The new teeny tiny wireless keyboard - why'd they cut it in half?

[digitalformula]

First things first - I'm not complaining about the new wireless keyboard. I'm just after some other peoples' thoughts about it.

I just bought my first Mac - a 27" iMac w/ 8GB RAM. It's one hell of a sweet machine and I'm loving using it. Obviously, it came with the new wireless keyboard and magic mouse (which I don't use but that's a different story).

Both work flawlessly but I'm curious about what people think re Apple's decision to make the keyboard without a number pad, arrows in a different place, home/end keys etc.

I'm a pretty heavy Photoshop user and and have formed a whole lot of habits around shortcuts, one of which is the use of the arrow keys to nudge objects/layers/whatever - I'm used to the arrow keys being in a specific place.

With designers/creatives being such a large part of Apple's user base, why do you reckon they did away with the "full" right side of the standard keyboard? I've got a full size wired one which solves this "problem" but ... well ... it's wired.

Anyone else care to comment? Did they do it because they took a punt and assume pro designers are all using tablets and all nudge stuff with that, the mouse or will simply adjust to the arrow keys being a different place?

 

[combat]

I think it's the tablets. I own a Wacom Bamboo tablet and love to use it. (Sometimes I use the pen to just surf the web...) Plus it saves Apple the cash and you can buy the older ones right?

 

[digitalformula]

I think it's the tablets. I own a Wacom Bamboo tablet and love to use it. (Sometimes I use the pen to just surf the web...) Plus it saves Apple the cash and you can buy the older ones right?

Hmm interesting - thanks for the reply.

I've got a Wacom Bamboo tablet too but I don't use it that much, partly because I *suck* at it ... lol.

And yep, you can still buy the older ones which satisfies people like me although I plan to give the wireless one another go tonight actually.

 

[reallynotnick]

When you order from Apple they give you an option of the mini wireless, mini wired or wired full (no full sized wireless) all for free. While I find the other keys helpful from time to time I feel they take up a lot of extra space and slow me down as I have to reach farther to get the mouse. Though the main reason I am getting a mini one is my keyboard tray is so small that I couldn't fit a mouse down by the keyboard if I had a full sized one.
Idk, Apple sometimes just does things for the heck of it, it's probably just to make their computers look more simple and people are really used to the MacBook keyboards.

 

[digitalformula]

When you order from Apple they give you an option of the mini wireless, mini wired or wired full (no full sized wireless) all for free. While I find the other keys helpful from time to time I feel they take up a lot of extra space and slow me down as I have to reach farther to get the mouse. Though the main reason I am getting a mini one is my keyboard tray is so small that I couldn't fit a mouse down by the keyboard if I had a full sized one.
Idk, Apple sometimes just does things for the heck of it, it's probably just to make their computers look more simple and people are really used to the MacBook keyboards.

Yep, fair point. I bought from my local specialist Apple dealer though so didn't get the option to 'order' a different keyboard configuration. I would've gone with mini wireless anyway though seeing as I already owned the full size wired one.

Interesting comment re reaching further for the mouse - I hadn't thought of that. Apple's obsession with everything being extremely minimalist is being taken a looooong way now - personally I like that as I think Apple's designers are the best on the planet. Steve Jobs had a lot to do with it too apparently, i.e. he's personally obsessed with the minimalist approach to everything. That's 2nd hand info though so I have no idea if it's true or not.

Look at the Magic Mouse though - you could be forgiven for thinking "Hey, where are the buttons?"

 

[Consultant]

Keyboard is now the same as Apple laptop keyboard.

Keep in mind that companies now a days sell more laptops than desktops, it's easier for people.

 

[Blow up tre1]

Full size wireless keyboard

They probably also don't make one because they know that logitech's dinovo mac edition is so much better than their keyboards-and it's full size!

 

[cjmillsnun]

They probably also don't make one because they know that logitech's dinovo mac edition is so much better than their keyboards-and it's full size!

Not a fan of the Logitech Dinovo Keyboard. Love the standard Apple Keyboard.

 

[Blow up tre1]

Edge or Standard?

Not a fan of the Logitech Dinovo Keyboard. Love the standard Apple Keyboard.

but once you have typed for a while on it, you will NEVER go back to using a standard mac keyboard! And it still says my battery if FULL and i've had it for a while now (2 months).

 

[Michael CM1]

While typing from my full-size wireless Apple keyboard, the "no gunk can ever get under your keys on this thing" edition, I really don't know why. I liked that it was exactly the same as the wired one but, duh, wireless. If I wanted to use a notebook keyboard, I'd open up the MBP to which it's attached. I don't like smaller frickin' keys OR fewer of them.

Between this and the "you can have any type of display you want as long as it's glossy" decisions, Apple goes a bit off the deep end at times.

 

[Makosuke]

I don't like smaller frickin' keys OR fewer of them.

Do you mean the smaller F-keys? Because one of the things I've always liked about Apple laptops is that they main keyboard is full-sized, even though it prevents them from cramming a number pad onto 17" laptops. Particularly with the new low-profile keyboards, they're exactly the same as the MB/MBP.

Personally I love number pads, and I'm quite fond of the new keyboard style (I like the short throw), so my home desktop has a full sized wired. I stuck with the default mini wireless when I got a new iMac, though, because I intended to use it with my home theater Mini, and for a couch keyboard the smaller the better.

 

[Michael CM1]

Do you mean the smaller F-keys? Because one of the things I've always liked about Apple laptops is that they main keyboard is full-sized, even though it prevents them from cramming a number pad onto 17" laptops. Particularly with the new low-profile keyboards, they're exactly the same as the MB/MBP.

Personally I love number pads, and I'm quite fond of the new keyboard style (I like the short throw), so my home desktop has a full sized wired. I stuck with the default mini wireless when I got a new iMac, though, because I intended to use it with my home theater Mini, and for a couch keyboard the smaller the better.

Smaller keys anywhere. Those function keys that provide a lot of useful functions -- yep -- really could be larger on my MBP. I also love the keypad because of times when I'm entering numbers quickly. When tagging TV shows, I can very quickly throw numbers in using the keypad. I can't do the same with the keys at the top.

Why Apple can't create a smaller keyboard with an interlocking addition keypad is beyond me. Put all the function in the main keyboard but then add the numbers and math stuff plus the other four function keys, and have it lock somehow. Charge $20 for it and everybody's happy.