Mon, 31 Mar 2003
A brief digression
I have a question:
Can any of you readers recommend a good external keyboard for me to use
with a Macintosh powerbook?
Some explanation is required. I like the laptop keyboard, which
feels somewhat more positive than that of the iBook that it replaced,
but it has the half-sized cursor and function keys Apple stick in laptops
to save space. Also, the scissor mechanism Apple uses in its powerbook
keyboards these days simply can't stand up to the pounding I give them
-- I've tried typing more lightly, but I still got through three iBook
keyboards in just over a year, and I'd rather not repeat the experience
on the new machine. So an external 'board seems like a good idea.
As to what makes a good keyboard, I'm sorry to say that Apple don't,
and never have. The One True Keyboard for me was the original IBM PC AT
keyboard, from the 1980's, with separate hardware switches for each key
(and none of this cheap new-fangled membrane nonsense at that). It's
noisy, but the keys give a lovely positive clunk-click feel when you press
them. (Apple seem to believe that you shouldn't be able to feel
a keypress; I've tried using the current Apple Pro keyboard and I
found it incredibly unpleasant -- like fondling a dead chicken.)
Other aspects of a good keyboard, as far as I'm concerned? Forget
split-keyboard ergonomic nonsense and extras frippery like "launch
Outlook Express" buttons -- I want a traditional layout. Forget wireless,
too. (It's creepily insecure.) All I want is a good old-fashioned 104/105
key keyboard with a positive keyclick feel and a USB connector, like an
updated IBM Model M.
Unfortunately Cherry don't seem to have added USB to their professional
range yet, Logitech have vanished into consumer land, I refuse --
under any circumstances -- to buy a Microsoft keyboard (and my brief
acquaintance with same suggests that they also suffer from dead chicken
syndrome), so what does that leave? The
MacAlly IceKey looks like it
might be close, but is there anything else out there?
(One final note -- I hate Apple's desktop keyboards, but their optical
pro mouse is amazingly good. Go figure.)
[ Discuss Mac keyboard ]
posted at: 12:47 | path: /misc | permanent link to this entry
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