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Swiss Refurbs
- Thread starter twietee
- Start date
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I guess you choose french when you 'logged into' the apple store..I'd like to have the german one, seems like I should call them.
I have nerver ordered or used one... but I'm guessing that you should be able to get this info before placing your order. Otherwise what would stop them from sending you a model with Chinese layout? Refurb or not, the product must have a tech spec... you must know what you're ordering ( can't just order: "whichever 15" inch Macbook Pro you have on stock from whichever year" ).
I called Apple to ask (my GF is Swiss) because it's obvious that some of the refurbs might not come from Switzerland (3 of them currently listed have a description in Spanish). The answer given to me by Apple was that all Macs (including refurbs) in the Swiss store come with Swiss keyboards. Swiss French and Swiss German keyboards are identical, only the driver changes.
From the wiki:
"The layout of the Swiss keyboard is designed to allow easy access to frequently used accents of the French, German and Italian languages. The difference between the Swiss German (sg) and the Swiss French (sf) layout is that the German variety has the German umlauts (ä, ö, ü) accessible without dead keys, while the French version has the French accented characters (é, à, è) accessible in the unshifted state. The actual keyboards have the keys engraved for both variations; the difference is only in the driver setting."
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@AirThis: Apple's answers seems weird... first of all, I don't know of the existence of an Italian version. The current options are the following:
Beleuchtete Tastatur (Schweiz) & Benutzerhandbuch (Deutsch)
Beleuchtete Tastatur (Schweiz) & Benutzerhandbuch (Englisch)
Beleuchtete Tastatur (Schweiz) & Benutzerhandbuch (Italienisch)
Beleuchtete Tastatur (Französisch) & Benutzerhandbuch (Französisch)
Beleuchtete Tastatur (Französisch) & Benutzerhandbuch (Englisch)
Beleuchtete Tastatur (Deutsch) & Benutzerhandbuch (Deutsch)
Beleuchtete Tastatur (Deutsch) & Benutzerhandbuch (Englisch)
Beleuchtete Tastatur (US) & Benutzerhandbuch (Englisch)
As you can observer, "Schweiz" and "Deutsch" are separate, because the keyboard layout is a tad bit different. I'm not only talking about the driver here, but also the letters printed onto the keys ( their locations as well ). I have the US version, but from what I remember ( seeing the notebooks of my friends ), in the Swiss version, the keys have no French accented characters printed on them... nor does the French version have German umlaut characters printed, but only French.
Normally the keyboard layouts are different... keys ( in different locations ) have different printings on them, but of course, drivers can change all that. Even though you might end up with a French layout ( with printed French accented characters ), with the right driver, you can turn it into Chinese if you want to... but I don't really think that's what you're aiming for.
PS: If you are aiming to get a German keyboard... why not try getting the refurb from the German store instead? Those guys for sure don't have French / Swiss layouts on stock to mess things up.
Beleuchtete Tastatur (Schweiz) & Benutzerhandbuch (Deutsch)
Beleuchtete Tastatur (Schweiz) & Benutzerhandbuch (Englisch)
Beleuchtete Tastatur (Schweiz) & Benutzerhandbuch (Italienisch)
Beleuchtete Tastatur (Französisch) & Benutzerhandbuch (Französisch)
Beleuchtete Tastatur (Französisch) & Benutzerhandbuch (Englisch)
Beleuchtete Tastatur (Deutsch) & Benutzerhandbuch (Deutsch)
Beleuchtete Tastatur (Deutsch) & Benutzerhandbuch (Englisch)
Beleuchtete Tastatur (US) & Benutzerhandbuch (Englisch)
As you can observer, "Schweiz" and "Deutsch" are separate, because the keyboard layout is a tad bit different. I'm not only talking about the driver here, but also the letters printed onto the keys ( their locations as well ). I have the US version, but from what I remember ( seeing the notebooks of my friends ), in the Swiss version, the keys have no French accented characters printed on them... nor does the French version have German umlaut characters printed, but only French.
Normally the keyboard layouts are different... keys ( in different locations ) have different printings on them, but of course, drivers can change all that. Even though you might end up with a French layout ( with printed French accented characters ), with the right driver, you can turn it into Chinese if you want to... but I don't really think that's what you're aiming for.
PS: If you are aiming to get a German keyboard... why not try getting the refurb from the German store instead? Those guys for sure don't have French / Swiss layouts on stock to mess things up.
It isn't mentioned in the tech specs hence the question. Just for the refurb section though, with BTO you can specify that.
Thank's a lot - still not sure though if that satisfying though
... my memory could be playing tricks on my of course
I didn't firmly state it's different... I said: "from what I remember".
If it has both, then great for the OP
Edit: Come to think of it, Apple's reponse might have been "tailored to my needs". I called the number on the Swiss website and said: "Hello, I'd like to purchase a Macbook Air for my GF, but I see that the description for some of the refurbished computers is in Spanish. Could you please tell me what keyboard the machine will be shipped with?". The operator then asked me if I lived in Switzerland and I answered yes (my GF lives in Geneva). However, I didn't get an immediate answer to my question. Instead the she started discussing with a colleague. After a minute or two, she told me that she would call me back. Five minutes later, she effectively called back and said this: "All refurbished machines are sold with the Swiss keyboard, just like the other items in the store.". However, I never explicitly asked her if I could have a keyboard in another language. So it might be worth asking.
Yup, memories are tricky little beasts, Barna Biro
Here you go:
Yup, memories are tricky little beasts, Barna Biro
Here you go:
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^ shh, of course that had to happen the 'Umlaute / accents' are nicely done I think, but the rest...quite different I've to say - assuming it looks the same on the MBP. Now I'm a tad wiser but still don't know if I like it or not. Thank you all anyway for clarification.
Edit: just noticed I didn't clarify before, thought that would be clear, I was talking about a MBP.
the 'Umlaute / accents' are nicely done I think, but the rest...quite different I've to say - assuming it looks the same on the MBP. Now I'm a tad wiser but still don't know if I like it or not. Thank you all anyway for clarification.Edit: just noticed I didn't clarify before, thought that would be clear, I was talking about a MBP.
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Oh, we have those in stock too sir.
See my note above about how Apple gave me the answer I got. Might be worth asking directly if you can have another keyboard.
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Oh, we have those in stock too sir.
See my note above about how Apple gave me the answer I got. Might be worth asking directly if you can have another keyboard.
you don't have by any chance a cMBP to cross-check?
interesting philosophies behind these different cultures, err keyboards. May I ask what ".." beneath the exclamation mark is used for? Three would have made more sense imho...or is .... the new convention? saw it somewhere recently [edit: must have been a swiss] and found it exciting! I'm a nerd I know.
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Seems like I could live with them. Barna Biro is clearly a "three-pointer" though, how inconvenient!
@twietee: No cMBPs in stock for the moment.
The ".." key (under the exclamation mark) produces an umlaut when used with a vowel. If you hit it and then hit the o, it will give you ö. Now, you're going to ask me why it's necessary since the öäü are directly on the keyboard. Well, in French some words have a "Tréma" above the letter i. Example: haïr (to hate).
The ".." key (under the exclamation mark) produces an umlaut when used with a vowel. If you hit it and then hit the o, it will give you ö. Now, you're going to ask me why it's necessary since the öäü are directly on the keyboard. Well, in French some words have a "Tréma" above the letter i. Example: haïr (to hate).