Apple Wireless Keyboard Kit MB167LL/A
by Apple Computer
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Customers in the UK,
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for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Apple Wireless Keyboard Kit MB167LL/A
Customer Review: Good stuff
Summary: 5 Stars
I've been using the Logitech S530 pair for several years. I bought one right after getting my first MacBook Pro. I use my notebook as a desktop replacement at the office (working in a Winder$ environment) and don't like the MBP's keyboard -- the touch isn't right my my typing.
I bought one of these wireless keyboards after seeing a colleague use one. It was small, sleek, and provided a better touch than the built-in keyboard on my MacBook Pro. The clincher for me was that the keyboard is small enough to stow in my backpack to take with me to the office or when traveling. As I said, I really don't care for the touch of the MBP's keyboard, so that is a boon.
The keyboard is what I expect from a keyboard. The keystroke is long enough to provide positive feedback but not so long as to slow me down. The tactile response is good. The keyboard stays in place and is angled about right for me. While not heavy, it is substantial and feels solid -- like it will last a long time. The keys feel pretty good and the home row is easy to find thanks to the raised bars on the "F" and "J" keys. (My fingers naturally look for those touch points.)
When first connected to my MBP, the system-updater downloaded and installed a firmware upgrade to the keyboard. I like how that works.
The function keys take a little getting used to. By default, they operate the various functions of the computer -- screen brightness, dashboard, iTunes playback, and so forth. Access the the function keys requires pressing the "Fn" key. (Don't tempt me to pun on that!) This behavior (use of the Fn key) is changeable in system preferences.
We'll have to see about reliability, but I expect this keyboard to last quite awhile. I use a keyboard almost constantly, both at work and play, so my equipment gets a lot of use.
If you're looking for what appears to be a high-quality keyboard that is Bluetooth wireless, small enough to carry in your backpack, and has a good touch, then you should try the Apple Wireless Aluminum keyboard. I'm very pleased with mine, especially when working with the MBP remotely.
Customer Review: Best keyboard I've owned
Summary: 5 Stars
I've searched for a long time to find a good keyboard. I've purchased expensive keyboards from IBM, Microsoft, Apple, Logitech, as well as some lesser-known brands. Usually they've been USB since I've been a little skeptical of bluetooth. Always I've managed to get by with what I purchased, but I've never found the right combination of features and ergonomics.
The new Apple Bluetooth Keyboard is by far the best keyboard I've owned. After using one for several months, I've purchased a second to use at the office.
1) The ergonomics are great. It has a very low profile for a straighter wrist angle. The lack of a numeric keypad, while a small liability, actually increases the ergonomics of the keyboard by making it easier and more natural to center the keyboard in front of you. As a software developer I find that I don't miss the keypad much, although your mileage may vary. And while nearly all of my previous keyboards have been split keyboards for ergonomic reasons, I've found that I haven't missed the split at all on this keyboard.
2) The bluetooth connection is very reliable. Just make sure you update your keyboards firmware via Apple Updates. The older firmware revision suffered from the occasional duplicate stroke.
3) Media keys are important to me, and these are well thought-out and consistent with those on the Macbook (and presumably Macbook Pro). They make reaching for the right key natural regardless of whether you're using the bluetooth or laptop keyboard.
4) Cleaning is ridiculously easy. Just wipe it down with a sanitary wipe after you push the power button. It's amazing how dirty the other kids' keyboards look around the office. No matter how hard you try, you just can't ever get the crud out of those things.
Overall, I can't think of anything negative to say about the thing. It looks good, feels natural, works great, and is super easy to clean. Oh, and regular or rechargeable batteries seem to last for several months with extensive use. Nice one, Apple.
Customer Review: Impeccable...
Summary: 5 Stars
A keyboard that commands style and turns heads. A great keyboard for people who truly value great design. The Apple Wireless Keyboard is impressively razor thin, yet, it is solid in build with virtually no flex at all. The keyboard is well balanced in design, and surprisingly lightweight. The aluminum has the same feel to match as the new aluminum Macs.
