Comments on: How Apple Keyboards Lost a Logo and Windows PCs Gained One

By: Why did Apple take the Apple from the Keyboard - MacTalk Forums

Why did Apple take the Apple from the Keyboard - MacTalk Forums — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 09:13:21 +0000

[...] might want to take a look at this [...]

By: dplynx

dplynx — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 13:13:00 +0000

The context menu key in Windows is to allow operation without a mouse.

With a mouse, you would right-click to open a context menu in Windows. The menu key on Windows keyboards does not compete with control-click.

By: (This Might Interest) Maybe just me » Blog Archive » How Apple Keyboards Lost a Logo and Windows PCs Gained One — RoughlyDrafted Magazine

Sun, 03 Feb 2008 01:47:17 +0000

[...] How Apple Keyboards Lost a Logo and Windows PCs Gained One — RoughlyDrafted Magazine [...]

By: BdeRWest

BdeRWest — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 19:37:15 +0000

“So in a very real sense, the Apple icon on the Command key helps brand Apple’s current line of peripheral keyboards. That alone is reason enough to bring keep it. As far as branding logos goes, all other Apple products have always had a visible logo on them, except their current line of keyboards”

Look branding everything with an Apple is one thing, but do you really think someone is going to confuse the shiny white-and-aluminum keyboard for something other than Apple?

I completely agree with Apple’s decision to use the Apple logo more sparingly. I wish it weren’t on my MacBook Pro’s keyboard.

In fact, I wish my keyboards were like Apple’s foreign-language keyboards. I.e., instead of “ctrl” I would see ^, instead of “alt option” I would see ⌥, instead of “shift” I would see ⇧, instead of “caps lock” I would see ⇪… Much nicer, UHO.

By: Mac128

Mac128 — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 06:55:31 +0000

Here’s something interesting.

1. The Apple key was first used on the Apple ///, Steve Jobs’ first big failure at Apple. Then, he was kicked out of the Apple //e project which re-used the Apple key and then, out of the Lisa project which also used the Apple key. In fact, by contrast, the Lisa had Apples all over its menus. Then Jobs set the Macintosh team against the rest of Apple. So it’s no surprise he wanted to distance himself from the Apple key and related implementation.

2. Since the introduction of the Apple key on the Apple ///, every stand-alone Apple keyboard has had the Apple/Command key until 2007 (including the Newton keyboard). Except two: the original Macintosh keyboard and the Macintosh Plus keyboard, which instead used the propeller icon. Of those, only the Plus keyboard did not include an Apple logo on the face of the keyboard (there wasn’t room). Every other keyboard Apple built included a logo as well as the Apple key until 2007. Like the Mac Plus keyboard, the new Aluminum keyboards have no Apple logos on their face AND they dropped the Apple from the Command key, essentially dropping any identifiable marks branding the new keyboard as manufactured by Apple. Only the propeller icon ties it to the Mac and that’s a generic icon. So in a very real sense, the Apple icon on the Command key helps brand Apple’s current line of peripheral keyboards. That alone is reason enough to bring keep it. As far as branding logos goes, all other Apple products have always had a visible logo on them, except their current line of keyboards … oh and the Mac Plus keyboard.

3. Steve Jobs still needing to distance himself from the Apple key after 28 years … priceless!

By: bzzlink

bzzlink — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 11:31:44 +0000

First of all thanks for an enlightning read. As a 15+ years user of windows, and 3 month user of mac let me add this:
The context menu key are there to let you control the machine without needing a mouse. A windows desktop can be controlled much faster and with more precision without a mouse, than with one. As a bonus you won’t get carpatunnel syndrome. Here is what the windows key does:
win+d = show desktop (minimize all windows)
win+e = open explorer (same as finder)
win+l = lock the computer (so no one tinkers with it)
win+r = open “run” dialog (terminal commandline)
win+pause|break = open computer properties (add to domain, remove hardware and so on)

I totally agree with the notion that they have mixed up the ctrl and win button.

By: Arroz con Nori » Blog Archive » La razón por la que ya no hay manzana en la tecla Comando

Wed, 19 Dec 2007 16:39:06 +0000

[...] algún documento sobre atajos de teclado y Mac, y topé con este artículo (y su original en inglés) que analiza al detalle el motivo por el cual Apple ha eliminado (por segunda vez) la manzana de la [...]

By: iamseanw

iamseanw — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 19:26:14 +0000

I took a graphic design course a couple years back using Macs. The command keys didn’t have the word “command” on them, they had the command symbol and the apple logo. The PC users were calling the command key the “apple key” and the “splat key.” It was quite annoying. Perhaps this had some impact on the decision to remove the apple logo from the key.

By: The Gull Blodder

The Gull Blodder — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 18:05:58 +0000

Switching to a Mac and the Apple keyboard…

[…] One of the things that I found weird was that almost all of the keyboard shortcuts were identical to those on Windows. … I always thought that these were accommodations made by Apple to target Windows users switching over. […] I …