New Magic Keyboard opinions?

[roadkill401]

I have the older 5K iMac with the wireless keyboard. I have had some issues with it, but mainly with the mouse. Well, today I went into the Apple Store to the Genius bar to try and get some of the issues corrected and them to look at the drivers and what is going wrong. To cut a long story short, after 2 hours they did a mistake and wiped my iMac. As a consolation prize for the fun of having to restore and rebuild everything, they gave me a new Magic 2 Trackpad. It is really nice and works very well.

So now my trackpad doesn't match my keyboard that is not a really big thing. I think for the most part I will just end up not using my older Magic Mouse and just use the tablet instead. So one I am trying to figure out if there is any function/feature upgrade from the original wireless keyboard other than it doens't need batteries and you charge it with a lightning cable??

 

[stevierg]

So, personally, I'm happier with the Magic Keyboard more so than the Magic Trackpad. The Trackpad is nice, but really is only marginally better than the existing one.

With the keyboard, I was worried that the reduced travel in the keys was going to be terrible, but I found it to be just right. It's not much less than the existing keyboard and just right in my opinion. I've tried a the MacBook which has a similar mechanism to the new Magic Keyboard, but the MacBook has virtually no travel in comparison. This keyboard feels like the previous, just overall feels like it's built better.

 

[satinsilverem2]

I have them both and I feel that the keyboard is a worthwhile upgrade. The key travel is much shorter but is very comfortable to type on. I haven't had it long enough to compare battery life but from what I'm seeing so far its the same if not a little longer than the older model. i like how if you don't want to use bluetooth or don't have a compatible mac you can just used the Lightning cable for a wired connection.

 

[roadkill401]

that might be a bonus. The fun for me was that when the Apple Genius blew away my only working copy of OSX El Cap, it took out my working copy of Bootcamp.

Does anyone know if the new Apple Magic Keyboard will run with Win7? I know that the TrackPad does not. Or it only works if you have it plugged in via the Lightning cable.. so the blue-tooth part doesn't Would not want to toss the wireless keyboard for the new one if it's not going to work with Win7. Sort of need it for my Blu-Ray app that was only written for Win and doesn't play nice with anything above Win7.

 

[steve62388]

To cut a long story short, after 2 hours they did a mistake and wiped my iMac. As a consolation prize for the fun of having to restore and rebuild everything, they gave me a new Magic 2 Trackpad.

How did they do that?

 

[twilexia]

I might be the opposite - I played around with the high-end stock model for a few days, and found the new magic keyboard to be a bit disappointing. It felt a bit more flimsy than the previous battery powered version, like if you pressed too hard the keyboard would move around the desk...

Another thing is the arrow buttons. I know a lot of people have complained about them already but they truly are the worst part about the keyboard for me. Basically you have two equal-sized left and right keys and then two half-sized up and down keys in between. It makes scrolling very awkward and I honestly can't see anyone using that for games. The previous version was better where all of them were half-sized but slightly bigger, and looked like a regular arrow button configuration.

Just one man's opinion...

 

[stevierg]

I might be the opposite - I played around with the high-end stock model for a few days, and found the new magic keyboard to be a bit disappointing. It felt a bit more flimsy than the previous battery powered version, like if you pressed too hard the keyboard would move around the desk...

Another thing is the arrow buttons. I know a lot of people have complained about them already but they truly are the worst part about the keyboard for me. Basically you have two equal-sized left and right keys and then two half-sized up and down keys in between. It makes scrolling very awkward and I honestly can't see anyone using that for games. The previous version was better where all of them were half-sized but slightly bigger, and looked like a regular arrow button configuration.

Just one man's opinion...

Not sure why you think the new keyboard is more flimsy? At least with the keys, they are more tight, which at least to me, gives the opinion of a more solid keyboard.

Also in regards to the arrow buttons, I don't see any issues here with them. They already suck from their existing keyboard and this is exactly the same. If anything, the full size left and right keys are better. You can still use it, exactly the same way as the previous keyboard, it doesn't offer a worse experience. Nobody uses those keys for gaming either, and if you are using those for gaming, then you should swap over to a more comfortable setup, asdw or jkli (if you are left handed).

 

[loekf]

New Magic Keyboard types in my perception more accurately than the previous model. You will love or hate the shorter travel of the keys, but you get used to it quickly. When I compare it to my "sturdy" old Logitech K120 at work with its huge keys, I prefer the Apple one. It's also related to the fact that the keyboard height is very low, so your wrists lie flatter on the table. Think this is more comfortable.

