Replacement keyboard for iMac

steelyman

steelyman

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Although I’m almost fully on board the Apple systems, one thing I never liked was the “Magic Keyboard” that shipped with my iMac. I realize it’s slim and looks cool but it never cut it for me.

I rarely use the desktop but more so during times like tax season. I’ve decided to try something else so I’ve ordered one of these alternatives from Logitech ($105 at Amazon) and hope for a better ride.

https://www.logitech.com/en-us/products/keyboards/k860-split-ergonomic.920-009166.html
 
I’m okay with the Apple products but I do always upgrade to the full keyboard with the numeric keypad because I use that a lot.
 
At those prices, I'm surprised you don't get a full numeric keyboard - that's an 'upgrade'? It's this kinda stuff (and no SD card slot in their tablets/phones - pay Apple for the memory and you're stuck with that amount for life) that pushed me away from Apple.

Even though I use my laptops as desktops with an external keyboard 99.8% of the time, I still insist on a numeric keypad on the laptop for those times I do need to take it mobile. I was able to find one on a 15" laptop (ASUS ZenBook Flip 15). Often, you need to go to 17" to get the width for a numeric keypad.

Looks like none of the MacBook Pros offer a numeric keypad?

I get that some people want thin and light as possible, I might have stayed with Apple longer if they offered a more 'practical' line in addition to 'sleek'.

-ERD50
 
steelyman said:
Although I’m almost fully on board the Apple systems, one thing I never liked was the “Magic Keyboard” that shipped with my iMac. I realize it’s slim and looks cool but it never cut it for me. ...
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I agree. I use the Kinesis Freestyle 2 for Mac with my iMac. :popcorn:
 
disneysteve said:
I’m okay with the Apple products but I do always upgrade to the full keyboard with the numeric keypad because I use that a lot.
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+1
I got Apple's Magic Keyboard with numeric keypad about five years ago and I love it. A charge lasts many weeks at normal usage and it has never had a problem.
 
I miss my numeric keypad on my iMac but have never gotten round to replacing the standard keyboard. Maybe I’ll splurge $4.99 and try the Numpad app which makes the iPhone a keypad. Then again, I hate spending money on apps.
 
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My next keyboard will be the standard Apple 'Magic' keyboard - there are 10 perfectly good numbers across the top of the standard keyboard. If I ever need a separate 10-key pad, it means my retirement has failed and I'm back at work. Unacceptable! lol
 
Well, I got the new keyboard today. It was a snap to setup, just a matter of pairing with the Mac via Bluetooth. I haven't (and probably won't) attempt to exercise all of the customization options you can get; I just wanted a keyboard that didn't seem as cramped as the Apple one.

It'll take a while to get accustomed to the different key placement (curvature and so on) but that'll come. I was a good touch typist but you can retrain yourself for changes like this.

One thing I hadn't thought of was how well the Logitech keyboard will work in a virtual machine environment. I use Parallels in order to run Windows software like Quicken and TurboTax. Everything seems to work just as well; switching between Mac OS and Windows is done through a mouse swipe, just as before.

The Logitech keyboard is not rechargeable, it uses 2 AAA batteries and they claim that'll last 2 years (I'll find out eventually). There is an LED indicator that goes red when the batteries get low.

All in all, a good purchase for me.
 
I ran across a little "gotcha" with the Logitech keyboard that was pretty annoying and something that others have discovered (according to a Google search).

The keyboard layout is slightly different, in particular there's a function key "print screen" placed directly above the "backspace" ("delete" on Apple) key located in the upper right corner. On the Logitech it's also a slightly larger key.

I was doing a fair amount of work (typing) and was frequently mis-hitting the "print screen" key rather than the intended "backspace". The key works as advertised and, sure enough, it kept dumping screen shots on the desktop. I didn't immediately notice but soon had a bunch of screen shots all over the place. Yowza...

I wanted to reassign that key to some other purpose, anything but "print screen".

Other people had reported this and most got the answer that this wasn't supported, not even in Logitech's "Options+" downloadable customization software.

But it turns out that you can do this from within MacOS:

System Preferences -> Keyboard -> Shortcuts -> Screenshots

This provides a clickable option list that includes "Save picture of screen as a file". Deselecting that cured the problem, thankfully.

This is on MacOS 12.6.3 (Monterey)
 
I just noticed this item which is related to the thread topic. As an aside, I had (and still have) one of those Microsoft Natural keyboards and loved it.

The only thing that’s unusual about the Logitech keyboard I got recently is that it takes a few seconds to “wake up” after it’s not been in use. Otherwise a satisfied customer.

Microsoft is discontinuing most of its ergonomic keyboards, the first of which debuted almost 30 years ago.
The news has caused sadness for devotees.
“It was actually pleasant to use,” said Jeff Atwood, a co-founder of the programming question-and-answer site Stack Overflow, referring to the original Microsoft Natural Keyboard from 1994.
Click to expand...

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/05/27/mic...o-devastated-as-accessories-discontinued.html
 
braumeister said:
+1
I got Apple's Magic Keyboard with numeric keypad about five years ago and I love it. A charge lasts many weeks at normal usage and it has never had a problem.
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+2. I've been happy with mine, ordered it with my M1 iMac 24". And yes, I touch type. But to each his/her own.
 
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