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Apple Keyboard with Numeric Keypad

Sometimes an extra six inches is undesirable

Written by DG from PHOENIX

Oct 28, 2009

After using an Apple wireless keyboard for two years, I decided to move the wireless keyboard into the living room to control another Mac in my home entertainment system. So I went to the Apple Store to get a new keyboard for my desktop. They were out of the wireless keyboards, and all they had were this extended wired keyboard and the smaller wired keyboard that mimics the wireless keyboard. I thought, "Once in a while I miss the number pad. I'll get the extended wired keyboard." It was a mistake. I now have to move my mouse six inches farther over to the right, which is uncomfortable. I still hardly ever use the numpad. And the USB ports on the side are useless. No matter how small a device I plug into them, I get the message, "A USB device needs more power." Even when I just plug in a little SD or CF card reader or a jump drive. It's ridiculous. It seems that the only thing the two USB ports might be good for is a mouse. And I already have a wireless mouse.

Let me clarify that I love the looks of it and the ease of typing and cleaning. But these qualities are present in the smaller wired and wireless keyboards, so I recommend those instead, unless you *really* need the extra six inches for 10-keying.

17 of 30 people found this useful

Apple Keyboard with Numeric Keypad

Mistake Prone

Written by RC from San Francisco

Oct 23, 2009

Beautifully designed. A real esthetic addition to your office space. I've had this keyboard for some time. Takes some adjustment. Comparatively speaking, I tend to make a lot of typos on this keyboard due to the thin keys and dead space between them so I don't recommend it for those who type really fast. The action is a bit siff and funky somehow.

10 of 21 people found this useful

Apple Keyboard with Numeric Keypad

Looks great but not for professionals who have to write a lot.

Written by SL from fort lee

Oct 18, 2009

For some reason keys don't register often.
I often have to go back to sentences to correct for missing characters.

Also the keys lack backlighting which would be nice for low light and nighttime typing.

19 of 43 people found this useful

Apple Keyboard with Numeric Keypad

Great. But USB lacks.

Written by MB from Gilbert

Oct 1, 2009

The overall product is nice. The keys are perfect and presentation matches the Mac lines nicely. My only two complaints are the little rubber feet on the bottom offer absolutely no traction. My comp is at an angle (its on an artists table) and in the morning I find my keyboard to have slid considerably. Lastly, if your looking to use the USB ports for flashdrives and such, you won't find a solution here. The only way you can connect something through the USB is if it has its own power source. Otherwise the keyboard doesn't power it. Even tiny flashdrives with light indicators won't work simply because of the light.

20 of 25 people found this useful

Apple Keyboard with Numeric Keypad

Totally great keyboard.... but...

Written by JL from Newport

Aug 5, 2009

This keyboard is truly great if you're a typist, but there is one thing I don't like about this keyboard. You can't dis-assemble it. It's glued together.

I've enjoyed my Apple aluminum keyboard for six months now, but today one of the keys had stopped functioning and I hadn't spilled anything on it. My best advice to anyone interested to buy this keyboard is - SAVE YOUR RECEIPT! Keys shouldn't stop working after only six months. I hope this piece of aluminum might still be under warranty.

7 of 12 people found this useful

Apple Keyboard with Numeric Keypad

Handsome but USB connection/detection problems

Written by PL from CLEMSON

May 26, 2009

This handsome keyboard has two usb ports. Sounds convenient, but if you keep a wired mouse plugged into the keyboard's usb port-- which is the device you are most likely to leave connected-- neither the keyboard nor mouse are detected when you plug in the keyboard. Therefore every time I re-attach the keyboard, I must first detach the mouse, attach the keyboard, and reattach the mouse. Perhaps this is the fault of my PowerBook G4, and its ports, but this now seems an unanticipated flaw with the keyboard.

13 of 16 people found this useful

Apple Keyboard with Numeric Keypad

It looks great, but that's pretty much it...

