Author Topic: Steve Jobs on the Apple Extended Keyboard  (Read 6487 times)

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Offline msiegel

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Steve Jobs on the Apple Extended Keyboard
« on: Sat, 29 August 2009, 18:36:04 »
from the page:
"This keyboard represents everything about Apple that I hate. It’s a battleship. Why does it have all these keys? Do you use this F1 key? No." And with his car keys he pried it right off.

pic:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jurvetson/841771/

:)

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Offline ch_123

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Steve Jobs on the Apple Extended Keyboard
« Reply #1 on: Sat, 29 August 2009, 18:51:37 »
The father of one of my friends once met Steve Jobs. Apparently he is, to quote the father's words, a 'complete wanker', and that's coming from a bona fide Mac fanatic...

Offline Rajagra

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Steve Jobs on the Apple Extended Keyboard
« Reply #2 on: Sat, 29 August 2009, 18:53:04 »
Comment from a Mac convert on that page:
  "And as for the keyboard! It now works amasing. Not that I hardly use it. You can use the mouse for everything. Its amazing how OS X can mend what XP broke. "

Maybe he has a new version of the Macbook Wheel where they put the wheel on the mouse?

Offline Ulysses31

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Steve Jobs on the Apple Extended Keyboard
« Reply #3 on: Sat, 29 August 2009, 20:35:29 »
It's really difficult to like Steve Jobs.  His smug know-it-all attitude would be more tolerable if he were a good designer, but he's really not.  His thought-process must have been something like "Ew!  A hard-coded Windows key!  Poopy!"

Offline patrickgeekhack

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Steve Jobs on the Apple Extended Keyboard
« Reply #4 on: Sat, 29 August 2009, 21:01:00 »
Quote from: Ulysses31;113005
It's really difficult to like Steve Jobs.  His smug know-it-all attitude would be more tolerable if he were a good designer, but he's really not.  His thought-process must have been something like "Ew!  A hard-coded Windows key!  Poopy!"


I don't "like" Steve Jobs, but I find him to a first class presenter. Hard to argue that there's someone out there who can do a better job than him on the stage. He's good at what he does, just like Bill Gates is very good at what he does. And I know a lot of people don't like Steve Ballmer, but Ballmer will at times admit when Microsoft is not the leader in some segments and that they need to do better.

To be honest, I don't care much about these guys. I use whatever tool I find to get the job done! I'm currently using OS X, but if tomorrow it no longer suits my needs, I will move to a different OS.
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Offline quadibloc

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Steve Jobs on the Apple Extended Keyboard
« Reply #5 on: Sat, 29 August 2009, 21:23:26 »
Given that the Macintosh mouse has but one button, and the original Mac keyboard had not even cursor keys, I'm not surprised he might view function keys on the Mac keyboard as an unnecessary addition. Since the Mac keyboard already has a dedicated "help" key, and the function keys are little used even on the PC, I can't even be sure that he is wrong.

However, now that the Macintosh uses an Intel processor, and given that Boot Camp is available from Apple, I would suspect that Steve Jobs is now reconciled to the presence of function keys on the Apple keyboard, as now they do serve a purpose - the purpose of reassuring those nervous about availability of needed software for OS X that they have a plan B, distasteful as it may be to contemplate.

Offline msiegel

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Steve Jobs on the Apple Extended Keyboard
« Reply #6 on: Sat, 29 August 2009, 22:17:20 »
the original mac keyboard was like a soviet-era HHKB
XD

it was made of tank parts ;)

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Offline Mercen_505

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Steve Jobs on the Apple Extended Keyboard
« Reply #7 on: Sat, 29 August 2009, 22:34:45 »

Offline msiegel

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Steve Jobs on the Apple Extended Keyboard
« Reply #8 on: Sat, 29 August 2009, 22:42:52 »
apple is really good at packaging technology... so it appeals to people who would never have touched it before

that's the way they open up new markets :)

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Offline watduzhkstand4

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Steve Jobs on the Apple Extended Keyboard
« Reply #9 on: Sat, 29 August 2009, 23:04:18 »
lol is that real? oh and Snow Leopard FTW!
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Offline microsoft windows

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Steve Jobs on the Apple Extended Keyboard
« Reply #10 on: Sun, 30 August 2009, 06:16:17 »
I don't like Steve Jobs or his company's products. Windows is much better and cheaper.
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Offline ak_nala

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Steve Jobs on the Apple Extended Keyboard
« Reply #11 on: Sun, 30 August 2009, 06:51:35 »
Quote from: quadibloc;113018
Given that the Macintosh mouse has but one button, and the original Mac keyboard had not even cursor keys, I'm not surprised he might view function keys on the Mac keyboard as an unnecessary addition.


