See how you can extend the life of your own

Oct 25, 2014 10:22 GMT  ·  By

Apple used to sell the most awesome keyboards, but starting with the first aluminum Macs, the company began bundling some thinner, classier models that look and work infinitely better. The only problem is that they don't work for a very long time.

The ultra-slim keyboards sold by Apple today are the same models introduced some 7 years ago with the first aluminum iMacs.

By all accounts, these peripherals are vastly superior to the bulkier plastic-built units that shipped with the white, also plastic-built iMacs. But for all their usability benefits, they have a problem that makes them inferior not just to their predecessor but to any keyboard out there.

Let’s get some facts straight

I’m going to outline some facts before the fanboys start loading their argument guns. Firstly, this isn’t an editorial piece targeting Apple as a company. Their insane level of attention to details is exactly what created the aluminum keyboard in the first place. It’s a joy to use, but it has a flawed design. This write-up is solely aimed at this particular product.

Secondly, I’m talking about the wide Apple Keyboard with Numeric Keypad, not the smaller wireless model. I’ve been using far less wireless keyboards, so I can’t say how quickly they break or not. My experience mostly involves the wired models, and over the past 7 years, I’ve been subject to a pattern that is as obvious as Oreo crumbs on a white sofa.

Right, with that out of the way I’d just like to delve right into the heart of the matter. Almost everyone using a desktop Mac is well accustomed to these keyboards. They’re awesome to type on because they make little noise, they don’t catch your fingers as you move rapidly from one key to another, they don’t require any setup (that would be quite ironic), and the more you use one the faster you begin to type. It’s like something of a fast-typing learning tool.

As far as I was concerned, once I used one I never looked back. But these things have one major downside that cancels everything good that they have to offer.

They break like crazy

I don’t know about you but I’ve swapped at least seven such keyboards in just as many years working with a Mac. For one reason or another some keys stop working (different ones on different keyboards), they can’t handle too much humidity, and once they’ve caught enough dust in them you can’t take them apart for cleaning without fear of breaking them even more.

Like other Apple peripherals before it, the aluminum Apple keyboard looks like a single-use product. To be frank, it is a single-use product. There are no easily accessible screws to open the thing (just hinges that are prone to breaking once you decide to pop one open), and there’s no way to pluck out the keys individually knowing that you’ll be able to put them back into place.

Apple doesn’t have a repair policy set in place for these things, and they always break right after the warranty expires. Worst of all, they cost $50 / €50 a piece. For this employee alone, the management at our firm has had to shell out €350 (roughly $440 with all the inflated pricing from the taxes perceived in our home country) for replacement keyboards on two Macs. That’s almost half the price of a full-fledged iMac, or almost the price of a Mac mini.

Some precautionary tips

While I agree I could have taken better care of some of these broken units, they all tend to break after a certain amount of time – usually between 1 and 2 years of use. Only one of them had a few drops of liquid spilled on it, while another had eventually got so clogged up with dust that it simply refused to operate at one point.

The issue is not with the usage – as it’s impossible to keep the underlying side of the keys clean forever – but with the design that prevents users from opening the keyboard to clean it. Hence, it’s important to maintain yours with great care.

Dos

• Every once in a while, consider turning it upside down and hitting the keys gently with your palm to let out the dust and hairs that might get tangled in there.

• Make sure your hands aren’t filthy when you use the keyboard. It’s common sense really, but this thing is so sensitive to dirt that it should provide an extra incentive to wash your hands first thing when you arrive home.

• If you’re going to clean it, use an ever-so-slightly-moist cloth that doesn’t drip no matter how hard you press the cloth against the unit.

Don’ts

• Never, and I mean NEVER, spill water or any other type of liquid on it.

• Don’t drop cigarette ash on it. If you do, don’t use your hands to remove it. Chances are you’ll force some inside the seams surrounding the keys. Use a vacuum cleaner instead.

• Don’t eat near the keyboard and don’t operate the keyboard while you’re eating. It’s not only unhealthy, it’s exactly the type of thing that will get debris behind the keys. If the lump of dirt is big enough, it’s never coming out.

• Don’t use it in a humid environment, i.e. bathroom or kitchen.