# Whoa! 12" PowerBook has a Windows/Right-Click keyboard button?



## Snowball (Feb 11, 2003)

This is a potentially hot topic ! Maybe Apple put this in for Virtual PC, maybe it hints that Macs will run Windows, maybe I'm making a big deal out of nothing...
But anyway, see the attached image, taken directly from the just-released developer note. At the bottom right are two keys very familiar to Windoze users.... Is this the first time Apple has included these keys?


(And to those of you who will of course say how "this is an obvious Photoshop job" please go here and scroll to page 46.
http://developer.apple.com/techpubs...-G4/PowerBook_G4_12inch/PowerBookG412inch.pdf)

-Snowball


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## senne (Feb 11, 2003)

Did you checked it with KeyCaps? (Apps>Utilities)


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## Snowball (Feb 11, 2003)

Check what exactly with KeyCaps?

I just looked at that picture again and it looks pretty blurry so I'll post a zoomed in version.


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## Snowball (Feb 11, 2003)

Also, anyone with a 12" PowerBook: Do you have Virtual PC? If so, can you customize the keyboard preferences option with the Windows key?

And secondly, can you push the contextual menu key in the Mac OS and get a virtual ctrl-click?


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## Snowball (Feb 11, 2003)

Another little interesting fact: The 12" PowerBook will be able to support 1 GB of RAM when the memory manufacturers make the chips small enough. See the next attached picture, same source. (I keep attaching all these pictures )
The same thing happened to my WallStreet - they eventually made the chips small enough so I could have 1 GB of RAM.


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## Snowball (Feb 11, 2003)

The edit post button doesn't allow you to attach pictures? Mods: why not?


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## senne (Feb 11, 2003)

You can check with Keycaps which keys changes when you hold a certain button. (example: if you hold Shift, the letters on Keycaps turn into capitols)


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## binaryDigit (Feb 11, 2003)

They are only showing how the keys will map to a "standard" pc keyboard given the "alternate" mapping.  Makes sense as more and more pc's now use usb and the two keyboards are essentially the same (with a few keycaps changed to protect the innocent).


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## Snowball (Feb 11, 2003)

binaryDigit: How do you map a Mac _laptop_ keyboard to a PC? It doesn't detach and connect through USB as you seem to be implying. The only way I can think of is for Virtual PC.

senne: I don't actually own a 12", they are too small for my tastes. I'll check on my WallStreet tonight though to see what the fn key does.


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## aishafenton (Feb 11, 2003)

What does it mean?!?!?!

So when you hold down the function key, those keys become windows keys. Who would use the windows keys except virtual PC?


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## binaryDigit (Feb 12, 2003)

> _Originally posted by Snowball _
> *binaryDigit: How do you map a Mac laptop keyboard to a PC? It doesn't detach and connect through USB as you seem to be implying. The only way I can think of is for Virtual PC.
> 
> senne: I don't actually own a 12", they are too small for my tastes. I'll check on my WallStreet tonight though to see what the fn key does. *



No, but you might plug a "pc" usb keyboard into the laptop though.  With the advent of usb keyboards, the kb is becoming a commodity item across platforms, so there is no reason to have to have a Mac keyboard vs a PC keyboard (again with the exception of some of the keytops being different).  I have a feeling that the "alternate" mapping is available in most current Macs, or it will start being available from this point on.

And yes, Virtual PC is the most obvious early beneficiary of this.


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## Snowball (Feb 12, 2003)

> _Originally posted by binaryDigit _
> *No, but you might plug a "pc" usb keyboard into the laptop though.  With the advent of usb keyboards, the kb is becoming a commodity item across platforms, so there is no reason to have to have a Mac keyboard vs a PC keyboard (again with the exception of some of the keytops being different).  I have a feeling that the "alternate" mapping is available in most current Macs, or it will start being available from this point.*



Yes...but I still think something is strange because there is no real reason for Apple to implement this. When was the last time you pushed a Windows key on a keyboard plugged into a Mac? Never I imagine. Nothing would happen regardlesss, unless maybe it was Virtual PC. Strange though for Apple to add special hardware systems for just Virtual PC... That's why I think this is unusual, see my point?


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## dsnyder (Feb 15, 2003)

Says it is "for use with PC emulation software."


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## Cat (Feb 16, 2003)

I think this fits in the overall approach Apple has towards other platforms. E.g. Macs can read DOS-formatted floppies, CD's and drives IIRC, while Wintels can't read Mac-formatted ones. This means that on a Mac you can do everything you want: you get to use features of both worlds, it is compatible with everything out there. 
Incorporating support for Windoze keys is just another example... probably they even received requests from VPC users to do something like this...