The Apple mice have had multi-button functionality for many years now. The reason the earlier mice had only one was due to early interface tests that showed the average user got confused with more than one button - not surprising considering it was the first wide exposure to these new-fangled pointing devices most people had. Apple was just way too slow to recognize the increased sophistication of users in subsequent years, but Jobs wasn't there for most of that time.

The reason the original Mac keyboards didn't have cursor keys is that they probably weren't felt to be needed. Mac OS was a new paradigm, an ant-DOS, anti-command-line revolution that was highly mouse-centric. They didn't take long to figure out that cursor keys had their uses in things like word processors and come out with keyboards that had them.

I'm sure Jobs' notorious dislike of clutter and love of clean, elegant design also had more than a bit to do with these early decisions, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. That same design esthetic is alive and well in things like the HHKB, after all.

Yes, Jobs is more than a bit eccentric (putting it politely), but judging by results - his pulling a dying company back from the edge and guiding it to being a contender again - I'd say that also isn't necessarily a bad thing. Competition is good, and the computer world in general has been much better off because Apple is out there offering a different world-view, however half-baked it may be on occasion. As much as I dislike Microsoft and Windows, I recognize their worth in the marketplace as well.

I find it funny, though, that Jobs picked on the F1 key, considering up until OS X the F1 through F4 keys were hard wired at the System level for Undo, Cut, Copy and Paste, and I for one used them all the time. It was F5 through F12 that were generally unused.
« Last Edit: Sun, 30 August 2009, 07:10:52 by ak_nala »
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Offline ak_nala

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Steve Jobs on the Apple Extended Keyboard
« Reply #12 on: Sun, 30 August 2009, 07:08:34 »
Quote from: microsoft windows;113091
I don't like Steve Jobs or his company's products. Windows is much better and cheaper.


Windows Better? - Debatable at best.

Cheaper? - OS X as software is on average cheaper than Windows, and without the infuriating multi-level price points. I mean, how many different versions of Windows do you really need? As hardware, you've got a point, though for similarly configured systems they are much closer than they used to be and hardware/software integration and build quality are generally better on the Apple side.

But to each his own.
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Offline ch_123

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Steve Jobs on the Apple Extended Keyboard
« Reply #13 on: Sun, 30 August 2009, 07:20:08 »
As a Linux user, the Windows vs Mac debate strikes me as the mother of all pissing competitions...

Offline bigpook

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Steve Jobs on the Apple Extended Keyboard
« Reply #14 on: Sun, 30 August 2009, 07:37:06 »
Quote from: microsoft windows;113091
I don't like Steve Jobs or his company's products. Windows is much better and cheaper.


hmm.

mac is nice, but expensive.

windows is ubiquitous. Yes, it is cheaper then a mac but requires more maintenance.

linux is free, is very stable, and requires very little maintenance.

I think Steve Jobs is something of a pompous ass. However, he sure knows how to run a high-end computer company.

I think Gates and Balmer got lucky, and through dirty tricks and foul play made it to the top. A capitalists dream.

The linux guys just wanted an operating system that worked and wasn't closed to everyone. Money? maybe later.
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Offline Ulysses31

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Steve Jobs on the Apple Extended Keyboard
« Reply #15 on: Sun, 30 August 2009, 08:25:36 »
Windows isn't better, at least not in certain important ways (like reliability, responsiveness etc).  I've got no problem admitting that in terms of overall finesse, Windows and PCs lag behind the Mac world.  However, in the PC environment, if you require something, no matter how specific or outlandish in terms of hardware or software, the chances are high that you can get it.  In the Apple world, you have to wait and see if your mighty overlord thinks you need it, and regardless of how useful your demanded feature may be, it must also pass the "coolness" test with at least a rating of forty-Mega-Fonzies.  

