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January 9, 2008

intel_macs

Apple quietly eliminates the numeric keypad from the MacBook keyboard

Posted Jan. 9, ’08, 10:23 AM PT by Aayush Arya
Category | Hardware » Intel Macs

MacBook numeric keypadDavid Pogue, New York Times technology columnist and CBS news correspondent, just posted an entry on his blog letting us know that his a reader’s brand new MacBook shipped with a keyboard sans the Num Lock key and the numeric keypad (the tiny digits on some keys towards the left side of the keyboard that allow you to enter those numbers if Num Lock is switched on).

So quiet was this change that even support personnel that man the AppleCare telephone support lines were befuddled when Mr. Pogue contacted them. They had received no information about Apple planning to put this change into effect.

Before you chime in with the opinion that Mr. Pogue might just have a flawed unit, however, let me inform you that Apple PR personnel have confirmed to him that it is an intentional change “to make the MacBook more closely resemble the MacBook Pro”. This is the part that has me confused. My MacBook Pro does have a numeric keypad so how is eliminating it from the MacBook line going to bring it closer to its elder sibling? aluminum Apple keyboards”.

Like Pogue says though, I can see why Apple chose to make this move. I’ve tried to use the numeric keypad a couple of times to see whether it makes it any easier/faster for me to type in the numbers but I’ve found it to be very clumsy on both occasions and given up on it. For all I know, they could just have been dark grey spots on some of my keys that did nothing at all. I’m glad to see that Apple has cleaned the spots and reduced the clutter.

What do you think, dear readers? A quick Google image search showed the numeric keypad on all the MacBook keyboards that turned up but we suspect that it might not be an accurate representation. Does your MacBook or MacBook Pro have the numeric keypad? Have these updated keyboard-equipped MacBooks been out for a while now or is this change just as surprising for you as it was for me? Sound off in the comments.


Update: In an impromptu update in the comment strings below, David Pogue has pointed out a slight mistake I made and clarified that it wasn’t his notebook but a reader’s. I missed the “from the Pogue mailbag” declaration at the beginning of his post. He also acknowledged that his original post erroneously reported that the change was made to mimic the MacBook Pro keyboards. It was actually the new aluminum keyboards that Apple wanted the MacBook’s keyboard to behave like. I’ve edited this post to reflect the changes and am sorry for my mistake.


22 Comments

NeoLogic said:

When the latest refresh of the MacBooks came out, I noticed the Numeric Keypad was missing, as I was looking for the new Media Control Keys at that time. The abscence of the Numeric Keypad is not much of an issue for me as it was difficult to use compared with the full size numeric keypad. - Neo

January 9, 2008 10:44 AM
Maclia said:

More than just the number keys changed...I got a new macbook and bought an iSkin keyboard cover for it...few of the F-keys match what is on the actual keyboard (most notably the volume controls), implying that those have been changed around a bit as well.

January 9, 2008 11:05 AM
Mud said:

Apple bluetooth keyboards lost the numpad months ago.

The wired keyboard still has it.

January 9, 2008 11:13 AM
Brian said:

I wish I had a nickel for every time I accidentally hit the d****d num lock key, with ensuing keyboard strangeness and frustration while I figured it out. Good riddance.

January 9, 2008 11:31 AM
jackfrost Author Profile Page said:

This is a surprising move. I guess much like the floppy drive, Apple has decided to get rid of the unnecessary. But practically, how distracting could those little dots have been? Sure, removing the floppy drive saves a lot of space for other hardware, but removing a few drops of ink?

I just don't get what compelling reason they might have had. It's not like it was interfering with anything.

January 9, 2008 11:35 AM
krye said:

Hum, I don't think I've ever noticed them before. I have my MacBook connected to a display and I use it with a BT keyboard, so I don't look at the keyboard. Now that they are gone, I look at mine and think how stupid it looks with the numbers.

January 9, 2008 11:40 AM
David Pogue said:

Nice post on my post!

There were two problems with the way my post was posted, though. First, I'm not the one with the missing embedded keypad--the intro, where it said "From today's Pogue mailbag" and pointed out that it was a READER who got the new laptop, was left off.

Second, I misread the Apple PR person's email. The MacBook keyboard has been changed to match the *aluminum* Apple keyboards, not the MacBook pro keyboards. My bad!

--David Pogue

January 9, 2008 11:43 AM
Goobimama said:

Thank god for this change. I was always left wondering whether or not to use the numeric keypad thing. And it sucks cause it's nothing like the full sized keyboard. A welcome change indeed.

@Aayush: Congrats on you-know-what!

January 9, 2008 12:09 PM
dwlayman@comcast.net said:

I purchased a MacBook April/May 2007. I am a college teacher; I regularly use the MacBook Numeric Keypad to enter grades. Yes, it is more awkward than a separate Keypad; but, when one is flipping the pages of a test back and forth with one hand, it is significantly better than using the numerals at the top of the QWERTY keyboard. A separate Keypad is not an option, since I have to carry my MacBook with me (I teach at 3 schools), and don't want to be saddled with another gadget.

