Apple Wireless Keyboard

Apple's newest iteration of their wireless keyboard is one of the best pieces of design to have ever come out of Cupertino. For the past year this slim aluminum-milled chiclet-styled keyboard commands a central position on my desk (unlike, that is, any Apple mouse). It is simply one of those products that is so well made that if they end production I might have to buy several replacements. The minimalist design has been boiled down to the essence of a functioning keyboard. It lacks a numeric keypad (a feature that can only be found on Apple's wired keyboard but that I have no need for anyway). It has none of the unnecessary battery draining features found on other third party wireless keyboards and features only one LED (for caps lock). This means that the keyboard can run for several months on two rechargeable AA batteries (I have charged it twice in 12 months) without ever having to turn it off. The pint-sized (12.8" x 7.3" x 1.4") 11.5 ounce keyboard is dwarfed by other monster desktop keyboards but holds its own and has the added benefit of being small enough to slip into a laptop bag for on-the-go use alongside any Bluetooth-enabled device. Outside of aesthetics, the keyboard provides one of the most pleasant tactile writing experiences. The angle of the keyboard's surface (formed by the battery compartment) is perfect for extended periods of writing. The thin aluminum edge at the front keeps the keyboard close to the desk allowing my wrist to rest directly on the table unlike other raised keyboards and doesn't dig into my skin or limit circulation. In addition, after a year of hard use (I am tough on my keyboards) it looks brand new with no wear showing on the keys. And because it doesn't have the deep crevices between keys there is little room for cruff to get caught, and a simple spray with compressed air eliminates any residue. Typing is fluid and easy and I believe Apple has perfected the amount of pressure required to push the keys down. The sound of typing is minimal and not distracting like some of the other hammer keys out there. Simply put, it is one of those products that disappears when in use, allowing you to do what you need to do efficiently. As far as its wireless capabilities, the range of the Bluetooth wireless signal is impressive. I have managed to use it to pause music playing from two stories up (around 30 ft away). I was wary of using Bluetooth because in the past I have found it to be finicky, but in a year of use I haven't had a single connection problem. While many may groan at the sight of an expensive Apple product, I believe this keyboard is a peacemaker. It isn't proprietary (for those on PCs, the Apple-centric function keys simply revert to traditional F1-F12), it won't require you to relearn how to use a computer, and it doesn't even have a visible Apple logo (for all the haters out there). But above all else it is the best keyboard I have ever had the pleasure of using. [Note: There is a great thread over at Cool Tools covering the benefits of some of the older clickier IBM Model M keyboards and where to buy new copies of them today. -- OH] --Oliver Hulland Apple Wireless Keyboard $70 Comment on this at Cool Tools. Or, submit a tool!

• [rjek]

  It’s a shame it’s like typing on goose vomit, though. All those wiggly keys and no tactile feedback of when the key press is accepted beyond slamming the key into the back. Eugh, horrible.

  I’m not saying it’s not pretty, but it’s certainly typical Apple “design over function”, and I think it’s likely that people say they’re great to try to justify wasting obnoxious asking price to themselves.

  • [Anonymous]

    On the contrary, I find the Apple keyboards absolutely fantastic to type on. The wired one cost me £25 which is a very average keyboard price. I’d happily have paid twice that though.

  • [karl_jones]

    It’s a shame it’s like typing on goose vomit, though. All those wiggly keys and no tactile feedback of when the key press is accepted beyond slamming the key into the back.

    Ditto that.

    Apple keyboards look slick, but they’ve got all the substance of anorexic supermodels. Give me a nice chunky keyboard with some meat on her bones, and I’ll show you a man with happy fingers!

    I love my old IBM-style keyboard with the massive clunky keys. No shortage of tactile feedback!

    No Apple-esque design — kinda heavy, kinda bulky — but I don’t care two keystrokes for that.

    The crowning touch: a thick patina of coffee residue on the keys. Evidence that I’m hard at work, day after day!

    • [pajp]

      The crowning touch: a thick patina of coffee residue on the keys. Evidence that I’m hard at work, day after day!

      Or, evidence that you haven’t learned to clean your keyboard. Ew!

• [Michael Smith]

  I dont have this type of keyboard but bluetooth on the magic mouse seems to take forever to connect.

• [ericroded]

  Sexy at a price.

• [Anonymous]

  Too small for me, I suppose if you’re already used to cramp-typing on a notebook it wouldn’t be an issue.

• [Jack]

  If you get one of these keyboards, you must (MUST!) get a silicone keyboard protector. Unlike all other models of Apple keyboards, these are sealed tight. Spill something? It’s toast.

  In the past you could just open the keyboard up and clean it. Yeah it took patience, but it could be done.

  Decent keyboard covers can be had for about $10 from eBay.

