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Apple wireless keyboard opinions?

B

belltree

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Feb 17, 2008
395
60
Tokyo, Japan
I'm thinking of picking up an Apple wireless keyboard with when I order my Mac Mini (soon) and I was wondering what any you might have to say about it. Is it a good product and how long dothe batteries last on average?

* on a side note, can anyone suggest a good wireless mouse? I'm thinking either Microsoft or Logitech. Thanks.
 
I've used one before and it is great. I just don't like the white keys though. It would be nice if it came standard with the black keys to make it seem more like the MacBook keyboards. I am thinking about buying one and somehow find some black keys off ebay or somewhere and putting them in. I'm not sure if thats even possible though.

I have the wireless mighty mouse and it is the best wireless mouse I have ever used. I would suggest getting it unless its just a little too expensive. Otherwise, I would go with Logitech over Microsoft.
 
I have the Wireless Apple Mini Keyboard and I love it. But remember if your used the the right side num. pad, it will take some time getting used to it.

The battery lasts quite a while for me and I type pretty much all day (programmer). I would say it lasts me good 3 months or so but remember how much I use the keyboard. If a new batter is needed, I just pop in one of my rechargeable batteries while the other one is charging so the battery cost isnt an issue.

The durability of the keyboard is pretty nice as well. When the keys start to look brownish or blackish, just grab a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser and rub it off. It will look like the day you bought the keyboard.

Let me know if you have more questions.
 
I used the wireless aluminum keyboard for several months. I had virtually no problems with it, and it was very reliable.

I only had to change the batteries once or twice, but you have to be VERY careful that the batteries you use do not have a thick plastic coating on them. Because of how narrow the aluminum battery slot is, if a battery is just barely too thick, it can get stuck in the middle of the tunnel making it almost impossible to remove it. Also, the battery contact at the very end of the slot has a tendency to get dirty, forcing you to use a pencil eraser or something similar to clean to it.

The only reason I chose the bluetooth keyboard was because of its small size. Literally as soon as the mini wired keyboards were released a few weeks ago, I sold my wireless keyboard and bought the mini wired one. I love having the two USB ports on the sides.
 
Thanks for the replies folks. I have never previously had any interest in getting a wireless keyboard but I plan to hook the new Mini up to an HDTV and use it from the sofa/coffee table so this 'seems' like the best choice ATM.

One question, if I disable Wi-Fi on the Mac (mini) will it also disable bluetooth (or are they not dependent on one another)? I want to have Wi-Fi disabled as I do not use it in the house.
 
I can vouch for my Apple wireless keyboard. i used to have the old one (the big white one) but this aluminum one is so elegant and classy. Really looks great on my desk.

And WiFi / Bluetooth can be enabled and disabled separately in OS X. So no worries on that.

As far as a good mouse, I've had poor experiences with mighty mouse. Over time, the scroll ball stops working. Furthermore, my experiences say to avoid bluetooth mic. I've used five or six and their tracking speeds can't compare to those of mice with their own USB dongles. On the cheap end, I really recommend the Logitech V320 - very cheap and good tracking. On the higher end, I'm loving my new MS Explorer Mouse with Bluetrack technology.

And to the commenter about the batteries... I love my rechargeable batteries! Keeps me green and keeps the Wii / bluetooth keyboard / other peripherals going!
 
I use apples wireless keyboard and I love it. Have had it for 4 months now and use it quite a lot during the day and haven't had to change the batteries. I suppose if I wanted to really economical I should use rechargeable batteries.:)
 
Love the wireless keyboard. You can get a refurbished one for $10 less.

I have several BT mice. I like the Rocketfish white BT mouse the best. My only complaint is that is uses AAA batteries. I keep two sets of rechargeable AAA batteries at work and cycle them. I had no other use for them anyway. The look is a rip-off of the mighty mouse, but I like it better. I was able to find the rocketfish on sale for $20 at BestBuy. I think the price was a mistake because I haven't seen it for less than $42 since then.

http://www.rocketfishproducts.com/pc-115-3-rocketfish-bluetooth-wireless-laser-mouse.aspx

I have also used the mighty mouse and a logitech V270. They work pretty well too.

http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Cordless-Optical-Bluetooth-Charcoal/dp/B000BDH2Y8
 
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rich.smith said:
Love the wireless keyboard. You can get a refurbished one for $10 less.

I have several BT mice. I like the Rocketfish white BT mouse the best. My only complaint is that is uses AAA batteries. I keep two sets of rechargeable AAA batteries at work and cycle them. I had no other use for them anyway. The look is a rip-off of the mighty mouse, but I like it better. I was able to find the rocketfish on sale for $20 at BestBuy. I think the price was a mistake because I haven't seen it for less than $42 since then.

http://www.rocketfishproducts.com/pc-115-3-rocketfish-bluetooth-wireless-laser-mouse.aspx

I have also used the mighty mouse and a logitech V270. They work pretty well too.

http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Cordless-Optical-Bluetooth-Charcoal/dp/B000BDH2Y8
Click to expand...

I type quite a lot, and the keyboard usually lasts me about 4 months. You don't need rechargeable batteries but I use them because I have a ton of them for my Wii/Mouse/etc. Also, I use a Macbook Pro. Why use another keyboard? To keep the screen further away from me for my eyes, and so as to not dirty the keyboard on the notebook itself.
 
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I like the aluminum wireless keyboard but have one complaint: it frequently gives "Connection Lost" messages. There are claims that this has to do with Airport or other 802.11 interference, but I have my doubts. The wireless mouse is doing fine and never disconnecting. Also, does anyone know of an option to at least suppress the "Connection Lost" messages? When I am watching a dvd on my mac min (HTPC), I don't really care of the wireless keyboard loses its connection.
 
I was going to get the wireless keyboard but decided against it for a few reasons: Didn't really need wireless as its for a desktop, too expensive and no numeric number pad. I ended up getting the wired one which is great so far.
 
I bought mine when they first came out and have been very happy with it. I never used the numeric keypad anyway so to me it's a plus that it's gone. The batteries seem to last me 3 months or so I would say. With lithiums even better battery life would be possible I would think.
 
In my experience, the battery life of the wireless keyboard was pretty good. However, there were several times when the caps lock light would not turn on. This seemed to happen regardless of how recently I had changed the batteries.
 
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