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And what kind of engineer do you purport to be, exactly? I'm not sure what your issues are with the icons being used for Expose and Dashboard. The Expose icon is the same as being used in System Preferences and can be seen in many screenshots of Leopard. The Dashboard icon is the same as the one in your dock and/or Applications folder, the meter with a dial.

Oh God please save me. Why do I have to be an engineer to understand that this keyboard won't work? If a bridge falls then the engineer was an idiot and careless right? The stuff you say about Dashboard and system preferences....? I don't know where you are going there. :confused:

The Apple logo serves no functional purpose, the cloverleaf actually is used throughout the OS for shortcuts. To continue using the Apple logo would confuse new users into thinking this key opened the Apple menu, much as the Windows key opens the start menu. Less confusion, and every icon has a purpose now.

Like that ugly one on the F4 key? The Apple logo hasn't confused any one... the key is called the Apple Key right? Maybe that's why there is an Apple on it for the new users. It used to not be there, then they started calling it the Apple key, so I guess they put an Apple on it. Why change what has been there for years. That's would be very Vista-ish.

The eject key caused problem for many when it was on the edge and was often hit in mistake. Perhaps they did some user studies and research and found it was better placed further in on the keyboard and coincedentally in the identical spot as on MacBooks.

That's why there was a system update that extended the time needed to press the eject key to eject the CD. And most people can't type anyway, so as I said before P.E.B.K.A.C.

Function keys on the right are programmable, and most likely for spreadsheet applications in conjunction with the numeric pad. The Function key that replaces Help is a modifier for the appropriate Expose and Dashboard F-keys.

You got that idea from where? Why have a FN key on a desktop keyboard and bunch all the most used keys on one side then have 8 unused programmed keys? Why not just have use change the entire programming ourself through system prefs. The users that want their keyboard to make sense can keep it the same way it has been for years. Not everyone uses spreadsheets.

An engineer analyzes, finds connections, and believe it or not needs to think a bit. You can't attack it, probably out of fear of change, and claim fake before even beginning to wonder why these changes could make sense and lead to better usability.

I was a student of civil engineering for 5 years. Then switched to Video Production/Graphic Design/Photojournalism. Every friend I made in college is still an engineer. I know what engineers do. I will just tell you that your assumption of my "fear of change" is very insulting to me. I will also tell you that your knowledge of an engineer is slightly skewed. Engineers don't analyze or find connections, they solve problems. "Find connections" is a bit ambiguous. Engineers are given a task and they have to solve it within certain boundaries and restraints. This keyboard makes new one and doesn't solve any old problems. It isn't consistent with the companies culture and its not practical.

This is the mocked up keyboard of a designer, since there was nothing wrong with the layout of the keys on the current keyboards, so they changed them for no reason, which is a big mistake in engineering. They don't change the way bridges are made and designed unless they have to.

I attack it because there has been too many bad mockups and this just adds to the list. And people are starting to accept bad design as Apple innovation, like the horrible iMac and iPhone mockups. The design may lead to better usability since a lot of people like the MacBook keys, but the layout is not Apple and will cause more confusion for new and current users of the Mac.
 
This could easily be an old prototype or some kind of cheap Asian knock-off. Witness the fairly convincing clones of the iPod nano and the iPhone that we've seen pictures of in recent months.

What raises a question for me is one of the labels on the bottom of the keyboard. It clearly mentions "rubber feet" in "Moon Gray". But if you look at the the bottom of the keyboard pictured, those divots seem concave without any feet. Even if my perception of the feet is wrong, they certainly aren't moon gray.

They're convex, not concave. And moon gray sounds just fine to describe them; it must be the color rubber, which may not correspond to other colors.
 
F4 is power.

Nope, Dashboard. Circular dial with a triangle for a need. It's hard to zoom in on that keyboard. However, take this picture below and, if you will, use your imagination to see it as a simple outline/silhouette. Then look back at the keyboard and you'll see it.
dashboard.jpg
 
This keyboard is definitely easier to clean than the current one.
Also notice how they removed the useless §± key just under the esc key and replaced it with the `~ key that used to be at the left of the Z key.
Thats why they also made the left shift key wider..

I'm not sure we will need 19 F keys (F19). Also look at the 0 key in the numeric pad... I think it looks very bad...

What §± key? Tilde has always been in the upper left, hasn't it?
 
