Customer Reviews

Matias Products Tactile Pro USB Keyboard for Mac

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I used an Apple Extended keyboard for years, and never thought I'd see anything like it again - and then I bought this keyboard. It's really wonderful - my typing is more accurate with it, and the inclusion of optional characters on the key caps is so helpful that I'm amazed no one's done it before. The company is also terrific. The first one I bought had two malfunctioning switches (which is rare based on all I've read), and they bent over backwards to make sure my replacement one worked. I'm strongly considering buying a second one so I can have one both at the office and at home - I'm completely sold on this. If you do a great deal of typing, do yourself a favor and get this keyboard!

This is a great keyboard, the keys click like the old style computer keyboards. My girlfriend and I made a lot of typos on our standard apple keyboard because it was mushy and you never knew if you hit a key.

However, everytime I log out the keyboard assisstant comes up. I emailed tech support for matias, they responded it will appear once and you'll be done, I emailed back a month ago no, it comes up everytime, they have never responded. I can't find any info to help me on this online. It's annoying, but I'm keeping the keyboard because I can't type on the apple and this thing was expensive. I'm just hoping this problem doesn't last forever.

[Update] OSX update or something took away the keyboard assistant, no thanks to matias who never responded to me. However, I went to take off the top to clean, because underneath the strange clear plastic on top, dirt accumulates. Well, the cheap plastic tabs broke off, and the USB ports won't go back in place. 100 dollar matias now sitting on floor as I type on my apple OEM keyboard. Would change to 2 stars because you can't take care of it.

This is a great keyboard and is actually fun to type on. It's quite clicky, just how I like my keyboards. Be aware that it's a bit noisy to type on so if you are in an office or home situation, you could possibly annoy those around you with the sounds of your typing on this keyboard.

Also, I am dissappointed that the lettering on the keys seems not very sturdy. After just about a year, my Tactile Pro lettering is wearing off a little on certain often used keys. While this is a minor issue, it's an issue nevertheless. I've not had lettering on any other keyboards wear off to this extent.

The Tactile Pro has a great feel and after typing on it, there's no going back to a regular keyboard. But I wish it was a bit sturdier in terms of the lastibility of the lettering on the keys.

I purchased the MTP Keyboard recently on the impression that I would be getting a Quality Keyboard worth $149. My purchase was based on that it was going to have a "New" Optimize Key on the keyboard that would allow you to assign certain functions to the keyboard like cut and paste to half the keyboard... it was a cool option. But after my order without emailing or telling its pre-orders Matias decided to scrap this option. It was still being advertised on its website... plus the keys were a new design and not the Alps Keys. To Top this off the Website also pictured the F13,F14,F15 Keys as having Lights on them.... they were mysteriously missing from the keyboard I had received.

Also The MTP HAS 2 (Two) USB CABLES hardwired to the left side of keyboard?! One of the reasons I Purchased it was I thought it was a USB 2 Hub.... (Matias still advertises this as a 2 port hub I only saw one port. Matias should change its description to it proper function - USB 2 Extender)... its 1 (ONE) usb 2 port has to be plugged into a second USB port... on a powerbook or MacBook pro this takes up every port and being a mobile user I cant see myself plugging in both every time... so a hub is still a must for the laptop user.

My Review before returning it.

The overall feel of the keyboard is cheap (the plastic just not quality I would expect) and the keyboard risers would probably break if any weight was put on the keyboard. Each Key wiggles slightly before you depress it. It does not have the tight feel of a quality keyboard. The angle of the Keyboard is also weird as well... it sits too high and you can't rest your wrists on your work surface and type without bending your hands up until its very uncomfortable.

I was hoping for more and at $149 you should expect it. The misrepresentations of the MTP on Matias's website were unforgivable. (Note as of this writing it looks as if Matias has updated the website to show the current model's picture)

After 1 second of use this became my favorite keyboard of all time. The keys have just the right amount of travel and tension. If you do a lot of text processing (e.g. programming) it is perfect. The CONTROL, and OPTION keys are IMO perfectly placed for use with such as EMACS.

It did arrive with 2 stuck keys but I was able to fix them. If this happens to you, go to the Matias website, there is a procedure there to fix it.

Only 1 warning: you better believe everybody who tells you this keyboard is loud. It is L-O-U-D. It is hilariously loud. You will not be able to use it in the same room with other entertainment devices such as televisions or CD players. Well, you can, obviously, but you will not be the most popular person in the room if you do.

I've wanted one of these since they were released. I got one for Christmas and have been very pleased with it. The keyboard that came with my 6-year-old G4 was starting to feel mushy and worn out. This one is anything but! It's the best keyboard I've used since the original, upgraded, heavy-duty Apple one from the 80's. I can type much faster than on a standard Apple keyboard, with improved accuracy to boot.

The only drawback is that it IS really noisy when you're typing quickly, so late-night typing is probably out of the question unless you have a dedicated office. Also, it'd probably annoy your co-workers if you brought one into the office.

