It’s taken a few months, but Apple is now selling the new, Touch ID-equipped version of its Magic Keyboard for anyone to buy, starting at $149 for the standard version and $179 for a full-sized model with a numpad, as spotted by MacRumors.
The Touch ID keyboard was introduced alongside the M1 iMac earlier this year, but at the time, the only way to get one was to buy a new computer. Now, though, anyone can buy one of the new keyboards, albeit with one key caveat: the standalone models are only available in Apple’s usual white / aluminum color scheme, instead of the more colorful models that come with the brightly hued iMacs.
And for those who must have their accessories match, Apple is also selling the updated Magic Trackpad for $129, with the more rounded corners that better match the similar curved keyboard corners.
Unfortunately, Apple hasn’t used the standalone release as an opportunity to switch to a more standardized cable: both the keyboards and the trackpad still use Lightning ports to charge, and include a woven Lightning to USB-C cable.
As was the case with the Magic Keyboard model that shipped with the M1 iMac, the standalone Touch ID keyboards still will only let you use the biometric sensor with an M1 Mac — a list that includes Apple’s recent MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, Mac Mini, and iMac models.
That makes the newly available standalone keyboard particularly useful for owners of the M1 Mac Mini, given that it’s the only M1-based computer that doesn’t include some form of Touch ID biometric security out of the box.
