Yeah, unless you type lots of numbers daily there is not much benefit to the number pad. Likewise the home/end/page up/page down keys are becoming a relic. I'm typing this on the small Apple wired keyboard and in the few weeks I've had it I haven't missed the keypad once.
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Can't Apple make some room to put a full sized keyboard on their notebooks?
- Thread starter n459umb4786ers
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On my old PBG4 Aluminum model there was a number pad integrated into the keyboard. The "5" on the number pad was the same as the "I" key, and the other numbers surrounding it, so the 7, 8, and 9 on the number row were also 7, 8, and 9 on the numpad. Also had keys like 0 which was the "M" key where it would be on a number pad too. The decimal also was used with the period key. I thought it was kinda hokey at first but when I actually used it (and yes I do use the numpad) I found it to work pretty well. You would access the numpad via a numlock key which was F6.
I don't know why they removed this from the newer laptops? It's not like those keys needed to be reserved for other special uses. Just another one of those cool little touches I kind of miss about my old laptop. Can't complain about the new one's speed and battery life and size though!
I don't know why they removed this from the newer laptops? It's not like those keys needed to be reserved for other special uses. Just another one of those cool little touches I kind of miss about my old laptop. Can't complain about the new one's speed and battery life and size though!
From a design perspective they look terrible. I walked into a computer store last week and I couldn't believe how of centre all the mouse pads were, it is so weird. Everything is slanted to the left side of the laptop. Out of the 12 or so laptops, 1 had it centred and that was a netbook.
I also have the external keyboard from Apple with the numberpad, strangely enough I never use that side of the keyboard!
I also have the external keyboard from Apple with the numberpad, strangely enough I never use that side of the keyboard!
I personally would never buy a laptop with an integral numpad - the shunting left of the main part of the keyboard really screws up my typing feel. I've even found that keyboard with the page up, page down etc keys in a column on the right take a while to get used to. That and they are universally ugly as sin. As the others have said, the external numpad is really the way to go.
QI FACT... Henry Ford never said this
Back on topic,
All the keyboards are full sized. I'd rather have a full sized keyboard without a numpad than a cramped keyboard for a numpad I wouldn't use. Honestly, I think thats the same for the majority of people
Logitech makes a nice unit... the Targus stow and go unit is so-so = I have it and got it for only $15 so I put up with the fact that the USB piece it too big to use with out a hub attached.
As I mentioned in another thread with a similar topic...
I believe that Apple should use the trackpad as a numberpad, it's certainly large enough. Have a unique swipe that turns the trackpad into a numberpad, type in your numbers, then do the swipe again to return to a trackpad.
I can see situations were that wouldn't be ideal, but in the majority of situations I think it would work just fine.
I believe that Apple should use the trackpad as a numberpad, it's certainly large enough. Have a unique swipe that turns the trackpad into a numberpad, type in your numbers, then do the swipe again to return to a trackpad.
I can see situations were that wouldn't be ideal, but in the majority of situations I think it would work just fine.
Apple no longer even includes full sized keyboards with their iMacs and Mac Pros, so I think you've got zero chance of getting them to put one on a laptop.
Except the trackpad area is not the shape of a number pad (wider than it is tall) and also unless the trackpad is also a miniature display, you wouldn't be able to see where to press to get what number you wanted. As the advantage of a trackpad is faster touch-typing (i.e. no looking) using a numpad blindly on a trackpad would not be of much benefit IMO
BTW I did a little looking and there is that iPod app called NumberPad Free which can serve your iPod/iPhone as a trackpad. No tactile feedback (as explained above) but an interesting alterntaive and for the price (there is a free version with a fully functional numpad) it's something that you should definitely at least give a try if you have an iPT/iPhone
The problem is we need to be centered to get the best experience. If the KB was shifted to left, and keys replaced speaker area it would be off center the 99.9% of time not using 10-key.
At the same time, making a case for shifting the speakers into a worthy use for the bezel area makes a heck of a lot of sense. The thick bezels really bug me. I would rather make the whole footprint smaller and use a wireless 10-key pad.
A wireless BT 10-key for your laptop costs about $20. A USB model costs less than $10. Do you really want to ruin your laptop for the .01% of a time you use your Mac just for that? When the solution could be stored in your laptop bag and costs less than $20??? And if you're like some, the Mac laptop sits on the desk 95% of the time anyways, so it could be set there too.
At the same time, making a case for shifting the speakers into a worthy use for the bezel area makes a heck of a lot of sense. The thick bezels really bug me. I would rather make the whole footprint smaller and use a wireless 10-key pad.
A wireless BT 10-key for your laptop costs about $20. A USB model costs less than $10. Do you really want to ruin your laptop for the .01% of a time you use your Mac just for that? When the solution could be stored in your laptop bag and costs less than $20??? And if you're like some, the Mac laptop sits on the desk 95% of the time anyways, so it could be set there too.
Have they removed the num lock on recent Mac lappies, or do I miss something?
Num lock works for me for those odd cases where it's needed, and if I were, say, an accountant I'd have an external number pad, methinks.
Num lock works for me for those odd cases where it's needed, and if I were, say, an accountant I'd have an external number pad, methinks.
I use number pads all the time on my desktop setup, but I would never want one a notebook. Its not necessary. It would make the keyboard offset which would make the notebook sit unbalanced in your lap. The trackpad would have to be off-center to not be hit accidentally.
You can also try using other keys to mimic the number pad from a full sized keyboard. Read this article: http://www.macworld.com/article/142609/2009/09/ressurect_numberpad.html
Apparently if you have Snow Leopard this feature is already built into the OS. I would have to agree with the others though because I would hate to have a number pad on a laptop since it would make the keyboard off center from the screen. I have a full sized keyboard on my desktop but with an external keyboard I can easily slide the keyboard left and right when I need to use the number pad so that I'm not constantly twisting my body.
A laptop keyboard with the number pad would be extremely annoying for me especially since I only use it occasionally. To be honest, it's even annoying on my desktop because it causes my mouse to be too far to the right which doesn't feel too ergonomically to me. Also you do get used to the numbers on top if you force yourself to type with them often.
My 2007 MBP uses the fn key to turn keys on the right hand side into a numeric keypad. UIOP are 456*, JKL: are 123-, etc. The Unibodies still have the fn key, but I don't see the numeric functions in small script in the lower right of each key. Did they remove the functionality or just leave the labels off the keys? This is the same system used on my Dell laptop and I've seen it used on many others as well.
It was still there as of 2007! They even added the fn function key. if you didn't want to use the numlock.
I guess if they got rid of the numeric function keys they didn't really have a need for the numlock anymore.
I have a num pad on my iMac's keyboard and its the only part of the keyboard thats dusty? Why? Because I never use it lol...