• [Cowicide]

  Lol, 65 comments within a few hours on a keyboard… like or it not, haters… Apple is doing something right.

• [boxlightbox]

  no better wireless keyboard, period.

  Wired, there’s several other options that I’d prefer, but there’s no competition for wireless. I dreamed of this kind of keyboard before it was made, and I don’t care that it’s apple, it’s just function all the way. I can take this one anywhere, protected or unprotected and not even think about it getting damaged, and lap typing with it is heaven. This is how I write for pleasure now always.

  • [Ito Kagehisa]

    I’m guessing you haven’t tried the ultra-pretentious diNovo Edge?

    This keyboard is almost as pretty as my lovely (but rather large) diNovo, which is laser-cut from a polished sheet of semi-translucent black plexiglass with orange backlighting for the capacitive volume sliders and other nifty bits.

    The Apple’s got no touchpad, so you have to juggle a rodent I guess. It’s significantly cheaper than the diNovo, though, even when you add in the cost of a mouse.

    I’m thinking about trying out the diNovo mini, because I’ve been pretty happy with the big guy but the cats and children complain it takes up too much space in my lap.

    An interesting thing about logitech’s bluetooth keyboard/mouse interface – it works without a live OS, so you can use it to change BIOS settings, you don’t have to plug in a hard-wired keyboard even if your hard drive is dead.

• [Eutychus]

  I’m at my computer all day long and most often well into the evening. I bought a bog standard Logitech wireless keyboard and mouse for about €20. The batteries lasted well over a year. And it has a numerical keypad. :P

• [daen]

  I got a Mac Mini to use as a home server, space being limited in my studio apartment. I’ve never owned an Apple product before – the fawning design-mad hipster element doesn’t really appeal to me. But the Mac Mini was about the lowest powered box with any decent functionality I could find, and this keyboard is an excellent complement to it, as it takes up so little space itself.

  There is actually one more small green LED on the top right, which initially comes on when the keyboard wakes up, but it doesn’t stay on all the time.

• [RobertBigelow]

  I just ordered one of these from http://www.macofalltrades.com to use with my Aluminum PowerBook G4 in order to get accustomed to that particular style of keyboard because my next Mac will probably be a new or Apple-refurbished iMac.

  I’d always been impressed with the design and more so to read of it’s accolades in design excellence. The Apple Wireless Keyboard would be a good peripheral for the iPad, though I don’t think I’ll be buying an iPad anytime, soon.

• [Brainspore]

  Slick looking design, but I use software which calls upon the function keys too frequently for me to use any keyboard which forces me to hit the “fn” key to access them. I can tolerate that space-saving concession for a laptop on the go but not for my primary workstation.

  • [a random John]

    On a Mac, in the Keyboard panel of System Preferences, there is a checkbox labeled “Use all F1, F2, etc. keys as standard function keys”. If you click it you then need to hit the fn key with the function key to get the functions such as changing the volume. Problem solved.

    • [Brainspore]

      That’s great to know! But I still prefer having each set of buttons on its own row unless I’m using a laptop. I can make the room on my desk for that extra 3/4″ of keyboard space.

• [Anonymous]

  This is the best vi keyboard around. I use it on my mac pro with 12 text terminals open (on 4 virtual desktops) and I love it.

  Even though the keys are very thin, there is definite tactile feedback without the need to actually move your fingers that much. And because there is no useless numeric keypad, switching from typing to mousing takes much less effort.

  • [RobertBigelow]

    > This is the best vi keyboard around.

    This is even better to read because vi/vim (from the shell) is my text editor of choice and I was a little concerned as to how well my just-ordered Apple Wireless keyboard would work with it.

    You just have to sit back sometimes and say to yourself, *whew* I think I made the right decision, here. Now I’m chomping at the bit for my Apple Wireless Keyboard to arrive in the mail. :w ZZ

• [dargaud]

  You really need to explain to me why you would want to purchase an _external_ keyboard without a numeric keypad… Don’t you ever type numbers besides the date ? It’s like putting an extra laptop keyboard on a laptop.

  • [spill]

    Yup. Show me the 10-key.

  • [Anonymous]

    “You really need to explain to me why you would want to purchase an _external_ keyboard without a numeric keypad… Don’t you ever type numbers besides the date ?”

    As with all things, the keyboard design is a compromise that is not and cannot be all things to all people. Depending on your use case, you might prefer the traditional full-size keyboard or you might prefer one without the extra keys.

