Customer Reviews

Apple Wireless Keyboard (Retail Packaging) MC184LL/A [OLD VERSION]

5 star:		(185)
4 star:		(51)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

I recently purchased an iPad and it became pretty clear that if I wanted to use it for "intense" data entry, I would need a dedicated keyboard. I looked at the keyboard dock that the iPad plugs into, but it didn't really appeal to me--I don't necessarily want the iPad to be sitting up like that, or have to be sitting on a flat surface so that it doesn't fall over. I also liked that since this is a bluetooth keyboard, I can technically use it anywhere--with all my other computers, my media computer, etc.

When I first handled the keyboard, I was amazed at just how light this thing is. It barely feels like anything at all. But what is most impressive is that despite its light weight, it does not feel flimsy or weak at all. Trying to bend it with two hands does nothing--it is incredibly sturdy and solidly built.

Its size is also a huge plus--especially since I am looking at using this primarily on the go. It is about as small as a keyboard can be, without making the keys uncomfortably small. If you've ever typed on a MacBook Pro recently (the "chicklet" keys), it feels pretty much like that. Within minutes, I was finding it very easy to type without errors. (In fact, this review is being typed using the keyboard!)

The price could be lower, but honestly, I am very pleased with the feel of this keyboard and the ease of which it was to set up and begin using immediately. It doesn't feel like something you're worried about throwing into a bag and having it snap or crack, or keys pop off, etc.

Finally, if you are planning on buying this to use with an iPad, it works great with it. A lot of the "mac specific" keys work here too--the volume keys, brightness (which works across all apps, which is an added bonus), and of course the music controls work as well.

I love Apple products, but must run a Windows 7 system for professional reasons. I greatly envied my daughter's Apple keyboard, and a Bing search indicated that the Apple keyboard would work fine with Windows. Well, it does. There are a few Windows specific keys missing, and a few Mac specific keys that don't do much on this keykboard, but really all the keys that almost all Windows users will want are right here. The keyboard installed on my desktop Windows machine in seconds as a Bluetooth device, and works flawlessly. I had no setup issues whatever. None.

The keyboard itself is a beautiful, minimalist device, but nonetheless constitutes a full-sized keyboard, albeit without the numeric pad. Despite the fact that I am a power touch typist, I have never once used the numeric pad on any keyboard, so I appreciate the notion of giving up the numeric pad in exchange for having a smaller device on the desktop. Not everyone will agree, of course. Also missing are the delete key and the printscreen key. I admit that I miss the delete key, but the destructive backspace key is an adequate substitute.

The keyboard seems to be just the right size for my hands (I am not a big guy) and although it is not one of the curved "ergonomic" keyboards, I find myself quite comfortable typing continuously with this keyboard. The keys themselves have a nice solid feel; most typists will like the feel of these keys.

I like the fact that this keyboard uses readily-available AA batteries. It shuts off when not in use, and springs to life instantly upon the touch of a key. Very good design.

Highly recommended for anyone who does not mind eschewing the numeric keypad, the delete key and printscreen. RJB.

I love this keyboard. I've been using it since it came out (thanks amazon for having pre-orders!).

I didn't want to get the previous version (I was hoping they would give us a keyboard with the number pad, but I finally gave in and grabbed this one).

They say it will last about 9 months (battery life). I hope it does and I can't wait to test that out fully (I will keep coming back to comment).

My situation:

I'm using this bluetooth keyboard with my macbook pro connected to my LCD tv.

I'm sitting on my couch, with the keyboard on my lap (actually the keyboard box is on my lap, the keyboard sitting on top of it (slight elevation).

I've used it since it came out and I have no regrets. The keys have a nice touch to them (sort of a textured feel that just feels good on the fingers) and it's very easy to get your work done.

I keep the box on my lap and keyboard on top of the box.

This serves 2 functions:

Slight elevation (better for the wrists) and when I'm done I can put the keyboard back inside the case (thus keeping dust to a minimum).

Pros:

Nicely designed keyboard with just the right amount of space between the keys (if you used the new thin keyboard from apple, you will fit right in, if you have used any of their laptops, the same applies).

Pairing takes a few seconds (very easy), and couldn't be easier.

The keys have a nice textured feel to them, I love having the function keys and this keyboard really is all you need (it took me a while to see the light, don't let that happen to you, less really is more).

9 month battery life (I can't attest to this right now, but I can say I've had no problems thus far)

Box makes a nice case, and a makshift desk for your living room.

Cons:

No full sized option (though I do like the smaller size and would not want to go back now)

Not as nice as the keyboards on the key laptops (I was really hoping the new keys would be like the ones on the new macbook pros (which I have and love the keyboard), but these are the same keys as from the previous keyboard. (Not really a bad thing, nor a con, but thought I'd bring it up).

