Talk:Apple keyboards

Skip to table of contents

This is the talk page for discussing improvements to the Apple keyboards article.
This is not a forum for general discussion of the article's subject.

Put new text under old text. Click here to start a new topic.
New to Wikipedia? Welcome! Learn to edit; get help.

Article policies

Find sources: Google (books · news · scholar · free images · WP refs) · FENS · JSTOR · TWL

Computing Low‑importance

	This article is within the scope of WikiProject Computing, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of computers, computing, and information technology on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.ComputingWikipedia:WikiProject ComputingTemplate:WikiProject ComputingComputing articles
Low	This article has been rated as Low-importance on the project's importance scale.

Apple Inc. Mid‑importance

	This article is within the scope of WikiProject Apple Inc., a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of Apple, Mac, iOS and related topics on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.Apple Inc.Wikipedia:WikiProject Apple Inc.Template:WikiProject Apple Inc.Apple Inc. articles
Mid	This article has been rated as Mid-importance on the project's importance scale.

On 8 May 2021, it was proposed that this article be moved from Apple Keyboard to Apple keyboards. The result of the discussion was moved.

Tip: Anchors are case-sensitive in most browsers.

This article links to one or more target anchors that no longer exist.

[[Apple Newton#User interface|virtual keyboard]]
[[Apple Newton#User interface|Apple Newton user interface]]

Please help fix the broken anchors. You can remove this template after fixing the problems. | Reporting errors

Compatibility

About compatability, does the apple key function as an alt key? And what about f13-f16?

On a Windows computer, the Alt key functions as the Alt key. The Apple key acts as the Windows key, and F13-F16 have no default function. I don't know anything about compatibility with other operating systems. jd || talk || 00:28, 3 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Sun and HP had their own standards to connect input devices, neither was remotely compatible with ADB. Sun used connectors that looked a bit like ADB but were just two serial lines in one connector ( one for the mouse, one for the keyboard ) while HP's HIL was a serial bus of some sort but it wasn't in any way compatible with ADB and used completely different connectors ( they look like RJ45 with clips at each side instead of one at the center ) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.114.121.72 (talk) 21:11, 18 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Also in the compatibility section it mentions open source projects and adaptors that allow the use of older apple keyboards that used phone-style modular connectors on new machines and vis-versa, no source is given and independent search has not found an answer, confirmation and source, or removal of that line should be done. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.160.66.24 (talk) 02:23, 4 April 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Original research in ephemeral criticism

The entire criticism section is made up of unsourced and POV assertions regarding specific models of current keyboards from Apple-- nothing about the layout or Apple's keyboards in general. — RVJ 17:01, 26 April 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Thinness

I think that i am going to measure the width of the new apple keyboard and put it on the page, because all that people can talk about is that the keyboard is soooo thin, so i am going to find out just how thin it is. GlassDesk (talk) 17:37, 29 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

For info: Leading edge: 4.5mm / Rear edge: just under 17.5mm. Keys are approx 1.8mm higher than the (completely flat) alu base plate. Height of the centre of the bottom row (modifier keys and space bar): 7.5mm / height of centre of top row (function keys): 18mm ChrisRH (talk) 23:50, 26 June 2008 (UTC)[reply]

F-Keys

My aluminium keyboard has keys from F1 to F19, while the text says Apple keyboards only feature up to F16. --80.137.214.54 (talk) 14:34, 25 July 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for the heads up. The article will be updated shortly (if not already) (image). —Tokek (talk) 02:14, 26 July 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Tactile feedback issue; where to insert in article???

I feel that it would be relevant to include in the article a mention of the tactile-feedback issue (or lack there of), the problem is that I don't see an obvious location to insert such an issue.
Let me explain… There are (at least) three types of "Legacy" keyboards: the IBM Model M keyboard, the Northgate (OnmniKey) Keyboard and the Apple Extended II keyboard that had the distinctive "feel" to the keys. The technology used could be either the ALPS switches or buckling-spring keyboards.

See also:

The issue/problem is that none, nada, zero, zip of the current day (USB) keyboards produced by Apple have this tactile feedback feature.
How would this issue be inserted into the article?

