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The iMac Channel
iMac's Keyboard: The Missing Keys
2 August 1998 - Dan Knight
There's a lot to like about the iMac: styling, size, price, value, and a willingness to venture into new territory.
- Face it: no Wintel company has completely abandoned their traditional ports to go exclusively USB.
I really like the compact iMac keyboard. By moving the arrow keys over, it's probably 3-4" narrower than Apple's extended keyboard. And by putting half-width F-keys right next to the top row of regular keys, they could save 2" in that direction.
As the owner of a too-small computer table, that's attractive.
But Apple didn't just rearrange keys from the extended keyboard. This morning I noticed that some key are simply missing. (As always, this is based on photographs of prototypes. There is a chance Apple has made changes to the keyboard.)
- As with the PowerBooks and Wintel computers, F-keys are numbered 1 through 12. The Mac has had F13, F14, and F15 since the first extended keyboard shipped in 1987. I've been using F13 as a print key for years, and F15 as a catchall for special macros. (I hope QuicKeys will work with USB keyboards!)
- Help, Home, Page Up, and Page Down remain, but End is gone, as is the [forward] Del key. Again, these are keys I've grown used to. QuicKeys sets Home to bring you to the top of a document, End to bring you to the end. But End is gone.
- The loss of Ctrl and Option keys on the right side of the space bar isn't a big deal, but it may make some key combinations a bit more difficult.
None of these are reasons to dismiss the iMac, which may be
Apple's greatest computing value ever. But for the Mac user used to
these keys, especially the QuicKeys user, their loss will be an
adjustment.
- Dan Knight , webmaster, the iMac channel
Additional resource
- MacAlly has a full-sized 105-key USB keyboard - no missing keys
- Guide to USB Keyboards, MacUSB
Links for the Day
- Mac of the Day: MacBook Core Duo, May 2006. The iBook's replacement has a 13" widescreen display and a 1.83-2.0 GHz Intel Core Duo CPU.
- Group of the Day: StarMax List is for anyone using Motorola StarMax Mac clones.
- Support Low End Mac
Recent Content
- CardBus WiFi, the Shiira Browser, Ridding the Web of Flash, and Macs vs. PCs, Charles W. Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 03.18. Mac longevity, Shiira speed, ambidextrous Mac and Windows use, and how Flash benefits Apple.
- How to Zoom Your Browser for a More Readable Web, Steve Watkins, The Practical Mac, 03.18. Instructions for zooming text and pages in Safari, Firefox, Camino, and Opera.
- How Ad Blocking Hurts Your Favorite Websites, Charles W. Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 03.18. Ad income keeps the Web free. Blocking online ads hurts your favorite websites.
- Taking Apart the 12" PowerBook, John Hatchett, Recycled Computing, 03.17. There are a lot of steps involved in disassembling a 12" PowerBook. Proceed with caution.
- Why I Plan to Stop Using Google Docs, Jason Walsh, Mac Life, 03.16. Jason Walsh continues his search for the perfect word processor and explains why he uses Google Docs - and why he will stop using it.
- Ubiquitous Computing: Tabs, Pads, Books, and Clouds, Adam Rosen, Adam's Apple, 03.16. "Ubiquitous computing names the third wave in computing, just now beginning . . . when technology recedes into the background of our lives."
- More links in our archive.
Recent Deals
- Best Intel iMac Deals, 03.17. Used 17" from $600; 20" from $750; 24" from $825; refurb 21.5" nVidia, $999; new, $1,099; refurb Radeon, $1,299; new, $1,399; refurb 27" 3.06, $1,499; more.
- Best G5 iMac Deals, 03.17. 17" 2.0 GHz, $380; 1.9 GHz iSight, $479 shipped; 20" 1.8 GHz, $509 shipped; 2.1 GHz iSight, $549 shipped.
- Best Time Capsule Deals, 03.17. Close-out 500 GB, $140; new 1 TB, $279; used 2 TB simultaneous dual-band, $400; new, $455. Shipping included.
- Best iPad Deals, 03.16. 16 GB iPad, $499; 32 GB, $599; 64 GB, $699; 16 GB with 3G, $629; 32 GB 3G, $729; 64 GB 3G, $829. Free ground shipping.
- Best iPod classic Deals, 03.12. Used 20 GB, $119; 40 GB, $139; 60 GB, $159; 30 GB video, $129; 60 GB, $159; 80 GB, $169; refurb 120 GB, $189; new, $214; 160 GB, $228 shipped.
- Best G3 iBook and AirPort Card Deals, 03.12. 366 MHz 12" clamshell, $89; 466, $125; 500 white CD, $100; 600, $199; 800 Combo, $239; 14" 900, $225.
- Best Xserve Deals, 03.12. Used 1 GHz dual G4, $499; 2.0 dual G5, $599; 2.3, $749; refurb 2.26 4-core Nehalem, $2,499; new, $2,699; 8-core, $3,449; refurb 2.66, $4,299; new, $4,799; more.
- More deals in our archive.
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