Apple Testing iPhones with Physical Keyboards?

[orion123]

If it's haptic, it better not be a straight vibration-confirm. The key would vibrate whether you hit the right one or the wrong one.

Better yet would be what we've seen in some apple patents: where the software keys actually get a little dynamically raised-up plateau under them when the keyboard is being used. THAT is a killer way to do a keyboard, and probably a couple years off. Although if you're wasting space with a slider, they could better waste that space with the raised screenkeys

 

[neutrino23]

It's a good idea for Apple to prototype these. They probably have dozens of prototypes testing all sorts of ideas. Unlikely they'll see the light of day. I have both an iPhone and BB and I find the iPhone much faster and easier to type on. I still haven't figured out how to get some characters to appear on the BB. I'm sure some combination of Alt, Num, Sym and Cap will do it but who has time to study the manual (which I wasn't given anyway)?

 

[SkyBell]

Any phone that has a keyboard, the keyboard is too small. Unless you make a phone the size of an ultra portable laptop, you can't fix the small keyboard issue.

 

[BongoBanger]

Yes, it's probably true that Apple might sell a few more phones if they had physical keyboards. But I still don't see it ever happening. It would be a major step backwards for them. Apple KNOWS their virtual keyboard is the way of the future, and that it opens up a world of possibilities -- they're not going to cave in and change all the innovation they've done so far for the few ignorant people who won't even give a virtual keyboard a chance.

Say what? 'A few ignorant people'?

Virtual keyboards are all very well but tactile keyboards are better for some purposes. This is a good move for Apple to see if they can manage a keyed phone.

 

[k2spitfire88]

I hope this doesn't happen, i think it would destroy the iPhone, and how different it really is, plus, it would be straight up ugly.

 

[slffl]

I love all of the kiddies who think physical keyboards on phones/pds are so much more useful than a virtual one. I remember when the treo first came out and the same nubs said that Palm Graffiti was so much better than a physical keyboard. Get over it old timers and learn/try something new.

 

[imwoblin]

I can see how some Blackberry users (business types) would miss the physical keyboard, I know I did before I became zippy with my iPhone. I think the only thing I miss from my BB is the red and green message status light. Put that feature on the iPhone and it would be close to perfect!

 

[Silver-Fox]

Let's hope these execs put it on ebay, for the sake of seeing what the heck it looks like. Why? Because we're all obsessed nerds here.

Speak for your self.

my opinion:

I don't think they will go through with it to be honest if they were looking at it

 

[BongoBanger]

I love all of the kiddies who think physical keyboards on phones/pds are so much more useful than a virtual one. I remember when the treo first came out and the same nubs said that Palm Graffiti was so much better than a physical keyboard. Get over it old timers and learn/try something new.

I'm going to assume you're joking because I can't believe anyone is really that retarded.

 

[caprica]

Yay

Hurrah .. finally a real keyboard.

I find typing on my ipod touch an absolute nightmare my big clumsy fungers on that glasz screan mean I keep on hitting the wrung keys ....

Now there is a real reason to give up your blackberry and come over to the light side of the force

 

[ivladster]

Hmmm very hard to believe. Steve clearly said that the future is in the touch screen.

I think this is just the version of the new Newton.

 

[madmaxmedia]

I think people need to accept that not everything Apple does is the automatic, one-size-fits-all, perfect solution to every problem known to mankind.

I personally am fine with the soft keyboard, so I don't care whether this is real or ultimately gets released. The soft keyboard is a bit of a tradeoff to get a slimmer device that doesn't require a slide-out keyboard. But it's not SO amazing either IMO, nor in the opinion of many. Having a slide-out keyboard version would give people more options.

Let's not get religious over this.

 

[bp132705]

Flip Iphone

Has Apple looked into the possibility of having a flip iphone with a keyboard on the flip out part? I think this would be the easiest way to build in a physical keyboard to their design.

Anyone agree?

 

[Niiro13]

Sometimes the ratings on the topics here at macrumors are really, really strange, why this story gets a 4/24 positive to negative is a mystery to me...is it because people would prefer the novelty of their keyboardless iphones...who knows...

Cause some people just don't like the idea of a physical keyboard on the iPhone...now bluetoothing with a full keyboard (or Apple's Wireless Keyboard) would be ownage.



Know what? I think Apple should develop a kind of material to use for screens. When the keyboard comes up, the keys should physically mold the material so that you can actually feel the keys.

*sigh* what I would give to live in the future .

 

[rchalico]

No way

that doesn't sound like something Apple would do...

