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- Verified Buyer
The first one I ordered proved to be defective - but I didn't know it at first, and thought it's operation was "normal".What to look for:1. On the defective 5000, the keyboard usually seemed to be asleep when I first start typing on it. It also seemed to go into sleep mode pretty quickly and often. It would then buffer a lot of keystrokes while waking up. Sometimes it would buffer all my keystrokes, other times they just never appeared. So I would have to type keys until it woke up then backspace to get rid of the useless keystrokes. On the replacement, it just works like a normal keyboard. It rarely goes to sleep, and when it does, it wakes up fast and only has to buffer a couple of keystrokes, which is very acceptable. In short, this mostly behaves just like an Apple Bluetooth keyboard would.2. Yes I changed the batteries on the first, defective keyboard but that didn't help.Pairing with the Mac mini was a breeze. Just turn it on, and click on the Bluetooth symbol in the top menu bar strip. Type in the number code to pair, and you are good to go. I made sure to go in and un-pair the one I was sending back. The Windows and Alt keys are in reversed physical location compared to a standard Apple keyboard, but if you go into keyboard preferences, you can swap them. I prefer the normal Windows location, since I learned computing on a Windows machine not a Mac.Why did I get this instead of the Mac Bluetooth keyboard? It's about half the price, but that really isn't the point (a Mac mini should be about recycling existing keyboards and monitors, not going cheap on everything except the CPU). I got it because I like MS keyboards - they feel fast and responsive. Also, compared to a Mac keyboard, I have the ever useful Backspace key, which Mac doesn't implement (only the Delete key).This keyboard is nice and compact, saves space on my desk, but the keys (except the arrow keys) don't feel cramped.Right now I am using a Magic Mouse - the Apple wired mouse with the scroll ball on top. I will probably be switching to an Apple Trackpad in the near future - I have gotten spoiled by using one on a MacBook. They are really a fine piece of hardware, and I like the two fingered scrolling, two finger tap for right mouse button operation. BUT the MS Mobile Keyboard 5000 is sweet, and for now I am very happy with it. Yes, it will work with an iPad, but that requires resetting it and repairing it, since it can only remember one pairing at a time.Update 12-11-12: While my replacement does not have the horrible lag or quirkiness of my first sample, I do not recommend this at least for Mac users. It just takes too long to wake up. My Apple Trackpad is also Bluetooth, battery powered, but I NEVER experience a wake up delay on it. With this MS mobile keyboard, there is ALWAYS a slight wake up delay, if I haven't been typing for a couple of minutes which happens a lot (I'm not writing a book, I'm just replying to emails, using FB, etc., so typing is intermittent). I do like the size, quality, and feel of this keyboard, and it is a much cheaper alternative to the Mac wireless keyboard - plus I get a real backspace key - but really, it degrades from the seamless Mac experience. I haven't tried it on a Windows computer, so I can't say whether you would get the same delay there (I am not sure to what extent the delay is a "device on" issue or a "re-pairing" issue - not a full re-pairing of course - but on a Mac mini the experience is not as good as it should be in terms of wake up speed. Also, from time to time the keyboard and computer forget the settings for the Windows and Alt keys - I have them reversed, so the Windows key behaves like an Apple key (instead of the Alt key taking that role) and sometimes I have to go into Preferences and reset my preference. My faith in Windows-branded hardware continues on unabided, however, since I just ordered the successor for this keyboard, the Microsoft Wedge Mobile Keyboard which hardly saves any money at all over an Apple, but has a real nice cover for travel and of course the Backspace key I know and love. When I get it and give it a work out I will post my results on that product page.
