie’s 2017 Qi charger has a size problem with the iPhone 14 Pro Max camera array

    One of the marque features of this year’s iPhone 14 Pro Max is the new 48MP camera system. And with larger sensors, there must also come a larger camera plateau on the back of the iPhone.

    Here’s the rub: with the larger camera array, the iPhone can no longer just be placed on the 2017 Mophie Wireless Charging Base.

    I now have to perform a precision alignment procedure to make sure that the iPhone is perfectly aligned with the charging coils in the charger. As you might imagine, when you’re heading off to bed, the last thing you want to do is an intricate charging dance.

    In my experience, I technically still can use my iPhone X era Mophie inductive charging pad, but, day-to-day use, I’ve already miss aligned my iPhone 14 Pro Max twice now. The ridge that protected the cameras on my Apple leather case has to ride up slightly on the edge of the charge pad to start charging. And without magnets in the base, bumping the iPhone while haphazardly dropping my AirPods my nightstand cause disaster in the morning.

    What can be done to fix this? Well, I have a couple of options.

    1. The least expensive option is to take my iPhone out of its case. That should allow for enough clearance between the camera area and the charge pad. Life goes on just as it always has.
    2. Another no cost option is to just charge my iPhone at my desk with a MagSafe charger or in the kitchen with (Gasp!) a Lightning cable.
    3. I can get a new fancy 3-in-1 charging station, like the Belkin BoostCharge Pro 3-in-1 Wireless Charging Pad with MagSafe or the Mophie snap+ 3-in-1 wireless charging stand.

    I like option three because it cleans up the wires to charge my iPhone, Series 6 Watch, and my AirPods in a tidy appliance. Comparing the Mobile and the Belkin multi-device charging solutions, I think I prefer the Belkin solution more. With everything lying flat on the night table, there is less of a chance to knock my iPhone to the floor trying to grab my ringing work phone for the occasional overnight work emergency.

    For now, I plan to just charge my iPhone 14 Pro Max, Watch, and AirPods when I need to while sitting at my desk at home or work. While I can make do for now, I can see a Belkin charging accessory in my future.

  • accessories,  apple //e,  vintage

    Yellowstone Universal Disk Controller Now Available

    Big Mess O’ Wires (BMOW) has begun selling their new Apple II-series universal disk controller card, the Yellowstone Universal Disk Controller.

    Yellowstone is a new disk controller card that can be used by retro computing enthusiasts in their Apple II-series machines, including Apple and clone machines, with an array of 5.25-inch and 3.5-inch disk drives from the 1980s. Further, Yellowstone also supports BMOW’s own Floppy Emu disk emulator and naked Macintosh 800k and 1.44MB drives.

    Yellowstone is a universal disk controller card for Apple II computers. It supports nearly every type of Apple disk drive ever made, including standard 3.5-inch drives, 5.25-inch drives, smart drives like the Unidisk 3.5 and the BMOW Floppy Emu’s smartport hard disk, and even Macintosh 3.5-inch drives. Yellowstone combines the power of an Apple 3.5 Disk Controller Card, a standard 5.25-inch (Disk II) controller card, the Apple Liron controller, and more, all in a single card.

    I am excited to have received my Yellowstone card this week because I also received a second unenhanced Apple //e. (Have I mentioned that I have a deep fondness for my first Apple computer?) I plan on using the Yellowstone card in one of my //e’s as a way to get 3.5-inch disk drive support since finding new old stock 5.25-inch floppy disks is a bit difficult.

    I ended up ordering the “Everything Bundle” ($169). This bundle, as the name implies, includes the Yellowstone universal disk controller card ($139) and two DB-19 female disk adapters ($19/ea) so that I can connect two sets of drives to a single computer at a time.

    My end result could look something like an enhanced Apple //e with the DuoDrive and the BMOW Floppy Emu connected for easy image-to-floppy creation or to archive the original floppies in my small collection. Another configuration that I am looking forward to trying is connecting my Apple 5.25″ drive and a Macintosh 800k floppy drive to the same system to make a bootable floppy disk with a few different programs on it.

