Wireless Keyboard Question
A friend of mine is getting a mini this weekend and since she's moving from an ancient Win98 machine, she has no USB keyboard or mouse.
She's interested in a wireless keyboard and mouse, but I'm less than thrilled with Apple's current offerings. So...
I'm wondering if those wireless USB keyboard/mouse combos work with OS X. They aren't Bluetooth and they have a USB dongle that plugs into the computer. Several of them are in the $30-80 range. Nothing fancy, but she just needs the basics. Microsoft's Wireless Optical Desktop 700 looks like it's perfect for her... if it works.
Any ideas???
She's interested in a wireless keyboard and mouse, but I'm less than thrilled with Apple's current offerings. So...
I'm wondering if those wireless USB keyboard/mouse combos work with OS X. They aren't Bluetooth and they have a USB dongle that plugs into the computer. Several of them are in the $30-80 range. Nothing fancy, but she just needs the basics. Microsoft's Wireless Optical Desktop 700 looks like it's perfect for her... if it works.
Any ideas???
Comments
You'll have to install IntelliType Pro for mac (and choose "Microsoft Keyboard" in the "International Settings" of Mac OS) in order to have the correct keyboard layout.
I'm using a Microsoft Wireless Optical Desktop 2000 (keyboard + mouse) on my iMac without any problems.
You'll have to install IntelliType Pro for mac (and choose "Microsoft Keyboard" in the "International Settings" of Mac OS) in order to have the correct keyboard layout.
What's the battery life like? From what I've read it looks like 3 months is all you get. That seems like a real hassle. Do you get low battery warnings thru the OS or just a blinking light on the keyboard?
3 month is not really bad and this is almost the battery life I get.
This is far better than the apple wireless keyboard/mighty mouse I used before : I had to change the batteries every month...
That said, Apple's current wireless keyboard is the best wireless one I've ever tried, and I'm a keyboard snob whose (wired) keyboard cost more. So if she's really going for wireless, I'd recommend Apple. Mouse from Logitech or MS, of course.
Once you've used a Mac keyboard, you'll never want to touch a PC keyboard again.
While the wireless keyboard is great, partially due to lesser competition in wireless, the wired isn't in the same league with premium boards like Matias Tactile Pro or Kinesis USB Advantage. Closer to the Apple pricepoint, there's e.g. HHKB, Unicomp, Cherry and Das Keyboard. From a year of side-by-side use, I can personally attest that the HHKB Lite2 is a lot nicer than the Macbook keyboard ≈ Apple wired keyboard even with membrane switches.
In laptops, Thinkpad keyboards are as good or better than Apple's.
A person coming off Windows 98 doesn't sound like someone who'll have a specific need for wireless peripherals (like using them from a distance). If there's no such need, then she should pick up wired ones instead.
That said, Apple's current wireless keyboard is the best wireless one I've ever tried, and I'm a keyboard snob whose (wired) keyboard cost more. So if she's really going for wireless, I'd recommend Apple. Mouse from Logitech or MS, of course.
Since when does coming from Win98 mean you don't need wireless??? She wants wireless because it will keep the cords off her (rather small) desk. She wants a neater, tidier desk. A wireless keyboard and mouse will give her that.
Apple's wireless keyboard sucks because 1) it cost more than it should 2) it's missing a dedicated numeric keypad and page up/ page down keys.
Since when does coming from Win98 mean you don't need wireless??? She wants wireless because it will keep the cords off her (rather small) desk. She wants a neater, tidier desk. A wireless keyboard and mouse will give her that.
From the fact she's coming off Windows 98 I made an educated guess she isn't the sort of person who would type from e.g. a sofa or a recliner, which are uses that really *demand* wireless keyboard.
It's just that as long as you are desk-bound anyway, the wired peripherals have superior usability due to not having to change batteries, there's a better selection, you get better quality at a given pricepoint, and the wired peripheral is more reliable. If she knows these things and still goes for the wireless, fine, can't argue against aesthetics. If she doesn't know, it'd be a good idea to inform her.
Apple's wireless keyboard sucks because 1) it cost more than it should 2) it's missing a dedicated numeric keypad and page up/ page down keys.
Can she actually touch type a number pad? Does she actually enter lots of numbers sequentially? If the answer to either question is no, then the number pad doesn't help at all since its sole purpose is to allow you to enter long strings of numbers faster. (For short strings it's faster to type them from the home row and not move your hands.) In case she also happens to use her mouse on the right side like most people, having a numpad on that side worsens mouse ergonomics a lot, putting stress on the shoulder. It also makes it slower to access the mouse which, considered against most folks' quantity of number entry, I think will actually slow things up more overall than the boost to number entry speeds them up. Extra minus points for taking up more space on the table (going directly against the neater desk -impression angle she was concerned about!). So the numpad's presence is actually a negative thing, ergonomics- and efficiency-wise for most people, whether they realize it or not.
I can touch type the pad, but due to not being an accountant or a Nethack player, I specifically choose keyboards that do not have it. The win in performance is nonexistent, the ergonomic drawback substantial.
Price makes a product cheap or expensive, it doesn't make it suck. For one person the price is right, for another it's too much. I admit the price is high for a keyboard in general, but due to Apple's being the best wireless keyboard I have typed on in my life, I find it hard to fault the price for being excessive. It's a lot less expensive than some of its top competitors like Logitech DiNovo, DiNovo Edge, or the Microsoft Wireless Entertainment Desktop.
I don't know if you know this, but fn-down arrow is pgdn and fn-up arrow is pgup on the Apple keyboard, the same as on Apple laptops. It's pretty effortless to use, and while I'm not going to argue it's better than a dedicated pgdn, it's not bad. If you only need a few presses, you don't even have to move your hands, it can be done with pinkies.
Sorry, I meant a keyboard with a Mac layout (Command , option,eject keys).
Sorry, I meant a keyboard with a Mac layout (Command , option,eject keys).
OS X lets you swap Command and Option to their correct Mac locations from System Preferences->Keyboard->Modifier Keys, and Eject is just a long F12. Knowing these things, most people can use keyboard hardware with a non-Mac layout just fine.