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Apple just launched new desktops, mice, and keyboards
- Thread starter Vanillalite
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I had been saving Apple gift cards for two years, waiting for a retina skylake powered iMac. Rumors dried up and I assumed we wouldn't get a refresh until 2016, so I went ahead and spent the cards on an iPhone 6s. Woe is me.
Lmao what the hell.
BeforeU
Oft hope is born when all is forlorn.
Weird. Why Apple?
Bitmap Frogs
Mr. Community
The 27 starts at 2100 euros. Yikes.
Valkyr Junkie
Member
Haha, I had a couple of Apple gift cards I had been saving for ages waiting on a new iMac as well. Had to blow most of one of them last month when for the first time in over 6 years I dropped an iPhone onto something other than carpet (even that has only happened twice) and needed a new screen for my 6+
No TB3 or USB Type-C bums me out, but when I think about it, I likely won't ever need to utilize those interfaces. TB2 is more than fast enough if I want to add an external SSD to expand the internal SSD storage, and I've managed to last since 2008 on both my PC and Macbook with just USB 2.0.
The Albatross
Member
Paul Stamatiou, one of the designers at Twitter, just posted his...
https://twitter.com/Stammy/status/656160938878373888
He says barely any travel in the keys, even coming from the previous keyboard. I also don't like that it's at even less of an angle than the previous one... which made for an uncomfortable, though stylish, design. I think I'll pass on this one.
https://twitter.com/Stammy/status/656160938878373888
He says barely any travel in the keys, even coming from the previous keyboard. I also don't like that it's at even less of an angle than the previous one... which made for an uncomfortable, though stylish, design. I think I'll pass on this one.
freenudemacusers
Member
Not everyone can manufacture an object both beautiful and ugly, simultaneously covetable yet nauseating. Ive is really blurring the lines between appliance and transgressive art. I'm glad to see this in an industry full of copycats.
I tried out the new keyboard today and IMO it's a clear downgrade from the old one. Not MacBook One bad (which is completely unusable for any extended typing) by any means but still a step back.
Why reduce the key travel on a desktop keyboard? WTF is wrong with this company and this obnoxious obsession with thinness at the cost of function?
Why reduce the key travel on a desktop keyboard? WTF is wrong with this company and this obnoxious obsession with thinness at the cost of function?
Sparrowhawk
Member
That keyboard looks pretty uncomfortable.
It no longer being raised at an angle like the previous keyboard really does it no favours.
ThoseDeafMutes
Member
Is that actually the job requirements for transcribers, stenographers and so on? Because I'm well over 100 (130+ at peak but lower on average) and even I am in struggle city trying to transcribe conversational videos in real time. If I hired somebody to transcribe a conversation and they could only pull 75wpm then I can't imagine they would be able to do their job properly. A cursory google reveals that some courtroom stenographers break 200wpm easily. Another page on wikipedia says that to be certified as a court reporter by some organizations you need to be able to do 225 wpm. And the world record is 375wpm.
To attain these speeds they are NOT using regular keyboards, obviously, but even so, 75 would be atrocious. Sustained typing speed record was 150wpm for 50 minutes continuously, and 212wpm at peak.
Always-honest
Banned
I said the same but aparently it charges within 60 seconds.
So that's not THAT horrible. Still.. Weird place to put it.
Agreed, and I'm also half glad that that they are daring to do things so differently, but there's no reason they have to sacrifice so much for it. If only they had a higher level design director who was also concerned with functionality, set overall goals for the product line and dictated what Ive is allowed to mess with.
For instance, the iMac right now is just weird and tortured. I'd rather see them produce two chassis models. Do one where Ive is allowed to go nuts, stop even pretending to care about performance, just have a rectangle without the ugly lip floating in space. And then another that rolls back the chassis shape to the time before tapered edge, which causes absolutely no extra space usage on the desk or ergonomic losses, but allows space for real cooling and therefore a powerful GPU, easy access to HD and all the innards via removable back panel, VESA mount standard, etc. Also make headphone and some other ports face the side, instead of the ergonomic awfulness of having them sticking out the back on a curved surface with no touch index.