    And that is what makes these new cards for old computers so interesting – you can mix-n-match new and old parts to extend and customize the Apple II-line just like Woz intended.

  • accessories,  apple,  find my,  iphone 13

    Thoughts About the iPhone Leather Wallet

    iPhone 13 Pro Max with Leather Wallet,
    Source: Apple, Inc.

    Last year, with the launch of iPhone 12, Apple released a new MagSafe accessory, the Apple iPhone Leather Wallet. For the iPhone 13 in 2021, Apple revised their wallet accessory. I finally broke down and bough one. Here are my thoughts about it.

    The iPhone Leather Wallet is a minimalist accessory for iPhone 12 and 13. Owners of earlier iPhones will need to find an alternative solution for their wallet needs. And that is because the Apple Leather Wallet is a new MagSafe accessory that uses magnets in the iPhone and the wallet to magnetically attach. You might be thinking, as I was, that magnets and magnetic strips on the cards we carry don’t mix. And you would be right if not for the shielding that has been built into the wallet.

    My original idea for using the Leather Wallet was to hold my work ID badge and a few business cards. The shielding works so well that I was unable to scan my card at card reader while it was the topmost card in the wallet. Credit and bank debit cards with the new EVM chips are not magnetic so the chip will continue to work regardless.

    The magnets in the iPhone Leather Wallet are strong and yet the case is easy to remove. You will want to be careful about how you handle iPhone with a wallet attached. My main concern with the Wallet is that it may come detached from my iPhone without me knowing it. I feel this concern that is born out of the fear of not always being able to feel my bulky traditional billfold wallet in my back pocket.

    To that end, in my opinion, you will want to use the iPhone Leather Wallet with an Apple iPhone Leather Case. This is because I feel that the leather case and the leather wallet offer the most grip. When I attached the Leather Wallet to my iPhone 13 Pro Max without a case (leather to glass) or an iPhone 13 in the Apple Clear Case with MagSafe, I felt that it was easier to slide the wallet off the iPhone by pushing it horizontally or vertically.

    A nice feature to help put my mind at ease is the new Find My integration with the 2021 iPhone Leather Wallet. When the Wallet is detached from the iPhone, the iPhone updates the location where the Wallet detached on the Find My map and sends an alert to iPhone or Apple Watch if you move away from where the Wallet detached. A future enhancement that I would like to see is the inclusion of a “safe place” designation that is available with AirTags so that when I detach the Wallet from my iPhone at home or at the office, no lost notification is sent.

    At $59.00, the 2021 Apple Leather Wallet is not exactly cheap. You also need to consider how many items you plan to carry with you. The Leather Wallet is intended to be used with only three cards. I was able to wedge four cards in but getting them out quickly at the checkout counter was not an easy task. Clearly, Apple is working toward a future where the iPhone takes the place of your wallet and will hold digital versions of your state issued ID, credit cards, bank cards, and more.

    Bellroy Card Sleeve, Source: Bellroy

    For comparison, the Bellroy Card Sleeve wallet has a similar price, color, and size but can hold more cards and folded bills without the magnets. While I do like the minimalist feel of the Bellroy Card Sleeve, I am worried that it will slide out of my back pocket. Having a wallet that attached to the back of my iPhone and can notify me that it has been detached is a nerve calming feature that gives you a chance to find your wallet quickly.

    The Apple Leather Wallet comes in the same variety of case colors as the Apple iPhone Leather Cases. That is good or bad news depending on your view of the 2021 iPhone case colors. I am not a big fan of this year’s colors, so I got the Golden Brown one. It matches the Golden Brown case that I have on my personal iPhone. I also think that the Golden Brown case goes well with the Blue iPhone 13 but not so much with the bare Sierra Blue iPhone 13.