Bottom Line?

Couldn't be happier, I highly recommend checking out this keyboard and making it a part of your home. Just be sure to keep your box, it's a nice "case" and "desk". ;)

I picked up this keyboard for my iPad - not that the onscreen one was a problem, this one lets you type easier with the iPad in a stand or when typing long messages which might otherwise be difficult (or time consuming) on the onscreen keyboard.

Out of the box, the thing is ready to go. Batteries (2x AA) are built in and all you have to do is go into the iPad settings, turn on Bluetooth, turn on the keyboard (hold the POWER button on the right side for 2 seconds until the green light up top comes on, and then sync the two (syncing is done by pressing a random 6-digit set of numbers (shown on the iPad screen) on the keyboard).

The keyboard itself is very nice and matches the iPads silver frame. The length is about 2" wider than the iPad (in landscape mode. About 4" wider in portrait mode). Weight is less than the iPad itself, and height (at it's thickest point) is about 1 inch (at it's thinnest - the bottom of the keyboard - it's about 1/4"). This is much easier to travel with than the Keyboard Dock for iPad (it also allows more control as you're not forced to use it in the docked-position (the keyboard can move freely).

Unfortunately, unlike the iPad Keyboard Dock, which has special iPad buttons (like LOCK and Photoframe), this is designed for a mac, so you have keys like EJECT which don't work on the iPad. Fortunately, the Play, Pause, Brightness and Sound keys do work. You can also use familiar keyboard shortcuts like CTRL+A to select all, CTRL+C to copy and CTRL+V to paste. The keyboard does NOT have a numerical pad (only the row across the top of the letters), but I prefer this to having the keyboard be 4-5" longer.

A suggested setup is to put the iPad in the A-frame for Ipad as a stand, and use the keyboard at the most convenient angle. This also allows you to set the iPad aside for easy browsing.

I can't comment on battery life as mine is still on the initial set. Fortunately AA's are easier to find, and I prefer that they did this over a lithium battery (which would need to be re-charged (something not always easy when traveling) or a single AAA which wouldn't last nearly as long). Even with the AA's the weight is very light.

This works great when thrown into a bag - the A-Frame, iPad and Apple Keyboard don't weigh much together and are all roughly the same size.

Overall a very nice product. My only complaint would be that it's not designed FOR the iPad (hence the odd keys like Eject), but is being sold/advertised for it. Since it doesn't come cheap, it would be nice if they went back and actually updated those odd keys for the iPad (or gave an option to re-map them within the iPad OS).

One other note is that when on, the onscreen keyboard does not display. To bring it back, simply turn off the keyboard (hold power for 2 seconds) and the iPad will return to its onscreen display.

If you will not be using it for a while (and are not using other Bluetooth items) you may want to disable bluetooth when done so as not to drain the battery faster.

After using it for a little while, my big complaint is that (in a bag) it can easily turn itself on and wake up the iPad with any touch. The power button is easily activated apparently (a lock of some sort would have been great), and any key press will turn the iPad on (unlocked, not just take it to the slide-to-unlock page). In a bag this can go un-noticed for a while, and easily drain the batteries on the iPad.

First - - I'm a PC guy, and I hate to like ANYTHING MAC. But in this case, the Apple Bluetooth Keyboard is the one to beat for iPad or iPhone.
First - it's one of the few mini-style keyboards with SHIFT KEYS on BOTH SIDES!! Trying to type with a single shift key is like trying to pick your nose with your ELBOW!
This one is light weight and rugged.
Apple has fixed the interface so that when you start typing, everything goes right into the input space. Several other Kbd interfaces pop up the on-screen interface and ignore the first few keypresses until the device figures out that you want it to accept the keyboard input.
You don't just have to use this with Apple devices - you CAN pair it with ANY BT-enabled device you have.
My wife is extremely pleased with the iPad in the kitchen. It boots up in seconds, is light weight, great speed with our home WiFi link to the net, great for working recipes, and for playing Doodle Jump. Her laptop never leaves the office any more - the iPad and THIS Kbd fit the bill perfectly.
And I just HATE that.
Highly <grimace> recommended.

I really like this keyboard, but found that my Ipad kept coming on by itself in my briefcase, ending up discharged later on. Finally I realized what was happening. The keyboard was turning on the IPad. If any key is depressed inadvertently when the keyboard is loose in a case or briefcase, it will "wake up" the Ipad. So you have to remove the batteries on the keypad when transporting it in a case. Either that or disable bluetooth on the iPAD.

The second flaw is that when you turn bluetooth on and tell the on-screen keyboard to go away, the on-screen keyboard won't come back even if you're not using the external keyboard (even if it's turned off). It's a pain to go into the setup to turn off bluetooth ever time you stop using the external keyboard, but that's the way it is (unless someone can tell me a "fix").

