If you picked up a wired version of Apple's new thin aluminum keyboard you may have noticed that the caps lock function is all but useless. Only a good long press of the key will activate the function, and if you so much as breathe on it, caps lock disengages. So, is Apple spearheading an anti-caps lock campaign? Discuss. [Wired]
Apple's New Aluminum Keyboard Features Built-In Anti-Caps Lock Bias
8:20 PM on Fri Oct 5 2007
By Sean Fallon
11,756 views
62 comments













Comments
Entirely disagreed. In fact I've noticed that I accidently engage the caps lock key frequently since switching to the new aluminum keyboard.
Ha! Brilliant. I never actually thought about it. If you've got a caps lock key you may as well have a bold or italics key.
I say: ban the caps lock. Can I get an Amen.
meh...
CRUISE CONTROL FOR COOL, BABY!
Gotta love the anti-Apple spin on this.
More factually: Apple offers up a unique approach to solving the old CAPS LOCK problem.
THIS IS GOOD NEWS FOR ALL THE ASSHOLES WHO CAN'T SEEM TO STOP SHOUTING.
Now if only they did this for my DVD Eject button on my Powerbook.
tHIS IS SOMETHING THAT CLEARLY HAS TO BE FIXED, IT'S BEEN A PROBLEM FOR A loooong TIME.
@homerjay: Buy a macbook.
Also, macs have a feature to turn off the caps lock entirely in the system preferences.
My dear 65 year old mother chats with me in CAPS all the time. Its annoying and even more annoying for me to explain to her that its like shes YELLING AT ME. this is the keyboard for her, and me.
They are tired of getting "WHY ARE MACS SO FREAKING EXPENSIVE???" emails.
I checked on mine and it seems to work correctly. My problem is the super sensitive volume up button. Barely brushing past it registers as a key press. No worries though as I typically have the volume maxed.
Finally, eventually no more shouting morons on forums!
I DON'T GET IT? WHAT IS THIS "CAP'S LOCK" YOU SPEAK OF?
Well, begs the question: How many of you out there actually use CAPS LOCK regularly?
Y'all do know you can disable it in the pref panel, right?
Better than disabling, change the CAPS LOCK into another Ctrl key. Great for keyboard shortcuts.
simple answer:
its made by apple so, we will bitch
@bob-e: but you still need to steer.
as an architect who is required to use caps lock key on a regular basis, this is just further reason why apple won't cut it in the office. and i seriously wish that wasn't the case.
I hate when people type in ALL FUCKING CAPS, so I'd support an anti-caps lock campaing...
My caps lock key works fine
SEE, HERE WE GO BOB
I dunno what ya'll are smokin. (yes, on the new aluminum dealie)
Also, volume up and down and all that works like a champ. the only thing that takes a retardedly long time is the play/pause toggle. Gooooodnessss.
So, a quick tap is not working, but a more deliberate press is? Aww, that's too bad in this high speed world. Works fine for me as I accidentally hit that aiming for the "A" all the time, so the presssss vs the press is fine. Apple haters looking for another reason to bash? Go fondle your Zunes.
IT WILL AVOID CARELESS SCREAMING PEOPLE! NICE!
Out of 10 strokes, my caps lock didn't turn on twice.
Whatever. I re-map the caps-lock on all my Mac to be a Control-key anyhow. Like my Atari 800.
Am not a apple fanboy - at all, but this is brilliant. I hit that farkin key all the time!
But could not some really smart lad come up with a software fix for those of us still in windows world?
My vote for the most useless key is the scroll lock! Useless, stupid, takes up space I could use for something else.
What does scroll lock even do? Seriously... I've been using computers for 10 years and I've never intentionally pressed it.
But I want one of those keyboards.
WOW! THAT WAS fast!
[www.usnetizen.com]
Apple, behind the curve once more...
I like the idea of a long key press to confirm intent. I hit that danmed thing all the time by accident.
It may be surprising to some of you, but people use computers for more than chatting online and posting on blogs. Caps Lock is useful in a lot of cases; I use it at work often. Like everything else it has a time and a place; if the crux of this article were actually true (from what I see here it may or may not be) it's actually a good idea because it is a good way of preventing accidental CAPS LOCK but still keeping it around for people who want to use it. I wish it were just moved; I love the UNIX keyboard placement, swapping CTL and CAPS.
Mine works as it has worked with all my previous keyboards. At first I accidentally activated it few times but that was just little disorientation with the more spaced keys.
Hyperbole anyone?
