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Do you think the 17" MBP should have a # keypad

  • Yes, I would use it all the time

    Votes: 51 39.5%
  • Never, it's perfect the way it is

    Votes: 18 14.0%
  • I have no preference

    Votes: 9 7.0%
  • No, because it will make the keyboard off center

    Votes: 51 39.5%

  • Total voters
    129
Hi, long time reader 1st time poster.

Im currently a windows user but want to switch to mac, and have been waiting for update for last 4 months. Read this thread and it intrigued me, and also wonderd what a 17" pro would look like with a number pad, so i'v made a mockup in photoshop of one. Obviously you may not agree or like it, but just thort i would share it.

I have placed a long speaker across the top of the laptop, moved the keyboard and touch pad down a bit, and have extended the countersunk area to include the same keypad combo that you find on the wired keyboard with numberpad.

Hope you enjoy.

Alex.

That's almost exactly the same as what I came up with in July last year!

Check out this thread I made: link
 
I'd buy a 17" in a second if it had one. Tons of wasted space on the 17" as it stands, and some of us do crunch numbers for a living. Separate keypads are awkward when you're using the laptop on your lap, and force you to move your hands too far off the keyboard.
 
This would be great if they had this. I would use it all the time. I dont really like finger pecking the top of the keyboard when trying to use excel or calculator.
 
I think it should definitely be an option, but it does make laptops look really funny.

Look what happened when sony did it, the FW and the F that replaced it (they're the same size):

sony-vaio-fw-2.jpg

sony-f_series-gray-open.jpg
 
I think it'd be pretty nice to have a built in keypad. I've used laptops that had them before and it didn't feel particularly awkward to me then... Other than the fact that I was using windows. I can handle using wired numeric key pads, but it does make things a little more cumbersome when using a small desk space. The one my girlfriend uses with her MacBook has a calculator built into it which can automatically send the answers to the computer...quicker than using the Calculator in Mac OS and then copy/pasting.

It's not something I'd hold out hope for though... I doubt Apple would do it due to aesthetics and that a lot of people don't like the idea of the alpha keys being off centered from the display.
 
Beautiful work echocpt. It looks a little funny (not your work, just the layout), but very useful.

echocpt,
I really like the image you made. what you came up with was basically my exact vision with the speakers and everything. it looks great

echocpt, when can I preorder? Good job, looks great!

Lol thanks guys it only took a lil so glad you appreciate. Always makes doing something worth it when people like it.

That's almost exactly the same as what I came up with in July last year!

Check out this thread I made: link

Nice, i like the speaker all the way across the top, although i can't decided between wheter i prefer against what i did. Some good editing there, by the looks of it you found a higher quality image than i did and it makes the speaker holes look great. Weird how they look so alike.

Alex.
 
I'd very like to have a numpad on my Mac, but there is an issue.

Most people say "no", because the keys are not centered anymore.
"Just place your fingers a bit more to the left..." people counter then.

But if so, there is still the problem with the trackpad.

Most non-Mac laptops have tiny little trackpads which push you to hang a mouse onto your laptop if you want to move the cursor at all.

But Macintosh laptops have huge, glassy trackpads. And it's placed right in the middle. If you place your hands as if you were blind typing, placing your index fingers on the F-key and the J-key, you definitely come with your right hand on your huge glassy trackpad.

You can turn on the option in your system preferences to ignore the trackpad while typing, but that destroys the purpose of your trackpad.


"Then place your trackpad a bit more to the left?

But then it doesn't feel natural.

And why not have the numpad under the I, O, P, K, L, ;, ... like on the iBook.
2003-11-11-ibook-g4.jpg


Then it doesn't feel natural too, since 7, 4 and 1 are not really vertically placed under each other.


So, this is the problem.

It's for Apple-man to solve the issue and in the end, everybody will be happy ;) !
 
they should replace the optical drive with a hidden number pad that shoots out when you hit the eject key.

that would be so boss.
 
Hi, long time reader 1st time poster.

Im currently a windows user but want to switch to mac, and have been waiting for update for last 4 months. Read this thread and it intrigued me, and also wonderd what a 17" pro would look like with a number pad, so i'v made a mockup in photoshop of one. Obviously you may not agree or like it, but just thort i would share it.

I have placed a long speaker across the top of the laptop, moved the keyboard and touch pad down a bit, and have extended the countersunk area to include the same keypad combo that you find on the wired keyboard with numberpad.

Hope you enjoy.


Alex.

Kudos to your skills. This looks fantastic.
 
Hi, long time reader 1st time poster.

Im currently a windows user but want to switch to mac, and have been waiting for update for last 4 months. Read this thread and it intrigued me, and also wonderd what a 17" pro would look like with a number pad, so i'v made a mockup in photoshop of one. Obviously you may not agree or like it, but just thort i would share it.

I have placed a long speaker across the top of the laptop, moved the keyboard and touch pad down a bit, and have extended the countersunk area to include the same keypad combo that you find on the wired keyboard with numberpad.

Hope you enjoy.

macbookpro17_inc_numpad.gif


Alex.


Those are some madd photoshop skills. You make the number pad look good.
 
Thank you! The free one does a perfect job and is going to make my life better :)

+1. I used to have an external keyboard with a built-in iPhone dock off to the right, and it allowed me to use the iPhone as a number pad. This has a similar feel.
 
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