Cordless keyboard for new towers?

Posted:
in Future Apple Hardware edited January 2014
I was a little disappointed that a cordless keyboard was not part of the new iMac's features.

But I wonder if on would be more appropriate for the pro line.



Obviously, with the larger footprint, some sort of receiver could be incorporated into a tower case. Price considerations perhaps also made it impossible to incorporate into the iMac but may be possible for the towers.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 37
    [quote]Originally posted by satchmo:

    <strong>I was a little disappointed that a cordless keyboard was not part of the new iMac's features.

    But I wonder if on would be more appropriate for the pro line.



    Obviously, with the larger footprint, some sort of receiver could be incorporated into a tower case. Price considerations perhaps also made it impossible to incorporate into the iMac but may be possible for the towers.</strong><hr></blockquote>



    I think the real reason was ease-of-use related. Having a single cord to the back of the computer isn't a big deal. I think the prospect of having its customers need to change batteries doesn't go over well inside Apple. If nothing else, it complicates setup. I don't know why it's a huge deal in the first place - you can only travel so far from a 15" screen before you can't read it anymore anyway.



    S
  • Reply 2 of 37
    amorphamorph Posts: 7,112member
    [quote]Originally posted by satchmo:

    <strong>I was a little disappointed that a cordless keyboard was not part of the new iMac's features.

    But I wonder if on would be more appropriate for the pro line.</strong><hr></blockquote>



    What is the obsession with wireless keyboards? I don't want something that requires line-of-sight (IR) or conflicts with AirPort (Bluetooth) or makes me worry about whether my mouse will run out of batteries.



    Wireless keyboards are neat gadgets, but they're still too gadgety. When they reach the point of being hassle-free Apple will probably ship them.



    Personally, I think the keyboard will be phased out as a primary input device before it goes wireless by default. But that's just a hunch.
  • Reply 3 of 37
    gustavgustav Posts: 827member
    Not to mention they can't be secured in public places and labs without becoming "corded".



    And it'll add $100 to the cost of the thing.



    I think that's better left as "optional" and let the third parties handle that one.
  • Reply 4 of 37
    msleemslee Posts: 143member
    Sometimes the idiocy here is staggering.



    Yeah.



    Wireless keyboards on the pro machine.



    I feel like strangling someone with my keyboard cord.
  • Reply 5 of 37
    satchmosatchmo Posts: 2,699member
    Okay, I was going to let it go at that until mslee chimed in with that remark.



    While some may prefer being tied down by a cord, I don't .

    The technology is there. Obviously, implementing this in true Apple quality is key in ensuring that it works well.

    Yeah, it's somewhat frivolous, but if it works, why not? Heck, Apple goes to all the trouble in eliminating cords for it's LCD's by introducing ADC.



    Sheesh! the narrow-mindedness of some people amaze me!
  • Reply 6 of 37
    Guys, contrary to popular belief... most people actually hate buying AAA batteries twice a month just for their mouse and keyboard.



    Unless it's a dockable keyboard (meaning that it charges off of USB - like a Palm, or Firewire - like the iPod, whenever it's plugged in... and how appealing is that for a so-called wireless keyboard and mouse?)... I bet Apple isn't even considering it.
  • Reply 7 of 37
    msleemslee Posts: 143member
    wireless keyboards are soooooooooooooo stoooooooopid i spontaneously develop head cancer when using "wireless" and "keyboard" in the same paragraph. just think about it. how big of a screen do you use (or how low a resolution) for usb extenstion cords to be too short for you to use a corded keyboard.
  • Reply 8 of 37
    You're never going to see a wireless keyboard on an Apple machine and I'll tell you why.



    1) They don't provide that greater functionality over a corded one.



    2) Its not revolutionary or original.



    3) It produces more complications then it solves. (So I lose a cord, but now I need batteries and I have to be in range. Plus, exactly how far do you want to sit away form your computer in the first place? Get a USB extension cord.)



    Finally, on a personal note, if it wasn't tied to the computer, I'd probably lose it.
  • Reply 8 of 37
    msleemslee Posts: 143member
    [quote]Yeah, it's somewhat frivolous, but if it works, why not? Heck, Apple goes to all the trouble in eliminating cords for it's LCD's by introducing ADC.<hr></blockquote>



    This is completely different. Think of the benefits ADC offers compared to DVI and, to bigger extent, VGA-analog.



    Done?



    Now think of the enormous costs (both literally and figuratively) that using ADC levied on the Mac user.



    Do you see the diminishing returns here?



    I'd rather Apple took their crack "A" team of wireless keyboard engineers and made them work on something more meaningul, like sticking more powerful 802.11b antennas into Macs.
  • Reply 10 of 37
    emaneman Posts: 7,204member
    I don't expect wireless keyboards for the Pro line, or an Apple line. I think there'll be more than one button before wireless.
  • Reply 11 of 37
    satchmosatchmo Posts: 2,699member
    You guys don't get it.

    I'm not saying it's the determining factor of whether or not I buy one. It's a nice feature.



    Just like an LCD display. A CRT works just fine but it's more cumbersome.