Indented line The absolute majority of keyboards today suffer from this tactile-feedback issue. Doesn't it deserve an article of its own, or a section in a general article on keyboards. Mentioning it in all the articles regarding non-tactile keyboards seems irrational to me. 46.239.100.186 (talk) 21:49, 16 September 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Power limitations

I have an A1243 running under windows. The USB keyboard will only give 100ma to each of the 2 USB ports - some USB flash drives require more than that (and other devices, of course). Found this (supposedly from the box): "Devices that draw high power from the USB connection, such as iPod, hard drives and some flash drives, can only be used with the new keyboard when it is attached to the aluminum iMac."

Also, installing Boot Camp 3.1 drivers did not enable the volume and eject keys. 184.166.15.172 (talk) 02:15, 3 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Power limitations exist with USB ports from other devices as well (e.g. other keyboards, monitors), even the ports on the computer itself might not put out enough power for certain USB peripherals. --Jtalledo (talk) 10:43, 3 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

International versions

It feels really silly to discuss the peculiarities of the french canadian version of the keyboard, when all kinds of international versions of the keyboard exist - many with quirks of their own. What mandates that the French Canadian version gets this kind of special treatment? 46.239.100.186 (talk) 16:02, 16 September 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Keyboard layout change after Plus

The article text states that the Apple Desktop Bus keyboard retains the keyboard layout from the Mac Plus keyboard, but the images show two completely different layouts. The ADB keyboard adds an Esc key, and many of the other keys are moved around. My (perhaps unreliable) memory agrees with the images - the keyboard changed significantly between the Plus and the SE. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 83.248.253.153 (talk) 09:34, 28 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]

External links modified

Hello fellow Wikipedians,

I have just added archive links to one external link on Apple Keyboard. Please take a moment to review my edit. If necessary, add {{cbignore}} after the link to keep me from modifying it. Alternatively, you can add {{nobots|deny=InternetArchiveBot}} to keep me off the page altogether. I made the following changes:

Added archive https://web.archive.org/20090306142815/http://store.apple.com:80/us/product/MB869?mco=NDE4Mzg3NA to http://store.apple.com/us/product/MB869?mco=NDE4Mzg3NA

When you have finished reviewing my changes, please set the checked parameter below to true to let others know.

Y An editor has reviewed this edit and fixed any errors that were found.

If you have discovered URLs which were erroneously considered dead by the bot, you can report them with this tool.
If you found an error with any archives or the URLs themselves, you can fix them with this tool.

Cheers.—^{cyberbot II}_{Talk to my owner:Online} 19:09, 12 January 2016 (UTC)[reply]

External links modified

Hello fellow Wikipedians,

I have just modified one external link on Apple Keyboard. Please take a moment to review my edit. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple FaQ for additional information. I made the following changes:

Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20120803113151/http://images.apple.com/keyboard/images/gallery/wired_1_20070813.jpg to http://images.apple.com/keyboard/images/gallery/wired_1_20070813.jpg

When you have finished reviewing my changes, please set the checked parameter below to true or failed to let others know (documentation at {{Sourcecheck}}).

This message was posted before February 2018. After February 2018, "External links modified" talk page sections are no longer generated or monitored by InternetArchiveBot. No special action is required regarding these talk page notices, other than regular verification using the archive tool instructions below. Editors have permission to delete these "External links modified" talk page sections if they want to de-clutter talk pages, but see the RfC before doing mass systematic removals. This message is updated dynamically through the template {{source check}} (last update: 5 June 2024).

If you have discovered URLs which were erroneously considered dead by the bot, you can report them with this tool.
If you found an error with any archives or the URLs themselves, you can fix them with this tool.