Sure, a PC can quickly become a Frankenstein's monster of parts and software tied together, but if you have a little skill you can make it all work together and have BSODs become an annual, rather than daily event.  Simplicity is fine, but by serendipity humans can handle complexity.  They can handle two-button mice and keyboards with F-keys and numpads, and eat solid foods.  It almost seems patronising, that the designer of the computer thinks you're just too dumb to hand extras.  They should double the size of the "mighty" mouse while they're at it, so I don't accidentally choke on it when I shove it in my mouth.  

To me, a computer is primarily a tool to be used.  By itself, it doesn't show others how cool or great I am; rather, it is what I do with it that demonstrates my skill.  I'm not saying aesthetics are a bad thing, but an obsession with them is.  If anything, I hold more value in reliability, robustness, practicality and ergonomics.  You wouldn't hire a plumber just because he had a set of gold-plated wrenches in his toolbox.

Offline Rajagra

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Steve Jobs on the Apple Extended Keyboard
« Reply #16 on: Sun, 30 August 2009, 10:38:02 »
Quote from: ch_123;113099
As a Linux user, the Windows vs Mac debate strikes me as the mother of all pissing competitions...


Mac users have to sit down to pee, because research shows users get confused by more than mode of operation. :lol:

Offline msiegel

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Steve Jobs on the Apple Extended Keyboard
« Reply #17 on: Sun, 30 August 2009, 10:49:39 »
Quote from: Rajagra;113129
Mac users have to sit down to pee, because research shows users get confused by more than mode of operation. :lol:


hey, don't knock it until you try it :lol:

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Offline kode

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Steve Jobs on the Apple Extended Keyboard
« Reply #18 on: Sun, 30 August 2009, 11:03:26 »
While I liked the anecdote, I must say Woz is a much cooler guy than Jobs ever was.

Offline Mr.6502

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Steve Jobs on the Apple Extended Keyboard
« Reply #19 on: Sun, 30 August 2009, 11:37:23 »
Jobs seems very good at protecting the company.  He's not there to drive innovation or take it in new directions.  He's there to make sure any new products or business strategies Apple pursues do not open up Apple so much that it becomes a commodity.

However, every now and then he seems to rant about one thing or another, and it is often very entertaining :lol:
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Offline bigpook

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Steve Jobs on the Apple Extended Keyboard
« Reply #20 on: Sun, 30 August 2009, 11:38:10 »
Sure, but could Woz run the company as successfully as Jobs has?
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Offline D-EJ915

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Steve Jobs on the Apple Extended Keyboard
« Reply #21 on: Sun, 30 August 2009, 11:53:16 »
Woz isn't a business man, he's a tech guy

Offline timw4mail

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Steve Jobs on the Apple Extended Keyboard
« Reply #22 on: Sun, 30 August 2009, 11:55:17 »
Steve Jobs is the boring guy at Apple, Woz is the crazy hardware hacker that used to work there.

I'm sure Woz would appreciate a good keyboard much more than Jobs would.
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Offline quadibloc

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Steve Jobs on the Apple Extended Keyboard
« Reply #23 on: Sun, 30 August 2009, 12:22:14 »
Quote from: Ulysses31;113115
However, in the PC environment, if you require something, no matter how specific or outlandish in terms of hardware or software, the chances are high that you can get it.


Yes, that's precisely the factor that has decided matters in favor of the PC over the Mac - and Linux, and OS/2 (remember it? From the company that brought you the Model M!)... and B-TRON, for that matter. It's a pity, as I would like to have more choice at the operating system level as well as for applications and hardware, but one lives with what one can get.

Offline Ulysses31

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Steve Jobs on the Apple Extended Keyboard
« Reply #24 on: Sun, 30 August 2009, 13:46:45 »
Yeah, I remember Microsoft OS/2; I just wish I had the mug :P.

Offline takasta

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Steve Jobs on the Apple Extended Keyboard
« Reply #25 on: Sun, 30 August 2009, 21:39:39 »
who's woz anyhow?
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Offline msiegel

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Steve Jobs on the Apple Extended Keyboard
« Reply #26 on: Sun, 30 August 2009, 22:39:33 »
Quote from: takasta;113238
who's woz anyhow?