Magic Mouse 2. I got sick of the random disconnects due to the flimsy battery compartment. Mouse look and feel is the same. However, I like the "click" buttons better, feel more robust.

 

[xgman]

I didn't think I would like the new keyboard since I didn't like it when trying it on the macbook, but I now am enjoying it very much over the older style.

 

[stevierg]

I didn't think I would like the new keyboard since I didn't like it when trying it on the macbook, but I now am enjoying it very much over the older style.

They are not the same. They have the same mechanism to keep the key in place, but the MacBook is an aluminium cap where as the new magic keyboard is rubber dome like the existing MacBook Pro keyboard. The only difference is a very slight reduction in travel.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Super low travel, moves easily on the desk (even on Apple Store display areas) and a funky arrow key arrangement.

The usual Apple keyboard stuff of late, but heading in the wrong direction for me anyways.

It's interesting because when you first start playing around with it, you feel in your mind like you're really fast and accurate with it however after extensively testing it for almost a week I was fast but at no point was I ever faster than I am on an actual mechanical keyboard, and certainly I was never more accurate.

It's a deceptive feeling when using it and it is remarkably easy to mishit keys or type more than you meant to with the the low travel.

Let's all just be honest… The keyboard is meant to look good before it's meant to be good. That doesn't mean it's bad necessarily but at no point has anyone ever tried to claim (nor should they) that a flat as an iPad keyboard is the best design for usability.

On a complete sidenote, it continues to surprise me that they have not designed the keyboard to magnetically keep itself next to the trackpad as an option.

 

[stevierg]

Super low travel, moves easily on the desk (even on Apple Store display areas) and a funky arrow key arrangement.

The usual Apple keyboard stuff of late, but heading in the wrong direction for me anyways.

It's interesting because when you first start playing around with it, you feel in your mind like you're really fast and accurate with it however after extensively testing it for almost a week I was fast but at no point was I ever faster than I am on an actual mechanical keyboard, and certainly I was never more accurate.

It's a deceptive feeling when using it and it is remarkably easy to mishit keys or type more than you meant to with the the low travel.

Let's all just be honest… The keyboard is meant to look good before it's meant to be good. That doesn't mean it's bad necessarily but at no point has anyone ever tried to claim (nor should they) that a flat as an iPad keyboard is the best design for usability.

On a complete sidenote, it continues to surprise me that they have not designed the keyboard to magnetically keep itself next to the trackpad as an option.

Wow you really went off on a tangent there. Personally I have 20+ different keyboards from ergonomic to 3rd party clicklit keyboards to multiple $100+ mechanical keyboards.

And with long testing I find that constantly I'm faster with Apple clicklit keyboards than I am with mechanical ones. About 10-20% faster overall.

The low travel helps in typing speed and performance, however there is a point where too low is a negative like on the MacBook keyboard. The new Magic Keyboard however is just at the limit and I think is quite good after a while.

Not sure what surface your using but I found the new keyboard to be more firm in position compared to the old.

And the cursor layout is the same as the other Apple keyboards except it has two larger left and right buttons.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Wow you really went off on a tangent there.

What tangent did I go off on?

And the cursor layout is the same as the other Apple keyboards except it has two larger left and right buttons.

So....it's not the same actually.

Not sure what surface your using but I found the new keyboard to be more firm in position compared to the old.

At my Apple store you can watch everyone using the new keyboards having them sliding around on the tables. In fact, the employee there commented how they are having to re-arrange things after every single person tries the iMac as the keyboard gets moved around with every single interaction.

I have had the exact same desk setup for about 5 years now and this new keyboard is the only one I've used on here that doesn't stay in place well. Honestly just needs more rubber on the bottom.


It is an acceptable keyboard.
To me it's fine. Its not great - Not awful - Not better than previous, just different.


Only thing to do is buy and try and return in under 2 weeks if it's not for you.

If you love it...great!
Just sharing opinions.

I personally value opinions on here from all angles, not just the usual "Apple is amaze-balls" slant on everything.

 

[stevierg]

So....it's not the same actually.

Yeah, they are the same, just the height of the left and right buttons are full size, the up and down are the same. If you can use it just like the old keyboard, no difference.

At my Apple store you can watch everyone using the new keyboards having them sliding around on the tables. In fact, the employee there commented how they are having to re-arrange things after every single person tries the iMac as the keyboard gets moved around with every single interaction.

I have my new keyboard on my desk and it's absolutely solid, doesn't move a millimetre at all while using. In fact, I even commented to my wife the other day how it's even a little annoying because I like to move the keyboard while I lean back and I have to pick this up to replace it down.

