Black or white keyboard in a dark room?

[dwig]

My choices (in order of preference):

1. backlit white
2. backlit black
3. black keyboard with white keycaps
4. all white

Personally, I use a Logitech MX Keys at home (backlit charcoal grey) and at work (same as home). My home setup is generally rather dark but the work setup is well lit. Until recently I used an older Apple mechanical keyboard (white, no backlight) at work. I'm a rather good touch typist and find that seeing where the keys are, but not necessarily being able to read the keycaps, is the most important thing. Hence, if it isn't backlit it needs to be white.

 

[gazwas]

Yep. People with dirty hands shouldn't buy white keyboards.

Absolutely!

If a white Apple keyboard goes yellow it has nothing to do with the type of plastic used. For those who suffer from yellowed Apple keyboards, just because the black doesn’t go yellow only means you can’t see all the disgusting crud accumulated on your keys. 😆

 

[smirking]

b. why they've never given us a macbook-style backlit keyboard

It's likely because backlighting is really bad for battery life.

 

[smirking]

If a white Apple keyboard goes yellow it has nothing to do with the type of plastic used.

On the contrary, some keycaps made from ABS plastic are prone to suffering from UV damage that causes them to yellow if kept exposed to sunlight. Depending on which keyboard is in question, the yellowing may have nothing to do with the user having disgusting habits.

 

[uller6]

On the contrary, some keycaps made from ABS plastic are prone to suffering from UV damage that causes them to yellow if kept exposed to sunlight. Depending on which keyboard is in question, the yellowing may have nothing to do with the user having disgusting habits.

Yellowing is definitely caused by UV exposure. My keyboard on the basement computer is still white as new, but the one upstairs in my office is yellowed.

 

[fisherking]

It's likely because backlighting is really bad for battery life.

i thought that years ago. but how hard is it to charge a keyboard? i plug my satechi in when i need to; simple.

the value of backlighting (for me, anyway) far outweighs the need to charge more frequently, than, say, my magic mouse.

 

[uller6]

The magic keyboards also work just fine when plugged in. It's really no big deal. I also very much want a backlit (black) Apple keyboard.

 

[gazwas]

On the contrary, some keycaps made from ABS plastic are prone to suffering from UV damage that causes them to yellow if kept exposed to sunlight. Depending on which keyboard is in question, the yellowing may have nothing to do with the user having disgusting habits.

Maybe in the 1980’s but pretty sure all modern ABS plastics like those used in the Apple keyboards discussed here will contain UV stabilisers to stop this exact thing from happening.

Back OT, I’d wait to see if we get updated Magic accessories potentially announced with the the Mac Pro (June?) and pray Apple sees sense and gives up a backlight option.

 

[Cham2000]

Back OT, I’d wait to see if we get updated Magic accessories potentially announced with the the Mac Pro (June?) and pray Apple sees sense and gives up a backlight option.

Is there a chance that Apple update something during the following 2 weeks, like mouse/keyboard and/or display? AFAIK, the current TouchID keyboard is what, two years old now? It's still using BT 5.0, while Apple is updating the Macs to use BT 5.3...

About the black keys, does the "shiny black keys" appear after just a few months of use? Is it annoying or ugly to see?

 

[gazwas]

Is there a chance that Apple update something during the following 2 weeks, like mouse/keyboard and/or display? AFAIK, the current TouchID keyboard is what, two years old now? It's still using BT 5.0, while Apple is updating the Macs to use BT 5.3...

About the black keys, does the "shiny black keys" appear after just a few months of use? Is it annoying or ugly to see?

Nobody knows is the only answer anyone on here could give you.

I’d imagine the best time to launch a new range would be with a desktop Mac and seeing how they didn’t appear with the Mini, the Mac Pro seems the only next logical time.

 

[dwig]

Maybe in the 1980’s but pretty sure all modern ABS plastics like those used in the Apple keyboards discussed here will contain UV stabilisers to stop this exact thing from happening.

