Keyboard goes kaput

After four years of heavy use, my Mac keyboard inexplicably bit the dust after my Sunday morning nap. It wouldn't type a single letter. It just randomly spit out a rapid series of forward slashes.

Two questions:

1. Has anyone experienced a similar keyboard issue? Keyboards are relatively inexpensive, but it would be nice to know just what transpired. My best guess is that my daughter, who, more than once, pulled the keyboard off the desk so that it was left suspended by the USB wire, may have caused this demise. A liquid spill also came to mind.

2. Perhaps more importantly, does anyone have a good suggestion for a replacement? Apple has a USB keyboard listed for $29.99, but it doesn't feature the spare USB connections. This would mean that I'd have to use my only available USB slot on the back of the computer to connect my mouse, which previously plugged into the USB port on the keyboard.

I am considering going wireless with both keyboard and mouse, but I've read some poor reviews. Apparently, there are batteries involved. With two small children, I go through enough batteries as it is. I also read some poor reviews related to ergonomics.

Also, I'm hoping to finish my holiday shopping, and my wife wants an iPod. I know they have video iPods now, but I'm not sure there's much cause for that sort of capability. Does anybody with a video iPod actually make use of this function?

If not, I can go the cheaper route and pick up the smaller Nano. Then I could afford to get her a few more gifts.

 

USB question: You should be able to get a USB expander (like 4 slots going into 1) at a computer store for a couple bucks. That would solve your USB problem. I don't have a wireless keyboard so can't comment there.

Costco had iPod nanos and iPod Videos for close to the same price the other day. Check it out.

 

I can't speak to your keyboard problem, but I can offer the following iPod video info:

I know four people who have iPods with video. One watches video podcasts on it. The others listen to music and that's it.

Everyone else I know with an mp3 player has a Nano.

 

If you don't care about video, the main difference to consider between Nano and full Ipod is the space. Nano has 8 gigs at most, Ipod has 30 or 80. My 4,000-song collection wouldn't fit on a Nano right now, but I'd have plenty of room for it to grow on an Ipod.

We've got a few Apple wireless keyboards at work and they're incredible. They use 4 AA batteries and last a very long time (they've been working for a couple months without need of new batteries). Ergonomics haven't been an issue but then again the people using them don't type fast, or for extended periods of time.

OTD is right though. The USB hub is a good option if the extra ports are the only reason you're thinking of going wireless.

 

Thanks for the excellent feedback. I actually have a four-port USB hub. It connects to my printer, external CD burner and floppy drive.

I'm convinced that it's worth paying extra for the video iPod. I didn't realize how similar they were in terms of price. Perhaps I had been confusing my Nano with my Shuffle, which is quite the generic alternative.

I also think I'll go with the wireless Apple keyboard. I'll just plug my mouse into the USB port that previously was used for my keyboard. Then, if the keyboard works out, I'll go with a wireless mouse in the near future.

I suppose it's time to update things. I'm also still running an outdated version of OSX. What irks me is that they're going to release a new version next year. I'm not sure I can wait for that, so I may have to upgrade twice within a year. The bastards. They sure know how to screw you.

 

i have a video ipod but rarely watch video on it because i'm never in a situation where it's practical. i think if i commuted by bus or train or if i flew a lot i'd use the video.

that said, gomer's post is right on. you get the video one for the extra storage capacity as compared with the nano, not necessarily for the video features.

 

I've never had anything plugged into the USB port on my keyboard work. I've always had to plug it into the main unit because I get an alert that not enough power is available.

 

I hear you. I had that problem with my floppy drive and my little USB flash drive. Oddly, I can plug my digital camera into that port and there's never a problem. Go figure.