    When it comes to wallets, I have learned that there are more personal taste and security considerations at play. The Find My integration gives Leather Wallet users piece of mind that you have a fighting chance to find a lost wallet. However, if you want to carry lots of cards and cash, the three-card limit may be a deal breaker for you. Not being able to use my iPhone Leather Wallet for my work ID, I plan on alternating between the Apple iPhone Leather Wallet and my Bellroy Card Sleeve depending on what cards I plan on taking with me.

  • accessories,  apple,  case,  iphone 12

    Apple Leather Case with MagSafe Review

    One of the great things that I really like about the new iPhone 12-series of smartphones from my favorite fruit company is the return of the iPhone 4 and 5-series flat slides. And the return of the flat sides comes the drop in style flat side Apple Leather Cases. Here’s my review.

    What Works Well

    There are many third-party cases for iPhones on the market today. I prefer the first-party cases for a few different reasons. Long time readers of this blog will know that I am a life-long Apple customer and fan. So, for me, many times, if there is a first-party accessory available, that is the one I will get.

    With that out of the way, I also prefer first-party accessories for their full support of new features. For the iPhone 12-series, that means the ability to use MagSafe. MagSafe is Apple’s new inductive charging solution. Previous iPhone models and cases were compatible with inductive charging. However, with the iPhone 12 leather cases, the charging magnets are integrated with the case. The real benefit of having MagSafe magnets in the iPhone and in the case is that it is easier for the user to align the charging coils. People who receive a lot of vibrate notifications can be assured that the iPhone will stay put on the MagSafe charger – something that was not a guarantee in non-MagSafe inductive chargers.

    The case build quality is quite nice too. The iPhone 12 Pro leather cases have a softer touch to them than the Apple leather cases that I used on my iPhone 11 Pro. The edging and seam where the leather meets the soft interior lining mate up well. May Dad thinks that the Apple Leather Cases are slippery. And, in my opinion, new cases are. But once you start carrying them around in backpacks, purses, or jeans pockets, they will wear nicely. With previous versions of the leather case, I found that it took longer to break in the case while wearing dress pants to work every day. Now my iPhone 12 Pro Max mostly sits on my desk or coffee table.

    In addition to the feel of the leather, I also appreciate the use of metal volume and power buttons that are built into the case. Pressing the buttons on the case feel satisfying. The button press feels as if there wasn’t a case on the iPhone at all. In my opinion, the metal buttons feel much better than the rubbery caps found on the Apple Clear Case or leather lumps that Apple used on the leather cases for the iPhone 5/ 6 /6S series. In comparison, I think that the metal buttons are just easier to press after having lived with other button options.

    Some Room for Improvements

    As the saying goes, you get what you pay for. In Apple’s case you are often paying for quality. 1 The Apple’s leather cases are made well, but, before you order one, you have to ask yourself if Apple’s cases are worth it. The iPhone 12 / 12 Pro / 12 Pro Max Leather Case with MagSafe is $59. That’s pretty expensive. If you want to add a Leather Wallet with MagSafe, that will cost you an additional $59. 2. If you are looking for an alternative to Apple’s leather cases, Nomad’s Rugged Case series look handsome and cost less ($49.95).

    I also think it is less than great that there is a plastic ridge that rises up around the camera bump. While this protects the glass camera lens, the iPhone is unstable when being used while laying face up on a flat surface. The wobbling of the case irritates me.

    Based on my past use of iPhone leather cases in red and yellow, the corners of these cases will wear and patina quickly. In my experience, more so when riding around in jeans pockets. Darker color Apple cases will do the same thing, but they will be less noticeable.

    Accessory adapters like the Lightning to 30-pin adapter won’t work with the Leather Case with MagSafe

    The last think that perspective buys will want to know is that the bottom edge of the iPhone 12-style leather cases are boxed in. That is to say, that there is a single continuous edge around the entire iPhone 12. The first-party cases for the iPhone X/ XS / 11 Pro all featured an open bottom edge. Some people like an open edge with the speaker and Lightening port completely unobstructed. For iPhone 12, the bottom edge should offer more protection for iPhones that are knocked off tables or otherwise dropped. However, if you use an accessory that has a thick cable connector, like the Lightning to 30-pin connector that is in the 10-year-old car that my kids drive, well, maybe the Apple leather case isn’t for you.

