One thing we found out about Apple’s new iPad is that the add-ons released to complement it are the most special Apple has released so far. In iPad’s launch last week, we witnessed the launching of the latest accessories for iPad as well.

The initial accessory that iPad users are interested in is the keypad. Apple disclosed its keypad and connector at $69. For almost all of us who know Apple original add-ons, this keypad is quite a surprise. When have we ever witnessed an item released from Cupertino which needs the development of an accessory that slightly removes the portability of a mobile device? We haven’t, so some people are looking at this suspiciously.

Let’s hold judgment until we see the iPad in retail outlets and instead look at the keypad’s features first. it is a usual but smaller Apple keypad that you will usually see with the new iMac and includes a plastic connector. Apple is well-known for its wonderful keyboards. The aluminum structure makes them durable and their flat key design makes them perfect for touch typing – the idea that they’re amzingly simple and exquisite is only a real bonus. Thus, we’re cool with the keypad however,let’s now move on to the plastic connector.

Apple has a poor track record on the plastics front. Their previous generation Macbook (white casing) had several problems with cracking and flaying on its surface due to the poor quality of its plastics. I believe that with the iPad’s weight of 1.5 pounds and Apple’s history with plastics, we may be expecting possibilities of cracking later on. Time will tell and only hands on user experience would decide but all in all this accessory should hold its own. A move to an aluminum connector in the future may prove essential to its success.