    On another level, it just looks cleaner without all the cords. Someday we'll wonder why we ever had corded telephones.
  • Reply 12 of 37
    [quote]Originally posted by satchmo:

    <strong>You guys don't get it.

    I'm not saying it's the determining factor of whether or not I buy one. It's a nice feature.



    Just like an LCD display. A CRT works just fine but it's more cumbersome.



    On another level, it just looks cleaner without all the cords. Someday we'll wonder why we ever had corded telephones.</strong><hr></blockquote>



    Aside from the obvious (and already mentioned) reasons why an Apple Wireless keyboard is INCREDIBLY stupid, Apple would lose major educational accounts. Schools and colleges already have huge problems with loss of all sorts of equipment (monitors, CPUs, memory, MOUSE BALLS!). Many of those now have fairly good security devices, but can you imagine trying to secure a lab or public cluster of wireless kb's and mice? or how about the annual cost to a large institution for AA batteries?



    Use a little synapse-power and look for a more intuitive, logical 'next step'...



    can you guess what i'm TALKING about?
  • Reply 13 of 37
    satchmosatchmo Posts: 2,699member
    [quote]Originally posted by concentricity:

    <strong>



    Schools and colleges already have huge problems with loss of all sorts of equipment (monitors, CPUs, memory, MOUSE BALLS!). Many of those now have fairly good security devices, but can you imagine trying to secure a lab or public cluster of wireless kb's and mice? or how about the annual cost to a large institution for AA batteries?

    </strong><hr></blockquote>



    How about selling corded keyboards to schools? Or is that not intuitive enough for you?
  • Reply 14 of 37
    Forget batteries, what a pain in the ass.



    And if I have to plug it in to recharge, then what's the point in it being cordless? It's more work to plug it in every few days than it is to use a USB cord.



    I think the idea of a cordless mouse and keyboard rank up there in uselessness with a tablet.
  • Reply 15 of 37
    Wireless Keyboards can be nice in certain situations, My friend has one and it works really well for him, he also has a wireless mouse.....I don't like his wireless mouse at all(logitech wireless, optical, deal) its optical but and its oversensitive and sometimes it lags in its response, I think that apple should instead of offering wireless keyboards and mice they should offer 6-12 feet USB extension cords
  • Reply 16 of 37
    applenutapplenut Posts: 5,768member
    [quote]Originally posted by concentricity:

    <strong>



    Aside from the obvious (and already mentioned) reasons why an Apple Wireless keyboard is INCREDIBLY stupid, Apple would lose major educational accounts. Schools and colleges already have huge problems with loss of all sorts of equipment (monitors, CPUs, memory, MOUSE BALLS!). Many of those now have fairly good security devices, but can you imagine trying to secure a lab or public cluster of wireless kb's and mice? or how about the annual cost to a large institution for AA batteries?



    Use a little synapse-power and look for a more intuitive, logical 'next step'...



    can you guess what i'm TALKING about?</strong><hr></blockquote>



    1.) apple already lost education sales with their latest iMacs. schools are not and will not buy them



    2.) how does having a usb be cord make a keyboard or mouse more secure? is it really that hard to pull the plug out of the socket? think
  • Reply 17 of 37
    I have a Wireless Logitech Keyboard and Optical Mouse. I have not had to change the Battery's once since I got it in October. I use my machine between 5-10 hours a day 7 days a week now that's pretty dam good battery life.
  • Reply 18 of 37
    [quote]Originally posted by applenut:

    <strong>



    1.) apple already lost education sales with their latest iMacs. schools are not and will not buy them



    ok, you work in education?



    2.) how does having a usb be cord make a keyboard or mouse more secure? is it really that hard to pull the plug out of the socket? think</strong><hr></blockquote>



    you've obviously never secured a machine. there are hardened steal 'bits' that you feed the mouse cord through, then feed the security cable through the looped USB cable. then the ONLY way to remove the mouse is by cutting the USB cable (making it useless, and thereby dettering _most_ theft.



    THINK
  • Reply 19 of 37
    nebrienebrie Posts: 483member
    [quote]Originally posted by satchmo:

    <strong>



    How about selling corded keyboards to schools? Or is that not intuitive enough for you?</strong><hr></blockquote>



    Just go buy your own damn wireless keyboard and leave the corded ones with everyone else here
  • Reply 20 of 37
    gustavgustav Posts: 827member
    [quote]Originally posted by applenut:

    <strong>



    1.) apple already lost education sales with their latest iMacs. schools are not and will not buy them</strong><hr></blockquote>

    Lost to who? Apple stil sells CRT iMacs and will continue to do so.



    [quote]<strong>

    2.) how does having a usb be cord make a keyboard or mouse more secure? is it really that hard to pull the plug out of the socket? think</strong><hr></blockquote>



    Because they can attach a security wire to the mouse cord and the keyboard cord. Where do you attach a security wire to a wireless mouse? Even if you can, then it isn't wireless anymore, and you've just paid an extra $100 for nothing.



    Have you seen a computer lab lately?
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