    Wby can’t Apple’s product pages show the slides and bottom edge of the case?

    A personal gripe that I have with Apple is the product photography that has been used for the leather case. Would it really be a problem to show the case from all sides? As a perspective customer about to spend $59 on a case, I don’t want to be left wondering what the button covers and bottom edge look like. I found it completely aggravating that I couldn’t see those angles on the product page.

    Conclusion

    If you want the premium fit and finish of an Apple product, you will probably want an Apple Leather Case with MagSafe. You will enjoy using it. Depending on the other iPhone accessories you may have in your life, or if you don’t feel like dropping another $59 or more for accessories on top of the expense of the iPhone itself, you may want to look at the similarly featured less expensive offerings from third-party case makers.


  • accessories,  apple watch,  spigen

    Spigen ProFlex EZ Fit Glass Screen Protector for Apple Watch Review

    Source: Spigen.com

    I have never trusted myself with expensive watches. I would always scratch up the screens so I would always get inexpensive watches. Prior to Apple Watch, the only expensive watches I purchased were in the $130 range. Fast forward to the Apple Watch, and my original Sport and Series 4, have fared well, but if you look at the screen carefully and under good lighting, you will see several scuffs in the glass. I knew that they were going to get scratched from the get-go, so I am not terribly upset.

    The game changed when I got my Series 5 Stainless Steel Apple Watch. The Series 5 is the most expensive watch I have ever owned, and I was not going to take any chances with it. I decided to protect it with a rubbery clear bumper case. It was big and thick but offered a clear view of the screen. I really did not like the added bulk that the case added. I felt that it robbed me of the sleek design of Apple Watch. On top of that, I recently noticed that the edges of the rubbery case had started to brown – a common problem with these kinds of cases. Thankfully, Spigen has a no compromise solution for me.

    The Spigen ProFlex EZ Fit tempered glass screen protector for Apple Watch offers customers a tempered glass screen protector to protect the screen without adding bulk to Apple Watch.

    I have been using Spigen’s glass screen protectors on my iPhones for multiple years now and I have found them to offer great protection while not getting the way during daily use. I purchased the ProFlex two pack and planned on installing them on my Series 4 and Series 5 Watches.

    One of the nice upgrades with Spigen glass screen protectors are the plastic installation trays. Unlike older systems where you are left your own devices to line up and apply screen protectors, Spigen’s trays make installing perfectly aligned screen protectors a breeze. I also appreciate that the Spigen ProFlex screen protectors come with an oleophobic coating, similar to the coating that Apple uses, so that it is super easy to clean fingerprints from the glass.

    Installation was super easy. First, you take off the band that is on Apple Watch and clean the screen with the included wipes and cloth. Next, place the Apple Watch in the provided alignment tray. Once in the tray, peel the back off of the screen protector that is attached to the applicator. Using the included squeegee to press down and apply the screen protector to the face of the Watch. A few good firm passes from bottom to top should do it. Finally, carefully, remove the applicator tab from the Watch, remove it from the applicator try, and rub out any tiny air bubbles. And that’s it, you are good to go. Reattach your favorite band and enjoy your Apple Watch knowing that its screen is protected from the day-to-day accidental bumps that could scuff or scratch the screen.

    The biggest concern for me was going to be usability. I wanted a glass screen protector to protect the screen, but one that did not have a thick ridge that my finger would rub over when swiping up or down when trying to access notifications and Control Center. I am happy to report that while there is a bit of a ridge that I feel when swiping up to access Control Center, it is very minimal. I prefer the rounded edge for Spigen’s GLAS.tR iPhone screen protectors. It would be nice if Spigen could do something similar with the ProFlex screen protector in a future update.

    Overall, I think the Spigen ProFlex EZ Fit tempered glass screen protectors for Apple Watch look and feel great. It allows me to ditch the chunky case and enjoy the look and feel of Apple Watch without worrying about scratching the screen.