I have one of these new keyboards and it what it does is it doesn't register when you just quickly tap the caps lock key. All you have to do is press it and you don't even have to press it hard or hold it down. Also if you tap it a lot you may accidentally press it while doing that so that's why for some people it seems like it's only registering one out of so many keystrokes.
Caps Lock has its uses. Those uses, for most users, don't justify the prominent placement on the QWERTY setup, but hey, it's how it is.
I've tried 3 of the new keyboards, and the Caps Lock worked just as well as all the other keys. I didn't buy one because I missed the hand rest I've grown accustomed to. Besides, none of the stores I went to carried the US layout. Gah! I hate the million and one different keyboard layouts in Europe.
#1: If you don't have this keyboard, TFSU.
#2: If you've never tried this keyboard, TFSU!
Apple haters aside....
I own one. I have had no such problem. In fact, I think it's the best keyboard I've ever owned. Why? It is incredibly fast to type on. If you're used to a standard keyboard, it takes only a few minutes to adapt. It's also really simple and clean. Most standard keyboards are filthy, even if you use cleaning solution and CO2. I've had this for over 2 months and it still looks like the day I bought it.
If your new Apple keyboard has a glitch, return it and get a replacement that functions correctly or get another product.
Oh, and then TFSU. :)
wow, thank heavens for that I have lost count of the number of times I have accidentally hit the cAPS LOCK Key. Makes MUCH more sense to have to hold it down for a second to lock!
Great idea. I can't stand people that post that use all caps to emphasize points that are emotional and not relevant. Bravo.
@ester:
LOL, you need the Caps Lock key, but obviously not the shift key. Or was the lack of capitalisation an attempt at humour?
That would be incredibly annoying for writing case sensitive code. In addition, there's already a much better idea for solving the accidental caps lock problem which has been integrated on many many keyboards for as long as I can remember: the indent on the caps lock key. The indent appears on the right side of the caps lock key, and it forces your pinky to extend farther to the left in order to hit it. This ensures that the key is only pressed when the user has an actual intent to hit it. Why re-invent the wheel? This solution already works perfectly, and if someone is still hitting it on accident they either have an abnormally long pinky or they need to work on their typing skills.
Am I the only one who uses caps lock rather than shift? I've got used to it and I can perfectly easily use it fast enough, in instant messaging or whatever. Caps lock forever! (And yes I did press it 10 times to write this. So what?! Wait...12...14...argh!)
i dont see this as a bad thing i constantly hit caps when i want to hit a, or tab.
i have been using the CAPS key with CTRL mapped on for years now, taken the fact that it's placement is much better...
so for me, this would mean very very very slow copy/pasting ;(
IF LOWER CASE IS SO GREAT WHY ISN'T THERE A "LOWER CASE LOCK" KEY.
I like the option just because it doesnt turn on by accident. Im on the wireless keyboard
You can still cap somebody, you just can all-cap 'em.
I'm only finding that CAPS doesn't engage when you don't press near the center of the body of the key.
The easiest solution to accident caps lock activation would be to increase the resistance on key itself, so that a regular key press at the pressure one would usually hit the rest of the keys wouldn't result in the Caps key being depressed.
Absolute BS
I've got one and it works fine. this is the stupidest gizmodo post ever. worse than the fake press releases they republish.
@killershatner: Mine activates and deactivates no matter where or how it is pressed. Maybe yours is defective?
I got a wireless one and mine is fine.
our three have no such issues at all. Me thinks Gizmodo is going out of their way now to post anti-Apple spam since they bricked their iPhones...
Architects won't like this. By tradition, all text on architectural drawings is done in upper case.
well, i never have problems with my CaPs LoCk key ever since milk got spilled on my laptop's keyboard...
now i use a full sized wireless keyboard and mouse combo from microsoft
and it works great
i actually cant remember the last time i hit the caps lock key
ya gotta love milk!!!!!
I just bought a new iMac with the aluminum keyboard.
I haven't even taken it out of the plastic.
Long live the Matias Tactile Pro.
@Twitchy: personal choice, but not necessarily humor. architects use all capital letters for clarity in conveying instructions. on a personal level, however, i prefer the appearance of lower case letters.
@Limekiller: it is a bit of tradition, but really it comes out of need for clarity and not getting things like the lowercase letter l mixed up with the number 1.
Yep. Definitely seems to be the case both on the wired and bluetooth aluminum keyboards. No complaints here.
CAPS LOCK IS MY ONE TRUE LOVE
Frankly, how could anyone type on it long enough to tell? It's the worst keyboard I've ever used.