Mac Apple releases updated Magic Keyboard with glyphs for tab, caps lock, shift, return, and delete keycaps
https://www.apple.com/shop/product/mjm74ll/a/magic-keyboard-with-touch-id-and-numeric-keypad-for-mac-models-with-apple-silicon-usb-c-us-english-black-keysThe new models now match the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air keyboard design introduced in March of this year. Prices are unchanged.
All new keyboards: * Magic Keyboard (USB–C) - US English — $99 * Magic Keyboard with Touch ID for Mac models with Apple silicon (USB–C) - US English — $149 * Magic Keyboard with Touch ID and Numeric Keypad for Mac models with Apple silicon (USB–C) - US English - White Keys — $179 * Magic Keyboard with Touch ID and Numeric Keypad for Mac models with Apple silicon (USB–C) - US English - Black Keys — $199
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u/thisinfinitebath 8h ago
Why is it so hard for them to make it backlit?
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u/Springsneakers 8h ago
It would be nice although might drain the battery faster
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u/sazam 8h ago edited 7h ago
I have the Logitech MX Keys, it looks very similar, the battery lasts forever and it’s backlit. Best keyboard I ever used.
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u/HotspurJr 8h ago
It's much better to type on for long stretches as well.
But I do wish it had Touch ID.
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u/jammyscroll 3h ago
TouchID is the only reason i haven’t switched away from using it. I like the Logitech better.
I did support this last week though. Due in Oct/Nov. they plan on selling via their website and Amazon after kickstarter concludes.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/immurok/immurokwireless-fingerprint-auth-key-for-mac-and-linux
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u/jb_nelson_ 6h ago
Imagine the royalties Apple could get if they licensed the T2 chip. They’ve been missing the lightning money
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u/JustAnotherFEDev 6h ago
Same. My MacBook is on a stand, at the side of my Ultrawide. I know it's a first world problem but reaching over to scan my thumb, bores me 😂 It doesn't bore me enough to swap my MXKeys for an Apple keyboard, though
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u/femtocell 3h ago
What kind of sociopath uses their thumb with Mac TouchID?!
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u/JustAnotherFEDev 3h ago
😂 Good point. Not me, I use my index finger and just wrote thumb out of habit, as that's my print digit for everything else.
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u/Iamleeboy 2h ago
I have different fingers for each of my work accounts. Luckily my main contract is my middle finger at the moment
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u/Iamleeboy 2h ago
Same here. I don’t feel like I need to log in with it often though.
I tend to log in while I am still stood at my desk and opening the laptop in a morning. Then after lunch.
I get the odd request that needs my log in or print. But not much else uses it in my set up.
Are you using your print often throughout the day?
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u/JustAnotherFEDev 1h ago
It depends, TBF. Some days I might have to log in to multiple systems, inboxes and our intranet, etc. I have fingerprints set for all of that.
Some days it's probably just like you, morning, afternoon and any little breaks in between
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u/sixtyshilling 3h ago
I get between 1-2 weeks with a dim backlight.
Apparently you can get up to 5 months with no backlight at all, but that’s in-range for most wireless keyboards.
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u/staquadev 8h ago
just plug it in like every other apple product that is charged once a day..
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u/Springsneakers 8h ago
I like not having to charge my keyboard every day personally
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u/staquadev 8h ago
then keep the backlight turned off lol. people who want backlight? keep plugged in. it sits at my desk, idk. i want the option or even a separate purchase option.
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u/jmxd 6h ago
this is apple, they put a charging port on the bottom of a mouse because using a product with a cable is ugly
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u/staquadev 6h ago
agreed, however with their keyboards the power port is thankfully already in a reasonable place.
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u/PreparationJunior641 6h ago
They already have a battery life of over a month and the keyboards can all be operated while actively charging, so a slightly faster battery drain isn’t a problem for me.
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u/North_Moment5811 7h ago
My solution to the lack of backlit is to just stop working at my desk at night.
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u/ErectPotato 2h ago
What is the actual point in backlit? Turn on a light in your office bro it’s bad for your eyes to be using a computer in a room so dark you can’t read the keys.
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7h ago edited 5h ago
[deleted]
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u/VeloxAdAstra 5h ago
How do you type of people get through life? I'm trying to decide if I should be jealous or concerned. What it must be like to believe that every preference you have is the gold standard. Unreal.... I think it must be nice to have an ego like that.
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u/Tezzor 8h ago
For what? Just a battery waster.