Cheers.—InternetArchiveBot (Report bug) 15:15, 16 October 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Removal of Apple logo from Command key

Can someone add to the article when this change took place? The last mention of the long-standing tradition of putting the Apple logo on "Command" is this sentence about a 2007 keyboard model: "By the time that Apple discontinued the external use of ADB, the legacy practice of including the Apple symbol on the Command key had stuck." And yet, as far as I'm aware, no modern Apple keyboards have the Apple logo on them. None of my Mac models from 2011 onward have the logo on their keyboards. Can someone pinpoint when this change occurred? --Iritscen (talk) 14:21, 7 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Underlying hardware technology

As of today, the article Keyboard technology has nothing specific to say about the underlying hardware technology of Apple keyboards. I have just excerpted the lead of this article as a place-holder for now. If anyone has done a tear-down and found anything exceptional, please feel free to improve/develop/delete. --John Maynard Friedman (talk) 12:25, 14 March 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Requested move 8 May 2021

The following is a closed discussion of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on the talk page. Editors desiring to contest the closing decision should consider a move review after discussing it on the closer's talk page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

The result of the move request was: moved. (closed by non-admin page mover) ~ Aseleste (t, e | c, l) 11:50, 27 May 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Apple Keyboard → Apple keyboards – Apple doesn't use the name "Apple Keyboard" anymore (the only keyboard they currently retail is the Magic Keyboard) so keyboard should be lower-case, as it is a common noun, and plural. When Apple refers to multiple keyboards, keyboard is lower case. See also: Apple Mouse. Shivertimbers433 (talk) 16:37, 8 May 2021 (UTC) Shivertimbers433 (talk) 16:37, 8 May 2021 (UTC) —Relisting. (t · c) buidhe 00:51, 16 May 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Support. Makes sense. The article covers all keyboards made by the company, and the 'Apple Keyboard' brand was only used for a fraction of the models discussed. Colin M (talk) 18:55, 8 May 2021 (UTC)[reply]
- For the record, not a big fan of List of Apple keyboards, as I think it's a bit misleading. The article is more like an overview of Apple keyboards which also includes a list of models as one of its four sections. Colin M (talk) 13:31, 16 May 2021 (UTC)[reply]
Support for the above stated reason. I always found the naming of this article to be odd. --Iritscen (talk) 22:34, 8 May 2021 (UTC)[reply]
- I appreciate the desire to arrive at a clear consensus. In my opinion this article is *definitely* not a list article. It's more of a history article than a simple "List of" article, which typically centers around a table. So "Apple keyboards" seems most appropriate. --Iritscen (talk) 14:25, 16 May 2021 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose per WP:SINGULAR. Article titles are generally in the singular form. Rreagan007 (talk) 19:37, 8 May 2021 (UTC)[reply]
As with Apple Mouse maybe Apple keyboard? Crouch, Swale (talk) 20:17, 8 May 2021 (UTC)[reply]

I really don't think WP:SINGULAR applies here. An exception in WP:PLURAL is "multiple distinct instances of related items can be sensibly given a plural title" such as Apple having numerous brands of keyboards. Also WP:NCLL, as this article is a list of products. This is consistent with other articles like Apple-designed processors and Apple displays that wouldn't make sense as singular.-Shivertimbers433 (talk) 21:01, 8 May 2021 (UTC)[reply]

I think this falls under the first exception at WP:NCPLURAL: "Articles on groups or classes of specific things." There is a fixed set of models of keyboard that have been manufactured by Apple, and this article is about that set. Compare Apple speakers, Nintendo optical discs, Microsoft ergonomic keyboards, etc. Colin M (talk) 21:05, 8 May 2021 (UTC)[reply]
Comment I would suggest to move the page to List of Apple keyboards, which makes it a singular as a whole, even though there are multiple keyboards. PhotographyEdits (talk) 13:51, 11 May 2021 (UTC)[reply]
Relisting to get a clearer consensus between "Apple keyboard", "Apple keyboards", and "List of Apple keyboards". (t · c) buidhe 00:51, 16 May 2021 (UTC)[reply]
Support List of Apple keyboards since this article lists Apple keyboards. – DarkGlow • 12:14, 16 May 2021 (UTC)[reply]
Support Apple keyboards. This article provides an overview of keyboards made by Apple; it is not about a singular keyboard the company makes. I would oppose moving to list of Apple keyboards, because it is an article and not a list. -- Calidum 17:35, 25 May 2021 (UTC)[reply]

The discussion above is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.