In particular my main mechanical keyboard is a 35g electro capacitive one, so I'm been pretty adjusted to lower key weights. The new Macbook keyboards are just too stiff and have
too much travel for me to type fast/not get fatigued.
I think even if one is accustomed to heavier keys, all things being equal, if they learned to type on lighter/shorter travel they can get faster at typing.
I've known those who preferred keyboards with much less travel. Personally, I type too hard for that to work. When I type on a mac book keyboard, I bottom out and then some every keystroke.
It's possible for it to be a hardware design error and user error. Or just an impedance mismatch between a particular piece of hardware and a particular user.
I agree that the new Macbook keyboards aren't for everyone. Some people, like my girlfriend take to them right away. Others will never adjust. And that's fine. You don't like it? Don't use it. Return it for something else.
But I think there's a large middle ground of people who could happily use the new keyboards by adjusting their typing style. Doesn't mean they were typing wrong before. But if, like me, they're coming from heavy mechanical keyboards, they will need to adjust their style to be comfortable with Apple's keyboards.
People have experience similar challenges transitioning between manual and electric typewriters. And between pianos and MIDI keyboards with unweighted keys.
Mechanical keyboards should provide much less fatigue if you avoid "bottoming out", which is much easier to do when a key has lots of travel and a dampening force curve. Most people suffer fatigue from these very low travel Apple keyboards as fingers will come to an abrupt hard stop. It's almost like typing on a hard surface.
The Apple keyboards were designed to be thin at the expense of everything else, reliability, maintainence, longevity, and comfort.
See, it's weird, but I feel the opposite. The high-rise of mech keyboards forces me to put my wrists in an awkward position. The long distance of the keys makes my fingers tired quickly and type slower. With low profile keyboards my hands flow over the keys very quickly, with mech keyboard I find myself having to delay myself a bit with each key to make sure it's pressed.
Unpopular opinion: I really like the new MacBook keyboards. I can't speak for their durability, but I like the typing experience on them.
The new Macbook keyboards have such low travel that they feel like a step in that direction. I like the laptop overall but I make a lot more typos than I did on my old one.
Funny, I always feel like I’m about to get injured using really low travel keyboards like the new apple magic keyboards. Hence I prefer mechanical ones.
Guess it varies from person to person. Good to find what works for you.
While I was using MBP keyboard, I used to think that shorter key travel was better and more ergonomic, because it required less finger movement. After using mechanical keyboards for years, I’m very surprised to discover how much strain bottoming out puts on my muscles.
It's the same for me. Although owning 2 mechanical keyboards I'm actually feeling fastest on good low profile keyboards, like the 2015 Macbook Pro keyboard. The Non-Pro-Macbook keyboard however seems awful.
However this superior typing speed seems to be only a subjective feeling for me, some typing speed programs suggest that the end result about the same. I don't think the reason is the key travel alone, it's also the height of the keycaps and the overall keyboard. I find it easier to move the hands around on the lower profile ones.
For less key travel you could try the offerings from Logitech (Romer G Switches have less travel than) or the newer Cherry Mx Silent Switches (which can however only be found on some rare Corsair offerings). I have a Logitech one and the feeling is significantly different to classical Cherry. However the keycap and keyboard height for all of those is pretty much equal to classical mechanical keyboards.
If we ignore the Apple keyboard for a moment, with DIY mechanical keyboards, you can customize travel length, travel resistance, and click. Getting the force and travel length correct, for me at least, mean I spend significantly less energy typing. My fingers and lower arms are tired if I'm using a regular keyboard for an hour.
Perhaps the optimum is not either extreme. Not an Apple like keyboard with almost zero travel, and not a keyboard from the 5$ bin, but something in between. And it's not the same for everyone.
I never got super into mechanical keyboards, but I've used them for my PC for the last decade or so just cause they're fun to type on.
But out of curiosity, I tested my typing speed on my mechanical keyboard vs my Apple Magic Keyboard (where I do most of my programming, being that I use a Mac for my job), and I got about an extra 10wpm on the Apple one (~90wpm vs ~100wpm).
I think you've touched on something that I had only experientially known - that increasing key travel to an extent can actually increase typing speed. On the MacBook butterfly keyboards with nearly zero travel, my typing speed is so slow. But on a board with Cherry MX Blues/Red my typing speed increases significantly
For some very odd reason, I find myself typing as much as 20-30 wpm faster (so something like 150wpm-ish with 98+% accuracy, or so the typing tests say) on the low profile Apple keyboards (I have the bluetooth one, and my MacBook's keyboard) than on any other keyboard I've used. It makes a noticeable dent in the time it takes to reply to emails and to get my point across in IM and IRC.
Maybe it's the lesser effort required to press the key. The same effect happens when I'm playing the piano on certain pianos like that..just so much easier to play faster.
Without the increase travel time I find it near impossible to not bottom out on normie keyboards. When typing at high speed it causes my fingers massive joint pain because I'm basically tapping on a surface constantly instead of getting feedback. And I used to use the Mac keyboards from ~2010 for years before a cheapo generic keyboard caused me to have those issues and I shelled out for a mechanical.
Haven't had that particular issue since, only RSI was the kinds I'd have had regardless of if I used normal keyboards or not.
If you're damaging your keys and hurting your fingers, you may be typing too hard for the keyboard. I'm not suggesting that that's your fault, just that there may be a mismatch between your preferred typing style and Apple's. I looked at the 12" Macbook when they first came out and was attracted by the small form factor but completely turned off by the keyboard's almost non-existent key travel. I much preferred the heavy, mechanical switches on my Das Keyboard on my Windows desktop. But ... my Windows machine died, and I switched to a Mac Mini with a bluetooth keyboard for a few months. When I returned to my Das Keyboard, I found I didn't like it as much. My typing speed was much faster on the Apple bluetooth keyboard, partly due to the lighter touch required. I now prefer typing with a lighter touch, and eventually picked up a Macbook and love it. I'd still prefer a bit more key travel, but I'm okay with the tradeoff for the form factor.
TL;DR - Macbook keyboards require a light touch, which may not suit your personal style.
Long-time Mac user and as a result long-time Mac keyboard user. Loved the low-profile desktop and laptop keyboards.
Didn't realize until I gave a mechanical board a chance (felt super weird hitting full-height keys!) but I was making a ton of typos and going slower on the Mac boards.
Now that I've gotten used to my mechanical keyboard I feel more confident in my touch typing and my speed has gone up considerably.
I did install dampener rings, though, because I didn't like how loud things were and how the keys felt.
I suppose. On the other hand if you type on every keyboard like it's an IBM Model M, any keyboard that isn't a high travel mechanical keyboard is going to be uncomfortable. I adjusted my typing style to fit the new MacBook keyboard, and I have no complaints.
I have a macbook, and a PC with a model M keyboard, so I'm familiar with both types and use both regularly. I hadn't noticed before reading this, but I do tend to type similarly to you do on the low-profile macbook keyboard. It's more "sliding" than lifting. I think the low profile necessitates it, because otherwise it's just a lot of wasted movement through thin air and leads to less accuracy.
This may also explain why I was extremely inaccurate when I first started typing on the macbook (until I learned to adjust and type as you do), and why I still find it to be not as comfortable to use as the model M. It is the best laptop keyboard I've ever used, but I don't find that style of typing to be as comfortable or natural.
I guess it's just personal preference, though. I learned on a model M back in high school.
I think even if one is accustomed to heavier keys, all things being equal, if they learned to type on lighter/shorter travel they can get faster at typing.
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