9.7-Inch iPad Pro: Smart Keyboard Is Impossible To Find


Apple has just released the 9.7-inch iPad Pro to excellent reviews. The only problem is that those who want the full package, including the Smart Keyboard, will have to wait. The Smart Keyboard has been almost impossible to find since the new iPad arrived in stores on Thursday.

Many on the MacRumors forums have expressed their disappointment.

“Has anyone had any luck finding the new Smart Keyboard in stock? Everywhere I’ve looked seemed to not have them. I’m just curious if the stores never actually got stock in the first place or if they sold out quick?” asks Guywoodman7.

“The 4 local Apple store that are within 15 miles of me have none, and the remaining stores that are considered close by don’t have any either,” says Titans1127.

“Glad to see Apple learned something from last year’s Apple Pencil boondoggle,” comments Rafterman.

9.7-inch iPad Pro
Those who purchase the 9.7-inch iPad Pro now will have to wait for the Smart Keyboard. [Photo via Daryl Deino]
Apple appears to have a habit of releasing items without having major accessories available. When the 12.9-inch iPad Pro was released last November, both the Apple Pencil stylus and Smart Keyboard were impossible to find. 9To5Mac reported that the Pencil was being scalped on eBay.

“With the accessory in short supply at Apple Stores, the new Apple Pencil stylus for the iPad Pro is listed for as high as $400 on eBay, four times the $99 sticker price through Apple… The short supply of the accessories frustrated early adopters of the new iPad Pro enough that Apple offered a comment last week, noting that it has ‘limited supply of Apple Pencil and the Smart Keyboard’ and that it will continue ‘regular shipments’ of the accessories to Apple Stores.”

Both accessories for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro were easier to find by Christmas, but the debacle still left many Apple customers upset. Those who purchased the 9.7-inch iPad Pro last week were thankfully able to find the Apple Pencil, but are still missing their keyboard.

Apple’s tablet business has been on a downward trend for the past couple of years, mostly because smartphones have become bigger and laptops have become smaller. Successful tablet/laptop hybrids, such as Microsoft’s Surface Pro 4, have taken over the marketplace. However, the new 9.7-inch iPad Pro has received excellent reviews. The Verge is just one of the major websites that loves Apple’s new iPad.

“It looks so much like the iPad Air 2 that you’ll mistake it for one when you see it, yet the insides are so much more powerful it’ll blow your hair back. It’s packed with a weapons depot of ‘bests’ for a tablet: the best screen, the best speakers, the best camera, the best processor.”

9.7-inch iPad Pro
The 9.7-inch iPad Pro has arrived to excellent reviews. [Photo via Daryl Deino]
Mashable‘s Lance Ulanoff is also a huge fan of the new iPad Pro.

“Did Apple just raise the price of the best iPad? Yes, it did. Is it worth it? When you consider the components and storage in the $599, 9.7-inch iPad Pro, absolutely. I don’t know if this new Pro model will revitalize the iPad market, but with the 9.7-inch iPad Pro, Apple has certainly given it its best effort. I know I will find it hard to switch back to using an iPad Air 2.”

Many of the reviewers note that even if Apple’s latest tablet can’t replace a laptop, it is still a fantastic tablet. Do you own a 9.7-inch iPad Pro? Let us know in the comments section.

[Photo via Daryl Deino]

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