Review: Apple Bluetooth Keyboard

20 Jan 2008

I am writing this post with the new Apple Bluetooth Keyboard. The keyboard is small, really small. Surprisingly it’s very usable. Sometimes I get my "home keys" off and my touch typing goes awry, but it’s not too bad. I think the cause of this is that the home keys nubs and the flatness of the keys themselves. It just doesn’t feel like any keyboard you are used to. The keys are absolutely flat, and when putting your hands on the keyboard you just don’t feel the nubs at all.

Another drawback to the flat keys is that your fingers don’t seat in the keys, they kind of float on them, so it’s very easy to slide up to high and get your typing off on the wrong keys.

Despite these flaws, right now it’s right in my lap and even though it’s small, it rests well enough on my lap to type well. One great advantage of it’s thinness, is that it fits perfectly in my backpack. For those times when you can’t get your laptop right in your line of work, the Bluetooth mouse and keyboard solve that issue.

I haven’t had it long enough to determine the battery life, but range seems very well. Last night I carried the laptop into the bedroom and left the keyboard in the living room. I forgot to turn the keyboard off and it stayed connected. That’s some pretty impressive range.

Overall I like this keyboard. I got it at a discount open boxed at Best Buy so I can’t really complain about the price. It’s $79.99 regularly which is kind of pricey, but if you need it, it’s worth it. The one thing I find questionable is that this is the only wireless option from Apple now. It’s great for someone who wants a tiny portable keyboard, but for those of us who like wireless devices on our main desktop computers this probably won’t fit the bill. I am confused by the lack of a numeric keypad for that purpose. Admittedly not many people are doing number crunching and serious data entry on their Macs and if they are doing it on a desktop, a wired keyboard is still a viable option.

My last word however is a little different than my review:

I wouldn’t use this as a primary keyboard. The old white Apple keyboard and the laptop’s built in keyboard are both better and more comfortable to type on.

I am glad I have it, I think I will find use for it, but I would hardly call it my main keyboard.

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