I think the fact that apple hasn't sent out the gorilla patrol to take these down yet says it could be a fake.

very cool; those who demand lots of tactile feedback may be disapointed (i bet it feels like a laptop keyboard) but it is darn clean and sexy with a hint of industrial/vandal-proof keypad going for it.

and the help key is the most useless key on a keyboard, more so on PC's where it would dump you out of a game or something bring up window's useless help programs....

Looks a little weird but it also looks like it would be really easy to maintain and clean. Maybe they'll throw in some magnetic keys.

My current apple keyboard is already too free of real feedback; it needs a proper click. Taking away the actual keystroke now just means I'll have to go third party the next time I have to replace a keyboard (not that unusual... I'm a coffee spiller.)

But that's not the worst of it. One of Apple's really bad mistakes has been the appropriation of the function keys. OSX is *nix underneath, and those function keys are thoroughly used in applications ranging from midnight commander to almost anything you can think of. Adding more load to them is just... unfriendly. My hope is that they will finally allow a way to completely free those definitions from the keys, so the keyboard will work properly with more important applications.

I love my Apple, both my desktop and my Mac Pro laptop, but Apple keyboards... no, I sure don't love those. :-(

I think it's fake. Apple would be foolish to remove their logo from their product! Nor is it wise to clutter the keyboard with too many multi-function keys.

Also? It looks like crap. If that is an Apple product they need to fire the design team.

@fyngyrz: A workaround for the function key appropriation is to use the command key to override the system.

For example, in Blender, the render shortcut is F12, but this opens Dashboard. Pressing ⌘+F12 starts the render, and does not open Dashboard.

Wow. That's about as ergonomic as a boot to the head. Mabye Apple should chat with MSFT or Logtitech on how to build a decent keyboard.

Yeah. Fake. Not even Apple could build something so lame.

Am I experiencing early stages of alzhimers or did the old-old mac keyboards have a command key AND an apple logo key?
About the apple logo being removed, this makes perfect sense as they will soon be acquired by google or ebay.

100% FAKE. I guarantee it. :)

I highly doubt it is a fake. It is a non cosmetic prototype.I'm sure the keys won't be left white. Also i can care less if the apple logo is on the command key. In the early rumors about the keyboard it said it would feature more multimedia keys, so there you go folks. If it is a fake some one has went to allot to work to do that. From the multiple pics i have seen i would say this is a prototype for the new keyboard.

Fake or not, Apple NEEDS to change its keyboards.
First of all, the current iteration of the iconic white keyboard feels cheap when compared to better PC keyboards. Also the white Apple keys can get disgustingly dirty very easily. Back in my days in college, I remembered the white keyboards of the Mac lab were quite brown with years of student hand dirt.

Wouldn't it be nice if it had a built in iPod dock?

Am I the only one that feels gipped by the fact that there's no Apple on the Control key? They've had the Apple key (open apple, closed apple etc) since the Apple // if I remember right...

Wow, I can't believe anyone hasn't mentioned this:

The current keyboard is a hair/dust magnet! I swear, I vacuum that thing like once a week on top of using some CO2 everyday...it's a losing battle. I took one apart once to clean it better, which was a real pain the ass too. I guess that's what I get for having two cats and carpet.

As far as the new keyboard? I don't need the tactile feedback crap. I just want it to be easier to clean.

it is not white, and it is not wireless, therefore it is not the next Apple keyboard, a thank you

@Nightspark: you can also change it so that the F-keys function normally, and require you to hit the fn key to use the media shortcuts. at least, that's how it works on my macbook pro.

I'd buy it if it worked on windows.

Jesus its a keybaord!!! Correction, its a Apple Keyboard. Im so sick of this rubbish news.

The lack of gaps in the new version is a great step as the current white keyboards seem to have alot of dirt/dust make its way under the raised keys. I do have to confess I will miss the small apple logos though.

@johnnyrandom: Form over function, hm? I'd rather have a keyboard that is comfortable to type on than one that looks pretty but is miserable to use...