    I have both models (the full size one at home and the short one at work). The short keyboard is 28 cm wide; the full-size keyboard is something like 43 cm wide. Since my mouse is to the right of the keyboard, it means at home I have to reach an extra 15 cm (6″) to reach it, which is a much bigger deal than it sounds in terms of repetitive elbow strain. (If the numeric keypad were to the left of the QWERTY part, it might change the equation.) If I were doing a lot of spreadsheet work, I’d miss not having a numeric keypad, but otherwise, I find the extra keys of pretty marginal value, and well worth giving up in exchange for the smaller footprint. On the short keyboard, the cursor keys are a lot less useful than on the full-size one; if I relied on them a lot, I’d want the full-size keyboard, but most of my cursor moving activities take place in vim, and the hjkl semantics have long been second nature to me.

    In short, there are many reasons to prefer the smaller keyboard with fewer keys, just as there are many reasons to prefer the full-size one. Which one is right for *you* depends on how you use your computer, but what’s right for you doesn’t imply what’s right for me or for anyone else.

  • [jgs]

    You really need to explain to me why you would want to purchase an _external_ keyboard without a numeric keypad… Don’t you ever type numbers besides the date ?

    Because I touch-type. I can type numbers faster and more accurately with my hands on the home keys where god intended, than by moving my hand over to the numeric keypad. I’m willing to believe that someone who is expert with a keypad might be able to key in numbers faster than I can, though it’s by no means a sure thing — I get to use eight fingers, with a keypad you get, what, three? I suspect the numeric keypad is mostly beloved of poor to middling typists. For that matter, if I really did need to key in numbers for hours a day, I imagine I might want a separate keypad, not one integrated into the keyboard but way out on the right hand side.

    Since I have so little use for a keypad, I prefer a keyboard without one since it lets me keep my mouse closer to my keyboard. Less arm travel when I reach for it. In fact, I am willing to pay extra for a keyboard that doesn’t have a lot of useless stuff (keypad, media keys, blah blah).

    There’s also the fact that for travel it’s awfully nice to have an outboard keyboard so that you’re not locked into the ugly ergonomics forced by using a laptop’s integrated keyboard. When you’re bringing along an extra keyboard in your carry-on, the extra size and weight of a keypad looks even worse. I do have an Apple wireless keyboard for travel, though I use a Goldtouch split keyboard (also sans keypad) on my desk.

  • [Anonymous]

    @dargaud, I personally don’t like keyboards with number pads because I can quickly touch-type using the horizontal row of numbers, making the number pad a waste of space. I always recommend to people that, no matter how fast they are on the letters, they should learn the numbers across the top as well.

• [Anonymous]

  I like COOLTOOLS, but I’m starting to drift because reviews like this demonstrate an emphasis on COOL to the detriment of TOOLS. As others have stated — as an object — quite nice, but as a tool — not the sharpest in the shed.

  BTW Apple is well aware of the “less than complete” functioning for this cool mini keyboard, and they know that many people who purchse an iMac will need to spend another $50 (for the apple full KB) in order to be productive (with FCP for example, in my case).

• [cameronh1403]

  I love my keyboard. Got it when i got the 27 inch iMac and haven’t regretted it at all.

• [Napalm Dog]

  Extended typing on it is a pain, but it’s proved indispensable for use with Logic or Garageband. Ah, if it only had a jog wheel…

• [Chris Tucker]

  I tried one of these new Aluminum keyboards at the local Apple Store.

  Feels like I’m poking at a slab of silly putty.

  My current Mac keyboard which I’ve been using for six years or so is an Apple Extended Keyboard. Made in 1986.

  I bought at a local Goodwill for US$2.00. That’s TWO dollars.

  It’s the Apple equivalent of the IBM Model “M”, save for being not so clicky and lacking the steel shell.

  So far, I have had to replace two key switches. (On a 25 year old keyboard.) I have a broken Extended II keyboard as a donor.

  What do you do when the shiny, jolly, CANDY-LIKE Aluminum keyboard needs a keyswitch replaced?

  Why, you go and buy a new keyboard.

  I prefer built to last/built to easily repair.

  • [Philipshade]

    Are you using an ADB to USB converter? Because I LOVED my Frog split keyboard that came with my 660AV, but stopped using it when mac dropped ADB.

    I’m typing this on a Dell keyboard that seems designed to use a pile driver to push the keys in. UGH.

    • [Chris Tucker]

      Yep! The Griffin iMate.

      It’s out of production, as far as I know. I got mine via eBay.

      Works fine on the Dual Processor G5. I suspect it’ll work just fine if I ever get a Mac Pro.

      I used Keyboard Maestro to remap some keys, specifically the F13-15 keys to stop/start iTunes and lower and raise volume.

    • [mdh]

      I am rather fond of my Logitech backlit w/number pad. Just the right amount of force and tactile feedback, and just the right backlight.

      I’m looking at the iPad lately, and since typing on glass is not very rewarding I’ll check it out.

