My Magic Keyboard is Falling Apart
... And I'm Not Alone
A few months ago, I made a David Attenborough-level discovery: a tear across the corner of my Magic Keyboard.
I was a little disappointed that the Magic Keyboard had cosmetic damage, but it was small and barely noticeable.
Within a week, the edges of the tear were starting to peel apart, revealing the inner layer of the Magic Keyboard. Out of worry, I turned to humanity's savior: tape.
Here's what the corner of my Magic Keyboard looks like now:
"eh"
My Magic Keyboard was two years old. At least one bad thing had to happen over those 63,072,000 seconds.
I was a little annoyed (my Magic Keyboard wasn't as #aesthetic), but it wasn't a big deal.
At first.
"uh-oh"
As I took a closer look, I saw some weird things about my Magic Keyboard (weirder than the story behind Cocaine Bear).
On one corner, there was a small dent. Nothing big, but still annoying.
On the edges of the keyboard at multiple points, the binding/glue was falling apart.
Now, I was a little 😡. Not quite 🤬, but I was getting there.
"oh no"
A few weeks pass by.
And then the fabric starts peeling. At first, there's one small spot on the bottom of the keyboard. Then, a second spot forms as the first one grows bigger.
I also noticed a weird scratchy texture on parts of my Magic Keyboard. The edges also became less smooth, with small cuts (that's the best description I can give).
In short, my Magic Keyboard was aging. And not in the vintage-wine type of aging.
Now, I was 🤬.
My iPad = 👶
For the first year I used my iPad, it never even left my house.
Even after I started taking my iPad to school, I kept it in a separate compartment in my backpack and only used it on desks.
My iPad lived a disaster-free life
If I used my iPad in a construction zone, I could understand the damage.
But I didn't. And that means there's something wrong with Apple's build quality (that's a sentence you don't usually hear).
Wait a minute..
Apple tech usually has mind-bending build quality (my family STILL has a functioning 2009 iMac that works pretty freaking well).
Maybe Apple made a mistake? Maybe my Magic Keyboard was a unique case?
WRONG.
I did some research. Here's what I found:
Why This Happens
After doing some research online, it looks the culprit is the rubbery fabric Apple used for the Magic Keyboard.
The relative lack of durability with this material is why peeling/tears may occur.
In addition, Apple's build quality with iPad keyboards tends to suck: as I looked for reports of cosmetic damage for Magic Keyboards, I found many for the Smart Keyboard and Smart Keyboard Folio cases.
I've also seen theories that leaving your Magic Keyboard in a car/in the sun for a while can also affect the rubbery fabric.
How To Avoid This
Honestly, you can't.
I treat my iPad like a baby. My Magic Keyboard is still falling apart.
Just don't be an idiot and hope for the best. Maybe use a skin to cover it up?
Final Thoughts
"for US$300 you expect a better quality build that can withstand being carried in a computer bag daily and being sat on a desk daily - these are surely normal use scenarios" — A fellow disappointed Magic Keyboard user
Thanks for reading!
Adi
PS—Have any thoughts on this? Lmk in the comments
Criminy! Thanks for the heads up. Mine stays stationary and doesn't get a lot of use... so will be interesting to see if this appears anyway, like spontaneous combustion.