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## theed (Feb 17, 2003)

it's not powerbook specific.  This has been the functionality of the keyboard under laptop control for as long as Mac OS X has been shipping.  The Apple key is the Windows key.  That goofy group of keys above the arrow keys need to be there for completeness even if they are ridiculous to get to.

Here's my favorite question about mac keyboards of late ... what the hell does the num lock light do?


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## Snowball (Feb 17, 2003)

On my WallStreet, it enables the integrated num pad (look at that pdf file for more info). I  personally think it is really awkward and never use it, but i guess Apple has to keep up the feature bullet points to compete.


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## senne (Feb 18, 2003)

it's doesn't do anything on my iMac 700Mhz G3
i find it weird too.....


Apple keyboards never were good, we don't have this key: « on 1 key (you know what i mean.... ) («= alt+shift+leftupper 1) neither we do have this one: ~ (you have to press alt + n)


ohwell...


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## evildan (Feb 18, 2003)

I have the ~ key, it's just left of the "1" key on my keyboard, and Apple's extended keyboard and small one for that matter. (the keyboard that shipped with B&W G3's and the early G4's).

I don't know what you mean by the alt+shift+leftupper 1)... not sure what left upper 1 is supposed to mean.

control+click has brought up the contextual since OS7.5 I believe.

I think Apple is simply trying to convey to Windows users that the custom keys that they have come to know are also on a mac keyboard.

Having a different key structure doesn't necessarily make a keyboard better then another, Mac users and PC users have had custom keys that they've come to get used to, Apple's were not necessarily any better then the Windows keys, they were just different. 

Foe example, Windows keyboards didn't always have the "Windows Key", it was added for the same reason that Apple includes it's "Open Apple key" on it's keyboards.

A function or command key has now become common place on all keyboards. (Thanks Apple).

If I could make a prediction, I would say that the line between these two key structures will get blurry and then eventually go away. If Apple does their job, people will associate the Apple Key with the Windows Key, Alt with Option, etc...


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## Snowball (Feb 18, 2003)

You two are both falling victim to country bias. Senne, being in Belgium, has a different keyboard layout...and vice versa for evildan with his US keyboard layout. I like my WallStreet keyboard a lot, it feels a lot nicer than Dell keyboards. I also hear that the AlBook's keyboards are even better, which is great news!


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## texanpenguin (Feb 19, 2003)

In the past, I have honked my horn for Mac Keyboards, but having learnt programs like Photoshop on the PC, with the PC's Shift, Ctrl and Alt setup, as opposed to my WallStreet's Shift Fn Ctrl Opt Cmd setup. I can't use them for Photoshop; too hellish.


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## Snowball (Feb 19, 2003)

Yeah, but you gotta admit, it sure is a lot easier using Command. Thumb and index finger doing cmd-s for save as opposed to the pinky-stretch of ctrl-s is a pretty big difference. And Apple also does a much better job of keyboard shortcuts; cmd-w for Window closing, cmd-a for select All...it's intuitive (what does alt-f4 mean if you don't already know?)


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## IceDogg25 (Mar 2, 2003)

the PDF posted by snowball has a flaw.  The front page of it says the apple sign and then "January 31st, 2003. "

someone please tell me that they have already noticed this!!


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## Sjake (Mar 3, 2003)

What flaw?


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## bolindilly (Mar 3, 2003)

my friend uses an apple pro keyboard with his pc. i guess this is one of the reasons why that map exists...


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## Snowball (Mar 4, 2003)

Isn't the Windows key mapping in software though? And I'll say again, you can't unplug a laptop keyboard and plug it in, and pro keyboards don't have fn keys to enable the Windows mode. So, as far as I can see, the keys are exclusively for Virtual PC (or maybe Bochs if it knows about them, unlikely though).


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## binaryDigit (Mar 4, 2003)

> _Originally posted by Snowball _
> *Isn't the Windows key mapping in software though? And I'll say again, you can't unplug a laptop keyboard and plug it in, and pro keyboards don't have fn keys to enable the Windows mode. So, as far as I can see, the keys are exclusively for Virtual PC (or maybe Bochs if it knows about them, unlikely though). *



The key (no pun intended) point is that the keyboard send the same scan codes for any particular key on the keyboard for a pc and mac.  It's up to the OS to translate that scan code into a particular "key".  In this way you can plug a PC USB keyboard into a Mac and it would work.  The only problem is that you're keycaps won't be the same.  There might be minor differences though for things like the POWER key etc.


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