• [lysdexia]

  I’m in vi all the livelong day. I have two of these guys:

  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happy_Hacking_Keyboard

  My main work kb is a black pro with blank keys. Keys feel awesome, the reach for the mouse is reduced and I look like I stole it out of Darth Vader’s hamster ball.

  • [Anonymous]

    I have the same setup as you. Two HHKB with Blank keys.

    The Apple Wireless Keyboard is good, but since the capslock key is where the control key should be, it does a major harm on the wrists.

  • [peterbruells]

    Actually, I’d love to have an Apple wireless keyboard with blank keys.

• [Anonymous]

  Mine came with my iMac. It is great, but when I saw an old Mac wired keyboard sitting in my buddy’s garage, I asked if I could have it. So I’ve got the wired Mac keyboard (the one with the clear case, and a 10 key) attached to my Mac.

  The Bluetooth Wireless Keyboard is now “attached” via BT to my Sony Playstation, making typing a breeze on the PS3. Great for Hulu, Netflix or any other typing needs. Plus, it’s got such a small form factor, that it does just fine sitting next to the remotes for the TV, Tivo, PS3, VCR (yes, we’ve got kids VHS tapes) and DVD player.

• [ian_b]

  no home/end key and no scroll-lock for kvm make this is non-starter for my development setup. too bad, i really want one

• [RobertBigelow]

  Mine arrived a week ago and it. is. lovely. It’s taken a little getting used to, but that’s quite understandable given this is an ergonomic/tactile peripheral.

  If you like to use Widgets, [F4] will call up your Dashboard. The [control] key is in a good place for doing a [control][click] with the Mighty Mouse.

  A previous commenter posted that it the keyboard works great with the vi text editor – My lucky stars! – and after composing lots and lots of text, I happily concur.

• [Robert]

  Caps lock: the most useless key in the universe. So useless that it has to come with an LED to warn you that you just pushed the useless key so that all your input is going to be totally useless as well.

  • [egoVirus]

    BUT! It’s an excellent way to confirm your Mac is bricked, and needs rebooting…

    • [jungletek]

      If your precious Mac was actually bricked, a reboot wouldn’t do shit.

      Frozen, sure.

      Use the right words, please.

  • [lecti]

    “Caps lock: the most useless key in the universe.” Unless you happen to form SQL query. Do what I do and swap it with ctrl key (it’s easy on mac). I just wish the keyboard at work is this good.

• [egoVirus]

  Got mine in Japan, so it’s got kana all over it. Works a treat!

• [Jack Squat]

  if you could do just a small favor for this wonderful keyboard,,
  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002DGM8VS/ref=ord_cart_shr?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER
  It really is a kickbutt keyboard.

• [Steiny]

  But what about when you get hungry??

  That said, I bought one of these on a whim to use with my Mac Mini HTPC and now plan on replacing my (PC, not Mac) desktop keyboard with the full size wired version. I personally love the feel.

  The thing I seem to be at odds with to most keyboard users is the flatness. I cannot stand typing on a flat board. Whenever I’ve gotten a new keyboard the first thing I do is flip out the little legs at the back if they’re there, and when they snapped off at work I replaced them with rubber buffers. The current Mac boards are fine for me but I couldn’t go any flatter.

• [Elrohir]

  @Article As a “hater”, it’s not the logo that bothers me. I don’t like Apple the company first, and I don’t like Apple’s design philosophy second. Logo or not, Apple products are guaranteed to be made in such a way that I find something disagreeable about them.

  This keyboard epitomizes the things I dislike about Apple products in general. It lacks anything that can be removed (numeric keypad), it lacks any sort of configurability (tough if you don’t like the angle). It maximizes shininess at the expense of usability in for instance the rigid non-ergonomic layout, the lack of travel for keys and being wireless. For what it is, it’s expensive.

  And of course it invariably gets described as the best thing ever. Sorry, I can’t help but see it as a narrow use product that performs much better in the “carry in the laptop bag” function, where the tradeoffs it makes make sense. For normal desktop usage I don’t see it being comfortable or useful.

• [Anonymous]

  Unfortuantely, all Apple bluetooth keyboards lack Simple Secure Pairing (SSP). This make the wireless connection less secure than technically possible. With modern BT analysis equipment, sniffing pin-based BT keyboard is way too easy.

• [jeligula]

  My brother uses one of these and loves it. However, it has that feedback problem, and the ones I own I keep on the upper shelf of my closet along with a few other keyboards that didn’t make the cut. I use a Microsoft Natural contoured and split keyboard both at work and at home, because normal keyboards are injuries waiting to happen and I simply type too much. Forcing my hands into the cramped and unnatural position that standard keyboards require is not an option for me. True, the Microsoft Natural is a battleship that takes up a great deal of desk space and is quite ugly, but at least it won’t cripple me and that is all that matters.