Back OT, I’d wait to see if we get updated Magic accessories potentially announced with the the Mac Pro (June?) and pray Apple sees sense and gives up a backlight option.

I've seen several Apple keyboards from the past 2 decades yellow from UV. Most have done so unevenly with some keys yellowing more than others. Modern ones seem to yellow less, but they still yellow.

I have two A1048 keyboards (c2003-2008) in my office. One is bright white and the other has slightly yellowed keys while its white frame, both top and bottom, are quite white.

 

[Cham2000]

What about black keys? They age well?

 

[August West]

I've been using an Apple white keyboard since 2009 and have no discoloring. With my new mini coming in a week I'm going to replace it with the current one in entirely for the touchID. Sticking with the white keys.

 

[uller6]

What about black keys? They age well?

The black keys get shiny after a couple of years but otherwise yes, they age much more gracefully than the white keys.

 

[smirking]

the value of backlighting (for me, anyway) far outweighs the need to charge more frequently, than, say, my magic mouse.

I have a BT mechanical keyboard that has backlighting. It's fairly chunky so it can handle a respectably sized battery. If the backlighting is turned up all the way, the power lasts about 8 hours. Now, the backlighting on this keyboard is seriously bright so even half the brightness is more than enough to help illuminate the keys. You'd still be looking at multiple charges per week.

 

[SousVide]

I have both the black Apple Magic Keyboard (numeric keypad, no Touch ID) plus black Magic Mouse and white Apple Magic Keyboard (numeric keypad with Touch ID) and white Magic Mouse. I have many more white Apple Magic Keyboards going all the way to the Apple Wired Keyboard (with numeric keypad) released in 2007. I have never seen any yellowing of the keys on any of my white Apple keyboards. Admittedly, none of my Apple keyboards have been exposed to direct sunlight.

But, I'll say with confidence that black Apple keyboard and black mouse show smudges and dirt much more readily than their white counterparts. So, even though my most recent keyboard and mouse were black, when I purchased my new Mac Mini M2 Pro, I ordered white Apple Magic Keyboard with numeric keypad and Touch ID and white Apple Magic Mouse to go along. I'm not a big fan of the Touch ID keyboard rounded corners and rounded corner keys and I believe that to be a design mistake. But the convenience of Touch ID was too hard to ignore and it's well worth the rather high price.

I don't look at my keyboard when I type so room lighting and lack of keyboard backlighting have never been issues for me. If you must look at the keyboard while you type, consider installing an LED light strip above your keyboard tray, or, better still, invest a bit of time to learn touch typing. It will serve you well for the rest of your life.

 

[smirking]

I have never seen any yellowing of the keys on any of my white Apple keyboards. Admittedly, none of my Apple keyboards have been exposed to direct sunlight.

But, I'll say with confidence that black Apple keyboard and black mouse show smudges and dirt much more readily than their white counterparts.

I don't think the more recent Bluetooth and Magic Keyboards are prone to yellowing, but I suppose it's possible to have some batches of them floating around that are. I've owned a couple of the white Bluetooth ones that have received plenty of sun.

Some of the older Apple white keyboards do appear like they may be prone to yellowing though. It's not just bad lighting or dirt making this look yellow. You can see a clear difference between the top view of the keyboard and the underside view.

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Which of the black keyboards do you have? More recent ones? I don't own a Magic Keyboard 1 or 2 so I don't know them beyond a few minutes spent at the Apple Store, but if it's anything like the current MBP keyboards, they get that sheen easily because of the coating on them.

On the positive side, that coating also does seem to make it easier to wipe oils off so if the shiny look drives you crazy, you can just wipe it down every day.

