Magic Keyboard, Black --> White?

[nosnhojm]

I bought the full size magic keyboard with black keys when I got my Studio a few months ago, but a few things continue to bother me:

• The size of the keyboard negatively impacts trackpad & mouse reach
• Typing is now off-center from the computer, which I can't quite get used to
• The black keys show oils and dust much worse, which makes the keyboard look shiny and gross (I clean it daily)

For those of you who use a Magic Keyboard (white/black, full/compact), which do you prefer?

Yes, I know many of you like mechanical keyboards or the MX Keys. This thread isn't for you.

 

[BSoares]

I had a white, wired keyboard with numeric keypad for at least 10 years. A few weeks ago I got the black keyboard, with Touch ID. I love Touch ID. I wish the black keys didn't show skin oils so easy, I never notice that being an issue with the white keyboard but I have been cleaning my black one every week to keep the shine at a minimum - hopefully the letters won't fade away with more frequent wiping. I only got black as that's a better match to my ASD and 14" MBP. I replaced my old Magic Mouse with a black one too. I didn't like the Magic Pad.
The size of the keyboard doesn't bother me since the old keyboard was the same. I don't really care about the numeric keypad but I want the full size directional keys and the existence of home/end and page up/down buttons so the compact keyboard is not an option for me.
The keys on my old keyboard were much nicer to type on, more travel. This new one is very shallow but I can get used to it.
When Apple had the black keyboard for the iMac Pro it was better looking than this new one. The metal part was space grey and the entire thing darker. The new one is silver so there's a lot of contrast.

 

[Sheepish-Lord]

The oil showing is the worst thing IMO. I might have been one of the few that wished the new MBA had a white keyboard as rumored.

 

[MGGN]

I prefer the compact keyboard without the numeric pad, but I actually would have preferred a black key option on that. I use one of those silicone keyboard covers and got one with black keys - seems to last about a year before the black wears off enough to annoy me and buy another one for $6 off Amazon.

I originally was using a Keychron mechanical keyboard, but I love having TouchID, so I placed that off to the side when the new Magic Keyboard came out.

 

[thomasparra]

Please note that the black and white keyboards have a different typing feel despite Apple not communicating on it.

 

[AZhappyjack]

I purchased the space grey full size keyboard for use with my iMac... and the shine drove me crazy... when I upgraded to the Mac Studio, I purchased the full-sized TouchID keyboard in white, and could not be happier!

 

[xraydoc]

I personally think Apple should release a compact keyboard in black like the full-size option.

At one point I almost spent an extra $100 on a ColorWare painted one.

 

[francis1985]

Please note that the black and white keyboards have a different typing feel despite Apple not communicating on it.

Thomas, you are so right. I thought it was just me, but the feeling was different. I returned my keyboard for this specific reason. And Apple does not even mention that. Do you know why? You would think the production of the keys is identical, but something is definitely off.

 

[ikol-22]

Thomas, you are so right. I thought it was just me, but the feeling was different. I returned my keyboard for this specific reason. And Apple does not even mention that. Do you know why? You would think the production of the keys is identical, but something is definitely off.

Sorry for asking but which one, in your opinion, has the best... "typing feeling": white or black one ? - Thank you !

 

[Cunir]

I dont think they even do a compact black. They do a full-size black, but I had to buy the white compact because it wasnt on the store

 

[francis1985]

Sorry for asking but which one, in your opinion, has the best... "typing feeling": white or black one ? - Thank you !

The white one, both short and long version, have the best typing experience.

 

[xraydoc]

I dont think they even do a compact black. They do a full-size black, but I had to buy the white compact because it wasnt on the store

They don't make a compact black. Would be nice if they did. However, I've pretty much completely switched to using mechanical keyboards for now, so I'm no longer interested in Apple's offerings. The TouchID is nice, but I wear an Apple Watch, so I can do everything with that that one could do with TouchID (like authorize ApplePay charges, enter passwords in certain places, etc).