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17" MBP Matte, almost there. But still missing:

sparkie7

sparkie7

macrumors 68030
Original poster
1. Silver keys as a BTO option

2. Why no full keyboard with numeric keypad with All that left and right hand side space. the Speaker grills can be re-located

3. Ports still on the left hand side. Should be distributed left and right

4. Optical drive should be at the front

If all the above were done would = the Perfect 17 MBP (IMHO) 😀

Really I still can't believe Apple has not brought to market 2. above. What a waste of good useable space 🙄
 
1) Silver keys are so last year and chip if your a woman with acrylic nails.

2) Numeric keypads are for windows users who need 2 sets of numbers incase they forget where one set is

3) If all the ports are on one side you dont have to have all your devices splayed all around you like some giant octopus, theres a reason they hire blind people to design Dells

4) I agree, it should, this is a dark dark day for 17" macbook pro's, however not life ending.
 
sparkie7 said:
1. Silver keys as a BTO option

2. Why no full keyboard with numeric keypad with All that left and right hand side space. the Speaker grills can be re-located

3. Ports still on the left hand side. Should be distributed left and right

4. Optical drive should be at the front
Click to expand...

1. Silver or white keys would be nice and look a lot better, especially on the matte MBP and MBA. Won't happen though. Apple's just biding their time for the matte fans to move on so they can gloss and silver/black everything.

2. I always wondered that too, especially when they got rid of the number lock keys on the MacBooks but I guess there aren't enough math and numbers people in Apple's fanbase. Unfortunate, because for those of us who are, 10-key is a godsend for inputting figures fast. Logitech wireless USB 10-key will have to do.

3. They should not. See:4

4. It should not. see: Complaints that the SuperDrive opening gets crushed or warped because it's right below the palm/wrist rest.
 
kastenbrust said:
2) Numeric keypads are for windows users who need 2 sets of numbers incase they forget where one set is
Click to expand...

Or for accountants and other people who need to enter large amounts of numbers into a computer.

Let's see you fill up a big spreadsheet with 1000 numerical entries using the top row on your keyboard...

Also on a PC the number pad can be used as a secondary mouse for disabled people who can't use a mouse properly (and don't want to buy a specialised mouse).
 
TBi said:
Or for accountants and other people who need to enter large amounts of numbers into a computer.

Let's see you fill up a big spreadsheet with 1000 numerical entries using the top row on your keyboard...

Also on a PC the number pad can be used as a secondary mouse for disabled people who can't use a mouse properly (and don't want to buy a specialised mouse).
Click to expand...

don't forget a lot of games use the numeral keypad for navigation.
 
TBi said:
Or for accountants and other people who need to enter large amounts of numbers into a computer.

Let's see you fill up a big spreadsheet with 1000 numerical entries using the top row on your keyboard
Click to expand...

do it every day i program in binary. its faster with the normal number keys along the top. with your logic the whole keyboard should be a sqare so its 'faster'
 
Didn't they move the optical drive to the side b/c there were problems with having it in the front.. I don't get why one would prefer to have it in from over having it on the side, it serves no real functional difference and I think they changed it b/c having it in the front was actually causing problems. Also, having the ports on one side versus having them on both side really don't serve a functional difference. And changing the keyboard color is just a superfluous cosmetic change that does not matter one iota. The only thing that may be useful is having that numberpad, but I doubt apple would add that as it would mess with the aesthetics of the line.
 
TBi said:
Or for accountants and other people who need to enter large amounts of numbers into a computer.

Let's see you fill up a big spreadsheet with 1000 numerical entries using the top row on your keyboard...

Also on a PC the number pad can be used as a secondary mouse for disabled people who can't use a mouse properly (and don't want to buy a specialised mouse).
Click to expand...

x2. I'm a lawyer, but in my job I do tax work and accounting. I'm still not used to it 100%, but a 10-key is MUCH faster than the top row numbers. Though, as for myself, I prefer a USB 10-key rather than having an off-center typing section on a laptop.

My pick: http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Cord..._m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1YFGZS0ZDYYK3K8X38B6
 
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sparkie7 said:
2. Why no full keyboard with numeric keypad with All that left and right hand side space. the Speaker grills can be re-located

3. Ports still on the left hand side. Should be distributed left and right

4. Optical drive should be at the front
Click to expand...

What you need to do is watch the the introduction of the Unibody notebooks from October. It's on Apple's Quicktime site. Jonny Ive demonstrates exactly why these things are designed the way they are, and answers your questions indirectly, if not directly.