• [Nick]

  A lot of critics of this keyboard don’t even sound like they use a Mac or are looking for a different keyboard anyway. If you need a numeric keypad it’s not for you. If you like mechanical switches it’s obviously not for you. This keyboard is aimed at users who want a very compact, wireless keyboard.

  On this keyboard and on Mac laptops you can get a forward delete by pressing Fn + Delete.

  On any Mac keyboard you can choose how the function keys work in the System Preferences. You don’t have to press Fn to get normal function keys.

  If you want the wired keyboard with the numberpad, it costs $0 more on the Apple store, not $50.

• [Anonymous]

  Best keyboard I’ve ever owned… wonderful touch, perfect for my use and it’s so cool that I don’t have to hide it when I have people visiting, it’s perfectly at home on the coffee table… (with the magic mouse btw)

• [Anonymous]

  I’m not big on any keyboard that won’t let you lie it flat, but is instead permanently propped up at the back. This makes my wrists ache in short order; that said, I do like smaller keyboards with low-action keys.

• [Meng Bomin]

  Pro and con comments on the feel of the keyboard are a bit confusing. If you spend a good deal of time with any keyboard, you’ll stop noticing its quirks. The keyboard of the 5½ year old Dell laptop that I’m currently typing on certainly doesn’t consciously register with me when I’m typing. I certainly don’t think that’s an argument for the awesomeness of Dell laptop keyboards…it’s just that I, like what I presume to be most people, tend to grow accustomed to what I use a lot.

  When I was at college, I would occasionally use the Apple keyboards at one of my college’s many Macs. I preferred my laptop keyboard, but I didn’t find them particularly problematic beyond the strange placement of keys. I certainly wouldn’t buy an Apple keyboard. However, if one has grown accustomed to Apple Keyboards, I see nothing wrong with that.

• [Lars]

  I write for a living and have a carpal tunnel problem in my left wrist. I currently use a Microsoft Natural Pro keyboard at work and home. Though this keyboard is very pretty to look at, you can’t do professional typing on it (I mean thousands of words, next to regular e-mail / urls / messaging / twitter) .

  I wish Apple’d make an ergonomic keyboard one day, but for now (and this has been true for a long time) Microsoft has them beat at this particular game.

• [Anonymous]

  Good general keyboard but mediocre for power users. Like most people said, lack of FN support and other features inhibits workflow. Tactility is average. It’s good if you do some general writing or browsing i.e. spend most of your time not typing, in industries where UI requires constant input (CAD, excel) it’s not enough. If you own a MAC there’s really no alternative if you want a cohesive setup. Otherwise there’s plenty of superior options, although at a more expensive price point.

• [Toby]

  I just stopped using mine, and picked up a corded black usb chiclet keyboard that’s essentially a knockoff of Apple’s design. The Apple keyboard has great aesthetics, but I dislike the layout (esp. the fn key taking the place of cntrl). Plus the whole principle of wireless keyboards for desktop computers seems like needless showing off. In practice, it meant I had to keep a pair of alkaline batteries on the desk at all times, as the rechargeables in the keyboard would invariable conk out at the least convenient time. Also, as I use ControllerMate to do lots of app-specific remapping and running of scripts, the fact that the lame fn key doesn’t actually register as a proper key drove me nuts. But of course my setup is unusual, and others clearly like using the little thing.

• [Allan Zieser]

  I have written two novels on mine and I love the feel of the keys, they enable me to write at a pace that my publisher is happy with.

  I want to get the full sized model for home in the future.

• [narrowstreetsLA]

  I love this keyboard, specifically because of the small width. For my Windows machine, I use an IBM Thinkpad-style keyboard.
  http://www.amazon.com/IBM-Integrated-Point-Device-Cable/dp/B000F1YJ92/ref=sr_1_6?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1297123808&sr=1-6

  Typical keyboards, with their numeric keypads forcing me to awkwardly stretch & hold my mousing wrist, were freakin’ giving me carpal. A smaller keyboard totally solved it!

• [Oceanconcepts]

  I love the feel of the Apple keyboard, but as a CAD user I’d trade the small size in a heartbeat for a numeric keypad. Wish they made both. I purchased an SMK link bluetooth numeric keypad, which is so-so, but it constantly needs to be re-connected, which is irritating. Probably I will end up buying an Apple wired version, and give up the wireless.

  Yesterday my iMac (for the 1st time in its history) suddenly lost all bluetooth connectivity. Had to reset PRAM to get it back. If I had not had an old USB keyboard in the closet that process would have been problematic.

