I admit that I’m a keyboard snob. As far as I’m concerned, there has not been an adequate keyboard made since the IBM Model M. I still have an early-90’s era Model M at home (just say NO! to the Windows key). The Model M is one of the few things I miss since converting from the PC to Mac.
Apple debuted a new keyboard with their new iMacs last week. This keyboard is basically the keyboard from the MacBook laptop in a desktop form factor. I was dubious about this keyboard, but my existing Apple keyboard is driving me crazy. The keys have become sticky and difficult to press at times even though the keyboard is not very old and doesn’t get a lot of use, and they’ve always had kind of a mushy feel with no real feedback that you’ve pressed a key.
I stopped in the Chicago Apple store to give these new keyboards a try. I was surprised to find that they seem pretty comfortable. I like the firm feel of the keys – there’s no mushy here. The key travel seems just about right and you know for sure that the key has been pressed. Of course, it’s impossible to tell how these will hold up over time, but I think I’m going to give one of these a try. I don’t think it can be worse the the previous keyboard, and the wired version is a third of the cost of a TactilePro (which I can only pre-order right now anyway).