January 9, 2008 12:15 PM
Ricardo Costa said:

At least in Windows, there are some ASCII characters that you can only access directly (i.e. without software like Character Map) by pressing +[numeric code]. The gotcha is that that code *must* be typed in the numeric keypad. Some of them may be acessed by (a.k.a. "right alt"), but they're dependent of the alphanumeric keyboard mapping, while the typed codes are not, so these characters aren't printed on the keys of many keyboards, making the codes more easily remembered. The most affected in my language, at least are the ordinal sign (+167), female ordinal sign (+166), bullet (+0149), en dash (+0150), em dash (+0151).

So, for some people like brazillian graphic designers, this is potentially more troublesome than removing the "forward delete" key.

Apple could offer a BTO option at least, and another option for a full Keyboard on the 17" Macbook Pro.

January 9, 2008 12:15 PM
Dave-O said:

Any elimination of keyboard modes is welcome by me. It's the inverse of turning off num lock on a full sized PC keyboard. I'm proud that Apple keyboards lack insert (a key that, in my experience, only exists to infuriate people) and scroll lock keys.

January 9, 2008 12:26 PM
Ricardo Costa said:

In my previous post, the sign for "alt" is missing, so please read all "+[numeric code]" like "[left alt key]+[numeric code]".

And count me in with people that needs to enter tons of numeric values from time to time.

Thanks.

January 9, 2008 12:37 PM
wesg Author Profile Page said:

My Core 2 Duo MacBook contains the numeric keypad, but I admit I've never actually tried to use it. Since I got the aluminum keyboard, though, I've used it extensively.

January 9, 2008 12:43 PM
Aayush Arya Author Profile Page said:

@Maclia,
Yes, the entire keyboard has been changed to resemble the new aluminum keyboards.

@Mud,
The wired keyboard has the full numeric keypad. That one is in fairly common use and is probably not going anywhere anytime soon.

@jackfrost,
It's Apple and, in particular, Steve Jobs we are talking about here. He had his engineers make a series of microscopic little holes in the aluminum enclosure of MacBook Pros and had an LED light placed under the holes so that it is only visible when it is lit. Do you still find this move surprising?

@David Pogue,
Thanks for the appreciation, pointing out the errors and the comment itself. :)

@Goobimama,
Thanks for you-know-what! :p

@dwlayman@comcast.net,
Ah, I guess you'll just have to stick to your current MacBook as long as you possibly can, sir. Or until Apple decides to bring back the numeric keypad — which, in my opinion, is about as likely as my learning to cook!

@Ricardo Costa,
Given that this is Apple we are talking about here, I have to say that both the options are very unlikely indeed.

January 9, 2008 12:52 PM
magicmiles Author Profile Page said:

I have a new MacBook. Bought it in November. I had downloaded a game weeks ago that -REQUIRED- the numeric keypad. I kept pressing the right key sequences only to realize after doing an extensive search on the web, that the 2.2ghz MacBooks DO NOT possess this functionality. It was posted on Apple's website a few weeks back, which is how I figured it out...

January 9, 2008 2:08 PM
Noibs said:

I use a Belkin USB numeric keypad on both of my MacBooks. Can't say I'll miss the numeric keypad on the MacBook keyboards.

If you have to deal with lots of numbers on a notebook computer, a separate numeric keypad is essential.

January 9, 2008 2:13 PM
AC said:

I can confirm that this happened with the last refresh a couple months ago. I bought my first MacBook ever the week after the refresh so I actually never knew that the MacBook ever had a keypad or numlock key

January 9, 2008 2:39 PM
BKR said:

I'm not very happy about the loss of the numeric keys from the newer bluetooth keyboards. I use them for entering music and for money, excel.


January 9, 2008 4:32 PM
dolphinbuddy said:

I enter numeric data on my laptop DAILY. I found the built-in numeric keypad was a necessity, but it was a bit clumsy, so I bought a usb numeric keypad. It doesn't take up too much space in my bag, but I don't always have it with me, and I would rather use the built-in keypad than the numbers at the top.

January 10, 2008 7:35 AM
Mike Oliveri said:

I just got my first MacBook in December and I noticed the lack of the built-in keypad. I noted it in a blog post (I'm a long-time Windows and Linux user), and several commenters thought I was mistaken.

However, I don't even miss it. I've got the built-in keypad on all of my PC laptops -- home, work, etc. -- and I've never used one once. If you're not doing financial work or a lot of math, I can't imagine you'd even miss it.

January 10, 2008 9:07 AM
Fredric said:

As an would-be switcher, the MacBook refresh made switching impossible for me. I use a Windows software that relies on the numeric keypad, I don't want to lug around an external keypad so I had to return it. The worst thing about the redesign is that they didn't inform about it. The new MacBook Air also has "embedded numeric keypad" listed in it's specs. My love for macs will have to remain from a distance.

January 19, 2008 7:21 AM
Del said:

I really miss the numeric keypad.
I understand, the new keyboard looks cleaner but why the functionality was removed completely?
I would prefer a checkbox in preferences for the few of us who would still like to use the keypad - even blindly.

January 25, 2008 6:09 AM

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