  Not too sure what it would be like to do precision drawing with a touch pad- the Apple mouse is far too “touchy” for my taste. But there is an aftermarket for input devices specifically because one size does not fit all.

• [lecti]

  You know what’s the best thing about this keyboard? No goddamned 10 keys. Whoever needs it has no business near computers (I kid, I kid.)

• [Anonymous]

  I got a scratch/dent one from macsales.com (otherworld computing) and it’s awesome. Something like $10 off or so.

  I’m an old model M guy, but these new mac ones are the first new keyboards I’ve really liked. The full size wired one is good, this wireless one is good… the wired miniature one is bbbaaaaaaaaaaaddd…

  Also works pretty well with the iPad, but iSSH (and other terminal apps) don’t properly support Ctrl and some of the other keys yet. Yikes.

• [Anonymous]

  I so agree. I bought one at the same time that I bought my iPad and it has been an indispensable piece of hardware. As a student the iPad is perfect and with the keyboard it is even more perfect. I feel bad for people who still carry around big heavy laptops and reams of paper.

• [Anonymous]

  A chiclet keyboard is not even qualified as a serious keyboard in my book.

• [Anonymous]

  I have this keyboard. I also find the control key location annoying, but it is the completely unnecessary elevation of the back of the keyboard that is really offensive. They bother to make a keyboard flat enough to be somewhat ergonomic, and then waste it. I hate how apple regularly flaunts usability and ergonomics, particularly with peripherals, yet manages to be held up as a paragon of design. For every innovation, they ignore fundamentals of usable interface design. It is a shame no one like Raskin is around to counter their aesthetic biases, and clueless interpretation of old guidelines. Perhaps nowhere is this sickness more evident than with their keyboards, which have for years been elevated in the back and needlessly thick. Now with the unibody, to avoid the sharp edge you have to either overextend or perpetually hold your arms in the air like some inhuman minority report character, even when you aren’t typing, if you want to use a recessed keyboard (parfait!) without a crease in your skin or worse (at least with the 17″ – the 15″ keyboard is closer to the edge, making it easier to clear I’d guess). Even better, go to an apple forum, and people maintain that keyboards angled up in back, instead of the reverse, are more ergonomic, that you should just elevate the back of your portable laptop (um if I’m desk-toping it I’m using external keyboard), that you are doing it wrong coming up from below, wresting your tendon-free bone in front of the keyboard in order to under-extend, and not strain anything, research and the obvious be damned. Also, while an excellent width on a desk, this is so short it does not span the gap between my legs very well, making lap use a little awkward (about the ideal place to be typing).

  • [karl_jones]

    I hate how apple regularly flaunts usability and ergonomics, particularly with peripherals, yet manages to be held up as a paragon of design.

    I’m pretty sure you mean flout: “I hate how Apple regularly flouts usability and ergonomics …”

    Flaunt and Flaut

    Notwithstanding accusations of flouting, Apple undeniably does a lot of flaunting.

    Beautiful, stylish, inimitable flaunting: the Essence of Apple.

• [maryn]

  1) Love this keyboard.
  2) Happy to have company loving this keyboard.
  3) Would really like to know what mouse people use with it, since my love of this keyboard is matched by my loathing for the Magic Mouse.

  • [Philipshade]

    I left the mouse for the trackball back in the mid 90s. I LOVED my Kensington Turbo Mouse Pro, and if it gives up the ghost I’ll replace it with tasty Expert Mouse.

    After a few days you’ll wonder why you ever wasted desk real estate on a mouse.

  • [peterbruells]

    The magic mouse is indeed loathed by many, though it works okay for me.

    personally, I’ve hardly touched it since I got a magic trackpad as soon as it was available.

    For fine cursor control in Photoshop and the like I use a graphics tablet anyway.

  • [Abelard Lindsay]

    I use this keyboard at work (mostly vi) with a Dell Travel Mouse. I’ve hated Apple mice for years now.

• [Anonymous]

  I am in agreement that these are close to if not the best bluetooth text-entry peripherals out there right now, but I have to put a word in for user-serviceability. If you buy one, don’t spill milk on it. These keyboards are not designed to be opened, and you won’t be able to get inside to clean it out. I was sad to see mine go, but tried to refrain from crying for obvious reasons.

• [Daggar]

  [quote]For those who want tactile feedback, try this Jedi mind trick: Keyclick (http://www.sustworks.com/site/prod_keyclick_overview.html) gives you a lovely typewriter sound which gives you a great illusion of tactile feedback. I’ve used it for years and you can just turn it down or off if you need to type quietly. Not a paid endorsement![/quote]

  You do not know what ‘tactile’ means. It does not mean ‘auditory.’

  • [peterbruells]

    Presuambly he wrote Mind Trick because you might be able to train yourself to experience the audible feedback as tactile feedback.

