Purported photos of new iMac keyboard stir debate

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  • Reply 181 of 244
    benroethigbenroethig Posts: 2,782member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by anantksundaram View Post


    Wow. almost 180 posts, over a keyboard.



    I get the feeling that people are getting tired of discussing the iPhone.......











    Hey, it's been a slow year.
  • Reply 182 of 244
    abster2coreabster2core Posts: 2,501member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by DHagan4755 View Post


    I think Apple should also offer an ergonomic keyboard as well.



    Virtually impossible!



    What may be ergonomically suitable to one, may not be for another. Like a glove or shoe. For sure, not one for all.



    Unless, of course, we were clones of each other. And lets face it, we would never agree on who. It is too subjective. And if one were to come close, it just may be too expensive, like FingerWorks (http://fingerworks.com/), but fortunately, their work is still appreciated (http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/22/s...rks-inventors/)



    Apple, unrealized ignorantly by some, invests heavily in ergonomic research. Great paper here but it costs $35 if you want to read it (http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/freea...isnumber=20753)



    But for myself, I find Moshi's Celesta (http://www.aevoe.com/moshi/celesta_d.htm) perfect for me. Perhaps it is because I have perfect hands. My best take. Let Apple innovate and out will come hundreds who will try to make it better, but thousands who will just attempt to copy and make us think that it is better.



    Great story on the mouse http://www.stanfordalumni.org/news/m...res/mouse.html
  • Reply 183 of 244
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Abster2core View Post


    .... I have perfect hands.



    Such modesty!

  • Reply 184 of 244
    vinney57vinney57 Posts: 1,162member
    There's no doubt that its a real Apple prototype. Whether it makes final selection; who knows? I like it.
  • Reply 185 of 244
    pbpb Posts: 4,255member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by anantksundaram View Post


    Wow. almost 180 posts, over a keyboard.



    I get the feeling that people are getting tired of discussing the iPhone.......











    This is nothing. You had to be here when the Mighty Mouse was introduced...
  • Reply 186 of 244
    dhagan4755dhagan4755 Posts: 2,152member
    I wonder if this will be new Apple keyboard for the Mac Pro?



    And will this keyboard design, as it is on the MacBook, at some point carry over to the MacBook Pro?
  • Reply 187 of 244
    abster2coreabster2core Posts: 2,501member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by anantksundaram View Post


    Such modesty!





    I humbly thank you.
  • Reply 188 of 244
    messiahmessiah Posts: 1,689member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by DHagan4755 View Post


    I wonder if this will be new Apple keyboard for the Mac Pro?



    And will this keyboard design, as it is on the MacBook, at some point carry over to the MacBook Pro?



    I hope so.



    Having used both the MacBook and the MacBook Pro extensively, I have to say that the MacBook's keyboard is far better than the MacBook Pro's. Hands down. No Contest.



    I thought that the latest revision of the MBP would have this type of keyboard, but alas not.
  • Reply 189 of 244
    dhagan4755dhagan4755 Posts: 2,152member
    Also the fact that this purported keyboard has white elements, seems to put away any rumors that there will be a black version of the next iMac. I don't know...would black keys look good with the aluminum?



    Questions...questions...questions...
  • Reply 190 of 244
    shetlineshetline Posts: 4,695member
    Not crazy about chiclet keys. Not crazy about having an 'fn' key on a full sized keyboard. Bleh.
  • Reply 191 of 244
    ijayijay Posts: 57member
    eeeew IT'S UGLY!



    first they go from the iMac G4 to that ugly thing that is the current iMac.



    then they go from the current apple keyboard to THIS? :x i am VERY disappointed with jon iVy
  • Reply 192 of 244
    I kind of hope this is not the final keyboard. I have to admit I like being able to press the keys down a bit more, and I also like having them indented so your fingers slide into place. The other thing that bothers me on some keyboards is when the buttons are too soft. When I'm typing, I want to know for sure if I hit the key or not; while typing fast this can be a real pain and source of typos. I tried one of the new Macbook keyboards in a store and it was a little awkward, although maybe it grows on you. I really like the MacBook Pro keyboards though. My fingers just always seem to hit the right keys on them.



    As far as naming the keys goes, when I first starting using Macs it took me so long to figure out which key the symbol shown on screen for the "Option" key is.
  • Reply 193 of 244
    dacloodacloo Posts: 890member
    There's no ALT key!
  • Reply 194 of 244
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by socokid View Post


    No way in hell would a keyboard like this fly. It's a photoshop job no doubt.



    I can already see the carpel tunnel lawsuits... flat keyboard? You guys are kidding, right? There are very real, very good reasons dektop keyboards are the way they are. Angled, stepped, heavy enough to not move, etc... The necessity for them being flat on a laptop is also blindingly obvious.



    Some of you guys really need to think a little before suggesting this piece of junk is actually going to make it to market, let alone a real image. I would return my Mac if it came with a keyboard like that.



    Mark my words.. no way in hell. jeez you guys...





    Save yourself and someone else some trouble then, if it IS the keyboard just don't bother buying the Mac in the first place, I'm sure Apple could get by without your custom.
  • Reply 195 of 244
    pbpb Posts: 4,255member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by dacloo View Post


    There's no ALT key!



    You can see better than that, can't you?
  • Reply 196 of 244
    pbpb Posts: 4,255member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by DHagan4755 View Post


    I wonder if this will be new Apple keyboard for the Mac Pro?