    The ProFlex EZ Fit screen protector is compatible with Apple Watch SE and Apple Watch Series 6, 5, and 4. Available in both 44mm and 40mm sizes, the ProFlex costs a reasonable $19.99 at Spigen.com.

  • accessories,  apple

    Are Your Lightning Cables and Chargers Legit?

    If you have owned an iOS device for longer than six months, you probably have found a need to purchase additional Lightning cables and chargers. While you can purchase first-party cables from a local Apple Store or apple.com. Many of us, however, will buy those cables from Amazon or eBay.

    But, are the cables you buy from your favorite online retailer a legitimate Apple cable? Maybe, maybe not, according to ZDNet’s Adrian Kingsley-Hughes. That Amazon is chockfull of fake products is nothing new. The Washington Post’s Jay Green covered this problem last year.

    As Kingsley-Hughes points out, Apple has published a support document to help customers spot knock-off products. When purchasing cables and chargers for your iOS device, you should look for the Made for iPhone/iPad/iPod (MFi) logos on the packaging.

    Apple’s modern Made for iPhone/iPad/iPod touch badge, source: Apple, Inc.

    I encourage you to read Apple’s support document and share if with family and friends. Using fake cables and chargers can damage your Apple products and can pose a fire risk.

    So, what accessories are safe to buy? Obviously, purchasing directly from Apple is one way to be sure your product is genuine and safe. There are other third-party vendors that sell high-quality accessories including Amazon Basics, Anker, Belkin, Monoprice, and Nomad.

  • accessories,  iphone xr,  webcam,  windows 10

    DroidCam for iOS, Android, and Windows 10 PCs

    Whoever expected that in 2020 webcams, like the ones made by Logitech, would be in tight supply? Thanks to the COVID-19 global pandemic forcing many people to work and learn from home; good webcams are hard to find. It doesn’t help that the webcams in our laptops have varying degrees of quality.

    That’s where DroidCam by Dev47Apps comes in. It’s simple, really. Your iPhone has a way better camera system than any webcam that has been shoved into the lid of a MacBook or Windows PC laptop. With so much of our work, learning, and socializing happening via web conference, there are many reasons why you will want to look your best on camera.

    DroidCam has two pieces: the main app that runs on your iOS or Android smartphone and a client app that presents the camera feed to your Windows PC. Unfortunately, there is no Mac client app. The app is free to use, with ads and watermarks. In my testing of the free app running on my iPhone XR with the latest version of iOS 13, I did not see any ads or watermarks in the video. For $4.99, you can remove the ads, watermark, and unlock “Pro” features like HD Video and video controls, using your smartphone as a mic, image flipping and rotation, brightness settings, screen captures, and a few other tools.

    DroidCam client running on Windows 10

    There are three ways to connect DroidCam to the client app on your Windows PC. The first is to connect both the smartphone and the PC to the same Wi-Fi network. Since I was using my solution for work, I didn’t want to use a public Wi-Fi connection for my video calls. The next option is to create a private Wi-Fi network between the smartphone and the PC. While better than a public Wi-Fi connection, this option seems like too much of a hassle. The third option, I feel, is the best option: using your smartphone’s sync cable to connect the phone to the PC. In my case, that was an Apple Lightning to USB-A cable. Wires, in 2020? I know, it seems crazy, but there are good reasons. First, running your smartphone as a webcam is going to place a heavy load on the phone’s battery. Keeping your smartphone plugged into your PC is going to help keep the battery up. Secondly, there are less changes of weird problems cropping up when Wi-Fi is out of the mix.

    There are few things that I didn’t like. There doesn’t seem to be a way to engage the front facing TrueDepth camera on my iPhone XR. DroidCam only seemed to be able to control the rear facing 12MP camera. This situation is understandable given that Dev47Apps originally developed the app for the Android platform. This does mean, however, that the iPhone screen is always pointing away from me. This makes interacting with the iPhone during setup difficult when it’s mounted in a c-clamp on a tripod. To be fair, my tripod rig is not the developer’s fault.

