iPad Pro Magic Keyboard trackpad teardown reveals a nifty trick

By Ewdison Then/

Apple's new Magic Keyboard accessory for the iPad Pro is a curious thing in more ways than one. While many will naturally focus on the message that Apple is trying to send in making the iPad Pro a veritable MacBook competitor, others like iFixit are more entranced by what goes inside. Going beyond X-Rays, the teardown experts make their first entry into the mobile Magic Keyboard and already discovered a few treasures along the way.

That the Magic Keyboard's trackpad was so easy to remove was their first surprise. With just a bit of heat and prying, iFixit was able to pop off the top assembly that housed the electronics. No hidden cables, no accidental cuts. That bodes well for the repairability chances of this particular component.

What laid beneath, however, was the even bigger surprise. What they presumed were four buttons were actually just four red herrings. The trackpad only had one button smack in the middle, the one that gets directly pressed when you click anywhere in that area. So what was giving the trackpad its even clicky feel?

Apparently, it was a simple yet ingenious lever system that raised the central contact plate up whenever you press near or on the corners of the trackpad. The way the lever covers both the corner areas as well as the perimeter of the trackpad most likely accounts for that even distribution of the click wherever you press.

Unfortunately for teardown fans, the trackpad is the only thing that can so far be removed without damaging the Magic Keyboard. Given the newer and more numerous parts, including spring-loaded hinges, the entire teardown might be a bigger nightmare than any Smart Keyboard cover before. At least it has a nice trackpad.

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