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shenfrey

macrumors 68030
Original poster
May 23, 2010
2,560
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I cant figure it out, it just feels alot nicer then most keyboards iv used. The feel of they keys, the feedback you get once hitting the keys and for some reason i can type much faster on these keyboards then i can on most other keyboards. Is it because they are mechanical? Or are these just standard keyboards?
 
Don't know what it is, but I have NEVER felt comfortable typing on a laptop keyboard until I got my first MacBook Pro. I'll never go back to Windows for that reason alone:)
 
They are 'standard' laptop keyboards, but I get the impression that Apple spent a lot of time and effort getting the materials and the lever designs just right. The key travel, pressure needed and so on are just perfect!

As well as that, the Mac keyboards seem to be considerably quieter than PC counterparts, from my experience.

A lot of people wouldn't really consider the keyboard when it comes to a premium computer experience, but it really does add towards the high-quality nature of Mac notebooks.

EDIT: I forgot to mention that the MacBook Pro with Retina display seems to have a shorter keyboard (vertically) than the last-generation design, obviously because the entire casing has been thinned. It took a little getting used to (felt strange coming from my old, heavily-used MacBook Pro), but it feels even nicer to type on somehow.
 
Do people really thing the MBP keyboard is all that? Does anyone have to input a lot of number? Does the lack of ability to increase the angle of where your palm rest bug you in the least. I hate typing on any laptop keyboard and I don't find the MBP to be special in any way.
I do love my MBP overall and will never, ever, never ever go back.
 
I began my search for a laptop at Bestbuy because they have so many different brands and models on display, and don't care how long you spend playing with them. I fell in love with the MBP at that time - it was the only one with a keyboard that felt comfortable to me. I resisted for a year, and then decided that I wanted a laptop with a comfortable keyboard and a really good trackpad even if it meant switching to OSX. Why buy a laptop with a poorly functioning trackpad and then have to tote around an external mouse? So I don't know why the keyboard is such a joy to use, just that it is.

Sometimes i miss the separate numerical key section but i'd rather have the top speakers on my 15" mid-2012 cMBP. Anyway, I learned to touch type on a (manual) typewriter so that row of number keys is deeply engrained in my psyche.
 
Apple hardware is very good quality and their keyboards reflect that fact.

After owning a wide range of laptop brands and models, the two best, that are nearly identical are MacBook Pro's and ThinkPad T's.
 
The keyboards are solid to be sure but that isn't what makes them so unique. Apple keyboards just work the same way for years. Mine have always provided the same tactile "feel" just like day 1.
 
My MBP keyboard comes second only to the original ThinkPad keyboards. (not the new chiclet-style ones). Those keyboards made me feel completely comfortable with the laptop. My MBP is in a different class, as it's chiclet-style, but is probably the best of all the chiclet laptop keyboards I've used.

I do prefer Apple's USB keyboard w/numpad over my laptop, though. Very rigid, and perfect angle.
 
You youngin's.

As others noted, the Macbook keyboard has looked and felt mostly the same for quite a while. The generally accepted best keyboard were on the Thinkpads, which were known for having no flex, great tactile push, and great key shape.

Here's the one on the X300. It's not pretty to look at.
http://img.xcitefun.net/users/2008/06/4199,xcitefun-lenovo-x300-1.jpg

I haven't tried the recent Thinkpads, since Lenovo adopted the island design, so I can't comment on them. Many people were concerned about the change though.

http://blog.laptopmag.com/thinkpad-type-off-is-lenovos-new-island-style-keyboard-better-or-worse
 
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