In short:

Space is very, very limited in these notebooks. You can't just relocate things around inside to wherever you feel like putting them due to thermal considerations and some other factors. In fact, the speaker grilles cannot be just "relocated" as you state. If the keyboard was wider, there would be no room for speakers at all. You can't move them down into the palmrest, as the battery and HD take up the entire thickness there. You can't move them upwards because then you would have to have smaller speakers like the MB. So, for a niche use like a 10 digit numeric keypad, the small number of users who need this can purchase an external USB one. Everything is about tradeoffs, and most people never use a numeric keypad.

The ports are on one side so that the logic board can be shrunk, allowing for a larger battery to fit into the bottom of the case under the trackpad. There is really no compelling reason why the ports can't be all in one place. Same thing for the optical drive. What difference does it make where the disc inserts?

Again, watch the presentation by Ive.

--mAc
 
Jonny Ive is clearly a stoner, thats why he moved from London to California. London doesnt have good weather for growing weed. Dont take anything he says seriously.
 
sparkie7 said:
3. Ports still on the left hand side. Should be distributed left and right
Click to expand...

Actually, I prefer all the ports on one side. It makes hooking up all the cables when returning to home/the office much easier. I'd bundle all the cables together so they are easy to plug in in one sweep along the side.

With the old design with ports on both sides, I have to take twice as much time to do two sets of ports.
 
iVoid said:
Actually, I prefer all the ports on one side. It makes hooking up all the cables when returning to home/the office much easier. I'd bundle all the cables together so they are easy to plug in in one sweep along the side.

With the old design with ports on both sides, I have to take twice as much time to do two sets of ports.
Click to expand...

Macbooks & Pro's need docks, End of story.
 
I think the new keyboard is much better than the previous silver keys.

As for the numeric pad, I never use it and just use the ones at top. Maybe if I worked at the bank or need to enter a lot of zip codes the numeric pad would come in handy, but I dont.
 
kastenbrust said:
do it every day i program in binary. its faster with the normal number keys along the top. with your logic the whole keyboard should be a sqare so its 'faster'
Click to expand...

Never programmed in binary, so i can't argue with you on that, but the 10-key gives us immediate, single-keystroke access, with one hand, and without having to move our wrist, to the main 17 keys we need for our work. 0123456789./*-+(return/enter)(backspace/clear)

You can't do that with the top row.
 
RexTraverse said:
Never programmed in binary, so i can't argue with you on that, but the 10-key gives us immediate, single-keystroke access, with one hand, and without having to move our wrist, to the main 17 keys we need for our work. 0123456789./*-+(return/enter)(backspace/clear)

You can't do that with the top row.
Click to expand...

If you get used to the top keys as I have (I never used the numeric keypad except when I had windows to use them as arrow keys playing games), you can use 2 hands to type on the top row just as fast and maybe even faster.

C'mon, how lazy are you so you dont want to move your wrist?!?
 
What Apple should really have done, but didnt because its too radical even for Apple despite the fact that they've already patented this idea is to have a touch screen where the keyboard is, then you could type silently and configure the keys and their positions and languages to your hearts content.
 
jjahshik32 said:
If you get used to the top keys as I have (I never used the numeric keypad except when I had windows to use them as arrow keys playing games), you can use 2 hands to type on the top row just as fast and maybe even faster.

C'mon, how lazy are you so you dont want to move your wrist?!?
Click to expand...

Well, when you're working with huge data sets, it's nice to have your left hand free to work with papers while you input with your right. The additional benefit is if you use two hands, you have to stop if you need to change pages or whatever on the data set your working with. And nearly all the function keys require two-keystrokes, that means reorienting your hand layout to grab the Shift button.

It's not about lazy, it's about being productive.
 
RexTraverse said:
Well, when you're working with huge data sets, it's nice to have your left hand free to work with papers while you input with your right. The additional benefit is if you use two hands, you have to stop if you need to change pages or whatever on the data set your working with. And nearly all the function keys require two-keystrokes, that means reorienting your hand layout to grab the Shift button.

It's not about lazy, it's about being productive.
Click to expand...

I dont see why you couldnt use 1 hand for the top row, I can do it just as fast.
 
sparkie7 said:
Its not just about aesthetics. Other points are functional and practical.

( And actually I did buy the one of the last of the pre-Unibody 17 MBPs ) 😀
Click to expand...

How in the hell is a slot loading drive in the FRONT more functional?
 
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