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Wozniak

:)

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Offline Hak Foo

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Steve Jobs on the Apple Extended Keyboard
« Reply #27 on: Mon, 31 August 2009, 00:46:48 »
Quote from: Ulysses31;113167
Yeah, I remember Microsoft OS/2; I just wish I had the mug :P.


I have a big stack of OS/2 1.3 discs.

I rescued a boxed set from a trash can at a computer swap meet, but many of the discs were long-ago corrupt.  I kept them for discs when I need a disc to last a few seconds of sneakernet.

I then got a copy of Warp 3, then a fancier one for installation on a 486-40 laptop (one version had the office-suite, the other didn't); those discs virtually degraded as I installed them.
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Offline kode

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Steve Jobs on the Apple Extended Keyboard
« Reply #28 on: Mon, 31 August 2009, 04:13:07 »
We bought a bunch of complete sets of warp floppies back when buying that was cheaper than buying the same amount of empty floppies... :) I used to run OS/2 some, as well, and I guess it did have some appeal.

Offline mbc

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Steve Jobs on the Apple Extended Keyboard
« Reply #29 on: Thu, 10 November 2011, 11:25:47 »
what's next? digging up his grave and writing 'bump' on his forehead

Offline mbc

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Steve Jobs on the Apple Extended Keyboard
« Reply #30 on: Thu, 10 November 2011, 11:38:58 »
Quote from: ripster;449295
That would be a grave mistake.
nice one ;)

Offline HWI

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Steve Jobs on the Apple Extended Keyboard
« Reply #31 on: Thu, 10 November 2011, 11:58:23 »
Don't encourage him.
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Offline pitashen

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Steve Jobs on the Apple Extended Keyboard
« Reply #32 on: Thu, 10 November 2011, 14:05:30 »
To him, keyboard shouldn't have been existed at all.
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Offline Magna224

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Steve Jobs on the Apple Extended Keyboard
« Reply #33 on: Thu, 10 November 2011, 20:54:54 »
I use F1 key all the time in garry's mod.
If you live in AZ you can try my keyboards. I usually keep plenty of different ALPS and MX and buckling springs.

Offline pitashen

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Steve Jobs on the Apple Extended Keyboard
« Reply #34 on: Thu, 10 November 2011, 21:34:45 »
ripster is bothered by the lack of reaction to his quacky joke.
« Last Edit: Thu, 10 November 2011, 21:39:56 by pitashen »
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Offline dorkvader

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Steve Jobs on the Apple Extended Keyboard
« Reply #35 on: Thu, 10 November 2011, 22:49:22 »
Quote from: pitashen;449708
ripster is bothered by the lack of reaction to his quacky joke.
I felt it got all the reaction it merited. Maybe he was also put out about his needless (and late) jobs thread necro. You know what they say: old dog: uses the same joke over and over....

While I sort of like the smaller keyboards, I really do like my tenkeyless + added tenkey. It's clean, out of the way, and I realize I almost never use the number row for actual numbers. Maybe I should swap them to "programmer" style.

Still, I'm sort-of with Jobs here, I really only use the function keys for games (or to adjust sound & brightness on my laptop), so really I'd be helped by having a function button and using the normal number keys, or similar.

Offline captain

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Steve Jobs on the Apple Extended Keyboard
« Reply #36 on: Tue, 27 March 2012, 05:26:16 »
Quote from: pitashen;449419
To him, keyboard shouldn't have been existed at all.

Welcome to the MacBook Wheel!

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Offline Exort

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Steve Jobs on the Apple Extended Keyboard
« Reply #37 on: Tue, 27 March 2012, 10:36:08 »
Quote from: bigpook;113105

I think Gates and Balmer got lucky, and through dirty tricks and foul play made it to the top. A capitalists dream.

Like Steve Job is better...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CW0DUg63lqU
Not to mention Apple is the biggest offender of Patent war in tech industry.
Patent things they never create or not the first to create.
« Last Edit: Tue, 27 March 2012, 10:55:47 by Exort »