Magic Keyboard on Top

[turbineseaplane]

So I'm totally positive I'm not the first person to ever do this, and yes it's mostly impractical for "on the go" and normal laptop stuff..

But I have to say, this is pretty awesome and really shows you how great - truly - it would be if Apple would just put the bloody Magic Keyboard into the Mac laptops in place of the Butterfly switches.

Using Karabiner, you can automatically have the internal keyboard be deactivated when the MKB connects so there are no phantom keypresses from underneath.

This is SENSATIONAL.
THIS is the keyboard that needs to be in these machines.

There is a touch more feedback than Butterflies and ZERO reliability issues, but still thin-ish and low profile and just great. They out innovated themselves and should have been using the MKB in the laptops.

I highly recommend anyone with a 2016+ MBP try this out and perhaps use it around the house/office if it's practical for you. I've been on it for the last hour this way and it's superb (doing inhouse IT and updates here for other half...)

 

[Garage Battle]

Welcome to Apple - current year.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Welcome to Apple - current year.

Oh for sure - it's nuts..
But I had to try something to make working with this laptop tolerable and I found out that I actually love it like this.

If they had this keyboard in the laptops, I think I'd likely own one (Touch Bar crap aside...)

 

[pshufd]

I have a Cooler Master MK730 TKL arriving today and I think I'd rather just carry that around if I had a MBP with the butterfly.

 

[MBAir2010]

You are a godsend, umm bhuddah send, My MBair "e" to "o" keys don't work, until i downloaded karabinder, switched F-keys and i can type now! Thank you!

 

[MacDaddyPanda]

Doesn't that press down on the buttons on the laptop? Or does using the magic keyboard disable the onboard keyboard?

 

[turbineseaplane]

Doesn't that press down on the buttons on the laptop? Or does using the magic keyboard disable the onboard keyboard?

Using Karabiner, you can automatically have the internal keyboard be deactivated when the MKB connects so there are no phantom keypresses from underneath.

[doublepost=1551469867][/doublepost]Doesn't even get in the way of the speakers on this 2016 13" MBP!

It's just crazy to me - it's so obvious that all they needed to do was slot this MKB chassis into the MBP frame and use the dark keys from the newer MKB's.

I'm really concerned that Apple has lost the ability to do sensible things and maybe is just obsessed with every decision, every product, needing to be some WOW moment (according to them).

This is the keyboard. Let's take a breath Apple and do something conservative and smart and get back to a keyboard that is not polarizing and, most importantly, reliable.
[doublepost=1551470037][/doublepost]I'm still on this machine/MKB combo right now and totally loving this experience I have to say..

I'm even able to slide the MKB forward a bit and create some spacing between the bottom of the KB and the trackpad, which I vastly prefer on my 2015 15" (that spacing between space bar & top of trackpad)

 

[MBAir2010]

i can Type now....yyyyiiiiiiiipppppeeeeee!

 

[turbineseaplane]

i can Type now....yyyyiiiiiiiipppppeeeeee!

lol
Glad you're loving it!

 

[MBAir2010]

apple does not us to think outside the box anymore

 

[turbineseaplane]

apple does not us to think outside the box anymore

In this case we literally are having to think "outside the box(case)" of the MacBook..
lmao

This is crazy - ridiculous - but oddly satisfying all at once..

 

[Queen6]

That's one big dongle Such a shame you have to go to such ridiculous measure just to type normally To think Apple used to all about the user experience Today it's just image and margins...

Q-6

 

[turbineseaplane]

That's one big dongle

It’s wireless!
The future!

lol

At least with this keyboard I can eat French bread right on top of it and no issues baby!
Boom!

 

[Queen6]

It’s wireless!
The future!

lol

At least with this keyboard I can eat French bread right on top of it and no issues baby

Don't let Tim & Co catch or they'll rebrand the MKB and double the price, 2019 MBP now with optional detachable keyboard

Why Apple doesn't just produce a usable 15" MBP is beyond me, it's like they are deliberately ****ing things up...

Q-6

 

[MBAir2010]

I had an ihome bluetooth keyboard that would NOT pair with high sierra, every other Osx but not that

 

[filmbuff]

and then you forget and close the screen on it.

Personally I liked the feel of the older Magic Keyboard better. The one that took AA batteries. I spilled a coke on mine and got the Magic Keyboard 2 - big letdown in key feel.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Personally I liked the feel of the older Magic Keyboard better. The one that took AA batteries. I spilled a coke on mine and got the Magic Keyboard 2 - big letdown in key feel.

I hear ya - That’s sort of a different debate for me…

I’m simply looking at the current magic keyboard versus the butterfly switches.

In that comparison I dramatically prefer everything about the magic keyboard, but most importantly the reliability.

 

[SDColorado]

Wow. I have a couple of those keyboards around in the shrink wrap after giving one away. I thought about giving away the other 2, but now it is clear that I had better keep them for my wife and I in the event we need them down the road

 

[turbineseaplane]

This has been a truly amazing day..
Honestly - I can't believe what a life changing thing just this MKB hack is for this 2016 MBP.

