No. Don’t run away. This is really interesting.

One of the strangest changes to Apple’s product line occurred in the introduction of the MacBooks. We bought two for our main development work. I found the most peculiar aspect of the whole family of MacBooks to be their new flat keyboard which I use when travelling, or working at clients’ offices.

Looking at it, I thought I’d never be able to work effectively with it. It appeared to be too retro. Sure enough, it took a bit of getting used to. After a while, I came to realise that I was just as productive as with traditional laptop keyboards.

There are however some subtle features of the keyboard – some practical, one psychological. Now that Apple has revised its standalone keyboards I’m buying myself a new one for when I’m in the office.

The practical reasons are these: it’s quieter to type on than a clackity-clack keyboard (and I’ve been known for years to be a loud typist!) This is critically important when working in a quiet environment. Further, because there is less ‘travel’ to the keys, I can type quicker and more accurately. I find that my fingers glide between keys rather than hopping.

These are both great advantages. The psychological one is bigger. Typing on my MacBook makes me feel calm. It’s a pleasure to flit around the keyboard doing work. Consequently, the work I do is better.