Lowest for me on average is 110 wpm and my peak was 185wpm in German, which requires a bit more the usage of "shift" and also by typing on a Logitech K120 (which is bad). But I am typing since I am born and I grew up playing games, chatting and watching TV and not watching my keyboard. I can also type blind on my smartphone without errors and very fast.
Edit: Also ordered the 21,5" iMacs for my company and they arrived yesterday. Beautiful technic and really lovely. Loving the new keyboard too and we only had to pay 1099€ with AppleCare. It has the new Skylake CPUs (I checked) so it was an awesome deal that we got.
I rather like the previous one apart from it's short battery life. But one size fits all is a daft paradigm for mouse ergonomics, so it's just me getting lucky (in exactly the same way I think the iPhone 6/s is a complete failure there).
Seeing as people are winning international typing competitions at around 161WPM, i'm a little doubtful of this claim.
eot
Banned
I have a mechanical keyboard (Filco) but I think Apple's old scissors keyboards were totally fine. Much better than laptop keyboards and more comfortable than generic rubber dome office keyboards.
I'm curious what ya'll are doing that requires so much WPM? I've never tested mine, which probably means it isn't super high, but even when I wrote say my master's thesis I was in no way limited by my ability to get the words into the computer. Knowing what to write is the hard part. Also, I personally find that I'm slightly more prone to errors on my mechanical keyboard even though I like the feel of pressing the keys.
I'm curious what ya'll are doing that requires so much WPM? I've never tested mine, which probably means it isn't super high, but even when I wrote say my master's thesis I was in no way limited by my ability to get the words into the computer. Knowing what to write is the hard part. Also, I personally find that I'm slightly more prone to errors on my mechanical keyboard even though I like the feel of pressing the keys.
Just replaced my 2014 Retina w/ the 2015, the new trackpad takes some getting used to with the different feedback compared to the old trackpad.
Why would you replace a desktop yearly? :/
ThoseDeafMutes
Member
Not a matter of "needing" ultra fast speeds, but when you're accustomed to typing quickly then have to put up with a crummy shallow kb that significantly reduces your speeds, it feels like typing with a straight jacket on. Well no that's an exaggeration, thats what typing on a phone kb is like, but it's still not great.
If only.
Unfortunately Ive's promotion makes that impossible. His fanaticism has worn thin on me, I wish he wasn't at Apple anymore as I don't think he's a good designer. Someone with talent should be able to make an aesthetically pleasing computer that doesn't get a 1/10 for repairability on iFixit. His ultimate goal is to only make computers that are as sealed in and as disposable as iPhones even on desktops where the space and weight savings are completely meaningless.
Pretty much my reaction.
First the idiotic charging solution for the iPad Pro Pen, now this. Who the fuck designed this shit? Or is this some cunning way to get more money for an awkward-looking charging dock?
I thought Apple had given up on docks.
Again, I don't see an issue at all with the pencil. Never take a charger, 15 seconds of charge gives you 90 minutes of usage. That beats every other solution I can think of.
Maybe they'll make a tiny lightning/lighning adapter cable for people who like to carry extra cables to charge their gear.
ftfy
You're not being very imaginative then. That cap is going to get lost and having a lightning connector on the end means there isn't an eraser. Microsoft's implementation is better.
oneils
Member
Are you sure it's an apple strategy and not just a strong American dollar? Here in Canada, Apple products are more expensive now due to the exchange rate.
The previous versions of both the trackpad and keyboard sell at 70€, so yes, they're out of their minds.
So I just got back from my local Apple store to test the new keyboard out, and man...what a disappointment. I don't understand why Apple cut down the key travel in half, surely they could make the butterfly switches taller?
It feels like an odd compromise between the original magic keyboard and the new macbook's super shallow keyboard. I even brought my old magic keyboard to the store to compare the two, and it's literally night and day. The old one feels so much better to type on.
It feels like an odd compromise between the original magic keyboard and the new macbook's super shallow keyboard. I even brought my old magic keyboard to the store to compare the two, and it's literally night and day. The old one feels so much better to type on.
Just replaced my 2014 Retina w/ the 2015, the new trackpad takes some getting used to with the different feedback compared to the old trackpad.
