07/27/2007, 8:25am, EDT
Friday, July 27thNew slimline iMac keyboard revealed? [U]
(Updated with new info and photo) The heavily rumored new iMac keyboard may prove to be a reality. Confirming earlier claims, the design shown in photos is exceptionally thin and uses individually isolated keys similar to the MacBook or Sony's VAIO TZ; the entire design is less than 1cm (0.39 inches) thick and requires extrusions just to hold the USB ports, according to the photos. Apple has also changed the keyboard layout, adding F17-F19 keys and a Function key that modifies the role of the F-keys similar to past Apple notebooks. Several of those keys now control basic media play functions, display brightness, and MacOS features such as Dashboard and Expose.
Notably, the company has also removed the Apple logo from the Command keys in a likely attempt to simplify understanding of key commands for newcomers. The aluminum-bodied keyboard photographed has what appears to be a legitimate Apple Development Team logo and is likely a development sample for the actual keyboard, which has been rumored to accompany a newer, thinner iMac design for a release later this summer.





,
, 32
,
,
,
,
, 
subscribe to comments
for this article
OR this can be the keyboard for a new, midrange expandable desktop.
One can only hope and dream.
All the images may in fact be genuine, I'm just not an expert and consequently can't say with any authority, but I suspect that all's not quite as it appears here. I just wouldn't bet the far on it...
As for the keyboard itself, it's hella cool. The one thing that bugs me is the USB bar in the rear. When I saw the first pictures, I was hoping it could lie flat on a table, giving it as low of a profile as possible. I hate raised keyboards. But the USB bar along the bottom won't allow for that.
Oh well, I'm sure it will still feel great.