You may not think much about your keyboard, but apart from the mouse, pretty much everything you do to your computer goes through it. That’s why quality keyboards, like the Apple II Extended and the IBM model M, can make aficionados swoon. Typing is so integral to the computing experience that a good-quality keyboard makes a world of difference.
But is it worth spending $170 to get a better keyboard than the one that came with your computer?
For the last couple of weeks I have been using the Das Keyboard, a sleek black monolith with many of the features of Apple’s and IBM’s legendary input devices. In fact Das Keyboard touts its product as very similar to the Model M, and it contains mechanical, Cherry MX-style key switches, just like the IBM. So, how does this modern-day, would-be classic shape up?
First, it’s important to note that I’m not a real touch typist. I’m fast, but I find myself looking down often enough. Second, I have been using a laptop keyboard for so long that it took me some time to get used to a proper "grown-up" keyboard again. This made the transition a little frustrating. And because I’m no touch typist, I opted for the "Professional" model, which has markings on the keys. The "Ultimate" is exactly the same but runs in stealth mode, with no markings other than the logo.
The first thing people notice will be the design. It’s black and shiny and, although nowhere near as sleek as the tiny aluminum Apple keyboards, it looks very classy. Up at the top right, there is a bulge which holds two USB 2.0 ports (side firing) and three LEDs. These are blue, and despite my documented blinkenlight hatred, I found them fairly unobtrusive.
The next thing people will notice is the racket. This keyboard is noisy, due to those mechanical keys. As you hit the key, you feel a click just before the key hits the end of its stroke. This is when the key-press registers. After this there is a little more travel and the key bottoms out. Both parts of that make a noise, and the combination when you are typing speedily comes out sounding somewhere between a typewriter and the switches on an arcade game machine.
It’s curiously satisfying. The audible feedback lets you know exactly when you have hit the letter. No squishiness here to confuse you. It leads to more accurate typing, and is great for annoying the neighbors. If you are a speed typist, the gold-plated switches offer another bonus. The Das has something called "N-Key rollover" which scans each key separately — you can push up to 12 of them at once and they’ll all be accurately registered.
As a further test, I swapped the Das Keyboard out with my old Apple Keyboard, the plastic-and-perspex version that came with the old G5 PowerMacs. At the time, I thought that was a great keyboard. Plugging it in just now I realized what a difference there is between the Das and the Apple. Although my fingers are more used to the slightly larger tops of the Apple key caps, the key action is horribly squishy. I liken it to driving an old 1950s, finned Cadillac after taking a jaunt in a Porsche with rock-hard suspension — my fingers felt like they were wallowing in the keys.
Currently, the Das Keyboard is set up for Windows machines but, being USB, will work just fine with a Mac. The company is planning a Mac version in the spring of next year which will have the usual Apple markings on the keys, but there are some workarounds that Mac users can make in the meantime.
First, in the OS X System Preferences, you can configure the shift, control, command and option (alt) keys. I used this to swap the positions of the alt and Windows keys to mimic the positions of a normal Mac keyboard. I’m using the Das with a MacBook Pro (in clamshell mode, hooked up to an external monitor) and I had to do a little jiggering at first. In theory, the Mac will remember the settings for each keyboard (internal and external) but in practice those settings wouldn’t stick. A reboot did the trick.
Another problem is getting the MacBook to actually wake up in lid-closed mode. It’s a known problem, and I found the most consistent way to wake it was to use the infra-red Apple Remote. One more Apple tip: Go download the free Preference Pane called Function Flip. It does what it says, flipping the function keys to work as hardware controllers just like Apple’s own keyboards, letting you control volume, iTunes and the like from the top row.
There’s one thing, though, that might put some people off. The price of the Das Keyboard is $170. If typing is your profession, it might be worth it — after all, a high-end pair of running shoes can cost as much. Me? I might get one. The only thing I don’t like, oddly, is that I have to use a mouse instead of a trackpad, which gives me wicked carpal tunnel.
Product page [Das Keyboard]
Some people like to watch television while they cook. I know if I tried to do this in my kitchen, I wouldn’t have room on my counter for an LCD TV, even the smallest one. Not to mention all the mess it would accrue on the screen because of my cooking. I also wouldn’t want any electronics near any place where I boil water. 
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