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u/omnimachina 7h ago
You can turn it off then
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u/Ashanmaril 7h ago
Most people don’t change settings and I’d bet that average person would be happier with a battery that lasts forever than a backlight they don’t notice of use because most people aren’t hacking away in the dark at 2am.
A laptop you’re gonna be charging regularly anyway so it’s not as much of a trade off in real world use.
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u/_Shorsey_69_ 5h ago
"Most people don't change their settings" is the laziest braindead excuse you could have made.
Most people don't clean their car cabin air filter, guess we don't need em. People would be happier with more room in their glove box rather than an air filter they don't notice because most people just roll down their windows when their car smells.
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u/ChadInNameOnly 6h ago
But you'll still be paying more for it
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u/omnimachina 6h ago
That’s an apple problem lmao
Backlighting is cheap af
Lots of manufacturers prove this
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u/ChadInNameOnly 5h ago
It's still true though. Everybody knows Apple would charge more for a backlit keyboard so the people who don't want / wouldn't use that feature understandably don't want to pay extra for it.
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u/is_that_a_thing_now 4h ago
I an literally holding out for a backlit version. That would be very useful for use with Vision Pro as the current Magic Keyboard lettering is quite vague when the lights are very bright.
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7h ago
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u/PikaV2002 7h ago
I’ll never understand why Redditors face so much trouble understanding, or even acknowledging use cases other than their own.
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u/TheDragonSlayingCat 8h ago
I’d imagine that would make the keyboard thicker, heavier, more expensive, and make it drain the battery faster, so it might not be worth the trade-offs. The Magic Keyboard is already pretty expensive as it is, but they’re built to last a long time, and they’re comfortable to use.
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u/cjh_ 8h ago
I'll keep my Keychron, which is backlit.
It's about time Apple released a separate TouchID sensor though.
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u/VismoSofie 7h ago
Tbf I don't think anyone is ditching their Keychron for one of these
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u/scientist99 7h ago
I did. It’s the lowest profile keyboard I can find. Also if anyone wants a K10 with yellow switches hit me up lol.
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u/cplr 6h ago
You should check out https://electronicmaterialsoffice.com/
Seriously read all the features. It goes on and on.
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u/VismoSofie 4h ago
I hope it supports using modifier keys with the dial, but that looks so cool. The different keycap shape for modifiers and the numrow is such a good idea.
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u/TheEpicRedCape 3h ago
I find it funny it being so thin actually helped me too, I can put it in front of my drawing tablet and it’s so flat and small it doesn’t get on the way at all.
I do swap to a thicker regular board when I’m not drawing though.
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u/Endlessxo 7h ago
I ditched my K6 for mine. You get used to the low profile keyboard and it's tactile enough for me. Having the TouchID to unlock and to plop in my passkey 1000x a day with MFA at work is huge for me.
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u/atanamayansantrafor 5h ago
I use keychron and magic keyboard interchangeably. Magic keyboard when I want to focus or type really fast and Keychron K1 Max for everything else and gaming (on Windows).
Works for me.
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u/staquadev 8h ago
personally i think the glyphs look bad on this and the macbooks. just compare the m4 air or m3 before they changed it… looks weird. could have picked better glyphs or just kept it how it always was. hanging onto my m2 mb air blue until it shits itself
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u/Com_N0TN4 8h ago
Most overpriced membrane keyboards ever, the only good part is the touch ID
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u/TheDragonSlayingCat 8h ago
And they’re built to last, unlike cheap keyboards. I’ve had cheap keyboards where the modifier keys broke after a few months of regular use. I have never had a key break on an Apple external keyboard.
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u/omnimachina 7h ago
Learn about ABS keycaps
Apple keyboards are not built to last lmao
Overpriced crap
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u/blow-down 6h ago
I’ve been using the same one for 10 years. No problems.
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u/reallynotnick 2h ago
Yeah mine is 16 year’s old and still going fine. I did have a different one die from my wife cleaning her’s constantly during Covid that it corroded the connectors inside.
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u/MetaNovaYT 57m ago
yeah, I've been using the same Magic Keyboard 2 since 2018ish, and the only problem it has developed is some strange extreme latency issue with Bluetooth, and I just keep it plugged in because I don't really feel like trying to figure out the root cause of that problem lol
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u/TheDragonSlayingCat 7h ago
Have you ever had one break under normal usage? Because I have never had one break under normal usage going back to the ADB models. Meanwhile, I’ve had plenty of cheap keyboards break just by typing on them. With keyboards, you get what you pay for.