I think anything would be better than the current Apple keyboard, the keys are horribly mushy IMO.

I like the MBP keyboard the best, but the MB keyboard isn't bad (I own a MB).

I didn't bother looking at the photos in detail, but I think this could legitimately be the new keyboard. Notebook-style keys is pretty common now so that's no big revelation. But this keyboard also has some design elements that make it unique.
 
Heh nice one.

That mockup is exactly what I am talking about. Bad design.

By the way... why did you put the images in Word? Why not.... anything else?
AbiWord turned up something for me. Looks like every other metal Cinema Display/iMac mockup.

Why did they save it as a word .doc though...

Someone tell me this isn't a virus and then I'll look at it.

why not just post the picture? Why is it embedded in a .doc?
 

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Keyboard: it's terrible, so it's probably real.

I think this keyboard is real. It includes all of Apple's recent keyboard mistakes and compounds them. Only the real thing could be this flawed.

Problems:

The keys don't have enough travel. The keys don't move up and down nearly at all, so they can't give you much feedback, and your fingers hit the end of the key press like a wall. I know it's probably asking too much for Apple to move back to mechanical switches, but this is a step in the wrong direction.

The function keys are too small. A common Apple mistake on recent keyboards. Function keys are far away from the hands' normal position; to hit them with speed and accuracy they should be big targets, ideally separated from the number keys by a space.

There are other problems with the keyboard: it's not ergonomic (the forward tilt is actually worse for ergonomics than a flat keyboard), there are spaces between the keys (try pressing command and option at the same time on a Macbook... it's not easy).

The Macbook keyboard is an OK laptop keyboard. It's better than any iBook keyboard, but that's not saying much. The MB Pro keyboard is much nicer, in my opinion--but even the best laptop keyboard in the world doesn't make a good desktop keyboard. Laptop keyboards are designed around insane space limitations (vertical and horizontal) that don't apply to the desktop. Turning a laptop keyboard into a desktop keyboard is just stupid.

But of course it's not an unlikely Apple move. It's form over function, style over substance, and it won't help any Mac users type any faster. It might give them some wrist and finger pain. But it will sell some computers.

Apple's best keyboard ever, by the way, has been reborn as the Matias Tactile Pro 2. It has function keys in the right place, USB 2.0, and full-action mechanical switch keys. http://matias.ca/tactilepro2/index.php
 
Actually its quite ergonomic. The key to many of the repetitive strain injuries (Carpal Tunnel) involves improper wrist position (flexed or extended). If the keyboard is somewhat thinner then your wrist will be in a more neutral position. Hopefully it won't take much getting used to though.:)

Same goes for all these people moaning that this keyboard doesn't curve. Do they not realise that having your hands curved like that is really bad for your hands? The best keyboard position for your hands is actually supposed to be having the keyboard sloping away from you, not sloping up.
 
This is the mocked up keyboard of a designer, since there was nothing wrong with the layout of the keys on the current keyboards, so they changed them for no reason, which is a big mistake in engineering. They don't change the way bridges are made and designed unless they have to.

Change can be good, change can be bad. But progress in inevitable.
 
The keys don't have enough travel. The keys don't move up and down nearly at all, so they can't give you much feedback, and your fingers hit the end of the key press like a wall. I know it's probably asking too much for Apple to move back to mechanical switches, but this is a step in the wrong direction.

The function keys are too small. A common Apple mistake on recent keyboards. Function keys are far away from the hands' normal position; to hit them with speed and accuracy they should be big targets, ideally separated from the number keys by a space.

There are other problems with the keyboard: it's not ergonomic (the forward tilt is actually worse for ergonomics than a flat keyboard), there are spaces between the keys (try pressing command and option at the same time on a Macbook... it's not easy).

I dare not intimate that you're wrong, but I don't think the vast majority of computer users, myself included, are nearly as discerning about their keyboards as you seem to be.

And for my part, I think the MacBook keyboard is one of the most comfortable I've used, laptop or otherwise.
 
Don't bother. It's just that icky mockup of an ACD monitor with a DVD slot in the side trying to pass as a new iMac.

laugh. i saw. Eidorian was nice enough to post the images on the forum.

did you notice the desktop background? it's that supposed touchscreen iPod fake from ages ago. This is truely a lame fake.
 
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