Worst Keyboard?

[Tahoma]

Just found a photo of this on eBay.

This was the first computer I actually owned. I liked many aspects of it, but the keyboard was awful.

https://www.ebay.de/itm/Original-Atari- ... Sw55dgFqM1

[xxhellfirexx]

This one is worse.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZX81

[Tahoma]

eek!

[Muirium]

Special nightmares. Bear in mind this one cost a whole Speccy many times over. And it sucked… ants and spiders, let alone human detritus.

It was one of these monstrosities that made me truly notice keyfeel in the first place. The acrylic terrarium itself: the Apple A1048.



Feels. Like. Actual. Shit.

Lesson learned! Got to see about understanding me these keyboards.

The irony being I had, of course, used better keyboards in passing, long before this. I’d just overlooked them because I was a kid. By the time I was buying my own, the keyboard depression of the early 2000s was upon us. Took a long while for me to get my hands on a good one.

Anyway, domes like that piece of garbage schooled me just how bad they can be. Miss me mush?

[fohat]

Years ago my daughter had one of those. She liked it because it was "cute" but it is truly abominable to use and the clear base vessel is a magnet for board chow.

[micmil]

And we finally get a keyboard three posts in. The first two don't count. You can't have a keyboard without keys. *taps head*

I have no idea what the worst one I've used was. Not make and model, at any rate. In the late 90's a relative of mine bought and sold used computer hardware so I had my hands on a TON of keyboards that would probably produce raging boners throughout the land now but at the time were just crap that you got with the 286. There was one in particular that I only remember by key feel.

Because that key feel was binding. Like every third key press would result in horrific binding and you'd have to press SUPER HARD to get it to finally thwak down onto what I'm guessing was some sort of membrane. Maybe one bind in twenty was so bad you couldn't push it down, you'd instead have to figure out which direction the key was binding in and thwak it on the opposite side to get it to unbind and move. I distinctly remember desperately wanting to use it because it sounded absolutely amazing but it was literally, actually, really unusable.

I'm kind of happy I can't remember what it was, because I would absolutely search one out just so I could Office Space the bastard.

[depletedvespene]

Just found a photo of this on eBay.

This was the first computer I actually owned. I liked many aspects of it, but the keyboard was awful.

https://www.ebay.de/itm/Original-Atari- ... Sw55dgFqM1

The thing is, as flat membrane keyboards go, the Atari 400 keyboard was actually pretty decent. Many others from that time sucked even harder than the infamous ZX81's keyboard!

[fohat]

And we finally get a keyboard three posts in.

There have been so many of these threads over the years that most old-timers are weary of them.

[Muirium]

Ah, c’mon, some topics are eternal. And besides I can’t remember any of those threads, despite no doubt commenting on them. Ooooooold timers, see…

[Findecanor]

My worst "keyboard" is the "Apple Smart Keyboard" that Apple sells for its iPad Pro. Reasons:

• Covered in a rubbery keyboard condom that feels disgusting
• The keys are not stabilised in any way. They are often called "butterfly" switches, but they are not: because the "butterfly" refers to the scissor-mechanism — which is absent! There is only a keycap right on top of a metal dome.
• Connects with pogo pins, so you can't use it for anything else.
• For something this truly cheap, it has a high price, starting at $170 + tax. That Apple even had the nerve to set that price. It drags down the rating considerably.
• For years, this was the only keyboard Apple made for iPad Pro. Its successor, the "Magic" keyboard with bog-standard scissor-switches costs twice as much.

I just added it to the Wiki with this pic (does it show up?)

[Tahoma]

LOL! Sounds pretty bad.

Thanks for sharing!

[depletedvespene]

My worst "keyboard" is the "Apple Smart Keyboard" that Apple sells for its iPad Pro.

That is NOT a keyboard. That is a keeb.

[Muirium]

But aren't they all "keebs" to the "keeb" of mind?

The sad thing about that rubberised iPad keyboard is I heard plenty of positive opinions about it, out in non-keyboard aficionado land. Some of it was in comparison to the McBBoook keyboards of doom that ppple was inflicting at the time: that contraceptive cover was there for a reason! But it wasn't limited to that. Some folks seemed to quite like that laughable seesaw spacebar and Fisher Price keyfeel.

Thankfully, besides ignoring us, Apple also ignores those idiots. The keyboard on my M1 Air is positively retro by their standards! And the spectacularly overpriced angle-poise keyboard stand for the iPads feels passable, too.

We backed up out of Shit Creek. Now just don't make that damn turn again!

[depletedvespene]

But aren't they all "keebs" to the "keeb" of mind?

There's a reason the term "unwashed masses" exists.

[Burton]

Just found a photo of this on eBay.

This was the first computer I actually owned. I liked many aspects of it, but the keyboard was awful.

https://www.ebay.de/itm/Original-Atari- ... Sw55dgFqM1

The thing is, as flat membrane keyboards go, the Atari 400 keyboard was actually pretty decent. Many others from that time sucked even harder than the infamous ZX81's keyboard!

There have been times when the technique was just terrible. But these were the first steps in the development of home computers. But literally 20-25 years later, modern PCs simply amaze with the speed of development of components, improved quality of technology, convenience and ease of use.

[Bethanie Rich]

I don't think that it's the WORST but imho the SteelSeries Apex Pro is the most overpriced and overhyped keyboard in years