Looks great! Sadly mine got delayed a week even though I ordered hours after it went live
Just got demo units at my store and played with them today. And God damn they are amazing. Love the new trackpad and keyboard. Can type so much faster than the old ones, mind you I use a mechanical keyboard at home, and it feels great to type on. The trackpad is very nice and feels good as your fingers do its finger things on them. If I had the money I would take the new one over the old one any day, but imo not worth $120 yet.
As for the charging port being under the mouse, it's a non issue. 15 min of charge gives you 8+ hours of battery life. Battery life is apparently supposed to last up to three months on a whole charge.
As for the charging port being under the mouse, it's a non issue. 15 min of charge gives you 8+ hours of battery life. Battery life is apparently supposed to last up to three months on a whole charge.
TheChewyWaffles
Member
I need a backspace key for programming on the Mac. Still not comfortable without it.
I think the mouse was deliberately designed to have the charge port on the bottom to actively discourage use as a wired device.
Apple obsess over little details, and can you imagine using the mouse with a cable that is designed to be reinforced so as not to break? the amount of give and tension in a lightning cable would not be suitable for mousing. Not to mention enough people complain about the fragility of those cables at the stress relief points. Mousing every day would not treat them well. It would be a bad experience.
Apple obsess over little details, and can you imagine using the mouse with a cable that is designed to be reinforced so as not to break? the amount of give and tension in a lightning cable would not be suitable for mousing. Not to mention enough people complain about the fragility of those cables at the stress relief points. Mousing every day would not treat them well. It would be a bad experience.
BlastProcessing
Member
It's a philosophical difference. Microsoft prioritizes battery life, to accomplish this the pen polls at a lower rate. The Apple pen polls at a much higher rate. Higher than the nicest Cintiq I believe. This uses more battery and necessitates recharging. If you're stokes lagging behind your pen doesn't bother you, Microsoft's solution is great. If you prioritize low latency in your drawing Apple's solution is great.
Lord Error
Insane For Sony
Do the keys on the new keyboard have more travel than the keys on the new MacBook? I really didn't like the keyboard on MacBook, I thought it was almost a parody of a keyboard with how much I couldn't tell that I'm even pressing anything, if I try to type faster.
Also, just noticed on the new keyboard - the arrow keys can die in fire. I absolutely loath when the left/right keys are full size but up/down are half size. It ruins a tactile feedback of navigating the arrow keys completely.
Not to tell you what you should or shouldn't do with your setup, but you can attach a external monitor to MacBook Pro, keep the external monitor on the left side, MBP on the right, use MBP trackpad instead of mouse, and external keyboard sitting in front of the big, external monitor. I do that, and it's far better for productivity than a single monitor setup. Bonus: whenever I have to do anything on the secondary monitor (MBP screen), the 2nd keyboard is right there on it, so I never have to twist my head one way while I type on the other side.
I thought this setup was going to be weird, but it's honestly working really well for me.
Not sure what you mean - every keyboard has a backpace key, Apple's are just labeled "delete".
I tried out the new keyboard at a apple store yesterday. also compares directly to the 12"macbook. the new keyboard has noticeably more travel than the macbook. maybe an extra mm or so?
It has less travel than the old mac keyboard but the key depression is more uniform due to the change to butterfly switches. its somewhere in between the macbook and the old chiclet keyboard in terms of travel
I liked the keyboard and i think it feels good. but keep in mind that I like the 12 macbook keyboard too. I do prefer this new keyboard to the macbook one.
freenudemacusers
Member
Why have an eraser nub when the software can shift your pencil tip into a high polling tilt-capable one?
It has more travel. The keys are a little taller than the MacBook allowing this. You just got to play with it a little and you will get used to it. Then you can never go back.
Valkyr Junkie
Member
Anyone get a new iMac yet with both the new mouse and trackpad? I'm wondering how many Lightning cables come in the box with that combo.
The iMac only comes with one. If you buy a sperate trackpad it will come with one itself.
Yeah, I was wondering about this. Wacom pens have erasers, but I don't think anyone actually uses them. They're just a bulletpoint for marketing, imo. Far easier to press "E" than to flip your stylus over.
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