The Apple Keyboard. It’s sleek. It’s metal. It’s nearly flat. It’s not “Pro” or “Extended” or “Adjustable”. It just *is.*
I like the scissor action of the keys, just in the same way I like them on my MacBook Pro. I’m not sure I like the keys without the beveled edges, though. I use that to feel my way around the keyboard, and now I find myself looking at the keyboard more often because I don’t know where the hell my fingers are. Perhaps I will get used to it.
There is no Apple Key on this keyboard! Well, there is, but there’s no apple on it anymore. It’s now marked with the cloverleaf symbol and the word “command”, which is suppose is a good thing, as the apple was a relic from the Apple I and ][ days. But in recent years, I had started calling it “apple” with people who were new to Macs and didn’t know that the cloverleaf symbol meant “command”, but could suss that when I said “apple”, I meant the key with the apple on it. Now they will all have to be retrained.
And if that key has “⌘” on it, why doesn’t “option” have “⌥” or “control” have “⌃”? You’d think you’d want those on there to provide a visual match for keyboard shortcuts listed in menus, yes?
Brightness keys don’t work on my non-Apple monitor (wouldn’t expect them to), but Exposé, Dashboard, volume and eject keys all work fine. There is also a new set of REW, PLAY/PAUSE, FFW keys over F7-F9 that work with QuickTime Player. Very nice. ___However,___ many of the Final Cut Pro keyboard shortcuts don’t work again because they’re taking over the same F-keys that FCP uses for editing. C’mon, Apple! Stop sabotaging your own professional products!
I have to go to the Keyboard & Mouse preference pane and check the box for “Use all F1, F2, etc. keys as standard function keys”, and now I have to press the “Fn” key to use the special features printed on the keys. Not exactly convenient, considering the “Fn” key is in the upper right next to the “home” key. Why can’t I just remap them to somewhere sane— say, way the hell over there above the home/page keys and the number pad at F13-F19, where FCP doesn’t conflict, and is actually in the place that I expect them to be from years of using the Apple Pro Keyboard?
Muscle memory, Apple. Use it to your advantage.