I used it all day today - Been sensational.
What a great day..
So glad I tried this out...

 

[MBAir2010]

This has been a truly amazing day..
Honestly - I can't believe what a life changing thing just this MKB hack is for this 2016 MBP.

I used it all day today - Been sensational.
What a great day..
So glad I tried this out...

Me too, and took off all the 7swears words from my apple id user name and swaped the middle finger avitar back to my mug.

Now, what did you actually do, just plop a bluetooth keyboard atop,the laptop?

 

[Altis]

I've done the same thing with a keyboard called HHKB (Pro 2). It's very light since it doesn't have a metal plate and feels and sounds great since it uses Topre switches. I also liked being able to adjust the keyboard angle. Though when possible, I preferred to raise the laptop somehow (often with a box) and put the keyboard lower for better ergonomics.

Here's a photo of what I'm describing, but it's not my photo or my stuff. This person swapped some keycaps between the light and dark versions of the HHKB:

I don't bother anymore though as I use a ThinkPad now with a good keyboard for a laptop, and the extended battery sticks out the bottom and gives a better typing angle.

 

[MBAir2010]

I've done the same thing with a keyboard called HHKB (Pro 2). It's very light since it doesn't have a metal plate and feels and sounds great since it uses Topre switches. I also liked being able to adjust the keyboard angle. Though when possible, I preferred to raise the laptop somehow (often with a box) and put the keyboard lower for better ergonomics.

Here's a photo of what I'm describing, but it's not my photo or my stuff. This person swapped some keycaps between the light and dark versions of the HHKB:

I don't bother anymore though as I use a ThinkPad now with a good keyboard for a laptop, and the extended battery sticks out the bottom and gives a better typing angle.

That book, 5 something?

 

[turbineseaplane]

@Altis

My weakness in computer life is Topre switches..
Oh I love those so much..

With my last hackintosh I had a Realforce - an HHKB silent - even tried out Plum Topre clones (which are great too surprisingly - for the price)...

This 2019 is becoming big to me..
I'm a super Mac fan - have been for a LONG time..

But if they don't get this hardware finally straightened out ... I'm over to a ThinkPad and back to Windows. I don't really look forward to the Windows part - but the ThinkPad part? ummm.. yeah..

Love those things every time I use them again at a store.

 

[Altis]

That book, 5 something?

No idea, not my photo or stuff
[doublepost=1551491516][/doublepost]

@Altis

My weakness in computer life is Topre switches..
Oh I love those so much..

With my last hackintosh I had a Realforce - an HHKB silent - even tried out Plum Topre clones (which are great too surprisingly - for the price)...

This 2019 is becoming big to me..
I'm a super Mac fan - have been for a LONG time..

But if they don't get this hardware finally straightened out ... I'm over to a ThinkPad and back to Windows. I don't really look forward to the Windows part - but the ThinkPad part? ummm.. yeah..

Love those things every time I use them again at a store.

Like they say, Topre is love, Topre is life.

I have two HHKBs and two Realforces, and 87U 45g uniform, and a 108UH 30g uniform with Japanese layout. I have quite a few other keyboards, including some nice vintage ones.

It's tough because there's no perfect laptop. I moved from a 2010 17" MBP to the ThinkPad last year and it's been great for what I use it for. It's an L470 with the 1080p IPS display... got it for next to nothing (about 300 USD), 6 weeks old with balance of warranty. Sold the MBP for about $500, so moved up 7 years internally, got a decent machine, and pocketed a couple hundred bucks. Great keyboard, robust build, and about 12-16 hour battery life with my use.

 

[LizKat]

So I'm totally positive I'm not the first person to ever do this, and yes it's mostly impractical for "on the go" and normal laptop stuff..

But I have to say, this is pretty awesome and really shows you how great - truly - it would be if Apple would just put the bloody Magic Keyboard into the Mac laptops in place of the Butterfly switches.

Using Karabiner, you can automatically have the internal keyboard be deactivated when the MKB connects so there are no phantom keypresses from underneath.

This is SENSATIONAL.
THIS is the keyboard that needs to be in these machines.

There is a touch more feedback than Butterflies and ZERO reliability issues, but still thin-ish and low profile and just great. They out innovated themselves and should have been using the MKB in the laptops.

I highly recommend anyone with a 2016+ MBP try this out and perhaps use it around the house/office if it's practical for you. I've been on it for the last hour this way and it's superb (doing inhouse IT and updates here for other half...)

Setting magic kb on the MBP frame is what I've been doing as a temporary fix since I trashed the L key in a "somehow objects fell on kb" klutzaster of my own doing... and five adjacent keys leftward in the row also gave up the ghost, even though they retained their keycaps and underpinnings. I haven't been using Karabiner though so I have always had to be quite careful about placement of the wireless on the frame of the MBP to avoid the odd keypress inferred by the laptop's keyboard. Thanks for the heads up, I'll have a look at it.