Apple Keyboard with Numeric Keypad review

You may have to fiddle to get it working on a PC, but Apple's keyboard is super-comfortable to type on and has excellent build quality
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Published on 18 October 2014
Our rating
Reviewed price £40

If you’re a fan of the low-profile keys you get on a laptop, it makes sense to get a similar-style keyboard for your desktop computer. Among this type of keyboard, the USB Apple Keyboard with Numeric Keyboard is king.

With its anodised aluminium enclosure and low-profile keys, the keyboard looks great and feels incredibly tough. The design is also practical, with a USB port on each side providing a handy way to plug in a mouse for right- or left-handed people.

Of course, the really important thing with any keyboard is how comfortable it is to type on. Fortunately, the Apple USB keyboard is absolutely one of the best, taking all the great things about the company’s laptop keyboards and putting them into a larger desktop model.

Each key requires just the right amount of pressure to register and provides well-judged feedback. We found that we could type quicker and more accurately on this keyboard than on many other models we’ve tested.

As this is a Mac keyboard, it works perfectly if you’ve got a Mac and are running OS X, providing all the necessary shortcut keys. Windows users may find it a little confusing to use at first, as some of the keys are in slightly different places; it will take you a while to get used to the equivalent keys for Ctrl, Alt and the Windows key.

Some keys, such as PrintScreen, don’t work out of the box in Windows, but getting the keyboard to work properly is simply a matter of installing some software. Our sister website Expert Reviews has a guide on how to get a Mac keyboard working in Windows at http://tinyurl.com/kk7vnto.

Whether you’ve got a PC or a Mac, this responsive, great-looking keyboard is a great choice.

Written by

David has been fascinated by technology since he first set eyes on the ZX Spectrum 48K. A fan of smartphones, tablets and home automation, he also specialises in home networking. David has worked in tech publishing for more than 20years, working on PCW, Computer Shopper and launching Expert Reviews in 2010. 

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