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3349793

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Original poster
Jul 6, 2015
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Hi All,

What does the keyboard feel like on the Powerbook G4? Is it actually better than the new Macbooks' keyboards? Apparently it's a "dream" to type on it!

Thanks, Alex
 
Which Powerbook?

I don't find my DLSD keyboard very different from the one on my early '08 MBP. It's quite different from the "chiclet" keyboard of the unibody MBPs. I find it a lot "softer" but with a little bit more key travel. I also prefer the key shape, which is depressed(with the key touching each other) unlike the flat keys on the chiclet boards.

The TiBook keyboard has a somewhat similar keyshape to the AlBook keys. The travel is probably a bit longer than the AlBook, and it's also fairly "crisp."

Of the three, I prefer the Ti, but have spent a lot of time typing on all three and can type really well on the Al/early MBP keyboard. I probably have the most typing time in the chiclet board, though.
 
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Which Powerbook?

I don't find my DLSD keyboard very different from the one on my early '08 MBP. It's quite different from the "chiclet" keyboard of the unibody MBPs. I find it a lot "softer" but with a little bit more key travel. I also prefer the key shape, which is depressed(with the key touching each other) unlike the flat keys on the chiclet boards.

The TiBook keyboard has a somewhat similar keyshape to the AlBook keys. The travel is probably a bit longer than the AlBook, and it's also fairly "crisp."

Of the three, I prefer the Ti, but have spent a lot of time typing on all three and can type really well on the Al/early MBP keyboard. I probably have the most typing time in the chiclet board, though.

Thanks! :) I will try to try one out soon!
 
My 12" PowerBook has a very good keyboard. There's a lot of tactile feedback and decent travel.

My 15" DLSD from the same year had a very mushy keyboard in comparison. It felt very awkward to type on it and I didn't like it at all. I don't know if that's normal on those or if I had a bad one. @bunnspecial has it now, so maybe he can say whether that's normal or not.
 
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I love the keyboards on both my G4 AlBook and my G3 Lombard, Apple did a great job on the keyboards from the PPC era. I do like the keyboard on my MBP, probably because it was my first Mac.
 
The keyboard is one of the reasons that while I have broken down and purchased an MBP I stayed as close to the PowerBook form factor as I could. The connectors for the keyboard are different in the Aluminum MBPs, but the keyboard itself is exactly the same.
 
My 12" PowerBook has a very good keyboard. There's a lot of tacticle feedback and decent travel.

My 15" DLSD from the same year had a very mushy keyboard in comparison. It felt very awkward to type on it and I didn't like it at all. I don't know if that's normal on those or if I had a bad one. @bunnspecial has it now, so maybe he can say whether that's normal or not.

The one you sold me is similar to both my other A1138 and my A1139. I guess it's a difference in terminology, but as I said I find these keyboards "soft" but I wouldn't call them mushy. To me, a "mushy" keyboard is a $10 PC rubber dome keyboard. The larger AL book keyboards(and MBPs, by extension, which are very similar if not the same KB) don't have so much resistance on the downstroke(hence my soft description) but do at least have good return.

I agree that the 12" is a different animal-the travel is very similar to the larger cousins, but the keys give a bit more feedback when pressed. They do have bit of a "click" when pressed although the return is similar to the larger KBs.

As soon as I have time to make a trip to Lexington during the week, I'm going by the Unicomp factory to buy a Spacesaver M to use with my Mac Pro. Nothing beats a buckling spring!
 
The TiBook has one of nicest keyboards I've used on a laptop, it's nearly up to classic ThinkPad standards. My TiBook appeared to have had very little use - it's very crisp feeling and with a decent amount of travel and feedback.

I've not used an AlBook, but owned an original MBP which had a very similar keyboard. Slightly less travel and less tactile. The chicklet MBPs feel similar to my recollection.

My current rMBP has less travel again and requires a lot less force than say the TiBook, but once you get used to it it's a nice keyboard. Certainly got the latest Lenovo ThinkPads beaten.
 
My first computer was a ZX81....so having any keyboard with actual keys is a bonus...

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/leopard-on-my-tibook-500mhz.1888958/page-3

I don't know about preferences but typing on neither my Powerbooks or iBook make me feel like a Cold War Comms Operative - unlike this:
HX20.jpg
 
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