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terpfan · Apr 11, 2003, 08:57 AM

I few posters have mentioned that the positioning of the 17" keyboard causes wrist/forearm pain when typing.

For those of you who have had a chance to type on the 17" (AssassyN?), is this a common problem?

I'm concerned because I'd like to use the 17" as a desktop replacement, but I don't want to do (any further) damage to my wrists.

Thanks.

jtbowden · Apr 11, 2003, 04:32 PM

I have not had any pain wahtsoever. In fact, less so than my Pismo and the action/position of the keyboard improves my typing speed by about 10%. just my two cents.

djjava · Apr 11, 2003, 04:56 PM

I too find the keyboard comfortable... more comfortable than the crap i use at work. the most importnat thing i found is that the hieght of the pb is crucial to your comfort. A standard desk should put the PB at a good enough height to minimize discomfort. If you sit on a couch and have the PB on a coffeetable for instance... not exactly comfortble... mouse or trackpad use either.

With a regular office chair and my PB sitting on a regular desk, I am quite comfortable...and I usually experiecne wrist pain (I'm wearing wrist support right now at work), but none with the PB17.... it's my PC's set up that kills me.

nobitacu · Apr 11, 2003, 05:02 PM

I type fine with it too. The only thing I would complain about is the bottom side edges... kind of feels sharp when I'm resting my arms on it while typing... well... not sharp... but you know what I mean. I guess I'll just have to try to get used to this type of feeling while typing.

Ming

jia_zhuang · Apr 11, 2003, 05:03 PM

yeah I've been getting pains in my right wrist and hand cos I use it as a laptop and the edge of the palm rest puts pressure on the bottom of my wrist and I get some pain from that. Its quite uncomfortable. But whe typing from a high angle like sitting on a chair typing it feels much better. I think they should have made the keyboard slightly in the middle as it is quite far to reach. Donno if this will be a constant thing for me. I'm starting to get small spasems in my right hand. I dont think its very healthy.

jtbowden · Apr 11, 2003, 06:33 PM

I avoid the wrists on the corner pain by pushing my powerbook back farther on my desk. This way, my arms take some of the weight on the desk instead of all of it being on my wrists. It lets me type longer than the other way.

jia_zhuang · Apr 12, 2003, 04:11 AM

just think that maybe apple should have done more ergonomics on this thing.

PBAddict · Apr 12, 2003, 03:48 PM

Is the keyboard on the 17 any further back than on the Pismo? The Pismo keyboard position is fine.

legionare · Apr 12, 2003, 04:24 PM

I played with the 17" powerbook at the KoP Apple Store for half an hour. The keyboard is way deeper than the Pismo's. The most uncomfortable aspect for me is the flat touchpad and the touchpad button. I'm used to the perfectly raised touchpad button on my Pismo. With the 17" pb, I found myself constantly misplacing my hand (and making the clicking motion on the palm rest) because there's little height differential between the touchpad, the touchpad button, and the rest of the vast palm rest.

The touchpad is too far away from the keyboard, IMO, which is also a problem with the 15" TiBook, for me anyway.

swsteckly · Apr 12, 2003, 08:22 PM

When it's flat I also gave the 'problem' of the sharp front corners. Using the Podium CoolPad at full height eliminates this, makes general wrist angle more comfortable, and improves cooling.

www.roadtools.com

The coolpad is one of the best purchases I've made. I definitely reccomend it to any laptop owner. www.macsales.com (OWC) also carries it.

Mohammed Al-Sabah · Apr 13, 2003, 10:36 AM

coolpad works fine with the 17?

terpfan · Apr 15, 2003, 09:38 PM

Thanks for all the replies! Sounds like a mixed bag. Something to think about before dropping the $3k

AssassyN · Apr 15, 2003, 09:47 PM

If you're using the 17" PB on your lap, or on any lowered surface (i.e. *not a desk*) then typing on the 17" PB doesn't usually cause pain as your hands are at a downward angle, thus it doesn't put your wrists falling of the notebook's edge at a bad spot.

However, when using your 17" PB on top of your desk, it can cause pain. Why? Just think about if you placed your desktop keyboard on TOP of your desk rather than on the slide-out keyboard drawer that's lower than the desk itself...that would cause pain as well. It's all about *where* the keyboard is in relation to where and how you're sitting. If your 17" PB will be on the desk the majority of the time, you should definitely either get an external keyboard OR purchase a Podium CoolPad that raises the PB up just a bit and slants the keyboard towards the user, making it much more comfortable to type on.

spacedog · Apr 16, 2003, 11:55 AM

typing on it is not an issue whatsoever. you'll just have to take a week or so to get used to it. if you have your hands raised in a correct typing form, there is little to no pressure on your wrists.

regarding the trackpad issues, this, also, simply takes getting used to. the trackpad isn't "too far away" from the keyboard - if it were much closer, you'd be accidentally tracking on it when typing.

010111 · Apr 16, 2003, 01:02 PM

yeah... the edge is kinda sharp and has even cut off circulation in my hands in the first day or so... my 15" never did this. i think it is more a personal-ergonomics issue because after the first day or so i stopped using it like it was a 15" and instead adjusted *myself* and everything is fine now.

kinda like going from a full size desktop keyboard to an ibook keyboard... you only notice the difference for the first 5 minutes or so while you 'adjust'... if that makes sense.

Dougmc · Apr 16, 2003, 02:31 PM

I've had mine for a few weeks now and have done a considerable amount of typing. I haven't had any issues with typing.

In fact, there are worse things that my mom warned me long ago will damage my wrists much sooner. I'm due for an eye examine soon as well.

jsiburt · Apr 16, 2003, 05:00 PM

The only thing I notice is my fingers brush the screen when I am using the "F" keys. This sometimes leaves a mark which is the ONLY complaint I have about the keyboard position. If it were set back towards the trackpad a 1/4 of an inch it would make a difference.

Badger Parade · Apr 17, 2003, 06:52 AM

No problems here, although the return/enter key is far too small for my liking. Also, being used to the trackpad button on my Ibook being right at the edge of the machine I'm taking a while to re-adjust to it's position on the new PB.

That said, I love my new 17" powerbook.

wil

terpfan · Apr 19, 2003, 09:08 PM

Well, my 17" arrived on Friday, 2 weeks early. So, I'm in the strange (by happy) position of answering my own question.

After using it for two days fairly intensively, the keyboard is (IMO) exceedingly comfortable -- and I'm particularly picky about my keyboards and ergonomics. It's much more solid than my iBook and no more (or less) ergonomically troublesome.

At first I was going to say that the keyboard is set back a bit far for comfort, but now I'm not so sure. If it's too far back at all, it's very minor.

Thanks again to all who replied.