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New 'Magic Mouse 2' and Apple Wireless Keyboard With Bluetooth 4.2 Appear in FCC Filings
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love both my magic mouse and keyboard but they are both in need of replacement since the mouse battery cover broke off recently and the keyboard keys have long lost their labels. keyboard is also a bit quick on depleting the battery but i do like being able to quickly swap them out.
i will be buying both devices as soon as they come out for sure but am hoping for both backlit keyboard and black keys/mouse color options. i wouldn't use a dedicated number pad but i wouldn't mind the keyboard having a touchpad on it as well and if they have touch id allowing auto-login to all websites, etc. would be the icing. force touch might be neat but i am not so sure how much i would use it. i tend to think in 2d and adding more hidden options under forced touch capabilities isn't appealing to me in general however i do see cases where it makes sense like drawing for example. it might also be a nice replacement for the option+click command that normally opens up advanced options which i never remember, seems this might be a bit more intuitive for the user.
i will be buying both devices as soon as they come out for sure but am hoping for both backlit keyboard and black keys/mouse color options. i wouldn't use a dedicated number pad but i wouldn't mind the keyboard having a touchpad on it as well and if they have touch id allowing auto-login to all websites, etc. would be the icing. force touch might be neat but i am not so sure how much i would use it. i tend to think in 2d and adding more hidden options under forced touch capabilities isn't appealing to me in general however i do see cases where it makes sense like drawing for example. it might also be a nice replacement for the option+click command that normally opens up advanced options which i never remember, seems this might be a bit more intuitive for the user.
I actually love the magic mouse ergonomics, feels completely natural to me and i really hope they don't change that aspect. hoping they improve the rails on the bottom to make it glide better as mine have worn down to where the power switch is touching the 3M optical mouse pad it sits on and no longer slides smoothly.
also hoping they use the new butterfly mechanism to improve key click feel. oh and please put both delete and backspace keys please. i refuse to multi-key-ctrl-option-command whatever to get basic delete and backspace to work as they should. being a programmer I really just need these keys to work as expected without fuss.
also hoping they use the new butterfly mechanism to improve key click feel. oh and please put both delete and backspace keys please. i refuse to multi-key-ctrl-option-command whatever to get basic delete and backspace to work as they should. being a programmer I really just need these keys to work as expected without fuss.
Because developers need to code for both Windows and Mac. That means using a Mac with Boot camp as their primary device.
Software developer since the 8-Bit days and have used just about every keyboard out there. The lack of real, one handed Home, End, Page Up and Page Down keys bugs me. Cursoring around while coding on my MBP keyboard harkens back to the Commodore 64, and not in a good, nostalgic way. (and, no, I refuse to learn to use the hjkl keys in vi!)
FWIW, I used to do a lot of FinalCut Pro work too where the same keys are heavily used - was completely amazed that they left them off the 17" MBP which had tons of room for such things.
I could take or leave the numeric but since I worked a while as a cashier in college, I find myself using it when available. I'm much faster than the top row numbers.
For the record I use the Apple White Bluetooth keyboard because I don't want the wires but my all time favorite was an IBM Model M, buckling spring beast from 1980's. Best keyboard I've ever used and I nearly cried when my last one was lost in an office move. (it sucked for Mac use though with the lack of a Windows/Alt key - I used it on Linux) I'm really close to pulling the trigger for a new, Unicomp one with that key.
FWIW, I used to do a lot of FinalCut Pro work too where the same keys are heavily used - was completely amazed that they left them off the 17" MBP which had tons of room for such things.
I could take or leave the numeric but since I worked a while as a cashier in college, I find myself using it when available. I'm much faster than the top row numbers.
For the record I use the Apple White Bluetooth keyboard because I don't want the wires but my all time favorite was an IBM Model M, buckling spring beast from 1980's. Best keyboard I've ever used and I nearly cried when my last one was lost in an office move. (it sucked for Mac use though with the lack of a Windows/Alt key - I used it on Linux) I'm really close to pulling the trigger for a new, Unicomp one with that key.
I could care less about battery life. I plug it into the computer to charge it if necessary. Backlit is what I need, no matter who agrees or disagrees with me. Full size too. That tiny pathetic wireless keyboard is like a joke at this point in time.
Not trolling, just telling it like it is for me. I currently use a wired full size Apple keyboard. But really, it should be backlit and be wireless. Again, this is 2015.
the bottom of my magic mouse falls out at least once a day. drives me nuts
Correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't you have to have Bluetooth 4.2 compatible hardware to get any battery benefit?
I've not actually used one, but from what I've read they are similar in feel to Alps and other micro-switch keyboards. I have an old Apple Extended Keyboard II and an ADB->USB adapter and do like the feel of it but it's not the same as the buckling spring feel.
I've had four or five Magic mice over the past few years. All of them experienced intermittent loss of connection to my Macs (one Mac Pro and three different model iMacs). What annoyed me more, though, was how poorly they worked with Google Maps, which I use frequently. The map would always zoom in and out unexpectedly, something other users have complained about. I also got tired of replacing the batteries frequently. So I recently bought a wired Logitech mouse, which works well. I've programmed the buttons to do some of the things I used to do with gestures, and the wire doesn't bother me at all.
I also prefer the wired Apple keyboard with numeric keypad to Apple's Bluetooth keyboard. I use the keypad when I have to enter a series of numbers, which I find faster than using the keys at the top. I realize that many people prefer wireless devices, but for me, the disadvantages outweigh the advantages.