Does anyone else find it annoying that apple releases themed products so sparatically? The G5 when first launced introduced the metal frame theme, 4 months later the monitors change over to the same design, and now...years after their launch the keyboard changes? I find it really bogus...especially due to the fact that they are more than overdue for visual refreshes anyway. Com'on apple, you used to do it so right...though the iphone is sick. So, rock on.

Two words:
ERGONOMIC NIGHTMARE.

"...if Apple isn't using this new keyboard, they really should be..."
No, they shouldn't. Think about comfort, not the conflicting white/ gray color scheme.

white grey is the new red black

I wonder if it will come in different colors.

@StarChaser Tyger:

"Form over function, hm?"

In this rare instance, yes. My fingers would adapt within a few hours and then it wouldn't be a big deal. Or, keep the same design and let us open the back real easy to clean 'em.

In France, where I used to work, nobody calls keyboard shortcuts "Command+C", "Command+V" etc.: they say "apple+C", "apple-V" etc. It's interesting to think that for some people the change is not just aesthetic. It will force them to change the way they speak.
Otherwise, the new layout rocks! More F-keys for custom shortcuts! Woo-Hoo!!!

i like that colourway alot, altho that looks identical to the macbooks keyboards, and i have to say to type on, they were 'alright'. i prefer my Saitek Eclipse personaly

Will we see a simultaneous wireless launch or is that a few years off?

This would ideal for minimal carpal-tunnels as mentioned before in the last post about this supposed new keyboard. The flatter it is, the less your wrists have to strain.
Also, typing this comment on my MacBook, I think the keys would be great. I love the way the keys feel on the MacBook. I don't think the fn replacement of help would be much of a problem... Also, even though I would miss the Apple logo on the command key terribly, it would make more sense for beginners, who can't for the life of them figure out which key is "command."
As far as the wonky F keys go, I would much prefer to see F13-F19 house the media control, volume control, and eject keys, as I've said before.

Oh, and @t3knomanser: This has Ives' design all over it. I personally find it MUCH more attractive than the current Apple keyboard. And for those who don't like it, there are always 3rd party accessories. I currently opt for a Logitech keyboard over today's Apple Keyboard.

Personally I love the MacBook keyboard. I find it much more preferable compared to the MacBook Pro and even Apple's current desktop keyboards which have a built-in angle that's non-adjustable.

And if real, I love the fact that they finally have useful function keys for normal users, especially the itunes play/pause/skip buttons.

As for the command key, it makes total sense. Consider how many new people are coming to the Mac and have no idea what the clover key/open apple key are. They just get instructions from people saying, hit "Command-C" to copy. Well it should make a lot more sense to new users now.

I see a lot of posts in here about people wanting wireless keyboards in these comments...yet my own experience with them has been a nightmare. Has anyone else experienced the bluetooth stuck key syndrome? You know...where a letter just keeps repeating for eternity till you shut off the signal? I used to have a bluetooth Apple keyboard and mouse, but I tossed 'em to go back to USB for that reason.

@Med: I'm with you. It's sad how sorry I would be to see an apple keyboard without an apple key . . .

If this was the new Apple keyboard, and with Leopard coming pretty soon, don't you think they would add a dedicated "Spaces" button as well, to complement the Dashboard and Exposé buttons?

Yeah, I love my Macbook keyboard as well, I would love for Apple to use this design or something similar,

Those of you who are freaked out by the removal of the Apple symbol from the 'command' key ... this is what Steve Jobs originally wanted back in the pre-Mac days of Lisa! Go to folklore.com and search for "swedish campground" to read the entire article. Summary: Andy Hertzfeld and gang added the Apple key so that they could access menus via the keyboard, but when Steve saw all the Apple symbols on the dropdown menu, he yelled saying they were taking the logo in vain, and to change it. So they instead used the coverleaf or 'splat' symbol you see on the keyboard, the one we call 'command.' (Read the article to find out where they got the cloverleaf design.)

It really makes sense to remove it because no where does it ever say "Apple - Z" or the like. The key is always referred to by either "command" or by displaying the cloverleaf symbol. And remember, now you have a growing number of 'switchers' coming from Windows. They won't get the Apple logo on a key which is never mentioned as the Apple key.

