Magic Keyboard With Touch ID Compatible With All M1 Macs, But Only Sold With iMac For Now

[trip1ex]

What is Apple's problem with making keyboards that are backlit? Honestly. It seems one needs to buy an Apple laptop to get a freaking backlight. How much can it possibly cost them to offer all keyboards with backlighting? You don't have to use it if you don't want to, for crying out load. Do they honestly think all desktop Macs are *always* going to be used with office lighting, home or otherwise?

Desktop Macs mean electrical outlets. Electrical outlets power lamps. Tim Cook Pro Tip.

 

[Glavin]

It's not actually compatible with Mac mini as that computer's bluetooth's sole function is to add a line of words to its product specs.

 

[canonical]

I hope they make a wired version - including for those of us who don't want their noodles needlessly radiated by Bluetooth.

 

[fruitpunch.ben]

can you post a link or pic I didn't see the new model (with TouchID) in an extended keyboard format? (and yes there's a Magic keyboard—but without TouchID)

MIa Copa! I missed it in the top of the article. (reading skills LOL)

mea culpa I think you meant.

Props for the apology, need to brush up on your latin

 

[jaybar]

I am very confused about the keyboard with Touch ID. Can you have different finger prints for each user? Currently we are a two-person household. We both use the same iMac, but have different accounts. Can this new keyboard allow for two different finger prints? One for each account.

 

[Razorpit]

The lack of backlit at this point is tragicomic.

Had to look that one up but you get a 👍🏼

I've seen complaints about this a bunch.

Is this mostly a problem for people who don't touch type? Or is it that in the dark, unusual needed characters are hard to see?

Both for me. Feel better now knowing?

I wonder this as well. Who looks at their keyboard while typing?

Me.

Magic Keyboard with no backlight, iPad Pro with only one USB-C port, Apple TV with no USB port to connect external HDDs, thank you Apple, those are good excuses for me to not buy them and save my money!

I’ll give you points on the backlight, but external HDD’s on AppleTV? They can’t get their current library system figured out. You think they are able to handle external devices as well? 😉

backlight would use more battery. That is probably why Apple didn't include.

Do what every other backlit keyboard manufacturer does. Add a bigger battery. 🙄 Not like we’re asking for FaceID, oh wait...

Can people please explain why they need backlight on a DESKTOP keyboard? I have a Satechi backlit keyboard, and frankly I don't use the backlight at all, it's really distracting in the dark and I never need to look at the keyboard either to type or to find it.

When you have the lights off in the office, it‘s nice to have a backlit keyboard. Am I missing something here?

Desktop Macs mean electrical outlets. Electrical outlets power lamps. Tim Cook Pro Tip.

Or you can do what the aftermarket party does, add a backlight. Pro tip, not exactly rocket science To add a backlight in 2021. Just need to talk to the team that designed the keyboards for the laptops. They know what works and what doesn’t.

 

[cmaier]

When you have the lights off in the office, it‘s nice to have a backlit keyboard. Am I missing something here?

Yes. The light from the keyboard, which a typist should not be looking at anyway, distracts from the light on the display.

I don’t mind if they add the function with dimming - to each his or her own - but it certainly is not self-evident that keyboard backlighting is universally useful.

 

[Kikjou Delatour]

It has no inverted-T arrow keys and no backlight. Glad that I don't have an M1 Mac, so no reason for me to complain.

 

[iamBrian]

I'm praying they make a space grey version with black keys.

 

[calstanford]

Back in the winter we had the rumour of this new design iMac not having Face ID, though it’ll come to the following revision. Feels odd that they designed a keyboard with a cpu just to drive the Secure Enclave and allow Touch ID if we’re getting Face ID next year(maybe).



Could have sworn during the event they showed an extended keyboard with Touch ID as well.

Means Apple is a too-large company that is still not communicating with other ends of the org.
A desktop computer with touch ID (wirelessly!) is ****ing dumb.
A phone during a pandemic with face ID is ****ing dumb.

