apple, give us a backlit magic keyboard!

[fisherking]

i've waited forever (give or take 'forever') for a backlit keyboard from apple; would love to have something like the macbook keyboard for my mini. i've owned a number of 3rd-party ones. my (current) satechi X1 has been great, but drops out often (an issue on sonoma, but started on ventura), so i find myself using the 'magic keyboard' lately. if it were truly magic, it would light up... 🤣

i know the battery life wouldn't be great, but just surprised apple has never done this. maybe eventually? or never?

 

[dmr727]

i know the battery life wouldn't be great, but just surprised apple has never done this. maybe eventually? or never?

Wow, I didn't realize the magic keyboard wasn't backlit. You're right, that's pretty surprising.

 

[fisherking]

i've never understood the magic keyboard; light grey letters on a white background. for those of us who have to look at the keyboard sometimes, it's useless.

give me a free-standing macbook keyboard, and i'll happily charge it as often as needed.

anyway, why they've never done this is a mystery (or why the letters can't be darker is a bigger mystery)...

 

[chrfr]

anyway, why they've never done this is a mystery (or why the letters can't be darker is a bigger mystery)...

It's surely because the battery life would be truly terrible.

 

[Sheepish-Lord]

It's surely because the battery life would be truly terrible.

Nah, they have one of the iPad version and it doesn’t drain the battery very much Apple just needs to configure it properly.

Automatic dimming (disable during daytime), turn off after inactivity option, and I don’t know…maybe BT 5.3 instead of 3.0!

 

[chrfr]

Nah, they have one of the iPad version and it doesn’t drain the battery very much Apple just needs to configure it properly.

Automatic dimming (disable during daytime), turn off after inactivity option, and I don’t know…maybe BT 5.3 instead of 3.0!

The iPad's Magic Keyboard also has a noticeable effect on battery life, and the iPad's battery is far larger than what would fit in a standalone keyboard.

 

[Sheepish-Lord]

The iPad's Magic Keyboard also has a noticeable effect on battery life, and the iPad's battery is far larger than what would fit in a standalone keyboard.

That’s why a new keyboard would be a slightly different design not to mention it’s like 7yrs old. Batteries are insanely thin now so add a few millimeters and put a battery in the keyboard. A lot of people complain it’s too low anyway…too easy from an Apple engineering standpoint.

 

[MacDaddyPanda]

That's why I bought the white magic keyboard. It's easier to see the keys. But a good alternative is the Logitech MX Keys. I use that at work all day. Great keyboard to type on.

 

[colodane]

Logitech has been doing backlighting with good battery life for years now. No technical reason why Apple can't do it if they really want to.

 

[Basic75]

They should make a back-lit version with cable, there's no reason to muck around with batteries in a desktop keyboard.

 

[fisherking]

They should make a back-lit version with cable, there's no reason to muck around with batteries in a desktop keyboard.

that seems unlikely. the magic keyboards are all bluetooth. plus, it's easy to keep using the keyboard when it's charging.

i doubt we'll see a cable-needed magic keyboard, backlit or not.

 

[Basic75]

that seems unlikely. the magic keyboards are all bluetooth. plus, it's easy to keep using the keyboard when it's charging.

i doubt we'll see a cable-needed magic keyboard, backlit or not.

I know. I still think it's wasteful to put resources (battery, bluetooth chip) in a place where they serve no purpose.

 

[fisherking]

I know. I still think it's wasteful to put resources (battery, bluetooth chip) in a place where they serve no purpose.

i appreciate having a bluetooth mouse & keyboard, and not needing usb ports for those things, so i'd say that bluetooth & batteries have a very-important purpose. if you prefer to plug in a usb mouse & keyboard, in 2023 that's a choice, not the default.

 

[SirAnthonyHopkins]

It's surely because the battery life would be truly terrible.

why would it? My Logitech keyboard has backlighting and the battery is fine. I've charged it a handful of times in a year+. And it's not like a desktop keyboard having poorer battery life is a disaster anyway. Just plug it in for a bit while you go on a lunch break and it's charged by the time you come back.

 

[obesechess]

why would it? My Logitech keyboard has backlighting and the battery is fine. I've charged it a handful of times in a year+. And it's not like a desktop keyboard having poorer battery life is a disaster anyway. Just plug it in for a bit while you go on a lunch break and it's charged by the time you come back.

My MX Keys is still in transit to me but this is good news - the quoted battery life with the backlight says you'll have to charge it every couple of days, so if it's only a few times a year then that's pretty remarkable.

 

[fisherking]

My MX Keys is still in transit to me but this is good news - the quoted battery life with the backlight says you'll have to charge it every couple of days, so if it's only a few times a year then that's pretty remarkable.

i have to charge my satechi X1 every 3-4 weeks or so, but simple to do (& i can use it while charging). well-worth it for the backlighting...

 

[SirAnthonyHopkins]

My MX Keys is still in transit to me but this is good news - the quoted battery life with the backlight says you'll have to charge it every couple of days, so if it's only a few times a year then that's pretty remarkable.

Maybe I’m just not using it in the dark enough for the backlight to drain the battery. But yeah I’m charging every couple of months at most. It’s an MX keys mini.

 

[obesechess]

Yeah, I've never felt the need for a backlit keyboard, I just bought it because I have the MX Master Mouse, had a coupon code, and wanted things to match. Maybe I'll love it!

 

[fisherking]

i work a lot at night (mostly logic or final cut) and love having a backlit keyboard. either way, i genuinely don't get why apple, who make these great macbook keyboards, hasn't attempted a backlit magic keyboard. anyway, i've learned to not hold my breath...

 

[tucogovinda]

Satechi Slim X1 Bluetooth Backlit Keyboard is another great alternative to Apple’s Magic Keyboard.

 

[fisherking]

Satechi Slim X1 Bluetooth Backlit Keyboard is another great alternative to Apple’s Magic Keyboard.

i've mentioned it several times in this thread, it's what i use (& it's been dropping out on my mac mini). when it works it's great (and completely mac-centric, unlike the logitech...)

 

[tucogovinda]

i've mentioned it several times in this thread, it's what i use (& it's been dropping out on my mac mini). when it works it's great (and completely mac-centric, unlike the logitech...)

Apologies, I obviously read your post too quickly. Also sorry your X1 drops with your Mac mini. I haven’t had that experience with mine.

 

[fisherking]

Apologies, I obviously read your post too quickly. Also sorry your X1 drops with your Mac mini. I haven’t had that experience with mine.

all good! and not sure why it drops out; seems to work better with my macbook air (both on sonoma betas, both M2 macs). but i need it for the mini.

tempted to get a new one, but if the same problem occurs... hmmm....

 

[George Dawes]

With led backlights using such little power they can’t use that’s a an excuse anymore

Both my TVs remotes are backlit and that’s with puny aa and aaa batteries !

 

[tucogovinda]

all good! and not sure why it drops out; seems to work better with my macbook air (both on sonoma betas, both M2 macs). but i need it for the mini.

tempted to get a new one, but if the same problem occurs... hmmm....

Darn, wish I could help you there. I got my X1 when they first came out to share amongst my aging 2015 27” iMac, M1 iPad Pro, and later, a 2019 Intel MacBook Pro for work. When I retired the iMac for a new M2 Mac mini in February, I was aware some people on these forums have had spotty connection issues with their minis. All I could do was cross my fingers and hope for the best. I guess I lucked out. Hope you can find a solution either with the current keyboard or something else.