    Unlocked DroidCam client HD Mode options

    After attending a few work conference calls using DroidCam, I happily paid the full price to unlock the pro features. Paying $4.99 rather than spending hours trying to find a good webcam that is actually in stock on Amazon, eBay, Best Buy or others is a much better use of your time and attention. With its low cost, DroidCam is a very economical solution for getting better video performance out of the equipment you already have.

  • accessories,  apple,  iphone 11 pro

    2019 iPhone – What Am I Getting?

    Pre-orders for the 2019 Apple iPhone models are set to start in just about an hour. So, now seems like a good time to get another cup of coffee and review my ordering plans.

    While I have been a member of #PlusClub in the past, I really have grown to love the 5.8-inch iPhone X and iPhone XS phones. So, this year, while I did spend some time considering a Max, I have decided to get an iPhone 11 Pro. Not a surprising pick, really. When I find something that I like, I tend to stick with it. What I am changing up this year is the color. Unlike years past when I have ordered Black, Space Black, Grey, or Space Grey iPhones, this year, I decided I really liked the look of the polished stainless steal band. So, I’m getting the Silver (White) iPhone 11 Pro. I will also be picking up the Apple iPhone 11 Pro Midnight Blue (Grassia Standard Navy Blue) leather case. I think that the polish stainless steal band showing at the bottom of the iPhone and the white showing through on the back camera bump (area) will really look nice.

    To recap, I hope to pre-order a 5.8-inch unlocked iPhone 11 Pro, in Silver, with 256GB storage. I insta-bough the leather iPhone 11 Pro Midnight Blue case on Tuesday after watching the Apple Fall keynote. I pick the case up today at my local Apple Store.

    Update:

    The Apple online store when live about a minute or two after 8:00am EDT. I was able to order my iPhone 11 Pro without any hassle right in Safari on my iMac. Super easy. I used Apple Pay, and confirmed the purchase on my iPhone XS.

    I hope you also got the device(s) that you were looking for too!

  • accessories,  apple,  macbook pro

    Apple USB-C Multiport Adapter Update 1.0

    As some of you know, I purchased a Late 2016 Apple MacBook Pro.  I recently had the need to purchase a HDMI video out adapter.  So, naturally, I went for the more expensive route, and purchased the $69 Apple USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter.

    What I found interesting the first time I plugged it in was an alert in macOS Sierra to update the firmware on the dongle.  The update is a minuscule 204kb.  In today’s world, that is super small.  As you can see from the images I captured below, Update 1.0 is a “compatibility and reliability” update.  Since this was the first time I used the adapter, I did not notice any problems.

    adapter updateusb-c av dongle update 1usb-c av dongle update 2

    In my daily usage, these kinds of updates are fairly infrequent.  The last accessory update that I recall seeing was for the Apple Smart Keyboard for my first generation 12.9″ iPad Pro.  Before that, a minor update to the firmware on my PowerBeats Bluetooth earbuds.  I like to think that these kinds of minor updates are not generally required because everything “just works”, but I am glad that Apple issues these updates to fix issues and generally improve the user experience.

     

  • accessories,  keyboard,  logitech

    Logitech Create Backlit Keyboard 12.9-inch Mini Review

    create-keyboard-hero-blue-1000_840pxI have been using my iPad Pro 12.9-inch for the last year.  When I purchased my iPad Pro, I purchased the Apple Smart Keyboard.  This past November 22, after a year of the Smart Keyboard and having read reviews from bloggers and hearing podcasters talk about the Logitech Create keyboards, I decided to get one.  What follows are my thoughts and impressions about 12.9-inch Create keyboard.

    Logitech Create Backlit Keyboard Case Mini Review

    I love using my iPhones and iPads without cases, yet I cannot stand having scratches, nicks, or scuffs so I always use a case or some sort.  My iPad Pro, issued to me by my employer, has spent the last year protected by the Apple Smart Keyboard and the Silicone Case.

