File under: rant. I’m using Apple’s new slimline aluminum “chicklet” keyboard to post this message. I’ve had it for a while and I like it a lot. It has a USB hub that’s built into the underside at the edges, but the ports will only power devices that draw 100mA or less (a typical mouse). An iPod or a USB flash drive won’t work unless the keyboard is plugged into a new iMac (which I don’t own). The old keyboards’ USB hubs have all worked (for every iPod or thumb drive I’ve ever owned). This is pretty shoddy… Apple shouldn’t have let the new wired keyboard out the door with this limitation.
3 thoughts on “Mac’s Aluminum Keyboard: not so great”
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FWIW, I have the same problem with my old skool Mac keyboard–those ports only pump out a minimal amount of power–fine for transferring data but NG for anything that needs a charge. Not that you want more stuff, but a powered USB hub might be just the thing…
http://www.amazon.com/Belkin-4-Port-Cable-Power-Supply/dp/B00004Z6KW
Happy new year!
follow-up rant. my mighty mouse which came with our aluminum keyboard is beginning to give intermittent outages… i.e. it no longer scrolls down and only up… pretty lame for anything under 2 months old.
-mike s.
I know this is an old-ish post, but in case anyone comes across tis via Google (as I did), the Mighty Mouse scroller can be fixed with a bit of alcohol or screen cleaner applied to the roller ball. (Even so, I’m still considering a Logitech MX400 to replace it.)