Maybe the keyboards in the store have dirty pads, or something, but there is no way this is more slippy than the previous ones.

I have had the exact same desk setup for about 5 years now and this new keyboard is the only one I've used on here that doesn't stay in place well. Honestly just needs more rubber on the bottom.

The new keyboard has a larger contact area with the front pads, the rear pads are the same as the front, but the old keyboard had a wide rubber strip, however that strip was narrower than the round pad. At least on both my glass and fabric tables, I have no issues at all.

It is an acceptable keyboard.
To me it's fine. Its not great - Not awful - Not better than previous, just different.


Only thing to do is buy and try and return in under 2 weeks if it's not for you.

If you love it...great!
Just sharing opinions.

I personally value opinions on here from all angles, not just the usual "Apple is amaze-balls" slant on everything.

Yeah, I'm not bashing anyone for their opinions, but just when things are wrong, at least wrong from my perspective. The arrow keys, the movement, etc.

Apple is most certainly not amaze-balls though. Sure I've bought into their ecosystem, but after coming from Windows for 20 years, it's nice to have items that just, well work well together. The new iMac is great, but not the best computer of all time. I really hate the form factor, but was in desperate need for a new monitor and only Dell was in the 5k range and at that, you had to pay near the same as the base model of 5k Mac at least in the UK.

Also I do have a lot of keyboards, so I don't just talk about this keyboard without context. I find a lot of the whole mechanical keyboard movement almost religious in nature and people are either 100% into it, or not. I have two mechanical keyboards and they have their use, but they are not the best thing in the universe. Clicklit keyboards for me have always been faster to type on and overall more pleasurable when I have large quantities of text or programming.

However, I will say for gaming, clicklit keyboards are terrible and I'll fall back to a mechanical every time. However, they all have their purpose.

Also one thing you need to remember at least with the keyboard, is that if you use a laptop all day, like I do at work with my MacBook Pro, then being able to use the same keyboard at home is a huge benefit in typing. While this keyboard is different from the current MacBook Pro, I would expect next years MacBook Pro to have an identical keyboard.

 

[turbineseaplane]

@stevierg: On the Arrow keys, any difference from before is "different". You can't say "they are the same" and then comment how the L/R arrow keys are now full height.

I know that I always really used to value the space above the L/R arrow keys as a way to "find my spot" without looking at the arrow keys, and now if you do that you are actually hitting a key instead of finding your spot.

The arrow keys have changed if you were used to to the older model. Frequent arrow key users know how particular the preferences around those keys can be.

The keyboard moving around is a legitimate issue depending upon your desk (including the display desks at the Apple store humorously enough) -- Not on your desk I guess, so that's great, but it's worth mentioning for others to at least consider and go try out. My girlfriend loves the new keyboard (and the old one), but she did end up putting some non skid rubber drawer liner material under it as it kept moving around this weekend when using it, usually in the transition to using it/not and getting your fingers oriented.

....if you use a laptop all day, like I do at work with my MacBook Pro, then being able to use the same keyboard at home is a huge benefit in typing.

That's super frustrating to me, as I'd prefer that Apple at least optionally made a superb desktop keyboard and didn't gimp the product just to have similarity between laptops and desktops.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Anyways - no need to gum this thread up w/ anymore back and forth.

The new keyboards should definitely be tried as they continue to be more and more "laptop keyboards sitting on a desk" which some love on their desktop (see above) and some don't (people like me).

Definitely buy from a place you can return easily just in case (unless you can try them first and you love it of course)

 

[MadDane]

Am I the only one that still prefers the full size keyboard when sitting in front of an iMac at a desk? I own a MacBook Pro and I am very fond of the keyboard while using it on the laptop. When I am at home with the iMac I much prefer the larger keyboard which Apple seems to have forgotten about when updating their periferals. But I guess that saves me some money :-D

 

[Rian Gray]

Am I the only one that still prefers the full size keyboard when sitting in front of an iMac at a desk? I own a MacBook Pro and I am very fond of the keyboard while using it on the laptop. When I am at home with the iMac I much prefer the larger keyboard which Apple seems to have forgotten about when updating their periferals. But I guess that saves me some money :-D

You're definitely not the only one, but apparently we've turned into a minority. I was hoping Apple to release full-size, preferably numpad-detached, bluetooth keyboard. Just like MS wireless sculpt keyboard is.

 

[wlossw]

When I saw the new magic keyboard, mouse and trackpad, I went out and bought the apple wired model and a logitech mx master mouse to upgrade from wireless keyboard, trackpad and magic mouse... couldn't be happier.