SO, I think the removal of it actually DOES show that this is authentic. It is what Steve has griped about for almost 25 years now.

My one addition I'd like to see: now that the Apple logo has been removed from the command key, I'd like to see a new, dedicated, Apple key. It would pull down the Apple menu, easing keyboard access to System Prefs, Restart, Shutdown, etc. Sure, this isn't that critical of a key, but if you're building brand loyalty, especially with the new Switcher crowd, you should have the logo somewhere on the front of the keyboard, and tied to an action if possible. MS does it and I think it was a smart move for them: every time a person has to press the Windows key they are internalising the brand.

Just my two cents.

i wouldn't be surprised (if this in fact was the true "next" apple keyboard) if the F keys above the numpad became the default exposé keys. I highly doubt that key next to the supposed "dashboard key" is for exposé; at least three keys need to be devoted to exposé, not a mere one. (unless they made it so that one key *was* for exposé, but has 3 functions with option and command modifiers... but that would suck, at least IMO)

I suspect they removed the Apple logo (or more correctly, added the "command" text) to help Apple noobs figure out what a command key is. This could save millions of dollars worth of Apple support calls ... "Uh, what is a command key?"

Next in a long line of peripherals that will never play a video game.

I'd say it's real. I only wish that along with losing the 'apple' key they would add the universal glyphs to the other meta keys. I can never remember the little symbols for control and option keys. The apple symbol is not a big loss to me as the command glyph has been in use for years and years. Who want's to have to explain over the phone to their parents for the hundredth time where the command key is?

I agree with others at the loss of the "open apple" logo. It is indeed the ONLY consistent design element in every Apple computer from the Apple II onward. Thus, I would find it hard from Steve Jobs to authorize such a change.

I do, however, like Bakafish's idea that the other symbol versions of the modifier keys be added to their appropriate keys. Personally, I always through that the symbol for Alt/Option looked like one of the characters in the language used by the lizard aliens in the movie 'V'.

I does not make sense that they would move the media keys which tend to be needed ALL the time from above the number pad (permanently on) to the regular function key area.. so that they can add a couple more function keys?

So NOT Apple's style.

Plus, you wouldn't be able to hit the fn key with your left hand and hit the actual function key with your right... so unless that fn key had a light like the caps lock (which would be a good idea by the way).. then it doesn't make sense for the fn key to be there either.

That is one butt-ugly keyboard. I have a hard time believing that Apple would try to pair something this hideous with the elegantly designed iMacs.

First, Apple never makes anything that's colored "Computer Putty" brown (the only other place you ever see that hue is picking up after the dog). Second, every keyboard they make compliments the color of the computer. There's nothing even close to this in their product line. The only thing this matches is Zune Brown.

If Apple is going to change the layout of their keyboards, don't you think they'd make the new layout match the MacBook keys? Why would anyone think that they would swap the volume controls to F11 and 12, and dashboard/expose to 3 and 4?

Finally, touch typists aren't going near this thing. Apple is (I hope) too smart to replace full-size keys with the failed PC Junior "chiclet" keyboard.

This doesn't even reach the level of a bad mashup.

It's not computer putty brown, it's the same brushed metal that the base of the iMac is made from, but just a bad pic.

I don't think it's quite real, but I don't think it's that far off. Apple wouldn't move the eject button to the middle of the keyboard, they'd keep it on the corner. The apple logo had been obsolete since they put it on there in the first place. The cloverleaf is what they've been using on the screen to represent the command function so that's really all that's necessary.

I actually like the idea of replacing the apple symbol with the word "command". Maybe now more idiots will stop calling it "apple" or "open apple".

19 Fkeys? When they added the F16 key a few years ago, they didn't add a glyph for it in Lucida Grande because there wasn't a space for it. Hopefully they've solved that problem.

Personally, I hate squishing aux keys in with Fkeys. At least maybe now the stupid brightness controls won't be wasting F14/F15.

Also, grouping the Fkeys in groups of 4 makes them much easier to use. Smaller is not always better. I'll stick with my Macally fullsize real keyboard.