They wouldn't do that, for the same reason they didn't add a 56k modem to my MBP and they didn't add a floppy drive to my first iMac back in '98...

So this is very unlikely to be true, from me point of view...

 

[Flowbee]

The timing of this "leak" is suspicious. Seems like it's designed to to get current Blackberry users to consider putting off a switch to the iPhone 3G because a supposed physical keyboard version is in the works.

 

[rchalico]

Say what? 'A few ignorant people'?

Virtual keyboards are all very well but tactile keyboards are better for some purposes. This is a good move for Apple to see if they can manage a keyed phone.

It still seems unlikely for Apple to take a step back in innovation and add a keyboard... I mean, even Steve Jobs made fun, mocked, and criticized keyed phones.

 

[darwinian]

If this were true, I'd be curious for the following reason. Right now, the keyboard takes up a huge portion of the widescreen when rotated. This leaves no room for the actual text area, and the suggestion bubble is often hidden as well. It's not really that useful. I think Apple should be praised for getting the touch screen keyboard largely right -- it's turned more than a few shaking heads, including my own. It's impressive. However, I'll take a tactile keyboard any day of the week compared to the touch screen, especially in lieu of the annoying screen real estate problem.

A slightly transparent keyboard might help to alleviate at least the problem of screen real estate, while it would not necessarily solve the problem of hidden suggestion bubbles (unless you could switch easily from foreground to background).

 

[gifford]

I'm going to assume you're joking because I can't believe anyone is really that retarded.

I dont see what is wrong with what he said. I would agree with him. Any traditional style keyboard would be taking a step backward.
However, I'm not discounting there might be some new material or design that could exist somewhere between physical and touch.
It would have to be very thin, possibly flexible (or rollable), have sod all moving parts, and be cheap as chips. I'm unaware of anything that currently fits the bill, though many technologies are heading that direction.
In my opinion they should chuck a second low res touch screen on the back of the phone, and use an input technology I have developed instead..

Apple, give me an email, I shall sort your keyboard issue out.

 

[macduke]

I bet they will just ride it out until they can make their ultimate dreams a reality: tactile touchscreens. A small keyboard would be kind of nice when driv.....I mean when I'm walking to class so I can type by touch when sending back messages. I never got that good with the T9 but my little sisters are crazy fast on them...I still beat them with the iPhone but I have to look and they don't.

 

[true777]

Lack of physical keyboard is the #1 reason I am not getting an iPhone. I use my phone to type long emails, and the Danger Sidekick keyboard works great for me and lets me type extremely fast, while I have not been able to get used to the iPhone's soft keyboard and have found it quite sub optimal. The addition of a keyboard would be enough to make me get an iPhone, and I know several other people who have held off on iPhone purchases because of keyboard issues -- people who, like myself, need their phone to write long messages.

 

[Powerbooky]

Honestly, even though Apple made some strange "moves" before (Intel Mac), but adding an built-in real keyboard to the iPhone? Naah! It would be more obvious to make an external Apple mini/micro alu-keyboard and sell that as an accessory.

Even the first iPhone has bluetooth, right? Can't it already pair with existing BT-keyboards?

 

[cloudnine]

While we really don't need another response saying "omg apple's never gonna do that" or "omg apple should totally do that", i'm gonna throw in my two cents anyway...

I don't see it happening only because Jobs made SUCH a big deal about how horrendous keyboards are on mobile phones. The keyboards take up too much room, making the phone less attractive... the keys don't change to adjust to your needs depending on the screen that you're on at the time, etc, etc...

The touch screen was SUCH a huge part of the iPhone's marketing that I highly doubt that Apple would ever release a phone with a keyboard, regardless of whether it was a slide-out or otherwise. I think Apple is good enough at marketing that they'll eventually be able to (at least partially) dominate the Enterprise arena... especially with all the enterprise functionality of the iPhone 2.0 software.

 

[rstansby]

It still seems unlikely for Apple to take a step back in innovation and add a keyboard... I mean, even Steve Jobs made fun, mocked, and criticized keyed phones.

He also made a big deal about having a metal back on the first iPhone, that's gone now with the new iPhone. I'm sure he could gloss over the change to a hard keyboard just as easily.

 

[TalkAboutApple]

Anyone who likes the idea of physical keys on the iPhone needs to be "re-educated" because they are only "getting" a tiny part of the platform. The touchscreen is a big part of the revolution.

And here's the litmus test: Any user who prefers landscape mode isn't truly proficient. Real users use the fattest, clumsy pad of their fingers or thumbs in portrait mode...and can get at least 30wpm.