new MacBook: change keys?

[pit29]

Hi all,

my girlfriend just bought a new MacBook in the US. She's from Germany, but MacBooks with German keyboards are not available here, so we're looking for a solution to change the keys.

I know that you can change how the keys are mapped using the languages preferences. However, what we would like is a solution where the MacBook physically reflects the char that is appearing when you press a key and have the German layout selected in System Preferences. That involves e.g. having a 'y' on the 'z' key and vice versa.

Did other people run into this issue? Do you take a marker and just write that on top of the keys, or can you get e.g. stickers that you can attach to the keys? Or is it possible to get a set of key buttons and exchange them accordingly?

I am curious what you think...
Peter

 

[plinden]

You should be able to pop the keys off and rearrange them.

I'm not going to try it out on my wife's MacBook though.

 

[pit29]

That'd work for y and z... However, the signs above the numbers are different, many of the ,.:; etc. keys (which have different chars while shift is pressed in a German vs. American layout), and we would need some umlaut keys...

 

[themanfromvlad]

What about buying a german USB keyboard off any website and plugging it in the the macbook when your girlfriend need to contact the homeland? Not a great solution on the go, but decent if she sends those messages usually when she's at home.

 

[Buskape]

Try going into an apple store and see if you can have your keys swapped for german keys

 

[kastenbrust]

Try going into an apple store and see if you can have your keys swapped for german keys

Ive tried that before and they wont do it unless your in Germany, why do you need a German keyboard? you can still type German letters normally without it ß, Ä, Ö, Ü etc as you said with remapping and its not hard to remember or even guess where those 4 letters are going to be.

A lot of new computers in Germany dont even have German keyboards anymore.

 

[pit29]

Ive tried that before and they wont do it unless your in Germany, why do you need a German keyboard? you can still type German letters normally without it ß, Ä, Ö, Ü etc as you said with remapping and its not hard to remember or even guess where those 4 letters are going to be.

A lot of new computers in Germany dont even have German keyboards anymore.

Well, it's not only ß, Ä, Ö and Ü, but also punctuation signs, and those (especially the less frequently used ones) are not that easy to remember...

I am surprised by your second remark - last month, I did not notice any non-German keyboard layout in all major electronics / computer stores I visited.

We thought about an external keyboard, but one of the benefits of a laptop is of course it's reduced spatial footprint. Plus, if you're lying on a sofa writing emails, that's easier without another device.

 

[ankitsid]

im sure someone somewhere makes a skin that can go over the keys..

 

[kastenbrust]

im sure someone somewhere makes a skin that can go over the keys..

they do but they look wierd on your shiny new computer, and you can replace the keyboard yourself but thats voiding the warranty.

 

[ankitsid]

yeah but will she be typing in German most the time?
if not then skin would be fine for those moments..
other then that..if she will constantly be using the German keys.
id probably try to find stickers..clear ones so you get both the letters on it..
if i cant find it..make them some how

 

[Skeletal-dæmon]

yeah but will she be typing in German most the time?
if not then skin would be fine for those moments..
other then that..if she will constantly be using the German keys.
id probably try to find stickers..clear ones so you get both the letters on it..
if i cant find it..make them some how

Ha ha ha I went to WHSmiths and bought some transfer letters so I could write PG UP, PG DN, HOME and things on my Pro keyboard for when I use XP on my MacBook for gaming... NOTHING looks worse than something you add by hand to a keyboard.

I agree that you could buy a keyboard skin, or the quick fix way is to bring up the Keyboard Viewer (click the flag in your Menu Bar if you have it, else its in your system somewhere in International settings) and float that on your screen so you can see the lettering on the keys in German as you type.

 

[pit29]

im sure someone somewhere makes a skin that can go over the keys..

Yeah, but who does? I can't seem to find them...