I had one of these keyboards and it was ok for using when on the road with a portable device. The keys weren't a great feel and it's small and cramped but better than using a touch screen to type with. However, and this is a very very big issue, the batteries get stuck inside the barrel where you put them. Unfortunately for me, I didn't notice this until the keyboard was over a year old as I hadn't used it very much but absolutely nothing would induce those batteries to come out of there. The opening is extremely tight so unless you got lucky and your batteries are a little slimmer than mine were (just standard Duracells), you're going to find that they won't come out. At all. Everything was tried but nothing worked. You can't push them through from the other side because of course there's no opening. You can't shake them out, they're in there too snug. So if you bought one of these already, I suggest you try to remove the batteries before your warranty is up or you're going to be left with a paperweight.

I bought this keyboard for the iPad 16gb wi-fi, it works perfectly, it uses bluetooth technology to connect to iPads, Macs and Pcs.
it is much easyer than using the keyboard on the iPads screen. It keyboard is VERY thin!!, it;s about a centimeter thick (Not counting the keys hight on top). It has arrow keys so you can go to the letter you want to fix and fix it (You couldn't do that to easily on the iPad). It has function keys, such as: Birghtness, Pause Rewind and Fast foward puttons for music and probally movies (I haven't tryed movies on it yet), it has volume keys mute low and high, and it has a button that on the ipad when you are typing and the ipad keyboard isn't there, press the button that looks like a eject button and the screen keyboard should slide up from the bottom. It is completely wireless, all you have to do is:
For iPad:
Turn on the iPad
Go to settings
Go to general
Tap blue tooth
Slide from off - on (It should now start looking for devices)
Then on the keyboard, press the on button (On the right) (You must 2 AA batters in the battery capartment on the left side, this keyboard should come with batterys included)
The iPad should say, Key board, on the screen
Tap on keyboard on the iPad screen

For iPads with bluetooth already turned on:
Turn on the iPad
Go to settings
Go to general
Tap bluetooth
It should start searching for the key board
While it is searching, turn on the keyboard (Using the button on the right) (The keyboard must have 2 AA batteries in the battery canpartment on the left side)
The iPad should find the keyboard
Tap keyboard

I recomend both the iPad and the keyboard to anyone

Thank you for reeding, hope it helps, Have a nice day!!

I'm using my mom's account :)

I decided to buy this keyboard primarily for use with my iPad. I found out by looking around and by reading other Amazon reviews that it pairs up nicely with it, and I wanted to have a "real" keyboard that I could use when I needed to type longer on the iPad. The keyboard was immediately discoverable via the bluetooth connection, and pairing-up just took a few moments. The keyboard's small size is ideal for a portable keyboard that you can take with you on the road. I was initially a bit concerned about its ergonomics, but it turns out that it is as easy, if not easier, on your hands and wrists than any regular laptop keyboard. The typing action of the keys is also really good, and I enjoy the tactile feel of it. The lack of numerical keypad is not an issue with me as I rarely use it. The keyboard runs on AA batteries, which I really like because it makes it easy to replace them when they run out. This also obviates any need for a charging station or power cord - I already have way too many of these as is and would not want to have to worry about yet another one. The keyboard looks very stylish and elegant, and it's one of the best designed ones that I have come across. I have also managed to pair it up with my Mac Mini, and if your work-desk area tends to get cluttered this keyboard would be a good choice to consider. If you do end up using it with an iPad however, remember to turn it off after you are done using it. Otherwise, they virtual keyboard will not appear on the iPad's screen as long as you are in the range of the bluetooth, which in my case happens to be almost all of the house.

Overall, this is one of my favorite peripherals, and I really like every aspect of it. In this case the high Apple premium for their products was definitely worth it.

I bought this keyboard after using the Ipad for about two weeks. The Ipad has been absolutely great for reading web sites, emails, watching videos, etc. However, I found that when I needed to respond to an email, or some other task that required a fair amount of typing, the glass keyboard on the Ipad got old pretty quickly. This wireless keyboard is a cinch to pair up to the Ipad, and once connected it's as if I'm on a fully functional laptop and can type away at normal speed and respond to emails or other keystroke intensive tasks just as easily as if I was working on my traditional laptop. The keyboard is incredibly small and compact and yet is an absolute pleasure to type on. I will likely leave this in my car so that when I'm on the road and find the need to do extensive typing, I will have it easily accessible to pair to my Ipad. The keyboard is only about two inches larger than the Ipad and should easily fit in a small bag, making it highly portable, I highly recommend this if you find yourself typing a fair amount on the Ipad and getting tired of the hunt and peck nature of typing on a glass surface.