    When was the time when Apple had two different keyboards for its desktops? I forgot. Back to the G3 iMac days, or even before than that?



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by DHagan4755 View Post


    And will this keyboard design, as it is on the MacBook, at some point carry over to the MacBook Pro?



    This is a possibility indeed. Apple has yet to reveal a design update for the MacBook Pro, which is way too old (from the beginning of 2003). And with the almost certainty of no update before late autumn, the Powerbook design will easily approach five years of life, probably the longest life span of any computer design in recent years.
  • Reply 197 of 244
    I ordered a spare "current" design keyboard on the 11th (july) because I wanted a spare (it arrived a few days later) because I thought I might be in two minds about the possible new iMac keyboard.



    I have to say I'm glad I did, cost these pics (after a couple of days reflection) are ugly, I cant see them being better to use ergonomically, than the Current "scooped out key" design. I think from an engineering point the placement of the USB socket(s) is very clever, but from a user perspective its going to mean cables comming out of the side of the keyboard, never mind USB thumb drive or Logic dongles! UGLY UGLY design choice IMO. as with the current design at least eveything is out the back, and if you have a keyboard shelf in your desk they are hidden.



    It LOOKS great as a piece of concept, but falls down on a few practical use points.



    I think its definitely a prototype and definitely from Apple, which may point to the reason for the lack of the APPLE key? . I also think the reason for these getting out is to source a leak as said above.



    I plan on getting a new iMac as soon as they get a healthy update and if this keyboard is included they I will certianly give it a few weeks trial, but to be honest if it remains as seen so far, it will get passed along to someone else.



    There are now, of course, some interesting ideas going round my head about what the new iMac will look like bring it on already!!
  • Reply 198 of 244
    benroethigbenroethig Posts: 2,782member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by dacloo View Post


    There's no ALT key!



    ALT is called option on the Mac.
  • Reply 199 of 244
    dhagan4755dhagan4755 Posts: 2,152member
    Does anyone think that a new mouse will accompany this new keyboard?
  • Reply 200 of 244
    bigebige Posts: 12member
    Holy smokes! I'm coming into this conversation a little late, but can't believe the swirl on this keyboard... As a former product manager, maybe I can lend something to this discussion, especially for those who have not contributed to a manufacturing process... So here's my lengthy diatribe:



    First, if you look closely at the pictures, there is virtually no way that this was pulled together as a Photoshop mockup -- it would have taken much less time to build one from scratch. Therefore, the thing is likely real.



    Next, the keyboard could be one of the following:



    a. Cosmetic Mock-up: A non-functioning prototype used to establish help validate the basic design premise and, specifically, the look and feel of the thing. It is one thing to work up a conceptual design on paper or in a CAD system. It's another thing entirely to actually be able to feel the concept in your hand. Manufacturing of mock-ups is very easy using CAD/CAM (a CNC mill would be able to crank out the aluminum substrate in a matter of minutes), along with the application of "dummy keys" scavenged from the Macbook manufacturing process. Note: there may be many different versions of a keyboard, each different (straight vs. ergo, blue vs. green, etc), each being made to test the design concepts.



    b. Functional prototype: A functional prototype may or may not have the cosmetics of a final prototype or the final candidate release of the product, but it would help to establish the mechanical attributes of the keyboard. In this case, the key placements, angle of keyboard, location of the USB port, the "feel and response" of the keyboard, etc.



    c. Candidate release or prototype: There are many names for the prototype in this stage of development, but the concept is the same: this is the near final manifestation of the keyboard, ready for manufacturing. This unit might require some final tweaking before being submitted to manufacturing, but it wouldn't be much. For instance, I noticed a huge argument over the Apple logo on the Option key... This would be one of the things that might be getting worked out in the final phase of engineering, and has a great deal to do with the design team's efforts to nail down the aesthetics. This stage also helps the manufacturer ensure that their tooling and manufacturing processes are nailed down before they start manufacturing millions of these things...



    d. Final manufacturing release: This is the product that you will find on the counter of your friendly Apple Store, once the thing is released. It doesn't imply that this will be the last iteration -- there may be additional changes to the keyboard, and those will be tracked under separate release branches.



    Given the labeling on the back of the keyboard, I'm guessing that this unit is a late-stage functional prototype, or an early-stage candidate release. The keyboard looks very well defined and refined, and the fact that it states that it is not a cosmetic unit (a non-functional unit) means that that stage is now behind them. Apple and their manufacturing contractor probably constructed hundreds of these prototypes to ensure that they have all aspects of the keyboard buttoned up. This may not be the absolute final manifestation of the keyboard, but I'd be willing to bet that it isn't that far off from what we'll see in a week or two.



    As far as the design, I think it is a stunning keyboard, and I think that Ives & Co. have done a superlative job in the design. They are known for their minimalist aesthetic (of which I am a huge fan), and I look forward to having one on my desk. As far as ergonomics are concerned, after 25 years of pounding away on non-ergo keyboards, my wrists are appropriately seasoned for a standard keyboard construct. One of the posters mentioned that this keyboard isn't at the right angle, and that flat is not good. With hundreds of millions of laptops in circulation, each with a flat keyboard, I'm not sure I get the point that the poster was making... If nothing, by consolidating the breadth of components down to a minimum across all platforms, Apple will continue to improve their margins and manufacturing process; not a bad thing with ever increasing competition...
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