The wedge shaped keyboard adopts a minimalistic approach. If Apple could design a keyboard with only one or no buttons, believe me, they would. A bare minimum of keys are present, limited only to the necessary ones, with no less than what you would find on Macbooks. Aside from the keyboard indicator (that blinks during synchronization and powering up) it is invisible to the eye. There are no virtual keypads or any unnecessary lights apart from the Caps Lock indicator. The keys are flushed, requiring the just the right amount of touch and tactile feedback for each keystroke to be registered, producing the minimal amount sound from the resulting stroke. Mac users will feel at home with the modifier keys however windows users should be able to remap them.
Setup of the keyboard is by first installing 3 AA batteries which disappear into the design of the keyboard. Detecting the keyboard is intuitive on Mac, windows users might require some registry hack to enable pairing of the device.
The top row is adorned with control keys which takes precedence over the Function keys as a default. Although it is configurable, Apple is bold enough to assign these keys to increase the brightness of your screen, Expose, Dashboard, increase the volume or use it as media controls. The keyboard is perfect for use in the living room media center machine and you will have no hesitation in displaying this to guests.
However you look at it, there are just so many ways you can design a keyboard. Apple however, has delivered to us something that is more than just a keyboard - it is a time slice of innovation from Apple's design history; immortalized into our hearts forever.
Customer Review: Exactly What I've been Waiting For!
Summary: 5 Stars
I've been waiting for a while for apple to make a wireless keyboard WITHOUT the numerical keypad. This allows you too keep either your mouse or drawing tablet close to the keyboard, and allows me to use minimal space while working with lots of papers or books.
However, I didn't expect it to be this awesome. Like all apple devices, its wrapped like godiva chocolates and opeing it gets rid of any sense of buyers remorse, along with the shere brilliance of its design and quality. It is so thin and slightly raised so that it feels like your typing on the desk. Its so small, compact thin and light, but feels tight and industructable. My hands never get tired, and i can finally use photoshop and illustrator more effectly by using the keyboard and tablet at the same time.
Also, I often hook my 17 macbook pro to my projector with the computer in the office next door and a dvi cable leading to the projector. The keyboard maintains its full signal from a distance around a doorway and has no delay from 15 feet. I now can have a 120" monitor at home with the computer far away. The keys have a perfect feel and are nicer than the laptop keys in clickyness and feel.
I have only one complaint that for 80 bucks, they could have lit the keyboard like on the macbook pros. But then they might have had to make it thicker, which would have been a bad tradeoff. The keyboard also comes with expensive top end energizer batteries, a nice touch.
If your thinking about getting this keyboard, stop thinking and get it. Seriously!
P.S. Like all apple wireless devices, make sure to set the device as a favorite under bluetooth settings, it gives them priority and makes them work their fastest. Also, if you turn your mouse or keyboard off for a while and then on, just click a key or mouse button untill the secure signal re-establishes itself. Some people think you have to repair the devices, that is untrue.
Customer Review: Great for writing
Summary: 5 Stars
I write for a living and writing well means reading books by others. Reading at a desk with an iMac in front of me is tiring and balancing a MacBook in my lap while reading is little better. I bought this compact keyboard hoping it would allow me to read in comfort with nothing but this tiny, lightweight keyboard competing for space in my lap. I was right.
But I also discovered something else. My twenties-era apartment isn't kind to WiFi or Bluetooth gadgets. The walls are ancient wire-mesh covered with plaster. Microwaves don't like wire mesh. WiFi barely makes it from the middle of my apartment to the ends. No other Bluetooth gadget I've tested made it more than about 15 feet. Amazingly, this Bluetooth keyboard reaches one end of my apartment from the other. I can sit in my den and type on my iMac in my study through two of those microwave-hating walls. That's impressive. Of course, that's not what I want to do. What I want to do is sit someplace comfortable, type with this keyboard in my lap and see the results in an enlarged font across the room. For that this keyboard is perfect.
One suggestion. I had trouble pairing it to my MacBook until I tried a trick I've used with other Bluetooth keyboards. I replaced the rechargeable batteries with higher voltage alkaline ones. When I did that, pairing was easy. My theory is that pairing loads the batteries more than typing, reducing the signal strength. Once paired, those rechargeable batteries work quite well.
--Michael W. Perry, Untangling Tolkien: A Chronology and Commentary for The Lord of the Rings