And yet... here we are.

 

[Puonti]

Can this new keyboard allow for two different finger prints? One for each account.

Yes.

 

[Bobcat32]

deleted

 

[ksec]

Still no news whether they are using the new "New" Scissors Keys or the good Old Scissors Keys.

 

[otternonsense]

Glad the touchbar is not there!

 

[BvizioN]

Darn. I was hoping I could use one with my 2018 Mac mini.

Same here.

 

[1147402]

Weird limitation. I thought they would have drawn the line on any Mac with a Secure Enclave, but seems odd to limit it only to M1 Macs. Especially since Intel Macs like my 2018 MBP support Touch ID.

I see no reason why they should add the support.

Even if it's technically possible, they don't have a good reason to add a new hardware to support something they said they wanted to phase out within a few years. You won't add a feature to a product unless you have a good reason to, as it cost time and money to develop and support. The more features you add, the more complex it gets and more bugs may occur, result in more time and money spent on support while lower the customer's satisfaction because things don't work properly.

 

[itsamacthing]

Looking forward to buying one to go with my 16” M1 MBP

But where’s faceid?

They had to save something for the larger model =)

 

[mbosse]

If they used faceid there would be no need for sticking with apple keyboard. Maybe it is intentional to keep touch id?

The intentions are called Mac Mini and Mac Pro. With Touch ID, you then can passwordlessly open any M1 Mac, with or without an Apple screen.

 

[svish]

Touch ID on keyboard is good. In the future it may be sold separately.

 

[gnasher729]

Since a large percentage of Mac users also own an iPhone, I think it would make a lot of sense to have a software solution where you can use touchid or faceID on your iPhone instead.

 

[ksgant]

Still not backlit. I'm a touch typist, but I still like backlit keyboards as they're easier to navigate in my dark room for things like the F1 keys etc. Plus I always forget what the shift-key symbols for the number keys are. Well, not always, but it's so much easier to just look down and see them.

They backlight their laptops...why not their regular keyboards? It's like ALL keyboards out there have backlighting except Apple. And JFC they haven't been able to design a decent mouse in the past 20 years.

 

[bklement]

I STILL can’t believe they went with this instead of just adding Face ID.

They’re not even backlit Apple!

To hell with faceid, and wouldn't have made much sense for them either. What would they do, sell an expensive camera for macmini and everyone who uses macbooks in clamshell mode? Few would buy it. The magic keyboard with touchid on the other hand works in every situation and is a good product to begin with.

 

[beanbaguk]

As many have said, why can Apple not add a backlit keys feature!?!?!? I'm using a second-generation wireless keyboard, and I'm leaning more and more towards the Logitech MX Keys as they offer all this and more.

The new Apple keyboard with the touch ID would have been a no brainer for me on my M1 MBP, but what the heck Apple!?!?!?!?!?

Also, what the heck is it with the super un-ergonomic Apple mouse? It's horrific to use (IMHO). As somebody who suffers from carpal tunnel, it's ridiculous they cannot build a decent ergonomic mouse. Again, I've reverted to a Logitech MX Master mouse which offers way more functionality.

Lagging Apple. Lagging.

 

[bklement]

Honestly, it should’ve been Face ID. I think Face ID is ideal on a desktop computer, even more than on phones.

Touch ID is good enough, I guess.

This is not exclusive for desktop computers. And how would the faceid work on a mini? TouchId in the keyboard is a must, but yeah, they could have included faceid in imac for those who want it. It's not a phone or tablet, one could have both at the same time.

 

[saintmac]

I was expecting FaceId but this is good news.
Anyone know how much it will cost separately ?

I'm disappointed they didn't use that occasion to go back to "inverted T" arrow keys. It makes no sense that macbook and standalone keyboards don't have the same layout anymore.
I have both Apple keyboards and much prefer the inverted T arrow keys ones.

If the market is touch typist, we need inverted T arrow keys. If it's people that look at their keyboard then give them backlighting. But I feel like this version will completely please none.