hagablog

Erogonomically, the new keyboard looks like a nightmare. It does look aesthetically pleasing and less open space around the keys means less odd fungi growing from the bits of food that fall between the cracks.

jollygoodlad

bigpolla

I agree with what I found on another site:

"Additionally, EVT articles are commonly used as cosmetic test articles. The WallStreet (PowerBook G3 series) PowerBooks were developed with several cosmetic iterations, resembling the final, shipping design only in shape. There was even a semi-transparent "tortoiseshell" plastic that was circulated."

There's an awful lot of stupid speculation (like the picture in this post) going on here - just because the keyboard is silkscreened with certain key names doesn't mean that it'll ship that way - and it's also one way Apple can track (and find) leaks.

CaliforniaCajun

imajoebob

... dropping OS X for Windows! Hee hee hee.

imajoebob

That which is pleasing to the hand is rarely pleasing to the eye.

TorkLugnutz

I've use that MacBook keyboard only a few times, and it sucks.

photophile

Ersatzhuman

Gary_7vn

dothedrewtoo

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.

nojo

doinka

doinka

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.

nojo

Roach779

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.

JeremyBee

Uglyshoe

somemacguy

Sternfan91

SpudMills

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.

SpudMills

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.

DeeJayQueue

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.

imajoebob

atrixe

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.

chazzzzy

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'.

Negotiator

Bakafish

Trance-Addict

circa1978

nbenko

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.

reesmaxwell

mattjumbo

Claymore_x

souhaite

johnnyabnormal

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.

GrumpyOldFart

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.

QWERTYthon

Ryanraven

bald_gye

nikox

"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.

johnnyabnormal

daftrok

calaverasgrandes

"...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.

M e d i a d d i c t

tdeyoung

StarChaser Tyger

lwintrich

m1tch37

Ulquiorra Schiffer

f1sh3r

miguelslo

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.

johnnyabnormal

med

Old_Crow

rdldr1

taoprophet420

starbrox

calaverasgrandes

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

bulletmagnet

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

Nightspark

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

t3knomanser

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. :-(

fyngyrz

losermike

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....

meatwad

Mark 2000