As for ergonomics, the wide variation in opinion expressed in this thread highlight the fact that one size doesn't fit all when it comes to input devices. It's a bit surprising to read how many people think that lifting the back of the keyboard is better ergonomically, however. Any bending at the wrist, which is accentuated by tilting the keyboard this way puts more stress on the carpal tunnel.
I also prefer the wired Apple keyboard with numeric keypad to Apple's Bluetooth keyboard. I use the keypad when I have to enter a series of numbers, which I find faster than using the keys at the top. I realize that many people prefer wireless devices, but for me, the disadvantages outweigh the advantages.
As for ergonomics, the wide variation in opinion expressed in this thread highlight the fact that one size doesn't fit all when it comes to input devices. It's a bit surprising to read how many people think that lifting the back of the keyboard is better ergonomically, however. Any bending at the wrist, which is accentuated by tilting the keyboard this way puts more stress on the carpal tunnel.
Back lighting on a wireless would be nice. Also have a switch, or some way to turn it off when not needed. It should be a switch too, rather than something 'automagic', as light levels aren't a good test of whether something can be seen.
Numeric keypad would be nice. It seemed silly to not have it, except from a potability standpoint. Although I was saddened that they dropped the wired skinny keyboard. I used that in server cabinets and they worked great. I bought up all I could find locally (two) before they went out.
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I loved the old IBM keyboards, and had one that lasted up until mid last year. The feel was, just awesome. The BEST keyboard, bar none! I was actually very bummed that it failed.
The big issue that I had with a magic mouse that I dropped, and the edge of the aluminum base was bent up into the plastic. I tried to fix it, but the drop also warped the base a little. I was surprised with the amount of damage that was done. It never worked right ever again after that, and had to be replaced.
I use the Apple rechargeable batteries, and they seem to last quite a long time. And I thought my issues with Google Maps were me! Not that I'm in there much anyway...
Oh, the right click zone seems to be really far off the right side. Often, a click to the right selects something rather than right-clicks it. I thought that the mouse 'learned' to a point. Is there anyway to get the right click away from the edge?
Anyway...
I have a little black USB Cherry without numpad that I bought when I built a mini-itx. It is cute and nice.
But the feel is not like the awesome original IBM PC keyboard, maybe some other model.
I whole heartedly agree. Whilst the aesthetics of the current MM may look good, unfortunately it has the ergonomics of a house brick. A feature of the new keyboard also causes me concern. The current barrel at the front lifts it at just the right angle for the typist. A completely flat keyboard is not a good position to adopt for any serious typing.
Perhaps Apple will suggest it can be raised by placing a book under it.
No wish to rat on the Magic Mouse, but I like using the Magic Trackpad.
I'd love to have a bigger one. Trackpad, that is. I'm good to go in other areas.
Dropped using a mouse over 20 years ago. Kensington trackball and as soon as the trackpad came out switched to that.
Moving a mouse around on a desk full of papers, stuff etc. is just not practical. Add to that that sometimes it doesn't work depending on the surface it's on and cramps the hand.
Only complaint about my trackpad is battery usage, but I just switched to eneloops.
Hope that cures that issue.
For sure we need a full size keyboard with numeric section.
Should not be too difficult to offer two keyboards.
Keyboard - longer battery life and backlit keyboard on demand. Looking forward....
Mouse - don't care for mice without scroll wheel, bring back scroll wheel version but make the mouse ball removable/cleanable (flaw with previous design). Else, mouse from elsewhere.
Mouse - don't care for mice without scroll wheel, bring back scroll wheel version but make the mouse ball removable/cleanable (flaw with previous design). Else, mouse from elsewhere.
Usage has shifted plenty. People are more likely to be on social networks, record and play videos, take and look at photos, and so forth.
I should know better than to respond to something so needlessly aggressive, but surely you can see a difference between typing years, zip codes and other sorts of numbers here and there on the one hand, and using a spreadsheet, database front-end, etc. as a primary 9-to-5 application on the other hand.
That does not mean that there are not more people inputting numbers today than years ago.
Wireless is something I'd look for in a mouse (preferably like the Logitech designs that you can still use while they're charging) but in a full-sized keyboard, I couldn't care less about the wire: plus, it gives you a couple of desktop-level USB ports (I use one for the Logitech mouse dongle).
The only killer apps I see for a wireless keyboard are (a) as a HTPC controller: but Apple have dropped Front Row and, in any case, something like this (http://www.expertreviews.co.uk/accessories/keyboards/1401588/logitech-tk820-review) with a touchpad is better for that. Or, (b) with a tower PC under the table - but then all Apple's desktops are just that - desktops. Plus, most displays have a USB hub anyway.
Nonsense.
I'm not saying nobody needs it. Apple (or certainly Apple since Jobs's second era) has never been about catering to everybody, and their main keyboard reflects that.
And they do still sell one with a numpad; they just don't consider that their core audience any more.
Indeed.
I did not. You're putting words in my mouth.
Why do people like a wireless keyboard?
Is it just about the aesthetic, or are people taking their keyboard away from the desk? Or more than a regular cable length away from the computer?
I have a classic (wired) IBM PC keyboard, and 2 spares in a cupboard!
Is it just about the aesthetic, or are people taking their keyboard away from the desk? Or more than a regular cable length away from the computer?
I have a classic (wired) IBM PC keyboard, and 2 spares in a cupboard!
Clearly, Apple disagrees. Relatively speaking, as far as growth markets go, they seem to think that numpads have started mattering less.