Keyboard and Mouse History Q

[tyguy01234]

Ok so Macrumors posts the average life span for Apple Computers which is very helpful but then i wondered what is the life span no their keyboards? I mean i remember the older ones that i did not like so much though i never paid attention to their life spans nor to how long the current version has been out. I would like to buy a wireless keyboard and mouse for my SOON TO BE Powerbook and I was wondering if anyone thought there would be an update sometime...My guess is if there is any update it would be with the new Mac-tel computers but who knows...

Any input would be great thank you,
TM

 

[SpaceMagic]

Well a keyboard is a keyboard is a keyboard at the end of the day. They can't really "upgrade" it, they can change its aethetics to go along with a new line.. or something like that, but I doubt they will.

I really really doubt Apple will bring out a two button mouse.

Upgrade wise, if you want the wireless keyb and mouse get it.

 

[ITASOR]

This is a good thread. A update in keyboards and mice is a lot different than an update to an Apple product line.

If I bought a iBook for $999 and the next day it was updated alot and remained $999, I would be kind of mad. Even if it was updated in the next few months. I could have had more power, more updated hardware for the same price.

I figure, there's only one iBook, an update means alot, a new iBook. With keyboards, they're are TONS of different style keyboards and different brands. Apple updating the Apple Pro KB is just another one.

Hope that made a little sense. Basically if you like the keyboard and mouse, get them, because there aren't many changes that can be made to a keyboard to make it THAT MUCH better.

 

[SpaceMagic]

.... because there aren't many changes that can be made to a keyboard to make it THAT MUCH better.

Except BORG Nano-interface to autosense what you want to type.

 

[wrxguy]

yep

I really like the bluetooth keyboard and mouse, they are very nice looking/working but for gaming and such i use a logitech mx510 which i love. As for updates I agree that there isnt' really much you can upgrage on a keyboard "at the end of the day, a keyboard is a keyboard"

 

[mkrishnan]

Yeah, for instance, even though BT2 is becoming available in Macs, from what I understand, there isn't anything useful a keyboard or mouse can do with it.

The only three things I think are vague possibilities are (1) Apple releasing a mouse and keyboard that stylistically match the metal Macs. But they've been out for a goodly while and Apple doesn't seem to intend to do this.

And (2) a continued shift in the mix towards Bluetooth. Apple only relatively recently started offering computers with a BT mouse and kb as in-the-box replacements for the wired ones, so that they never come with wired input devices. But there are still some little things with the way the low-level aspects of the Mac work that make this strategy dangerous -- like I don't think you can access open firmware from a BT keyboard. So unless Apple decides to make a bigger push to a wireless desktop, and does more tweaking in this area, perhaps for the Mactel BIOS, I wouldn't see that change either.

And finally (3) if Apple releases a new visual style for the consumer hardware, the mouse and kb will probably change with it, as it did in the transition from the original iMac to the all-white hardware....

Also, as it happens, the current hardware already works on Wintel, so there's no obvious reason why even the Mactels will require a change here.

 

[finalcoolman]

Well I can see an update into the keyboards and mice with better battery life and better range. I think they use Bluetooth 1.1 now. Maybe un update to Bluetooth 1.2 or 2.0. I guess if they udate to 1.2, it might yeild better batterty life and faster pairing. That's about it. Oh and does the mouse and keyboard have an on off switch? If they don't then they can add that.

 

[Sam I Am]

Well I can see an update into the keyboards and mice with better battery life and better range. I think they use Bluetooth 1.1 now. Maybe un update to Bluetooth 1.2 or 2.0. I guess if they udate to 1.2, it might yeild better batterty life and faster pairing. That's about it. Oh and does the mouse and keyboard have an on off switch? If they don't then they can add that.

I know the mouse does, not sure about the keyboard.