[Alpha-sphere]

I'm going to buy a wired Apple keyboard next week plus a BT Apple mouse and i was wondering why people buy the BT Apple keyboard? A mouse without wire is better cause there's no wire that can get in your way but what is the advantage of having a wireless keyboard?

[Macpilot]

Well, I tried both on my buddy's G5. All I can say is that I am not too impressed.

The problem is when the machine goes to sleep, it takes a while, if at all, for the devices to wake up with the computer, so you are sitting there trying to wake the computer with the devices, and it does not work. The computer wakes, and then it takes forever for the devices to be recognized. I can see the use for the BT mouse for a laptop user, but the Keyboard seems silly unless you don't want to use a usb hub and absolutely can't have any wires around. I mean, how far from your Powerbook or iBook screen would you really be sitting with a keyboard on your lap?

My Logitech rf wireless mouse is great. It wakes the Powerbook instantly, and never has issues.

I think those devices should have been rechargeable, like the iPod, and the Mouse should have been at least two buttons, but that is another topic altogether.

[slider]

I bring my laptop to work where I have to us a PC to run PC specific software. The PC also has a keyboard and mouse. When I am switching b/w machines I move the respective keyboards and mice around. The wires proved to be rather intrusive. I got a belkin wireless keyboard mouse combo for the PC and an Apple BT keyboard and Belkin BT mouse for my PB. My PB is not set to sleep unless I have not used it for like two hours, in which case I know to hit a key on my PB to wake it. My PB rests on an iCurve to bring up the height and give me more space on the desk. Other applications of the keyboard are when I have had my PB on my desk at home or on a coffee table with my BT keyboard resting on my legs while I had my feet up on a table. I agree, just to have a BT keyboard to have one is silly, but there are reasons and each person may have a unique one.

[selowitch]

I too was skeptical of the utility of the Apple Wireless Keyboard until I started using it with a TiBook. With the laptop up on an iCurve, being able to move the keyboard to anywhere on my desk without the encumbrance of cables was really nice.

The keyboard itself is really responsive and nice, and if you regularly jump for workspace to workspace, being able to forget about cables is nice.

All in all, I think the Apple Wireless Keyboard is worth it for folks who want to extend the life of their laptop's keyboard (after all, replacing a TiBook keyboard would likely cost more than the $69 for the Apple Wireless Keyboard) or who travel between home and work a lot. I really like it.