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Powerbook keyboard is really not well designed...

Southbridge

Southbridge

macrumors regular
Original poster
I just got back from the store, and after like a half an hour of typing on the 15" my hands were getting sore... I mean the keyboard and trackpad LOOK cool, but they really dont FEEL that good... this might be a problem because I really really really dont want to get another keyboard... 🙁
 
well i guess it's a matter of preference... i tried out the 15" pb at a store for about an hour and my hands didn't get sore..

maybe it's because you were standing? 😕
 
It's all personal preference; I like the AlBooks' keyboards better than any I have ever used, desktop or laptop.

I would caution, however, that even "like an hour" of typing isn't always enough to tell, especially with the amount of potential variables you've got being in a store (like body position). In my experience, switching to a new input device takes my body days to adjust. If you haven't been using a trackpad regularly, I suspect this takes some serious acclimation, but I wouldn't write it off after an hour personally.

As for "design," it is the same width as my Apple USB keyboard, and the wrist-rest area is typical of almost every laptop in existence. So I'm not sure what you mean that they should have designed differently ...
 
I just got a 15" and it is a bit strange when compared to the 12. I know they are identical but its just where you position your hands. I feel all of the current powerbook keyboards are the best laptop ones i've seen. Try other laptops and tell me they are more natural. That being said I prefer an external but thats just how I was raised and what I'm used to.
 
Sorry, but I could not disagree more. at college I have spent a lot of time on this keyboard, and I like it. I never thought about keyboards before in my life, a keyboard is a keyboard.... But now when I go to my friends iMac even and type on there, I hate it. This keyboard makes me smiling and happy!
 
mcgarry said:
It's all personal preference; I like the AlBooks' keyboards better than any I have ever used, desktop or laptop.

I would caution, however, that even "like an hour" of typing isn't always enough to tell, especially with the amount of potential variables you've got being in a store (like body position). In my experience, switching to a new input device takes my body days to adjust. If you haven't been using a trackpad regularly, I suspect this takes some serious acclimation, but I wouldn't write it off after an hour personally.

As for "design," it is the same width as my Apple USB keyboard, and the wrist-rest area is typical of almost every laptop in existence. So I'm not sure what you mean that they should have designed differently ...
Click to expand...

well... I was at the Apple Store for a while typing, then for the hell of it I walked across the street to Best Buy and I tried out a HP Laptop, and the keyboard felt pretty good... which leads me to believe that laptop keyboards can be designed better than those on the powerbooks...

I mean I really like OS X over XP and I like the way the powerbook looks, but I'm not sure I like how it feels...
 
Southbridge said:
well... I was at the Apple Store for a while typing, then for the hell of it I walked across the street to Best Buy and I tried out a HP Laptop, and the keyboard felt pretty good... which leads me to believe that laptop keyboards can be designed better than those on the powerbooks...

I mean I really like OS X over XP and I like the way the powerbook looks, but I'm not sure I like how it feels...
Click to expand...

Like I said, this IS about personal preference. Everyone's hands and brains are different enough that I highly doubt there is one keyboard in existence that can be "designed" to please everyone. If you need an HP keyboard, by all means you should get an HP.

Still, were the laptops on tables of the same height? Something that simple could make all the difference in the world. What I suspect is closer to the truth is that somehow the HP is more similar to whatever you use on an everyday basis; like I said, my body (for one) does not adjust well to new input devices sometimes for days.
 
Southbridge said:
well... I was at the Apple Store for a while typing, then for the hell of it I walked across the street to Best Buy and I tried out a HP Laptop, and the keyboard felt pretty good... which leads me to believe that laptop keyboards can be designed better than those on the powerbooks...

I mean I really like OS X over XP and I like the way the powerbook looks, but I'm not sure I like how it feels...
Click to expand...

That's interesting because I have the exact opposite feeling. I truly love the design of the PB keyboards. All the PC laptop keyboards I have used feel uncomfortable. I dislike how the tops of the keys are so small compared to PB keys. I constantly find myself hitting two keys at once. Also the unusual positioning of the special keys is particularly aggravating. You have keys everywhere on a PC laptop keyboard for no apparent reason.
 
no... I mean it's fine for surfing and stuff... but If you're doing like a paper or any hardcore typing it's just really uncomfortable...
 
Might be personal preference. I do a lot of typing on my Powerbook without any trouble at all. I touch type and find it comfortable whether it's on my lap or on my desk - whether I'm surfing or hammering out memos.

Do you have particularly big/small hands? Do you touch type? Do you rest your the heels of your palms on the keyboard while you type or keep your wrists up? I tend to find that since my palms, my wrists are supported by the Powerbook so it's very comfortable.
 
Southbridge said:
no... I mean it's fine for surfing and stuff... but If you're doing like a paper or any hardcore typing it's just really uncomfortable...
Click to expand...

I think it depends on where you position your hands when you type. If you don't position yours hands right (IMO) then it can hurt/not work/etc. I like my keyboard.
 
I like it, but in the store today I made a ton of type-os, something I don't usually do with my full size PC keyboard...
 
