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WHo Here Hates their Black Keys and Black Bezel ??
- Thread starter fab5freddy
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The effectiveness of the backlighting makes the color of the keys matter. In medium lighting you get silver keys with some backlight which makes the letter less visible. With black keys you get the letters lighter giving you better contrast, not worse contrast that you get with the silver keys.
I think the bezel is too thick. Apple could squeeze another .5'' out of the screen with a thinner bezel.
I too have to confess, if not proclaim I absolutely love the black parts on the new MBP´s. The enviroment around the screen is more pleasant. And design wise I thought the aliminium look was old as soon as the new millenium was here
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I'll stick with my early 2008 17" macbook Pro. Matte screen, copious legacy ports and STANDARDIZED parts sizes! So, i can actually replace my DVD drive, hard drive by myself. Apple had to shave 2mm off the thickness for what gain?!
Seriously, i think the new unibody design is ugly as sin. I'll wait until the next design change. This current gen is just too ugly. I think my 17" was when Apple was at the top of its game, (the outside..i know it has a graphics card problem! grrr....)
Seriously, i think the new unibody design is ugly as sin. I'll wait until the next design change. This current gen is just too ugly. I think my 17" was when Apple was at the top of its game, (the outside..i know it has a graphics card problem! grrr....)
In what way do black keys have anything to do with Germany?
If the backlighting is on, the lighted letter shows up, whether the key is black, white or silver. It's the backlight that makes the key visible, not the key color. I touch-type anyway, so the black keys offer no value whatsoever, other than to cheapen the look of the MBP and make it look like too many other notebooks, in my opinion.
Depends on what you mean by medium lighting. I mean lighting where it's dark enough for the backlight to come on but not totally dark.
No they don't. If you have silver keys but it's not totally hard, you get silver with faint white letters. That's just not as visible as black with faint white letters.
Cheap is subjective. Personally I think plastic keys painted silver look much cheaper than black plastic keys.
There are some medium lighting conditions where I find my silver backlit keys having minimal contrast. I am not a touch typist but am slowly getting there. I suspect the black keys will offer improved contrast in those conditions.
In a low light environment, where backlighting is supposed to have an actual practical use, the colour of the the keys shouldn't make a difference. In any other sort of environment, it's just an aesthetic thing. In a properly lit environment, I don't think you should have any trouble distinguishing the signs on the keys, despite the lower contrast between silver keys and faint white letters, as you put it.
This is something I agree with - I find a uniform silver or white keyboard, in a silver or white case, to look a lot less appealing and cheaper. But this is personal taste, as you said, nothing more.
Love the black keys, adore the black bezel. I don't understand why they couldn't use black anodized aluminum on the matte MBP 17" bezel instead of that godawful naked metal design that looks like the computer has been partially disassembled or the bezel has fallen off.
I also don't understand why they don't complete the transition and make the keys on the Apple keyboards black as well, as well as the Mighty Mouse. The input devices look awfully mismatched with the computers now, a white keyboard in front of a silver/black iMac looks borderline comical, as if whoever put it together was blind (colorblind alone doesn't cut it, since we're talking about pure monochrome here).
I can see the problem though. On one hand, Apple's White Era (circa 2003-2007) is history, it's all metal and black now. On the other hand, white has become an Apple trademark of sorts, so they don't want to let go of it. But ultimately they're gonna have to make up their minds. White cables and accessories for a black/aluminum rig looks f***ing retarded.
I also don't understand why they don't complete the transition and make the keys on the Apple keyboards black as well, as well as the Mighty Mouse. The input devices look awfully mismatched with the computers now, a white keyboard in front of a silver/black iMac looks borderline comical, as if whoever put it together was blind (colorblind alone doesn't cut it, since we're talking about pure monochrome here).
I can see the problem though. On one hand, Apple's White Era (circa 2003-2007) is history, it's all metal and black now. On the other hand, white has become an Apple trademark of sorts, so they don't want to let go of it. But ultimately they're gonna have to make up their minds. White cables and accessories for a black/aluminum rig looks f***ing retarded.
I don't mind the bezel or black keys, but I really like the feel of the original MBP keyboard compared to the new chic-let keys.
I actually hate the black frame around the display. Not only does it seem too wide, but it is also very distracting in bright light. Even if I manage to not get distracted by the reflections on the display itself, the surrounding black edges are ALWAYS reflecting and annoying. Poor choice, Apple. It may look elegant and flashy from a distance, but it really is not nice to work with.
As for the keys: yeah, they are more visible when the backlight is on -- great. But they wear very quickly and look ugly when they do. I use a Moshi keyboard protector, but I really shouldn't need to. I'm always amazed at how quickly Apple keyboards wear.
I think the silver keys were great and showed extremely little wear and tear. I also think they could have done something different around the screen. It's as if a bunch of morons sat down and decided to compete over who can make the most reflective and distracting screen and screen bezel around. I mean, WHY? Did they even consider that somebody would be using these machines, or did they only see them as museum pieces?
Having vented, I still really like the unibody MBP, but the black frame and keyboard str my least favourite partd.
As for the keys: yeah, they are more visible when the backlight is on -- great. But they wear very quickly and look ugly when they do. I use a Moshi keyboard protector, but I really shouldn't need to. I'm always amazed at how quickly Apple keyboards wear.
I think the silver keys were great and showed extremely little wear and tear. I also think they could have done something different around the screen. It's as if a bunch of morons sat down and decided to compete over who can make the most reflective and distracting screen and screen bezel around. I mean, WHY? Did they even consider that somebody would be using these machines, or did they only see them as museum pieces?
Having vented, I still really like the unibody MBP, but the black frame and keyboard str my least favourite partd.