Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
you open and close it. Smart Cases are all constructed of polyurethane (sorry, no leather this time),
and are available in six bright colors for $69.
Just make sure you get the one for the iPad mini; the full-size iPad Smart Case looks
similar but won't fit your iPad mini.
Exploring virtual keyboard alternatives
We think the various virtual keyboards that pop up just as you need them on the iPad are perfectly
fine for shorter typing tasks, whether it's composing e-mails or tapping a few notes. For most longer
assignments, however, we writers are more comfortable pounding away on a real-deal physical key-
board, and we suspect you feel the same way.
A physical keyboard for the iPad is an easy addition.
The Apple Wireless Keyboard
Fortunately, a physical keyboard for the iPad mini is an easy addition, and Apple offers a good one
for $69.
The Apple Wireless Keyboard, as shown in Figure
17-2
, is a way to use a decent-enough aluminum
physical keyboard without tethering it to the iPad. It operates from up to 30 feet away from the iPad
via Bluetooth, the wireless technology we discuss in Chapter
15
.
Which leads us to ask, can you see
the iPad mini screen from 30 feet away?
Courtesy of Apple
Figure 17-2:
The Apple Wireless Keyboard.
