I'd rather not belittle anyone for preferences which admittedly, like music choices, are subjective. But I truly loathe the Mac keyboards, and I'll tell you why. It has nothing to do with platform bias.
Mac keyboards are not designed for touch typists like me. There is no contour to the keys, they are flat and too large and make your hand move too far. They are also not sufficiently actuated, as Atwood points out in this post. They're made for people who hunt and peck and mash the keys using their biceps instead of their fingers. Since that's not me, I hate them. They have an "iffy" actuation instead of a decisive one.
They'll take my IBM Model M and Unicomp when they pry them from my cold, dead, fingers.
He's not. The author is comparing the new MBP keyboard to the old one. The fact that he finds these keyboards so terrible meant that he realised how much he'd love a mechanical keyboard.
It also means that he won't be buying a new Macbook Pro.
I believe he finds it funny that the guy spent over 5k on a chair, but uses an pretty unergonomic keyboard. (I have used the new apple keyboards on the new macbook 12'' and imo, it's not too bad once you get used to it. But I'd totally exchange it for some kind of mechanical keyboard.)
> My mom buys all her crap if and only if it says "Mac compatible" on the box. I remind her that it's all the same hardware standards these days
Indeed in most cases, but keyboards are something else entirely. If you regularly switch between a MacBook keyboard and a workstation (be it PC or Mac) it's a pain to have the layout, spacing and position being almost the same save for a bunch of keys that bite you back hard. Especially on non-US layouts (precisely, french).
That's why I strive to use mac-layout keyboards even on PCs. And really, while the US mac layout is quite close to the PC one, the french ones are significantly different, and the Mac one simply makes more sense. Ironically it's extremely hard to find non-Apple non-US Mac layout keyboard.
> - Ergonomics: When has Apple ever had an ergonomic keyboard? If you're working long stretches, connect a proper keyboard and external display for gods sake
The old MacBook Pro keyboards were actually really good. Almost as good as the old (~2005) Thinkpad keyboards and definitely good enough for extended typing. While the ergonomics are obviously suboptimal when screen and keyboard are stuck together at least typing on the keys was pleasant and accurate.
At the risk of sounding rude, what's your point? I don't know why you felt compelled to tell your mechanical keyboard horror story and how much better Apple keyboards are.. just odd.
>It isn't just preference, the new keyboard is slightly uncomfortable to use, the key pressure is too high and the travel too low, so the impulse on the tendons is too sharp.
Sure, but some people (like me) find keyboards with shorter travel more comfortable to use. So as far as I can see it is just a preference – and a question of what your fingers are accustomed to.
I'm old enough to remember when the chicklet macbook keyboards that everyone now idolises were the Worst Keyboards Ever because they didn't have enough travel.
>The gist is that Apple has over designed its product and made design the number one metric.
Apple is now using an ordinary chicklet keyboard that's very similar to the ones used by most other modern laptops. It's a very conservative and unremarkable design as far as I can see.
> and the key travel was too small so it was like typing on a touch screen
No, no it's not really.
It's all about preference and tolerance. I bought my Mum an 'old' Apple USB keyboard (i.e. similar to the pre-2017 laptop keys) when her PC's existing KB broke, as I liked mine very much. Being a life-long touch-typer, she just couldn't get on with it, because the travel was too little for her. She's now very happy with a KB with mechanical (Cherry) key switches.
In contrast, I prefer the older Apple KBs, but can get on perfectly well on my 2017 MacBook Pro's KB; and it's not like a touch-screen at all.
I don't think you understand what the author saying. The author is saying that the new keyboards are terrible, and when he realised why he thinks they're terrible he went out and bought a mech keyboard.
He's sad that Apple are choosing this new keyboard technology for the MBP range, and from what I gather, he won't be purchasing a new Macbook Pro.
I have always been in disbelief of people who have to type for a living and also like Mac keyboards. It's like somebody told the designers "make it as close to a flat sheet of aluminum as you possibly can". I'll give it that it looks clean and elegant, but the actual tactile experience is garbage.
Counterpoint: I got a new Macbook Pro from my job and I’m really enjoying the new keyboard: very little travel but a satisfying click to every press and minimal actuation pressure.
First, thanks for the great advice.
But, any ergonomic advice at all for MacBook/MBP users (aside from just don't do it)? E.g. can anyone recommend a good keyboard replacement or app or something else?
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