The Mac Chronicles
Keyboards
If there’s one complaint I have about our new Mac Pro, it’s the keyboard. I have huge hands, and I find the keyboard to be small and very uncomfortable. Unfortunately, Apple only offers two keyboard options — wired and wireless, both in the same form factor.
This is one area in which the PC has spoiled me. I’ve used Microsoft Natural keyboards for as long as they’ve been available; going back to a standard keyboard just feels horrible. When you type for a living, the specter of repetitive strain injury is ever present; something had to be done.
Microsoft does produce a Mac-specific keyboard/mouse combo, the Wireless Laser Desktop for Mac. Nice, but not quite what I was looking for. It’s got Mac-specific keys and it’s ergonomic, but it’s not a Natural layout; rather, it’s “Comfort Curve”. Close, but not quite.
Fortunately, while not as attuned to the Mac as the above, there’s a nice alternative available, also from Microsoft; the Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000.
In deference to the aforementioned RSI concern, I’ll refer to this keyboard as the NEK hereafter.
Pros:
- Natural layout
- Nice large keys with pleasant tactile response.
- Solid feel to the unit; heavy enough to stay put
- Many programmable hotkeys, software-configurable
- OS X supported
- Unique, very supportive wrist rest
- Extremely comfortable
Cons:
- Keys have Windows labels
- No SuperDrive eject key
- Wired, not wireless
I’m torn as to whether or not the fact that it’s wired is really a con; it’s not like keyboards move around during use like mice do. However, it is a differentiator for someone with limited desk real estate; it’s nice to be able to put the keyboard aside in favor of a writing surface.
However, the important thing is comfort, and the NEK is extremely comfortable. The wrists are supported in a neutral position, and the Natural angle eliminates pronation of the wrists, key when one’s shoulders are 1.5 airline seats in width.
The driver software installs a well-designed preference pane; configuration is quick and intuitive.
This is without a doubt the best keyboard I’ve ever used. Worth a look if you find the standard Mac fare too small to be usable.
Just so you know:
On windows keyboards F12 doubles as a dashboard and eject key. Just hold it down a second or so and it will send the drive tray out.
Thanks for the tip, Nate.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to work on this particular keyboard. Seems to be a common complaint, given what others have posted on the same topic.
The workarounds I’ve found to be useful are to add the eject menu bar item, and to remap the ‘Application’ key (between the Alt and Control keys on the right side) as eject.
The default mapping for the Application key is a warp-speed Command-Tab, which I didn’t find to be all that useful, so this has been a decent solution for me.