Written by MN from Union City

Apr 24, 2009

At first, I found this keyboard to be eye-pleasing. It's slim design and nice white keys struck me as nice. However, after taking it home, I found that the keys are very similar to those of a laptop (by that I mean that it feels like it's going to break in the near future). This presents as a problem to me because as I'm typing, I feel as if I'm typing too hard. It feels as if over time, the keys will just give out due to my typing style (I tend to have heavy fingers). The only reason why I'll probably keep this keyboard because there's not much of an alternative to a nice Mac keyboard out there. Like another reviewer had stated, it seems as if Apple has chosen form over function once again. Ideally, I would like someone to come out with a keyboard that's comfortable, provides nice feedback from the keys and, being the student that I am, ergonomic. And oh, it'd also be nice if the keys felt as if they were sturdy and could withstand my typing.

11 of 19 people found this useful

Apple Keyboard with Numeric Keypad

flat, keys = cool look and cheap to make i guess...>

Written by DT from BEDFORD

Apr 7, 2009

It's like trying to type on a scrabble board.
if you touch type even to a small degree, you'll find it a real pain (i'm no secretary - but get by without looking at the board %100 of the time).

I can type way quicker and more accurately on my old powerbook, which has the nice scissor keys, but they are larger, and curved to suit you fingers so you naturally find the middle of the keys. this problem means you fingers also bump in to other keys if you go to far to the edge of one.

they really need to re-think what has clearly been a bit too much style over content for the only part of the mac you really touch rather than look at.

and while you're at it apple, how about some backlighting for all us late night dingy room lovers?

14 of 22 people found this useful

Apple Keyboard with Numeric Keypad

It's OK...errors now and then

Written by BS

Mar 24, 2009

I do seem to make typos every now and then but apart from that its a great product...better priced unlike the mighty mouse. Will need to get use to this keyboard.

10 of 18 people found this useful

Apple Keyboard with Numeric Keypad

Would rather have the older design keyboard

Written by KS from Saltillo

Feb 21, 2009

I bought this keyboard when my original got damaged by water. I do not like the flat keys. I liked the dipped shape of old ones that fit the curve of your finger. I think the keys on the new one are too tight together. It is like using a laptop keyboard. If I wanted a laptop I would buy one. I wanted a big full sized keyboard that I can type fast with. I make so many typing errors with this one that it is frustrating. I am not impressed!

13 of 19 people found this useful

Apple Keyboard with Numeric Keypad

Not very good for actual "typing"...

Written by KB from Nutley

Feb 3, 2009

I use these keyboards with the iMacs we have at school for my typing class. They look great and are super-thin, but the key spacing doesn't really work out for me. That class is suppose to teach us the "proper" way of typing-- with fingers on all specific keys, and things like that. And to be honest, with these kinds of keyboards, I find it very hard to type, and grasp this keyboarding concept. If I type the natural, but improper way, it's okay, but I can definately tell a conventional keyboard is better.

Just something to think about before you buy.

16 of 26 people found this useful

Apple Keyboard with Numeric Keypad

Not Bad

Written by AC from Guelph

Jan 24, 2009

This keyboard is very nice. It seems very well crafted, looks good, and is nice and simple, that much I like. Would have been nice to have an illuminated keyboard but its not the end of the world.

My only issue is the 2 extra USB ports on the keyboard are not powerful enough to run such things as an ipod or an external hard drive. Taking up one of the two powered USB ports on my MBP kind of leaves me running short when multi-tasking. I guess I could just plug in the keyboard after I finish charging the ipod, or put off downloading photos to the hard dive till later.

Apple, if you want my 5 stars you'll have to put higher powered usb's into this keyboard!

8 of 11 people found this useful

Apple Keyboard with Numeric Keypad

hurts my thumb

Written by CM from Washington

Jan 17, 2009

Keyboard looks great. Some keys are hard to use -- have to hit it them just right. But, the worst part is that the rounded lower edges are sharp and when I move my mouse too close -- ouch! my thumb!

