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I'm very surprised that you say the keyboard isn't suitable for touch typists...I find completely the opposite to be true. I find my typing rate is higher on this than on just about any keyboard I've ever used.

I've also found the RSI pain and twitching I was previously experiencing to have totally disappeared since switching to using this keyboard.

An advantage of the UK layout though is that the tilde key is just above the Command key - so window switching requires less of a reach and is not likely to hit the escape key.

Actually, the problem with re-assigning the function keys to reflect one's preferences is easily solved with the freeware Function Flip which appeared in your Mac Gems column on September 11 of this year.

I have been using the wired model since the first part of June. For the most part I like the keyboard. In my opinion it is the first good keyboard that Apple has made. I have been using an iMediaKey keyboard by macally with all of my Macs including my PowerBook. I like the feel & action of this keyboard. It has an additional 19 special function keys that handle the special functions found on the new Apple aluminum keyboard plus many others. But one new problem. macally never wrote any drivers for use with an Intel Mac. That is the reason for the single aluminum keyboard purchase.
I purchased the old white plastic wireless keyboard with my Intel Mac Pro 26 months ago. Using the power off switch battery life is measured in years rather than months. But the feel & use seems to be very sluggish. I use it only with my PowerBook on away trips where usage is not going to be heavy, but time for setup & take down is important. My main reason for the wireless keyboard is to have a numeric keypad followed by setup time & to keep my keyboard layout the same.
The new wireless keyboard with its lack of a numeric keypad & just a duplication of the compact key missing & hard to use portable keyboard layout is a total no go for me. I would purchase one if they had a blue-tooth model of the extended wired aluminum keyboard.
As far as the feel of the keyboard it seems to be very hard for me to determine whether the key has bottomed out & made contact. For that reason all spelling must be checked. Because I have smaller hands, the compressed keys do not give me much trouble in use. The small flat keyboard is nice to use giving little or no wrist bend. I use a Kensington Expert Mouse which is several time taller & not a good height match for the flat keyboard. But there is no trackball that I like better & mice require too much movement (I have a 4 display setup) & I have never liked the feel of any mouse Apple or others. I have a wireless Apple scroll wheel that came with my Intel Mac Pro with about 15 minutes of use.
Unlike your use I still feel that the lack of tactile feed back for me is the only drawback to this keyboard. Apple's requrement of small light & stylish is the reason for the lack of space between the functions keys & the rest of the keys like we have become used to having on a wired keyboard. For this keyboard & because I use most of my numbers with the numeric keypad & the lack of use of the number/punctuation row, the functions keys work ok for me. But if you have read any of my too lengthy post, my main complaint with Apple accross the board is Apple's form first & function given second or third place compared to what I believe is that function should be first & second with form following those needs. Thus the things that you wanted would have been there.
As with most things your needs & wants are different than mine. And ours are both different from others. Because Apple is all about small & light, we either have to go along with that if we want to make an Apple purchase or go elswhere if we are not happy. With OS X so much better than any of its competition choices become very small. Thus my dislike of the so called new iPod Touch & Intel MacBook Pro 17" models, which are both just last years models. 2 years with the same model is unbelievable in this day & age computer market. But if we want it we purchase it or go without or go elsewhere.

I bought a refurbished Mac Pro and was expecting it to come with the new keyboard, but found it still had the old plastic version. I bought the wired aluminum from the local Tampa Apple Store and have been using it for about 2 weeks. It felt strange to begin with. I had to get rid of my wrist pad that I've used forever, because the keyboard sat so low on the desk. I'm a very fast touch typist, and have rarely found that my fingers slip off the keys. It would be nice if Apple had provided a slight concave curve to the key tops, similar to the silver/gray keys on the recently retired MacBook Pro 15" (or on the current MBPro 17"). The slight concavity makes the fingers feel just a hair more stable on the laptop's keys. However, the aluminum keyboard isn't too bad. I'm giving myself a full 2 months with the new keyboard to see if it will permanently replace the older plastic model. I do like the short throw (distance you need to press) on the keys. It makes typing feel faster, although I haven't actually time myself or check my words per minute yet. The hardest thing to get used to is the layout of the function keys. The CD eject button is now about a third of the way toward the center of the keyboard instead of the far right. F12 no longer displays Dashboard; that's controlled by the F4 key. It's a bit confusing at first but you'll quickly get used to it. At $49 it's not too expensive to purchase just to try it out, if your older Mac didn't come with it.

Why is there an article about a product that was released over a year ago? Couldn't you find something better to discuss?

Complain, complain, complain. If you didn't want to read it, you didn't have to.
Lots of people with older Macs are sure to be happy with a decent review of these year-old keyboards, and therefore may consider purchasing one.

Seriously, did you guys really test both the keyboards? If you really did, then you should know that the wireless keyboard uses 3 batteries instead of 2.
Also, for people interested in getting the wireless, check out Apple's forums regarding issues on connectivity problems. I had those and I'm now back to a wired keyboard.

Not exaggerating here (and I'm pretty picky about input devices)...the wireless keyboard is the best keyboard I've used, hands down!
It's so good that I've actually considered carrying back and forth between work and home (really helps that's it's ridiculously thin and rock solid...would have if my computer at home wasn't left without a keyboard for my partner to use.)
Have to say that I'm pretty happy with the Apple wireless mouse as well.

wireless keyboard takes 3 batteries, not two.

While I'm a huge fan of wireless devices (currently using the Wireless Mighty Mouse) I must admit I opted to get the wired Apple Keyboard. Why? Simply because I prefer a full keyboard. As someone who writes lots of code I've grown used to using the number pad as well as page up, page down, home, end, and forward delete keys. I know you can get all but the number pad with the combination of either the command or fn key but I've always used a full size keyboard (specifically for the number pad).

GregoriusM said:

OK, but just clearly SAY that. It took some reading to finally figure out that there wasn't a new release. I was thinking, no hoping, that Apple might have finally added the numeric keypad to the wireless model. Instead I found out it's just another review of the same keyboards. The subject needs to clearly state that this is a follow-up review, not a review of new products.

2 things about the wireless that I disagree with:

1. The smaller size does NOT make it easier to fit in my lap. It forces me to squeeze my legs together to keep one side from falling between my legs. Adding the keypad would make the size better for lap typing for me at least.

2. Some of us don't want the wireless stuff so that we can type on our laps. I want it so that I don't have cluttery wires that I have to navigate through the back and underside of my desk. There's enough wires for peripherals to worry about and organize that having two less (mouse and keyboard) really makes a difference.

3. Even though I DID buy the wireless keyboard and like the feel, I don't use it as much as I would like, because I miss the numeric keypad.

Just one man's opinion. Betcha I'm not alone.

David R. Boag, DDS

I must agree, I thought it odd that this review has come out. If memory serves, there was a review shortly after these keyboards were released by Apple. BTW, I own the bluetooth version and I think it's terrific!

Gee4orce said:

To be clear, I said they aren't ideal, not that they aren't suitable. I personally think the keys feel great in terms of their actual typing motion and tactile response, but the fact that they have perfectly flat tops with smooth surfaces mean that your fingertips tend to slide around more; I occasionally found myself hitting multiple keys. Also, because most of the keys are essentially the same size and shape, and keys that are normally separated by empty space are crowded against each other, it's more difficult to find particular keys "by feel."

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Yes, I'm a fan of low-profile keyboards with laptop-style keys for this reason.