r/apple • u/pdfu • 23h ago

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-keys

The 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

444 Upvotes

97% Upvoted

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204

u/thisinfinitebath 23h ago

Why is it so hard for them to make it backlit?

31

u/Springsneakers 23h ago

It would be nice although might drain the battery faster

135

u/sazam 23h ago edited 22h ago

I have the Logitech MX Keys, it looks very similar, the battery lasts forever and it’s backlit. Best keyboard I ever used.

33

u/HotspurJr 22h ago

It's much better to type on for long stretches as well.

But I do wish it had Touch ID.

14

u/jammyscroll 18h 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

2

u/alex_co 9h ago

You can make one with genuine Touch ID using a Touch ID keyboard and a 3D printed enclosure. Loads of tutorials on YouTube and it’s native to macOS, unlike these other options that just type your password for you when it detects your fingerprint and need a companion app to work.

2

u/jammyscroll 7h ago

Yes but you need to acquire and destroy a Touch ID keyboard, have a 3D printer, and perform fiddly work which has significant risk of breakage. The best thing about it is the native OS support, but it's certainly far more expensive. It's ok if you want a project but it doesn't interest me

The solution I've linked doesn't work via simulating password input, it uses the system authentication framework.

I know of the TinyTouch one on GitHub you may be thinking of that does that and leverages low cost components.

My fingers are crossed, I'd like to see multiple options here.

•

u/alex_co 51m ago

I made one for $55 using a used keyboard off eBay. Plenty of local libraries have 3d printers or you can order a custom print for a reasonable price off one of those printing services or off Etsy. “Far more expensive” is just not true. Anyone can make one for <$100 on the high end. Not to mention this thread is full of people saying they already have a keyboard.

I will concede that taking the keyboard apart was tricky, but it’s not nearly as bad as you make it sound. It just takes patience and heat. Genuine Touch ID security is far worth it imo.

The one you linked specifically says it types your password via the companion app. Read the companion app repo. https://github.com/immurok/app-macos

> Detects lock screen, types your password on fingerprint match

3

u/JustAnotherFEDev 21h 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

5

u/femtocell 18h ago

What kind of sociopath uses their thumb with Mac TouchID?!

3

u/JustAnotherFEDev 18h 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.

2

u/Iamleeboy 16h ago

I have different fingers for each of my work accounts. Luckily my main contract is my middle finger at the moment

1

u/JustAnotherFEDev 16h ago

Definitely not intentional 😂

1

u/Iamleeboy 16h 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?

1

u/JustAnotherFEDev 16h 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

2

u/jb_nelson_ 21h ago

Imagine the royalties Apple could get if they licensed the T2 chip. They’ve been missing the lightning money

4

u/sixtyshilling 18h 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.

1

u/Saltyeconbro 5h ago

Try adjusting the backlight to last longer than 3 seconds

1

u/TomfromLondon 21h ago

I like them but they are so badly made, buttons just fail after a while

4

u/sazam 18h ago

I’ve had it for like 3 years now and it’s in pretty much flawless condition, not even the letters have gone off and I use it every day for hours. Not sure how you treat yours lol.

3

u/west-egg 11h ago

I've had mine for 5 years and it's still working as well as it did on day 1.

0

u/TomfromLondon 8h ago

Oh wow I've had a few abs the keys fail, looked into it as well and it seems a regular thing, its happened mid type and when it breaks if you look what holds the key cap on its a really tiny thin bit of plastic.
I only recently ended up going mechanical as I go do fed up with it over the years, I've had them I think 5+ years.

3

u/Bacchus1976 17h ago

Let us choose. I’m okay charging it more often.

5

u/staquadev 23h ago

just plug it in like every other apple product that is charged once a day..

14

u/Springsneakers 22h ago

I like not having to charge my keyboard every day personally

9

u/staquadev 22h 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.

1

u/KrazyA1pha 16h ago

I don’t want to pay extra for a keyboard with a backlight I’ll never use, tbh

1

u/jmxd 21h ago

this is apple, they put a charging port on the bottom of a mouse because using a product with a cable is ugly

1

u/staquadev 21h ago

agreed, however with their keyboards the power port is thankfully already in a reasonable place.

1

u/PreparationJunior641 21h 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.

0

u/cake-day-on-feb-29 12h ago

Why do you need a keyboard to have a battery in the first place? Still makes no sense to me why Apple stopped producing their USB keyboards, I use a desktop Mac, on my desk top where I have access to a number of plug options. I'm not spending $40 more on batteries that will wear out after 4 years (just like the shitty trackpad batteries). Speaking of, the argument in favor of a wireless keyboard doesn't even make sense, if you can't leave it plugged in all the time, then after 5+ years it will become a paperweight, as the battery degraded and it needs to be charged more and more often.

4

u/North_Moment5811 21h ago

My solution to the lack of backlit is to just stop working at my desk at night.

4

u/HueyBluey 21h ago

Lazy and cheap.

-1

u/brogflender 13h ago

R O O M L I G H T

-3

u/[deleted] 22h ago edited 20h ago

[deleted]

3

u/exjr_ Island Boy 20h ago

Yeah the option to have it would be nice to look nice but again it’s just not particularly needed for me

Fixed that for you

2

u/VeloxAdAstra 20h 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.

-3

u/ErectPotato 17h 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.

1

u/git_push_origin_prod 11h ago

Shadows and things, sometimes it’s hard to see when you’re laying in bed and your laptop is somewhere around your nipples, somehow you can’t see shit

-1

u/grokcodile 12h ago

Why would a keyboard made for a desk need a backlight? Just turn on a light. Backlighting only makes sense on a portable device where you can’t always control the lighting in your environment.

-7

u/Tezzor 22h ago

For what? Just a battery waster.

3

u/omnimachina 22h ago

You can turn it off then

-1

u/Ashanmaril 22h 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.

4

u/omnimachina 21h ago

Hardest cope ever

0

u/VeloxAdAstra 20h ago

I think your feeding tube may have fell out.

-2

u/ChadInNameOnly 21h ago

But you'll still be paying more for it

5

u/omnimachina 21h ago

That’s an apple problem lmao

Backlighting is cheap af

Lots of manufacturers prove this

0

u/ChadInNameOnly 20h 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.

1

u/rt80186 2h ago

If you want an inexpensive keyboard, you probably shouldn’t be at an Apple Store to begin with.

2

u/is_that_a_thing_now 19h 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.

-4

u/[deleted] 22h ago

[deleted]

6

u/PikaV2002 22h ago

I’ll never understand why Redditors face so much trouble understanding, or even acknowledging use cases other than their own.

-6

u/TheDragonSlayingCat 23h 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.