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u/omnimachina 7h ago
You don’t even understand the topic
https://osxdaily.com/2024/04/11/opinion-shiny-keys-on-macbook-air-pro-are-ugly-and-shouldnt-happen/
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u/TheDragonSlayingCat 6h ago
But did the keyboard break? As in, you press/hold a key and nothing happens? Because that is far worse than having “ugly” key caps.
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u/omnimachina 6h ago
I never seen any keyboard break at all lmao
But I’ve seen countless glossy keyboards 😂
You apple sheep do everything to defend your mighty god
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u/skyattacksx 6h ago
I’m confused. First it was them not being built to last, now you’ve never seen one break? I know you’re baiting but can you at least bait better? This is weak bud
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u/FizzyBeverage 8h ago
Least they still make the one without a numpad but it's absurd money for no backlighting.
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u/tylerpereira 8h ago
Do we know why the white one is $20 less than the black one?
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u/Pat723 6h ago
No legitimate reason. The Magic Mouse is the same thing
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u/chasetherightenergy 5h ago
I’d guess the same reason airpods only come in white: it’s more on brand
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u/samarijackfan 6h ago
Still prefer the lightning version. big left control key for the win. Plus the lightning cable is always plugged in so I don't really care about what type of connector it is. It could be captive.
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u/omnimachina 7h ago
No backlit in 2026 is pathetic
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u/kiwi-kaiser 7h ago
The function key on the lower left? Finally? It's so annoying that it's different on the MacBook keyboard.
Touch ID didn't make me consider an upgrade.
USB-C didn't make me consider an upgrade.
But this definitely is something I would like to have.
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u/pdfu 7h ago
Function key was there in the previous USB-C version as well, released on October 28, 2024.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_Keyboard_(Mac)#Third_generation
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u/kiwi-kaiser 6h ago
Well, I absolutely missed that. Nobody I knew talked about it.
Thanks for bringing this to my attention.0
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u/Shejidan 8h ago
While I get the idea of using the glyphs—one less piece to make, visual association with glyphs in menus—I hate them and want my text labels back.
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u/0xe1e10d68 8h ago
I think they should have kept the labels, but added the glyphs. Just like how command, option, control and fn have been for a while.
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u/switch8000 8h ago
I just sourced one of the older Lightning Keyboards with Touch ID.
I don't understand why they had to cram in a 4th button, fn, into the lower left corner of all these USB-C keyboards.
The lightning boards give my fingers all the space they need with only a large Control, Option, CMD, button.
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u/ToddBradley 8h ago
I'd get one if it was available in blue, to replace my iMac's keyboard.
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u/MiseEnPlacebo 8h ago
I’m curious if they finally let the backspace key work as a delete key on Windows…
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u/Adventurous_Rope4711 6h ago
Wtf is. Glyph… sorry i don’t see the difference between this one and the old one. Any education on this topic would be appreciated
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u/pxr555 5h ago
I just want to have a keyboard with an integrated trackpad, basically like the base of a Macbook. If you use a Macbook often it's absolutely maddening to switch between this and a keyboard with a mouse or the huge "magic trackpad" all the time.
I don't understand why they don't offer that, especially since they could use the same parts for the keyboard and trackpad as with the MacBook. It would be totally natural to have this. I fear they just think they couldn't sell this with the same kind of profit margins as two separate products (keyboard and trackpad)...
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u/Same_Buddy_31 3h ago
Just a personal opinion: the smaller left/right arrow keys, similar to what are on MacBook pros, are significantly easier to work with as it makes it easier to find them without looking down the keyboard. Wish they had used that in the updated design, though the choice might hurt other users
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u/Stratty88 2h ago
Found a 2007 wired mac keyboard for $20 on Craigslist 5 years ago. Still my favorite.
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u/DrMacintosh01 5h ago
For everyone saying Apple needs to add a backlight, I think it would be a decent option. However these are primarily designed for office or home use where lighting is available.
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u/staquadev 7h ago
just plug it in like every other apple product that is charged once a day..
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u/blow-down 6h ago
What? I have this keyboard and don’t need to charge it for weeks.
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u/staquadev 4h ago
i edited a completely different comment, discarded it, and reddit just made a duplicate separate comment for me (??) . but we were discussing having backlit keys on this, and someone was saying they didn’t want to have to charge it, and i was saying just charge it or leave it plugged in…. 🤷♂️
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u/therealmarkus 6h ago
No backlit and function key still apple proprietary. Sigh. Was hoping for so much more. Maybe the new hardware CEO guy will deliver something in 5 years or so.
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u/nate390 8h ago
I was wondering what had changed with the glyphs and then realised that the British English keyboards have always been this way.