 

[fisherking]

I have a BT mechanical keyboard that has backlighting. It's fairly chunky so it can handle a respectably sized battery. If the backlighting is turned up all the way, the power lasts about 8 hours. Now, the backlighting on this keyboard is seriously bright so even half the brightness is more than enough to help illuminate the keys. You'd still be looking at multiple charges per week.

i charge my satechi X1 about every 3 weeks (varies based on my usage of course). and i appreciate that the backlight dims after a short period if i haven't typed on the keyboard. anyway, right now, i wouldn't trade that for anything...

 

[smirking]

i charge my satechi X1 about every 3 weeks (varies based on my usage of course). and i appreciate that the backlight dims after a short period if i haven't typed on the keyboard. anyway, right now, i wouldn't trade that for anything...

I stand corrected then. There's nothing stopping Apple from doing the same. They just don't want to do it for whatever reason.

FWIW, my lights can't really be described as backlighting. It's direct lighting for each key and it sucks up considerable power. It's not very practical, but I can do fun effects when I type.

 

[fisherking]

I stand corrected then. There's nothing stopping Apple from doing the same. They just don't want to do it for whatever reason.

FWIW, my lights can't really be described as backlighting. It's direct lighting for each key and it sucks up considerable power. It's not very practical, but I can do fun effects when I type.

i don't use my mini as much as my macbook air (the mini is for logic/final cut only), so.... there's that. but when i'm busy with projects it's probably every 10 days, give or take.

either way, charging a keyboard is simple, and (unlike the magic mouse) you can use your keyboard while it's charging. so really, i don't get why apple has never given us a backlit keyboard. at least, there are alternatives.

 

[Cham2000]

either way, charging a keyboard is simple, and (unlike the magic mouse) you can use your keyboard while it's charging. so really, i don't get why apple has never given us a backlit keyboard. at least, there are alternatives.

May there be an issue if the Apple Magic keyboard is always hooked to the computer with the cable (and constantly charging)? Since the minis are known to have some BT issues (depending on the unit and desk environment), I would prefer to leave the keyboard always hooked to the computer with the cable, while using the BT mouse (no choice there, unless we change the mouse).

 

[fisherking]

May there be an issue if the Apple Magic keyboard is always hooked to the computer with the cable(and constantly charging)? Since the mini are known to have some BT issue (depending on the unit and desk environment), I would prefer to leave the keyboard always hooked to the computer with the cable.

what issues?

why not use it (ie with BT) and then, if you personally have issues, you can plug it into usb. i'd cross that bridge when i come to it (fwiw, my apple keyboard, satechi keyboard, cme music keyboard, and magic mouse all work with BT & my mini, and no issues)...

if you decide you want to use the keyboard with usb, you can do that. simple!)

 

[smirking]

what issues?

The MBPs and I guess the Minis too have been known to have interference issues with BT Mice. I've never had a BT keyboard problem before though.

Your setup affects the possibility of BT issues too. My wife gets hand-me-down machines from me as her needs are far less than mine. She's also taken over my Apple Trackpad. The same MBP and same Trackpad runs fine for her even though I stopped using the combo because I got too frustrated with the pointer jumping around.

A key difference between our setups? I have an external display and use my MBPs in clamshell mode mostly. I think the external display may be the culprit.

 

[fisherking]

The MBPs and I guess the Minis too have been known to have interference issues with BT Mice. I've never had a BT keyboard problem before though.

Your setup affects the possibility of BT issues too. My wife gets hand-me-down machines from me as her needs are far less than mine. She's also taken over my Apple Trackpad. The same MBP and same Trackpad runs fine for her even though I stopped using the combo because I got too frustrated with the pointer jumping around.

A key difference between our setups? I have an external display and use my MBPs in clamshell mode mostly. I think the external display may be the culprit.

with the mini (of course)... external display.

either way, i'd deal with the issue IF it cropped up. if all is well, there's nothing to resolve... 🤔

 

[rpmurray]

i use the non-numeric pad version of this (& love it)...

I would love to get a backlit keyboard where just the letters are lit. All the ones I've tried have really bad blooming around the base of the keycap.