A new accessory could make your iPad Pro more MacBook-like than ever. At CES 2020 next week, Brydge plans to show off its latest add-on for Apple's tablet, the Brydge Pro+.
Available starting at $199, the Brydge Pro+ looks like a lot of other Brydge keyboards for the iPad. The big difference is that this model features an integrated touchpad. That addition is made possible by changes to the Assistive Touch feature in last year's iPadOS 13 update, which adds support for third-party mice and touchpads.
Brydge first announced plans to offer a keyboard with integrated touchpad back in October, around the same time another accessory maker announced an iPad keyboard of its own with a touchpad. (That accessory, the Libra, is facing a lawsuit from Brydge, and Libra's creators say they're planning to alter the design to avoid any potential patent infringement.)
That multiple accessory makers are looking to create keyboards for touchpads for the iPad is evidence of how welcome such an accessory would be. While plenty of iPad users are happy to use that tablet's touch interface, a full-sized keyboard can come in handy when it's time to get serious typing done. And a touchpad only figures to boost productivity.
The Brydge Pro+ for Apple's 11-inch iPad Pro costs $199, while the model for the 12.9-inch tablet will sell for $229. Brydge starts taking pre-oders at 2 p.m. EST/11 a.m. PST on Jan. 7, the opening day of CES. The first 500 pre-orders will ship by the end of February with the rest of the Brydge Pro+ models arriving in March.
Besides the Brydge Pro+, Brydge also plans to show off a standalone trackpad for iPads. There's no name and price tag for the desktop trackpad, but Brydge is promising smooth swiping for iPads running the latest version of iPadOS.
Fans of Microsoft tablets won't be left out of the mix. Brydge says it's releasing new keyboards for the Surface Go and Surface Pro. It's also showing off early concepts on keyboards for the Surface Pro X, Microsoft's convertible tablet.
The Brydge Pro for the 12.3-inch Surface Pro and 10-inch Surface Go will appear in the second quarter of this year, with W-Type and W-Touch keyboard and trackpads following in the next quarter. Look fro the Surface Pro X-compatible Brydge Pro X in the second half of the year.