It has the dedicated volume and media eject keys of all current Apple keyboards. And a power button. On the keyboard! On older Macs the button can be used to start up and shut down the computer, but recent ones lack the circuitry to power up from a keyboard signal. Still, you can summon the sleep/shut down dialog with the power button.

Another bonus is that -- apparently -- it's easy to take apart and clean out random crud that gets in there, unlike the Apple keyboards.

If you're an old-school Mac nerd you will love one of these. Get it.

In the July of 2006, my Apple Pro keyboard finally gave up the ghost after 5 years of faithful service. I needed a new keyboard. The current-line of Apple keyboards are decent, but I'm not a big fan of the little "trays" on the keyboard on either side of the arrow keys which seem to just collect dirt and junk.

Remembering my fond memories of pounding on those high-key keyboards that the Macs had during my high school days, I began my search for a new keyboard. I ended up getting a Macally iKeySlim keyboard. The description and price looked good, but the feel of this keyboard was HORRIBLE. I was often missing letters while typing, which caused many typos and forced me to type even harder, even though the key action was relatively low. This was intolerable. And to top it all off, even though the iKeySlim has a power key on it, it couldn't start up older Macs. But the typing quality and feel of this keyboard just was not up to snuff, so I was off to find another keyboard.

After reading about the Matias Tactile Pro, it appeared to have everything I was looking for. It had two USB ports. It had a power button (which does start up older Macs). It has the volume and eject keys, in the same place as the Apple Pro keyboards. It looks great. And even by just looking at screen shots, the quality of the keyboard looked wonderful and solid. I didn't just want one. I NEEDED one.

After much searching for several months, I was finally able to secure a refurbished Tactile Pro keyboard.

I've had the Tactile Pro keyboard for several months, and I am immensely pleased with this keyboard. Everything I hoped for is there. The quality and feel are excellent. I have not experienced any technical glitches with this keyboard at all. This is very likely the best keyboard I've ever used. The power button even starts up my old PowerMac G4.

As other people have mentioned, this keyboard is pretty noisy in comparison to most other keyboards. It's not real loud, but it's loud enough to be annoying to people nearby. When I tried it out at work one day, someone asked if I had a speaker on my keyboard. No, the keys just click and echo fairly loudly. But that is likely the price to pay for such a wonderful feel.

As long as the Tactile 2 has the same quality as my keyboard, I would highly recommend getting one. Yes, it is pricey to pay $150 USD, but I would say it is entirely worth it, especially if you do a lot of typing. I would just recommend having your own office if you have one at work.

The Tactile Pro keyboard is a great keyboard. I just love the feel of it and it's durability. I also like the simple fact that it has all the mac special keys, such as the volume controls keys and the CD eject.

On the minus side, which I noticed in another review, there is one big downside to this keyboard. I've had mine two years now, and just realized that the letters and symbols are wearing off on the left side of my keyboard. I have about 12 keys now that have partial or no symbols on them anymore, and a few were the letters are starting to come off too.
The symbols on the keyboard is one of the main reasons I bought this thing. I was going to replace this keyboard (I lost my receipt, thus no warranty), but am steering away from this, as I don't want another keyboard that the lettering comes off after time. I have 'never' seen a keyboard that has done this in over 20+ years!!! :(

05/05/06 update: Matias replaced my keyboard with a brand new one - no questions asked (besides proof of purchase). I would rate this a 'four' now because of the great online support, but still will not give this thing a '5' due to the 'rubbing off' issue.

High quality. Nice feel to the keys. I like the feel alot. It's like an old school keyboard.

On the downside, this keyboard is loud, loud, loud. The keys aren't really the bad part. What is annoying is that there is a 'ringing echo' after each key is hit, and I personally find that really annoying.

Also on the downside, the plastic elevator feet at the back of the board feel cheap. The keyboard is rock solid laying flat, but feels plasticy when the feet are used to raise the angle.

6 MONTH UPDATE:

I have grown to LOVE this keyboard. I don't notice the noise anymore. The only competitive keyboard that comes close in feel is the Das Keyboard, and while i like its Darth Vader look, the keys are blank, no lettering or numbers and I can't get over that. Occasionally, I am forced to use another keyboard and I find myself longing for my beloved Tactile Pro. I would buy a second for backup, but there are none available at the time I'm writing this.

I still think the angled feet are bit cheap feeling, but honestly, I don't notice that when using the keyboard. My biggest complaint at this moment is that there is no 'Print Screen' button (I use the Tactile Pro with my PC) and that is annoying. And, no, just pressing the F14 button does NOT do the same thing, for some reason.

I would certainly upgrade my rating to 4 stars, if I could.

Would give it 5 stars if it didn't disconnect spontaneously now and again on a Mac; built like a keyboard should be, but not good if the noise is going to disturb someone.