• [Teller]

  No fwd delete. My favorite of all keys.

• [Anonymous]

  It doesn’t have a numpad!

• [karl_jones]

  Oops, I do know how to spell:

  Flaunt and Flout

• [Cassandra]

  The link to the discussion about model M keyboards actually links here:

  http://www.kk.org/cooltools/archives/004885.php#disqus_thread

  Which is about the Apple Wireless Keyboard.

• [mmmmdave]

  I guess I’m the only one who has had bad experiences with this keyboard. I’ve owned two of them, and the batteries leaked/corroded in both. I bought one. A year later, it became inoperable And when I opened the battery cover, there was all the powdery leaky battery acidy junk that I assumed would eat through my skin if I touched it. Same thing happened a year later with the replacement.

• [lava]

  I’ve got one of the wired versions with num keypad. Best keyboard I’ve ever used. So low and close to the desk top, makes for the most comfortable typing position I’ve had.

• [Matt J]

  It’s amazing how many people on this thread seem offended and angry that anyone would like using an Apple product.

  • [IsolatedGestalt]

    It’s amazing how many people on this thread seem offended and angry that anyone would like using an Apple product.

    You’re absolutely right — it would be ridiculous to condescendingly disregard someone else’s aesthetic or functional preferences.

• [i_r_beej]

  I think the mistake many are making is that this keyboard is for EVERYONE. It is not. It meets the keyboarding needs of probably 90 percent of the Mac users out there. If you MUST have a number pad, go buy one. It doesn’t make any sense to manufacture something that most folks don’t really want or need.

  That said, as a graphic designer I love this keyboard. It frees up quite a bit of space on my desk and allows for better, more ergonomic positioning of my Wacom tablet (it’s closer to me so I’m not having to reach out so far).

• [daev]

  It definitely has a sexy minimalist build to it, but has anyone mentioned tactile feedback? They have? Well then throw me in with that bunch, then. I want a thin keyboard. I also want some physical travel on the keys. I also want one that’s able take being tossed under the coffee table, kicked, stepped on, etc. I don’t know how durable it is, but 50 bucks is on par with a lot of decent slim keyboards by other more pedestrian manufacturers.

  I have yet to try one out, but it will take some convincing to get me beyond the chiclet keyboard impression.

• [Anonymous]

  I’m surprised no one’s mentioned HP’s wireless keyboards by now. For my $25, I couldn’t be happier (and the hp comes with numeric keypad). Operating on two AAs for upwards of six months now, instant functionality, and great tactile feedback. I used to love Apple; now they just seem to manufacture overpriced junk for the terminally image-conscious.

• [Narfig_Agar]

  I guess keyboards are a personal thing. Personally I can’t stand this keyboard. No feedback, key throw is too short and makes it easy to mistype, angle is too high and hurts my wrists, no number pad. It’s hard to touch type because keys aren’t concave enough and the spacing feels wrong. I’m a bit shocked at all the love it just got. *shrug* To each their own I guess.

• [pjcamp]

  I’m gonna call you Carpal Tunnel Boy.

  This is a worse ergonomic nightmare than the infamous hockey puck mouse.

  I don’t know what “design” refers to in Cupertino, but usability is clearly not a major part of it.

• [Anonymous]

  This is fine for surfing the web and light typing. But, if you spend any length of time typing, say writing a novel, this keyboard is terrible. It has a carpel tunnel inducing design, your fingers slide off the chicklet keys and spacing of the keys is all wrong.
  Wins, the bluetooth works flawlessly and the battery life is good. Light and portable, would make a good iPad keyboard.

• [The Life Of Bryan]

  I was an Apple Extended Keyboard II snob for many years. (Still have one in an upstairs closet, in fact.) I was deeply skeptical when I got a 13″ Macbook back in ’07 with the chiclet keys. After a couple days I’d fallen in love with them.

  My girlfriend’s got this keyboard with the trackpad next to it, and it is indeed a killer combination. The lack of a ten key section is maddening, though. That right there would cause me to go with the wired version. (Of course, I’ve been a full-time laptop user for four years now, so obviously it’s not that much of a hindrance.)

  But all in all, the typing really is wonderful. Excellent feel, and at least for me, speed and accuracy have never been better. Relatively quiet, too.

• [teapot]

  I lament my last wireless keyboard purchase because I didn’t opt for backlit keys. You never think you’ll need them…. until you need them. Biggest keyboard-related regret ever.

• [Anonymous]

  Just don’t lose any parts. Like the battery compartment door. Apple doesn’t replace that part. Their advice? Buy a new keyboard. Ok microsoft.