For most people typing on a laptop is an un-natural motion. We all learn on external keyboards that are slightly tilted and kept very close to our bodies. The ideal position for a keyboard is to allow your arms to hand down naturally and bend 90 degrees at the elbows.

With a laptop many times you keep the keyboard farther away simply because the screen would be right in front of your nose if you didn't...that in itself is a very un-natural and even uncomfortable postion. Also the lack of any tilt in a laptop keyboard also adds to discomfort.

Using a laptop is something you have to get used to and will never be as comfortable as using a good full size external keyboard.

I use a Toshiba laptop at home and a desktop at work. That being said, I like the PB keyboard better than the Toshiba and will be getting a PB in the very near future....not because I want the PB keyboard but because I want a Mac 😱

AAPL_to_$100 real soon.
 
I agree about the keyboards... they are beautiful and comfortable with a tilted stand.

However... their quality is sometimes a completely different story. 😡

Can anyone guess how many times I have had my 15" PB keyboard replaced? Five times.

Then, after speaking out about it, they fired me from Apple Retail, citing a small clause I had never seen before for posting messages here on my break.
 
dotdotdot said:
I like it, but in the store today I made a ton of type-os, something I don't usually do with my full size PC keyboard...
Click to expand...
When i first got my Powerbook - i was worried i would make alot of typos. Then i got used to it and it is the best keyboard i have ever used. Hands down.

If you don't like the P-book keyboard but like the Powrbook, get a external.


kyle
 
jackieonasses said:
When i first got my Powerbook - i was worried i would make alot of typos. Then i got used to it and it is the best keyboard i have ever used. Hands down.

If you don't like the P-book keyboard but like the Powrbook, get a external.


kyle
Click to expand...

yeah... I think I'm just getting skittish about diving into the world of mac...

btw your avatar is Victor Wooten right?
 
I guarantee you it's because you were standing and typing, versus sitting down with the keyboard at a comfortable hieght.
 
I have to say that I have used many laptop keyboards in my time and the one I liked the most was the keyboard I had on my IBM Thinkpad T42. However, the keyboard on my 12" Powerbook comes in at a close second. I owned some Dells and the keyboard on those felt very cheap. I have also used a G3 and G4 iBook keyboard and I have to say the keyboard on the G4 was better in my opinion. The one thing that I did like about the iBook is the keyboard is removable so it would be easy to replace should something unfortunate happen to it. Just my personal experience and your preference may vary 😛
 
what tha...

dferrara said:
I agree about the keyboards... they are beautiful and comfortable with a tilted stand.

However... their quality is sometimes a completely different story. 😡

Can anyone guess how many times I have had my 15" PB keyboard replaced? Five times.

Then, after speaking out about it, they fired me from Apple Retail, citing a small clause I had never seen before for posting messages here on my break.
Click to expand...

Five times??? What was going on with them?? 😱


aussie_geek
 
Using a keyboard is a matter of personal preference, right along with the operating system. That being said, I actually bought a Powerbook because of the keyboard. I had an iBook for a couple of years and I hated the keyboard. The one on the Powerbook feels so natural and easy to use.
 
Southbridge said:
well... I was at the Apple Store for a while typing, then for the hell of it I walked across the street to Best Buy and I tried out a HP Laptop, and the keyboard felt pretty good... which leads me to believe that laptop keyboards can be designed better than those on the powerbooks...

I mean I really like OS X over XP and I like the way the powerbook looks, but I'm not sure I like how it feels...
Click to expand...



UHHmmmmm there is no Best Buy Store in front of the apple store lol. the nearest best buy from the apple store is like 30 to 35 blocks.
 
edwardlanti said:
UHHmmmmm there is no Best Buy Store in front of the apple store lol. the nearest best buy from the apple store is like 30 to 35 blocks.
Click to expand...

yeah... I went to Tekserve. The Apple Store in Soho was all out of 15" powerbooks with a combo drive. I didnt think people outside of NYC really knew what Tekserve was...

BTW... Tekserve kinda sucked.
 
Well personally I MUCH prefer typing on the PowerBook and regard it as one of the best Laptop keyboards I have ever used.

Before my switch to Mac I used IBM Thinkpads (a T20 and then a T42) and the keyboards on them are superb and justly praised. However after the initial disorientation and acclimatisation on the PowerBook I quickly appreciated the keyboard and regard it as good as the Thinkpads, which for me is praise indeed.

In fact I recently bought an iCurve and bluetooth Apple keyboard as an experiment and find the BT keyboard uncomfortable to use in comparison increasing my typos dramatically, which is now gathering dust. (I'm actually a little concerned by this last experience as I am considering purchasing an iMac, but that's another story.)

I am guilty of sneering at posters who can't help but positively post when it comes to Apple but in this instance I have personal experience to fall back on that I have to say is diametrically opposite from yours.

My only suggestion would be to give it another go, it would be a shame to miss out on OSX and the Apple experience on the strength of a rushed keyboard comparison.
Vanilla
 
That's really a matter of personal preference. For my part, I love the BT keyboard. But I know people who type lots of stuff, and they won't part with the PowerBook keyboard.

BTW, the "best" keyboard experience I ever had was with a Logitech Internet Keyboard, back in my PC days. It felt exactly right.
 
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