Ask HN: Where are the Mac ergonomic keyboards?

3 points by donnachangstein 5 hours ago

I have terrible wrist pain and have been a slave to ergonomic keyboards for relief for the past decade.

However, the Mac segment of this market is sparse and dry. Mac meaning a keyboard with proper ⌘-Command and ⌥-Option buttons.

If any good options exist, I can't seem to find them. Nothing fancy or exotic, I just want a version of the old Microsoft Natural keyboard with Mac keys and USB-C, most importantly wired not wireless. Comparable attempts seem to be poor quality and/or discontinued.

Why does this not exist? Patent encumbrances? There had to be a market for such things; I can't be the only one. I'm willing to pay up to $150 USD for a quality product.

If anyone knows of any good products, please share!

photon_rancher an hour ago

Logitech makes them. Ergo k680 is sitting on my desk right now and has both cmd and option in the correct spots.

Wireless tho so you’ll have to get over that one. Not a lot of options with usbc wired - unless you look at the custom or boutique space most wired keyboards have permanent cables. Battery easily lasts a year.

It’s kinda a weird list of requirements imo - most mac users are exclusively on wireless options. And even the wired ones only have usbc if they’re mechanical with like a teensy or something. Not that you’re wrong to want it but its unusual.

pvg 5 hours ago

Mac keycaps and remapping (often even keyboard-side) are readily available so this is just an issue of small tweakage and probably explains why you're not finding dedicated Mac keyboards.

hakkoru 5 hours ago

I've not used their ergonomic keyboards, but Keychron seems to make them and includes Mac keycaps + compatibility.

bigyabai 5 hours ago

> Mac meaning a keyboard with a proper ⌘-Command and ⌥-Option buttons

How have you used keyboards for the last decade but somehow can't touch-type your modifier keys? I use blank keycaps and never notice the difference switching between OSes.

  • donnachangstein 5 hours ago

    No, because ⌘ is often mapped to the Windows key on a PC keyboard, and the physical position of those is swapped on the Mac layout. The key width is different too (Command being a wider key than Ctrl) on a traditional Mac layout.

    If it were simply a visual thing I would agree; but it's a physical key placement issue.

osx94 5 hours ago

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