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February 26, 2008

hardware

MacBook Pro keyboards say “Sayonara, numpad!”

Posted Feb. 26, ’08, 1:27 PM PT by Dan Moren
Category | Hardware

MBP keysMany of us—myself included—thought perhaps the next MacBook Pro revision might adopt the same style keyboard as the standard MacBook, MacBook Air, and Apple’s latest external keyboards. Alas, while this was not to be the case, it turns out that the newest professional-level laptops have been modified to remain consistent with Apple’s other keyboards.

As we reported last month, Apple has slowly been eliminating the numeric keypad functionality from its keyboards. Switch to a Mac points out that the same holds true with today’s newly updated MacBook Pros, along with the repositioned media function keys (play/pause, volume, forward, back, etc.), plus the replacement of the “Enter” key with a second option key, and relabeling the “Apple” key as command.

This isn’t terribly surprising: after all, it does make the keyboards less complex and more uniform. Personally, I always thought that you were better off getting a separate numeric keypad anyway, especially after the time my friend panicked that his MacBook was possessed because it would only type numbers (his NumLock light was broken). But how come the MacBook Pros are the only ones with the old-style laptop keyboard? I vastly prefer the “chiclet” keyboard to the MBPs, but maybe that’s just me.

[hat tip: Roberto]


11 Comments

spiderbat said:

Hopefully, there is some key combination that yileds the "enter" code: otherwise, users of Wolfram's "Mathematica" application will not be pleased at all!

February 26, 2008 1:48 PM
Freeman said:

You make my day!

February 26, 2008 1:54 PM
Dan Moren Author Profile Page said:

@spiderbat If you look at the keyboard above, it looks like—as on my own MacBook keyboard—the "Enter" is generated by hitting shift-return. Seems like a pretty satisfactory substitute to me.

February 26, 2008 1:55 PM
Dave-O said:

I never accidentally hit the Num lock until your post about the elimination of the number pad on MacBooks (I never hit it on purpose either). I'm not sorry to see it go.

February 26, 2008 2:16 PM
Moe Author Profile Page said:

I never actually used the numeric pad on a laptop. I've been using laptops for more than 10 years and never had the urge of using it. using the regular numbers on the keyboard is fine with me.

Good bye unused fn numpad. You won't be missed.

February 26, 2008 2:17 PM
Scooter said:

I have a recently-purchased MBP 15" which does have the numeric keys, which I always ignore. I don't think the other key enhancements will be of monumental issue to anyone who recently purchased a MBP with the old layout. I disagree about the "Chiclet" keys - I hate them. I'm a recent switcher from PC to Mac, and I grew up on keys that are closer together (versus considerably spaced apart in the Chiclet version) and that's one small thing that turned me off the MacBooks. I tried them and was constantly reaching for keys and straining my fingers to do so; I think the farther-apart keys can lead to more hand strain and potential injury in the long run with all the stretches (even minute differences make a difference in keyboard ergonomics). Just try typing "Apple" on the MacBook versus the MBP. The gap between the A and P, and the L and E, are vastly wider (in terms of small dimensions of keyboard ergonomics and hand motions) than in the compact keyboard mode. The black Chiclet keys are also quite ugly and cheap looking, in my opinion, versus the faux-metallic backlit MBP keys. What they should have done is revamped the keyboard base area of the MacBooks, from that awful rubbery-matte finish (just dying to become dirty and worn) to something more slick and cleaner. Demo models of the white MacBook in Apple stores always have that dull-tan-grey look from many hands - some clean, some not so much - touching them that they are very unappealing, and remind me of what my MB might look like in a year's or so time.

February 26, 2008 5:39 PM
Terry said:

I am amazed that anyone would prefer the
"chiclet" keyboard over the MBP keyboard. To each his own but please don't wish this travesty on us.

February 26, 2008 5:45 PM
Freeman said:

You make my day!

February 26, 2008 9:08 PM
Thierry said:

I don't mind seeing the numeric keypad disappear (uh, there was one actually ?)

But I have to say the "touch" of the MBP keyboard is the best I've experienced so far (and I'm a notebook user for 10 years) and I'd be very sad to see it moving to the "chiclet" style keyboard...

I find it a great disappointment that the MB Air doesn't provide the same keyboard as the MBP.


February 27, 2008 4:21 AM
Cloetus Author Profile Page said:

I am REALLY happy Apple didn't adopt the chiclet style keyboard for my new MBP (c'mon Fedex!)

February 27, 2008 9:02 AM
Moe Author Profile Page said:

I'm also a big fan of the MBP keyboard vs the Macbook one, however, IBM (now Lenovo) has the best keyboards on a laptop device. Boy, those are some good feeling keyboards. The feedback and touch are just right.

February 27, 2008 2:34 PM

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