Apple Wireless Keyboard

July 20th, 2009

In preparation for adding a Mac Mini to the television, picked up the “ultrathin” Apple Wireless Keyboard.

The Good

• Really appreciate that Apple’s keyboards are essentially the same across all product lines. After getting used to the slim profile keyboard on a MacBook, it’s nice to have the same feeling for a desktop.
• Uses AA batteries (as opposed to some obscure or non-replaceable one).
• Very thin, I lined it up to the “wired” Apple keyboard and it is no taller. The batteries slide into a tube on the back left side, and the power button is on the right. There’s literally no wasted space.
• The Bluetooth pairing is straightforward: Go to System Preferences -> Bluetooth and the keyboard, once turned on, was quickly discovered by the Mac Mini. I then had to type a series of numbers to “pair” the keyboard with the Mac Mini.
• In System Preferences -> Keyboard & Mouse, and the Bluetooth tab, there’s a battery indicator. Sweet.

The Bad

• This keyboard is not extended, and is exactly the same as a MacBook, meaning no number pad, no home / page up / page down arrangement, and smaller arrow keys.
• Moving the keyboard from one computer to another isn’t as straightforward as just yanking out a USB cable — have to unpair and repair the keyboard with the new computer.
• No USB ports so if for some reason you have a USB mouse plugged into your keyboard, you’ll need to attach it somewhere else or get a wireless mouse.

Conclusion

I think I’ll continue using the “wired” version of this keyboard hooked up to the desktop Mac Mini, as I seem to use the number pad and arrow keys a lot more than I initially thought. I wonder why Apple doesn’t make a wireless extended keyboard? Other than that, this keyboard rocks and will be awesome near the television — just can’t have wires in that situation.