8 of 31 people found this useful

Apple Keyboard with Numeric Keypad

It would be perfect if...

Written by SG from Newton

Jan 17, 2009

If it had illuminated keys.
*since I work at night with limited lighting and the display doesn't quite shed enough light to see the icons.

If it were about 3" less wide.
*The extended keyboard takes up "mouse" space.
*The middle set of keys could be condensed and the arrow keys moved (similar to laptop configuration).

It is however beautifully designed.

12 of 25 people found this useful

Apple Keyboard with Numeric Keypad

More on USB ports

Written by CT from Woodbridge

Jan 11, 2009

First, this is an excellent keyboard. I got it because I was not happy with my old Microsoft wireless keyboard/mouse that I tried on my new Mac Mini.

Feel, aesthetics...it is a work of art. Haven't done heavy typing on it yet, so can't comment on, for example, space bar or other problems that some have noted. So far, typing has been as pleasant an experience as something as mundane as typing can be.

However, here's why it gets knocked down 2 stars:

* Cord is too short. This makes you use the supplied USB extension cord. Some would see this as a plus (if you don't need a longer cord), but I see it as an extra connection that could impact USB performance. Also, as others have noticed, the extension cord female end is shaped in a way that makes it not compatible to use as an extension for some other peripherals.

* The 2 USB ports were a big selling factor for me. I should have paid more attention to the Mac Keyboard page on the Apple website, which explains their limited functionality. They are powered, but not enough to power iPods and others. Plugged into the keyboard, my printer's (of course, a self-powered device) performance was erratic, and it had to be plugged into the back of the Mini. The wired Rocketfish Apple Mouse (mighty mouse look-alike) also has frozen/vanished while plugged into the keyboard. Webcam obviously a no-go. My camera and thumbdrive worked, but after seeing the printer repeatedly lose its connection in the middle of a job, I'm skeptical. Finally, as many have complained, the clearance between the USB ports and the underside of the keyboard limits what can be plugged in. So overall, the USB port feature is a huge let down, and I'm still left with a USB port shortage problem.

Apple website says you get full USB functionality only on the aluminum Mac. I'm not sure if that means they are fully powered or what. Definitely not the case on the 2nd gen Mini.

Searches on the web and Apple's support site have revealed other USB issues that seem tied to the latest OS X update (10.5.6, I think). If subsequent software pushes fix the USB, then I will fix this review.

Overall, I like this keyboard too much to return it over the USB ports. It's not really false advertising, but kind of sneaky.

13 of 15 people found this useful

Apple Keyboard with Numeric Keypad

My Mac Wont Sleep!

Written by MM from Brierfield

Dec 8, 2008

Great feel, nice extra functionality, but I am typing this on my old keyboard :-(
After many hours of fiddling I discover that the new keyboard is the reason that my G5 iMac wont sleep! As soon as you put it to sleep it wakes up again. Plug in old keyboard and viola it sleeps. (Yes the aluminium keyboard firmware update has been installed)
Most disappointing.

14 of 16 people found this useful

Apple Keyboard with Numeric Keypad

GOOD ... BUT ..

Written by CC from Toronto

Dec 6, 2008

Great feel! .. But if you have a WHITE imac .. the USB 2.0 from the keyboard won't work .. It only works with the aluminum iMac .. BOOOOOO!!

34 of 42 people found this useful

Apple Keyboard with Numeric Keypad

full size but missing something

Written by AT from Odenton

Dec 5, 2008

This keyboard is great, I like the low profile design and aesthetic appearance. I would have gone with the wireless to replace my old wireless one, but it doesn't have the numeric keypad thus I chose this one.

I was tickled to know it had USB ports on both sides, only to be disappointed by them. The problem? They are NOT USB 2.0, thus they aren't compatible with any of my peripherals that could have benefited from them (ie charging an iPod, etc). They pretty much only work with a wired apple mouse, if your into that sort of thing.

29 of 37 people found this useful