• [bocian]

  As others have said, to each their own. I’m a Mac fan generally, but not when it comes to keyboard and mice. I started getting extreme wrist pain while using my Apple keyboard, and it went away when I started using a Microsoft natural keyboard (one of those split ones). I miss the command key location, but I’m never going back.

• [Anonymous]

  For those who want tactile feedback, try this Jedi mind trick: Keyclick (http://www.sustworks.com/site/prod_keyclick_overview.html) gives you a lovely typewriter sound which gives you a great illusion of tactile feedback. I’ve used it for years and you can just turn it down or off if you need to type quietly. Not a paid endorsement!

• [Anonymous]

  I couldn’t agree more. Before I bought one I read several vitriolic posts on forums from people who had never used the product along the lines of, “Looks great if you want carpal tunnel!” or “that’s the most awful ergonomics I’ve ever seen in a keyboard.”

  The thing is, one you start using it, you forget you’re using a keyboard. I’ve used other ergonomic keyboards (including those ill-advised split-down-the-middle keyboards) and they all lead to tired fingers on my hands. You highlighted the two key features. 1) It’s low profile makes it feel like your hands are just resting on your desk. 2) The keys are so silky smooth to push it requires minimal effort. Some keyboards feel like they require 50 PSI just to depress a key.

  Without a doubt the best keyboard I’ve ever used.

• [a random John]

  I’ve been using the Apple Wireless Keyboard since the original 3 battery version came out. I like it a lot. My primary complaint is the lack of a forward delete key (wish I could remap the eject key to that, but I’ve settled for remapping the \ key.)

  However my ideal keyboard would be an IBM Model M Mini (with the arrow keys and the Ins, Home, etc keys but not the numeric keypad) with bluetooth and Mac specific key caps.

  My fullsized Model M is simply too big to get to the mouse easily and I don’t need yet another cord on my desk.

  • [RyanH]

    On apple laptops function-delete does forward delete. Works in boot camp and I’d assume the key bindings would be the same for this in both OSX and Windows.

    An interesting thing is that the apple magic* trackpad is designed to match this perfectly. Sits right where the keypad would normally go. Nothing like using a giant touchpad instead of a mouse. I can’t wait until they go ahead and release a version with an ipad style screen. You know it’s going to happen.

    And as for those advocating old school chunky keys, there is nothing that makes my fingers cringe more than the thought of spending all day jamming them against unyielding bits of plastic. Give me a smooth and responsive surface to dance them across any day.

    *the ‘magic’ thing is kind of pretentious.

    • [a random John]

      Yup. And I use the fwd-del functionality more than the \ character, so now I hit fn-\ to get the \ character.

• [Anonymous]

  I bought myself a wired version (I’m an engineer so the numeric pad is a must for me) of the keyboard a couple years ago to replace the standard issue Dell (clickety clack) keyboard at work. I’m not usually a big fan of Apple, but for $50 the value of this keyboard was HANDS DOWN better than any other keyboard with similar quality and tactile feel. I’ll disagree that it “shows no wear” since it’s the classic apple white and the keys can get pretty nasty looking without the occasional cleaning. Still, it’s by far the best keyboard I’ve ever had the pleasure of using.

• [tros]

  I do love both of these keyboards. But would like to warn anybody that anticipates the same functionality as a MacBook keyboard: There’s things missing. The two things that upset me most are:

  1) Not connected until you get to an OS. (Not a big deal, usually)
  2) Some fn-key combinations don’t work. IE, fn+↓ doesn’t map to page-down, in either OS X, and won’t register to be remapped in Windows. And: Remapping in Windows applies to all keyboards (by the regedit hack), so if you enjoy alt next to spacebar, you can only enjoy it on one keyboard at a time.

  Other than that, it’s wonderful to have paired with a smartphone, paired with a laptop, paired with a HTPC, paired with a desktop. I don’t think I’ve encountered a wireless keyboard of anybody else’s that I’d prefer.

• [TNGMug]

  It’s a nice keyboard, I guess the news here is that they eliminated a battery?

  I’ve had the wired one for a few years now. The action on it is really nice and the low profile is certainly pretty spiffy. It’s a really nice keyboard. I can even understand eliminating the number pad if you don’t need it. I use my laptop most of the time and I rarely, if ever miss the keypad when using that. My only complaint is that the built-in USB hub on the seems to have no power handling at all. I know it’s a bus powered hub, but I can’t put anything into it without getting a “power exceeded” window pop up.

  Personally I’ve never found a huge reason to have a wireless keyboard….. When at my desktop I’m always pretty close to my desk. When I bought the apple wired one I looked at it as more keys for $30 cheaper. Wireless mouse I’m all over, I find my wrist feels a whole lot less irritated when not having to make the tiny compensation movements for the force of the wire on the mouse.