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How I solved a big iPad design flaw

I have an iPad Pro, Apple's Magic Keyboard Folio, and an Apple Pencil. The combination gave me a huge headache.
Written by Adrian Kingsley-Hughes, Senior Contributing Editor
Apple iPad 10th Gen Magic Keyboard Folio on a desk
June Wan/ZDNET

Apple's design, engineering, and attention to detail is usually mind-blowing.

And there are times when it really falls short.

Take this example. I have a 12.9-inch M2 iPad Pro. I have Apple's Magic Keyboard. I have an Apple Pencil.

Good combination, right? A combo of hardware devices that Apple has built to work together.

Except for one thing. Keeping my $129 Apple Pencil safe.

Sure, there are magnets on the side of the iPad Pro, and the Apple Pencil clings onto these magnets both for charge and so as to not get lost. But within the first 24 hours of ownership, I'd lost the Apple Pencil countless times.

Also: The 4 best iPad models

Apple Pencil attached to iPad

Apple has engineered the perfect way for me to lose that Apple Pencil.

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET

It was only a matter of time before I lost it permanently.

I needed a solution.

And that solution is the Spigen DA20 Apple Pencil holder for the iPad. 

The idea is simple, yet genius (and something Apple should have thought of).

The holder fits between the iPad and the Magic Keyboard Folio. It holds the Apple Pencil firmly in place until needed and also allows it to be charged up.

Also: What is the best iPad stylus and is there an alternative to Apple Pencil?

Apple pencil holder and Apple pencil

Simple, yet genius.

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET

Brilliant idea.

There's a cutout on the back of the holder to allow the Pencil to be removed easily, and everything is coated in a soft silicone to make sure that nothing -- the iPad, keyboard, or Apple Pencil -- is scratched.

It's a brilliant solution to a problem that Apple shouldn't have allowed to occur in the first place.

At $23, the Spigen DA20 Apple Pencil holder for the iPad might seem expensive, but I'd rather pay that than pay $129 for a new Apple Pencil. 

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