During an underwhelming education-focused event today, Apple tried to stem the oncoming Chromebook tide in schools by releasing a marginally cheaper iPad with support for the Apple Pencil. A new iPad is always big news, but outside of the event, Apple quietly did something much more significant.
That’s right: The space gray iMac Pro accessories that everyone wants but no one could buy have finally been made available to the general public. For a tiny amount more than Apple charges for the white versions, you can now buy a space gray Magic Keyboard, a space gray Magic Mouse, and a space gray Magic Touchpad. That thundering you hear underneath you? The sounds of the Apple Faithful flocking to their nearest store and throwing credit cards everywhere.
All jokes aside, I’ve always been a big fan of Apple’s keyboard (to the extent that I hacked one to work with my Windows PC), so I’m genuinely excited to be able to buy the space gray version for my workspace. Not only does it show everyone (and my dog) that I’m a real cool nerd, I also suspect the black keys won’t get as grubby nearly as fast.
Of course, this is Apple, so you do have to pay for all that extra black ink. The space gray Magic Keyboard is $149, $20 more than the regular Magic Keyboard and an undeniably large amount of money to pay for a basic Bluetooth keyboard. The Magic Mouse is $99, and the Magic Touchpad is also $149. The accessories all come with a coveted black Lightning cable for charging.
When Apple first unveiled the space gray accessories, they were only for the new iMac Pro. Even if you wanted to buy replacements, you had to give Apple a valid serial number to prove that you were cool enough to qualify. The second-hand market got truly out of hand, and at one point the accessories were selling for over $2,000 on eBay.
