Apple keyboard on a pc w/XP sp2?

[ScottLovesDogs]

I need to get this huge (but great to type on) IBM PS/2 keyboard off of my desk, so I have some room here. The nicest looking and feeling "mini" keyboard that I have found, so far, is the Apple Wireless, bluetooth keyboard. Here is a link, if it works:

http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/W ... =MB167LL/A

Do any of you know if it can be made to work with a PC (in my sig. below)? I would have to buy a bluetooth receiver to plug into a USB port, but my concern is about keyboard drivers, etc. so that the PC will recognize the KB and work with it. Has it ever been done?

Thanks and Merry Christmas everyone.

[dicecca112]

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&ct=res&c ... hPOW8YN5Vg

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&ct=res&c ... 547iD3BXMg

it is possible with varying degrees of success

[ScottLovesDogs]

Thanks Matt, have been Googling it myself too. Came to the same conclusion. Guess I'm just going to have to take advantage of Best Buy's 30 return policy if it is too flakey for real use.

[dicecca112]

definitely post if you get it to work, I like the look of that keyboard.

[ScottLovesDogs]

Will do, but may wait until after the Holiday Season to do it.

When do we get Beaker back (asked the Muppet Show fan)?

[dicecca112]

I don't know really, depends how the Pat's do. They win the SuperBowl, they'll be Pat's logo up instead.

[straydog101]

Hi,

I'm new to this site, but came here having been intrigued by Apples new Bluetooth keyboard.

I bought one on the chance that it would hook up to my Dell 1505 Inspiron laptop.

I always hated the long keyboards with the number keys and stuff hanging out the end that I never use, and only serve to skew proper ergonomics when trying to type and mouse.

Anyway, the keyboard found the built in Bluetooth receiver in my laptop and Windows properly portrayed it as an "Apple Keyboard". Phew.

Of course most of the "special" Apple keys do not function, and the lower left "fn" and "ctrl" keys are reversed, but the basic key set works just fine. I am more than happy to accept these limitations, as I love the keyboard (am using it now) but would like to find out more about reprogramming keys to make them more Windows compatible.

Does anyone know anything about this? Also would be glad to answer any questions that I can.

Thanks,

Bill

[kappage]

i have seen a few keyboards like this but i especially like the mac keyboards that have a white background and clear perspex sides, and dont forget that really cool clear 'dome' mouse that they have, I have always wanted to drill a small hole into it from the inside and put a blue led in their or something...

[ScottLovesDogs]

Straydog,

Google or Yahoo search the matter, or use the links that Dicecca112 posted above as a start. I found several articles about modifying drivers and things to get some of the extra keys on the Apple Wireless KB to work with a PC under Win2K, and XP/Pro.

It may not be easy for the faint of heart though. For example, I'm 52, first programmed in IBM JCL and Fortran on puched cards, built with a soldering iron (not assembled sub-assemblies) my own computer in 1976, a SWTPC 6800. Programmed that machine by hand assembling machine code. Having gotten far away from my computing roots, and dealing with Windows'several million lines of proprietary code (which we can't even see, so have to "shoot in the dark"), even I hesitate playing around with too much to make a peripheral work. Especially since I use Adobe CS3 heavily and it has a very flakey and at times unstable licensing system (Thank yous to Macrovision corp ), and one never knows just what will trigger a need to low-level format down the hard drive and reinstall every thing from scratch to get CS3 working again - after explaining it all to Adobe support and begging for yet another activation code.

[ScottLovesDogs]

After much thought, I have decided not to use an Apple Wireless keyboard with my PC. The problem was desk area, but since I'm going to build a new, built-in, bookcase/desk/stereo rack, I can put a keyboard tray under the desk. That will give me even more space than the little Apple keyboard, leave room in front of the monitor for the Wacom tablet (which even the little Apple K/B won't), won't involve possible incompatabilities, and best of all, it won't be an Apple product!

When showing the Apple Wireless KB to my 23-year-old daughter at a store, she pointed out that it flexes when you type on it. Had never noticed that before, but it really does not seem as sturdy as this old IBM I have. What someone, somewhere pointed out about my current keyboard's ancestor is also true about this IBM PS/2 model: You could club an attacking rhinoceros to death with it, then calmly turn around and continue typing on it.

[vicaphit]

If you want a really thin keyboard go with the razer lycossa. It is almost as thin as an old zune. Mine came from Best Buy.