Apple Keyboard MB869LL/A
by Apple Computer
(Click here)
Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Photo Product Details
Manufacturer: Apple ComputerModel: MB869LL/A
Color: White
Product features:
- In the box -
- Apple Keyboard
- USB extension cable
- Printed documentation
- System Requirements -
- Mavis Beacon Typing 17 [OLD VERSION]
- Microsoft Word Home and Student 2007 [Old Version]
- TypeRightNow for Windows Includes Patented, Peek-Proof PC/Desktop* Keyboard Cover
- Typing Instructor Deluxe 17
- iWork '09 [OLD VERSION]
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Apple Keyboard MB869LL/A
Customer Review: A little too compact for a desktop keyboard
Summary: 4 Stars
This keyboard has a bold, minimalist design that succeeds in tactile feel and ergonomics, but is so compact it suffers in usability. As others noted, the feel of each keypress is sharp and clear; there is no ambiguity as to whether you have pressed a key. I'm coming from an earlier iMac keyboard (the Apple Pro Keyboard), in which I was never quite certain how much force was needed to complete the keystroke. With the aluminum keyboard, each keystroke is effortless, while still maintaining a tactile feel.
In reading about ergonomics, I've learned it's recommended to keep your wrists angled slightly downward towards the keyboard. Many of us are used to the opposite, with an upward sloping keyboard so your wrists are angled upwards. The very flat design of this keyboard makes it easier to keep your wrists in a good posture. The other, more subtle, way this keyboard improves ergonomics is in the elimination of the number pad (provided of course that you don't need it). You can put the mouse an inch away from the enter key, allowing you to easily switch back and forth to use the scroll wheel and reposition the cursor. This mitigates one of the keyboard's central weaknesses: the small arrow keys.
As you can see from the picture, the arrow keys, and function keys up top, are only half size: full size width, but only half as long. I know the point is to be compact, but this isn't a laptop keyboard and we're not *that* pressed for space. Apple could have given us full-sized function keys with maybe a little buffer room in between them and the number keys, like on a conventional keyboard. The arrow keys are trickier to fix, as that might require adding unwanted width to the right side to accommodate the four of them. I've seen third-party "compact" keyboards that cram a convoluted mess of keys onto the right side, so I see this could turn out badly. But I maintain a good desktop keyboard should use full-size keys or larger; it's taking me a while to get used to these little arrows.
The other thing I don't like is the function toggle ("fn)") key at bottom left. With function-control-option-command, it's too crowded down there. As on laptops, the function key allows you to alternate between using the 12 function buttons as multimedia/Exposé buttons or conventional F# buttons. I'd prefer to do without this button, leaving the plain old F# buttons that can be mapped as desired. Having to hit a button just to hit another button is too much of a kludge. Speaking of kludge, there's no delete key (what Apple labels delete is actually the backspace), but you can forward delete by hitting fn-delete. I think I like that least of all, and I'd love to find a way to remap the Eject button to forward delete. If we must have Fn, a bold move would be to move it to where Caps Lock is, and stretch out the meta keys at bottom left; they are small targets now. They could then program the firmware to lock caps after a double tap on the new Fn key.
In short, this keyboard is a great design, but Apple could do better if it wasn't so obsessed with small and minimalist.
Description of Apple Keyboard MB869LL/A
This USB wired keyboard for the Mac computer offers the admired features of several Apple keyboards. The new Apple Keyboard features the compact design of the Apple Wireless Keyboard and the elegant, ultrathin anodized aluminum enclosure and also the two USB 2.0 ports of the Apple Keyboard with Numeric Keypad. The keyboard has low-profile keys that provide crisp, responsive feel as well as function keys for one-touch access to a variety of Mac features such as screen brightness, volume, eject, play/pause, fast-forward and rewind, Expos , and Dashboard. Its compact design fits on your lap or on even the most crowded desk. And two USB 2.0 ports enable you to connect your Mighty Mouse as well as a high-speed peripheral such as a digital camera or printer. Having a wired keyboard like this one from Apple makes computing sweet and delicious. Just like what an Apple is. Mac computer with available USB 1.1 or USB 2.0 port Mac OS X v10.5.6 or laterDigital Cameras & Photo Categories
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