Get back to me when you have large hands and try typing on a virtual keyboard Apple has refused to change since first iPhone...
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Miss Physical Keyboards? New 'Clicks' Accessory Adds Keys to Your iPhone
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I understand. I was responding to a comment that we were "well past 10+ years of anyone offering a physical keyboard" which is not the case. BlackBerry revenue peaked in 2011-12 and there were several smartphones still offered with a physical keyboard since that time including products from BlackBerry, HTC, Motorola, Nokia, and Unihertz.
Definitely cool, but not for me. Good on them for innovating to fill a gap for some. The cool thing about a company like this is if they are successful they most likely will come up with other cool products that others might want or need.
BlackBerry fans that miss having a physical keyboard on their smartphones may want to check out Clicks, a company that has developed a keyboard case that's designed for the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro models.
Clicks is showing off its keyboard accessories ahead of CES, and the iPhone 14 Pro version of its keyboard will be ready to ship out in February. The keyboard is priced at $139, with an iPhone 15 Pro version coming in mid-March and a $159 iPhone 15 Pro Max version set to release in the spring.
The Clicks Creator Keyboard is available in "BumbleBee" yellow and "London Sky" gray, and it adds a small physical keyboard to the bottom of an iPhone. Clicks says that the case design is meant to "feel like a natural extension" of the iPhone, and the keys have been designed for ideal click resistance and feedback for fast and accurate typing.
The standard QWERTY keyboard features keys for activating dictation, accessing emoji, and activating shortcuts like returning to the Home screen and scrolling. At night, a built-in backlight can be turned on.
An iPhone connects to the keyboard via Lightning (iPhone 14 Pro) or USB-C (iPhone 15 Pro), and passthrough charging is supported. The case also supports wireless charging capabilities, though it does not have MagSafe.
The iPhone 15 Pro version of the Clicks keyboard measures in at 188.45mm, so it is 41.85mm longer than the 146.6mm iPhone 15 Pro. That is equivalent to 1.65 inches, so expect an iPhone equipped with this keyboard to be over an inch and a half longer. It's a little over 3mm wider than the iPhone, and 2.50mm thicker. The case weighs in at 62 grams, a little under half of the 187 gram weight of the iPhone 15 Pro.
Dimensions are similar for the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max models, so the keyboards do add some considerable bulk to the iPhone. Clicks says that the keyboard is easy to put on and remove, and while in use, it does serve as a hardware-based keyboard, so you won't see the software keyboard on the display.
Clicks for iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro can be pre-ordered from the Clicks website, while the iPhone 15 Pro Max version can be reserved for $30.
Article Link: Miss Physical Keyboards? New 'Clicks' Accessory Adds Keys to Your iPhone
You must be new to Macrumors forums...I can’t seem to wrap my head around the negativity here. If you don’t want it, you don’t have to buy it.
I work for a large company named after a certain red fruit. Therefore, I am loyal to the iPhone and I understand its value. However, I really miss my blackberries and the ability to type without looking at the screen. I have focus issues and need to be on the move while working, and a physical keyboard really is the best option.
Just because you enjoy the current form factor doesn’t mean it’s the best for everyone else. Accessories like this are a godsend to those who want them. Additionally, the iPhone is flexible and integrates best in market accessibility features that will work well with the keyboard for those with disabilities.
I just purchased mine and it wasn’t due to nostalgia. It's the fact that physical keyboards work better for me. Thankfully something finally came to market that meets my needs.
Be kind to each other, please
From the web site, so it can work with other models just not perfectly.Yeah... after millions in R&D, material testing, prototyping, etc...
Also they have to make a different one for each model of phone. They already have three models just for the iPhone. Do we think they will venture into other models for Samsung, Pixel, etc? That'll eat up even more development costs.
What sucks is it will only work for one phone. You will need to buy a new one the next time you upgrade your phone.
I'm curious to see if this product survives long enough for iPhone 16, 17, 18, etc.
🤔
Get help with your Clicks Keyboard. Support & FAQs.
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www.clicks.tech
"Technically, you can use an iPhone 14 with Clicks for iPhone 14 Pro. The iPhone 14 will fit in and connect fine to Clicks, and the power and volume buttons work perfectly. The camera cut out for the iPhone 14 Pro is slightly different than the iPhone 14, which means the iPhone 14 does not fit perfectly into Clicks.
If you simply can’t wait for Clicks for iPhone 14, then Clicks for iPhone 14 Pro can work. For a perfect fit and ideal aesthetics we suggest waiting for Clicks for iPhone 14."
Thanks for the info! But that doesn't really change what I said.
People are already debating whether this product needs to exist at all... and Clicks has introduced not one, not two, but three different models today. Yeah it's great that the iPhone 14 can technically work with the iPhone 14 Pro model... so it kept them from having to make a 4th model. Hooray! But three models is already a lot for a new small company.
Also... future iPhones might have slightly different dimensions... so Clicks might have to do all this again next year. And possibly the year after that.
Like I said... I'm curious to see if this product has the staying power to be around for iPhone 16, 17, 18, etc. They might have a tough road ahead of them.
Oh know I agree. R&D on something like this might run at $400-700K at MOST.Yeah... after millions in R&D, material testing, prototyping, etc...
Also they have to make a different one for each model of phone. They already have three models just for the iPhone. Do we think they will venture into other models for Samsung, Pixel, etc? That'll eat up even more development costs.
What sucks is it will only work for one phone. You will need to buy a new one the next time you upgrade your phone.
I'm curious to see if this product survives long enough for iPhone 16, 17, 18, etc.
🤔
I know I'm a dinosaur, but I'd love to see the return of the old Psion PDA form factor. A quarter of a century later and no one has come up with anything as great as the Psion 5MX. I wish someone would licence that keyboard for an iPhone case. (I know about Planet Computers' attempts at this, but Android? Ugh. And they're pretty much out of business at this point, which I guess tells you everything you need to know about the addressable market for this kind of thing.)
Absolutely agreed! I actually think the Clicks keyboard is a brilliant idea, but the first thing I noticed is the lack of a dedicated number row - which could easily be worked into the existing space. Coming from Android to iPhone in 2019, I was immediately appalled that the iPhone stock keyboard has no option for a dedicated number row - and if you switch to a third-party keyboard that DOES have a number row, voice dictation with proper capitalization becomes a nightmare. Five years later and nothing has changed. Apple not offering at least an OPTION for a dedicated number row is something that will never cease to enrage me.