[Secret Vampire]

Hey

Any of you that frequent the PowerMac forum may have read my post asking about the relative merits of dual and single G4s, anyway, after much trouble with online ordering which didn't work I called the store and was told that though the dual 450 was gone they were expecting a dual 500 at the end of the week, which they do indeed now have, same price as the 450 too, nice...

The snag, it has no keyboard or mouse.

My plan was always to use my MS Intellimouse Explorer, since it's lasted 2 1/2 years so far and I've grown very used to it, at least I'm going to use it till I buy a coedless equivalent...

But I need a keyboard, The Apple pro would be easy to get when I order OSX from the apple store, and education pricing (I'm a student) makes it only mildly expensive. but I don't know if it's the kind of thing I'd like or not, the Apple keyboards I've used in the past have been somewhat variable, a friends AppleDesign keyboard has a fairly nice action, but my slightly older one is horribly mushy, and offers very poor feedback, I won't even discuss the one on my powerbook 5300...

I like clacky keys, I'm typing this on a 16 year old IBM keyboard, the clackiest of them all (and some would say the best PC keyboard ever made), however using it with a G4 isn't really an option so I'll have to live with something else.

Suggestions please, what's the feedback like on the pro keyboard, or would I be better off going with a third party model like the Macsense UKB 600 (apparently it clacks)?

[Mac Zealot]

No, the pro keyboard doesn't go CLACK CLACK it goes tapit tapit.

It's still very loud but it's soft. It's hard to say but they hardly take any pressure at all.

The one thing is the keys are lower and less apart from each other.

They do make some USB keyboards that are exactly like the good ole' IBM
http://shop.store.yahoo.com/aiyamicro/usb-2ps2.html

Apparantely that gives you pS/2 ports on any USB system (including macs), and of course:
http://shop.store.yahoo.com/4evercol...72win107k.html

That apparantely has the clikidy clackity sound you want:
http://r5.us.rmi.yahoo.com/rmi/http:...key=0000153204

That looks exactly like the good ole USB clacker to me.

It will never be the same but can be very close. If you want that real springy feeling:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=2014705883

I used those all the time before, actually had a look-alike.. All I can say is (in stutering voice)

ohhhhh mamammaa

[Mac Zealot]

Raise the ante!! THis is better than all of those!!!!
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=2015849798

I think I'm in love

[EmAn]

The white Pro Keyboard is better to type on than the black, so you might wanna give it a try.

[Secret Vampire]

Grrr.

I was all ready to order myself a copy of OSX and a pro keyboard off apples store when I find two things.
1. Apple don't take switch, I have a visa, but it's balance currently won't stretch to X and a keyboard..
2. The visa is registered at my parents address, I want it delivered to mine, Apple won't do that without prior agreement in writing.

So I've got a copy of X going to my parents, which they can forward to me at their expense and a visit to a computer fair (tomorrow?) or a trip to some shop to buy an adaptor, or cheap ass generic keyboard.

Apple really suck

[fulmer]

Originally posted by Secret Vampire:
<STRONG>Grrr.

I was all ready to order myself a copy of OSX and a pro keyboard off apples store when I find two things.
1. Apple don't take switch, I have a visa, but it's balance currently won't stretch to X and a keyboard..
2. The visa is registered at my parents address, I want it delivered to mine, Apple won't do that without prior agreement in writing.

So I've got a copy of X going to my parents, which they can forward to me at their expense and a visit to a computer fair (tomorrow?) or a trip to some shop to buy an adaptor, or cheap ass generic keyboard.

Apple really suck </STRONG>

Apple's edu store routinely ships to my university address. Billing address is 2 states away b/c it is the parents' cc. Did you do this over the phone or on the web? the web asks no questions.

[Red Wolf]

Look around for some MacAlley keyboards. They make the nice, big extended USB keyboards with Apple's now abandoned power button on the upper right of the keyboard. You can even get a graphite color so it'll match your new G4 nicely. They sell new for around $40 but you can sometimes find them even cheaper.

[Cellery]

I ditched my Apple Pro Keyboard and bought a Microsoft Internet Keyboard for $9.99. The keys have great feedback and a "crisp" feeling that the APK doesn't have. I think there's even OS X drivers out for it now.

[ 04-16-2002: Message edited by: Cellery ]

[Secret Vampire]

Woo, the G4 arrived today, it contains a DVD-RAM, which was unexpected but nice

Anyhow, the other nights computer fair was quite poor for USB stuff (is it just me, or is there a huge resistance to change in the PC world?) I found 2 keyboards, one was very tacky, the other which I bought, was a gateway one, reasonable action, and it has 2 usb ports, solving the immediate problem of "where am I going to plug all my stuff into" the keycaps are all wrong, because Apples UK layout isn't a real UK layout, and it doesn't have a hash character (how exactly does one join an IRC channel?)

It's all pretty cool, I got the Logitech cordledss optical mouse, it was cheaper than I expected, and the multiple buttons actuallly work with the drivers. The built in modem's at least as good as my 3Com one, I was worried that it may not have been the case.

But disaster struck, My printer, an Epson Stylus Color 480 SXU doesn't seem to be supported, I'm not too distressed since my experience with it in Linux leaves me with few kind words to say about it, but I've got 5 unused black cartridges. I think maybe an old network laser would be better, they're nice, but big.

[Secret Vampire]

Originally posted by fulmer:
<STRONG>

Apple's edu store routinely ships to my university address. Billing address is 2 states away b/c it is the parents' cc. Did you do this over the phone or on the web? the web asks no questions. </STRONG>

According to the site, the web store won't process the order unless it's been confirmed, though that could be like the screen that asks for your college/university and city, I've entered rubbish into it more than once, nothing gets checked