    The Logitech Create 12.9-inch keyboard, in my opinion, is on the opposite end of the keyboard spectrum from the Apple Smart Keyboard.  The Create fore goes Apple’s minimalist obsession and let’s their Smart Connector-based keyboard be true to itself.  To get a sense of the size, the keys on the Create keyboard are about the same size as those on the Apple Magic Keyboard.  The best part about the Create keyboard is that there is actually movement in the keys (key travel).  If you like the keyboard on the MacBook Air, then I think you will like this keyboard a lot.  Since retiring my 17-inch MacBook Pro, the iPad Pro with Create keyboard has become my on-the-go writing tool.

    The key caps are a nice size and I can easily touch type on this keyboard just like I can on my wireless Microsoft (at the office) and Apple (at home) keyboards.  The Create keyboard also has an extra row of function keys that are missing from Apple’s Smart Keyboard.  Create also sports backlit keys, another feature that is missing from the Apple stock keyboard. The function keys that I find myself using the most are search, backlight brightness up and down, lock, and home.  In the position of the Fn key on the Magic Keyboard, Logitech placed a keyboard key, which when pressed, brings up the iOS 10 on-screen keyboard.

    I have been using the Create keyboard with three main apps on my iPad – Microsoft Word, Outlook, and OneNote.  When I get in a groove, and typing furiously (for me), my personal preference is for the Create keyboard over the Apple Smart Keyboard.  For writing in my lap while on the go, I feel that the Create keyboard is the sturdier of the two.

    The Logitech Create keyboard case is available in five colors: classic red with gold keyboard top, purple, blue with silver keyboard top (the version I purchased), black with silver keyboard top, and black.  I have a silver iPad Pro, and I thought that the blue/silver case looked the best partnered up with my iPad.   Red/gold was a close runner up.  If I had a black iPad Pro, I would have only considered the two black versions.  Personal preferences will obviously vary.

    For as much as I like the Logitech Create keyboard for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, there are a few downsides to consider.

    The Create keyboards is big and heavy.  It’s the price to be paid for being true to itself.  Much more so than the two-piece Apple solution.  It’s something buyers need to consider if they travel around a lot.  For me, the extra bulk is not too much of a problem because I don’t travel much.  Logitech has included a wrist rest, however, it is shallow, and my palms hang off the edge.  This is not a deal breaker.  The total size of the keyboard and wrist rest is constrained by the size of the iPad Pro.  I am glad that Logitech used the majority of the space for the keys over that of the wrist rest.

    There are magnets in the wrist rest that will put the iPad to sleep just like any other Smart Cover.  The magnets aren’t powerful enough to keep the iPad closed.  I attribute this to the sheer bulk of the Create case.  If I pick up my iPad Pro by the top half of the Create case, it will open.  While walking around the office with my iPad, there is some minimal movement between the iPad and Create.  Because of this, I worry about the plastic key caps rubbing up against the glass screen and marking it up over time.  As such, I felt it was necessary to buy a glass screen protector for the iPad Pro.  I have no evidence that the screen would become damaged.  It was an emotional response to my desire to keep my hardware looking like it just came out of the box.  Again, results will vary.

    The one gripe that I do have, that was “fixed” with the Create keyboard for the 9.7-inch iPad Pro, was the inclusion of a loop for storing an Apple Pencil.  There is a lot of space where the Pencil loop could have gone in the 12.9-inch model. I personally feel that early adopter feedback informed Logitech’s decision to include the loop on the 9.7-inch iPad Pro Create keyboard case.  I am looking forward to seeing the loop on a future 12.9-inch Create keyboard.

    Conclusion

    The Logitech Create keyboard for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro is the keyboard for people who prefer a more traditional keyboard experience.  I find it delightful to type on and the experience is more like the other keyboards in my life.  I also appreciate that Logitech let this be the keyboard that it wants to be – size and weight be damned – and I appreciate it.

    The Logitech Create Backlit Keyboard Case for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro can be purchased for $149.95 from both the Logitech and Apple online stores or in retail stores that sell iPad Pros.