I think you guys are obsessed.

I'm thinking this is a fake. Check out the wire for the keyboard. Since when do keyboards require a dual-stranded power wire? And, if you look closely where the wire connects to the keyboard, it would appear there are some extra funky pixels from where someone doctored in the wire.

I think I will miss the moats and little platform around the arrow keys despite their penchant for dust trapping.
For some reason it reminds me of the architecture in Star Wars and that is always very comforting.

I think this could be a real Apple keyboard because it has the same design aesthetic that Apple usually uses.

They have moved all the keys around so that everything outside of the main key area is more or less redundant. This allows them to have what is basically a "full" keyboard even on a small device like a laptop.

The extra keys even though made present for the likes of Unix apps and power office users, are not necessary anymore and Apple is all about simplicity and reducing the number of buttons.

This keyboard is also very, very, cool looking, but at the same time not very ergonomic. This is a classic Apple trade-off that we have seen many times before. I mean, we all love Apple products, but anyone who's been with them from the beginning knows that the ergonomics of Apple mice and keyboards has always taken a back-seat to attempts to simplify the look, or match the styling to the main computer.

The classic example is the original iMac mouse, but this effect is present in almost every mouse and keyboard they have put out really.

@JAWZXY - If you look closely, this is *not* a flat keyboard that will be better ergonomically or protect against carpal tunnel. It seems to me to have a built in ridge along the back at the bottom for ports. This will make the ultra thin keyboard sit on the table at the same angle as the current white keyboards, and it does not look adjustable.

Apple removing its logo? It looks like they are readying to drop OS business and just being a PC hardware for Windows.I see this happening if Leopard adaptation is disappointing.They did go intel and allowed Window to run on their system. All Apple has to do is drop the other OS.

@Roach779: Yeah, right. Jobs like things simple, and the Apple-Cloverleaf key perhaps lends itself to (extremely mild...) confusion. If true, sounds like his typical obsessive attention to detail.

And Intel? Business decision: Motorola/IBM couldn't keep pace with Intel chips (for speed, availability, or temperature), so Apple switched to keep their hardware from falling woefully behind. (And since Next was Intel-based, it was easy to keep a "shadow system" in development with OS X.)

"Allowing" Windows was also a business decision, and an easy one once the chips changed -- it gave Apple a marketing pitch that you could buy a Mac without losing your Windows investment. Jobs was on record before returning to Apple that Microsoft won the war, and the Mac would have to live in a Windows world. No news there.

Whether Leopard adoption proves to be "disappointing" (like, um, Vista?) remains to be seen. But seeing an OS exit strategy in a purported key-label change is more obsessive than Jobs himself.

Didn't Apple make a similar keyboard like this years ago and people complained about it not being ergonomic?

@nojo:
Has nothing to do with IBM keeping up with chip technology. IBM has same id not better technology then Intel. Apple did not want to pay more money for their rising cost of chips, which would have increased the price of Apple computers.

@doinka: Well, yes and no.

I think it's generally accepted that the Power/Cell architecture is better than Intel. But Power is a server chip, and Cell is being hogged by game consoles. The "PowerPC" consumer variation was running so hot that G5's needed a liquid-cooled desktop system, and there was no hope getting a laptop-friendly version. For the kind of chips Apple needed, development was lagging by years.

So for Apple's needs, the suppliers weren't supplying. Intel may not make the most elegant chips, but they're the standard (and fine-tuned) for consumer desktops and laptops. And instead of a minor IBM customer, Apple is now a major Intel customer. All that (and price) makes it a business decision.

eh... i like the inset keys but everything else... not sure about the color scheme. f19? are you kidding me? who needs 19 'f' keys honestly? and why would the 'fn' key be in the upper right, doesn't make sense. i hope this isn't the new keyboard. anyway, i'm stickin' with my logitech s 530. more functional, better looking, and cheaper than apple's offerings.

Wow it's keyboard, an Apple keyboard! Someone call CNN!

What about the slight "ergonomic design" of the current keyboard? It doesn't seem to