WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:09.420 If you buy a Mac Studio or a Mac Mini, you get nothing. 00:00:09.420 --> 00:00:13.800 No display, no Magic Mouse, and no keyboard. 00:00:13.800 --> 00:00:17.520 As Steve Jobs put it, it's BYODKM. 00:00:17.520 --> 00:00:21.960 On one hand, it's a little annoying that your brand new computer isn't usable out 00:00:21.960 --> 00:00:29.080 of the box. On the other, you, a Mac user, can now venture beyond the Magic Keyboard and choose, or 00:00:29.080 --> 00:00:32.800 make, something much, much better. 00:00:32.800 --> 00:00:36.400 What a dream. This should be easy. 00:00:36.400 --> 00:00:45.960 Meet Nicholas Plouffe. He's a writer from the Orange Channel who loves keyboards. 00:00:45.960 --> 00:00:50.880 He loves keyboards so much, he's the go-to guy for ShortCircuit videos on the subject. 00:00:50.880 --> 00:00:56.240 He loves keyboards so much, he set up a workstation in his home devoted entirely to the making 00:00:56.240 --> 00:01:02.360 and modifying of them. It's one of those things where you see a picture of something on someone's desk and 00:01:02.360 --> 00:01:08.600 you're like, wow, that looks really cool. Once you experience it and you feel the jump in quality that comes with a much nicer, custom 00:01:08.600 --> 00:01:11.800 mechanical keyboard, it's just like a rabbit hole. 00:01:11.800 --> 00:01:15.400 He loves keyboards so much, that's what he streams about. 00:01:15.400 --> 00:01:19.760 God, watching that sounds like something second only to paint drying. 00:01:19.760 --> 00:01:23.720 This is why he's going to be helping me out in this journey to find the perfect keyboard 00:01:23.720 --> 00:01:27.200 because there are a lot. 00:01:27.200 --> 00:01:30.480 Hey, you're the keyboard guy. 00:01:30.480 --> 00:01:34.720 Sure. And there are a couple of new Macs that don't come with keyboards. 00:01:34.720 --> 00:01:40.440 That's crazy. So I'm wondering if you can help show me the world of mechanical keyboards. 00:01:40.440 --> 00:01:49.840 What do you need on your keyboard? I want it to sound exactly like the keyboard from the Sims 1. 00:01:49.840 --> 00:01:54.800 That's like really mechanical and funky. And it sounds like Buckling Spring, like a Model M or something like that. 00:01:54.800 --> 00:02:00.360 I don't know if that's possible. Okay, so where do we start? 00:02:00.360 --> 00:02:03.480 Keyboard from the Sims sounds like an abomination. What do you mean? 00:02:03.480 --> 00:02:06.480 It doesn't sound like an abomination. It does. It sounds amazing. 00:02:06.480 --> 00:02:11.000 No, I hate it. But the game was so good. Yeah, the game was good. That doesn't mean the keyboard sound is good. 00:02:11.000 --> 00:02:14.600 Oh, so like these things? No, don't use those. 00:02:14.600 --> 00:02:18.040 Are there more? Yes. Even Mac users are spoiled for choice. 00:02:18.040 --> 00:02:23.200 Wait, what are you doing? I'm not done yet. There's a lot to consider if you're looking to get into keyboards. 00:02:23.200 --> 00:02:26.920 The feel of a mechanical keyboard is largely driven by the switch you choose. 00:02:26.920 --> 00:02:29.920 These are browns. You don't want these. What kind of switches do you like? 00:02:29.920 --> 00:02:32.920 The Sim switches. We're not going to find those. I don't like that. 00:02:32.920 --> 00:02:35.920 Vulcan. You don't like this? There's also a layout. 00:02:35.920 --> 00:02:39.280 What about this layout where they're all aligned? That's ortho-linear. 00:02:39.280 --> 00:02:42.400 Like teeth? The numpad's on the left side? 00:02:42.400 --> 00:02:46.280 Yeah. Why are there two space bars? Because if you want two space bars, why not? 00:02:46.280 --> 00:02:51.880 It's just not Mac layout, but that's kind of nifty looking. And then there's the endless variety of qualities like case material and color. 00:02:51.880 --> 00:02:55.440 Where's the white keyboards? This should be good, right? No. 00:02:55.440 --> 00:02:59.520 This is full mechanical. Those feel like rubber dome. The type of plate you want to use. 00:02:59.520 --> 00:03:03.400 How it's mounted. Yeah, they put that on the bottom. And even weight. 00:03:03.400 --> 00:03:08.960 That's heavy. These are all things that help contribute to how the keyboard feels under your fingers. 00:03:08.960 --> 00:03:11.960 That's it? One of these drop boards. A drop board? 00:03:11.960 --> 00:03:14.960 Where's the new fee? Well, he's a mountain. A mountain? 00:03:14.960 --> 00:03:17.960 Yeah, a mountain. This is a mountain. There you go. 00:03:18.160 --> 00:03:21.200 Maybe you like the TKL. I picked the blues for you. 00:03:21.200 --> 00:03:24.480 Kale blues. I like the clicky stuff. Is that going to sound like the Sims? 00:03:24.480 --> 00:03:27.480 No. What's in that suitcase? Oh, you want this? 00:03:27.480 --> 00:03:30.480 You want the cyberboard? Okay, don't drop this. It's expensive. 00:03:30.480 --> 00:03:33.480 You good? Yeah. Cool. 00:03:33.480 --> 00:03:37.920 Where are we going? Oh my God. Why is this lit up? 00:03:37.920 --> 00:03:42.600 This is the group of keyboards Ploof has piled on me to take to the lab. 00:03:42.600 --> 00:03:46.680 It's a diverse lot and as interesting as they look, I want to start off by getting his 00:03:46.720 --> 00:03:53.640 thoughts on Apple's option. To give ourselves something to compare to, let's start with the Magic Keyboard. 00:03:53.640 --> 00:03:56.640 Touch ID. I think it's $200. What? 00:03:56.640 --> 00:04:01.440 $200. Did you watch that episode of NCAX? Oh yeah, the double hacking? 00:04:01.440 --> 00:04:04.440 Yeah. It's not mechanical, huh? It's just kind of a chiclet. 00:04:04.440 --> 00:04:07.800 Chiclet style. I hate the fingerprint reader stuff. 00:04:07.800 --> 00:04:13.680 It's great. The clickiness of it for what it is is actually pretty decent. 00:04:13.680 --> 00:04:19.760 I think it's perfectly fine. From the keyboard person, and considering all the keyboard options there are, would 00:04:19.760 --> 00:04:23.080 you suggest to a Mac user to skip this and go elsewhere? 00:04:23.080 --> 00:04:29.040 The only reason I would ever tell them to get this is if they want the ultimate importability. 00:04:29.040 --> 00:04:32.040 Take this out of here. I don't want it out of my sight. I don't want to look at it. 00:04:32.040 --> 00:04:35.200 You're so nice about it. It's fine. 00:04:35.200 --> 00:04:42.360 I'm just being elitist. This is the grand irony is that the PC people, particularly in keyboard circles, are elitist. 00:04:42.480 --> 00:04:45.680 What I think most normal people are going to do is they're going to go straight to their 00:04:45.680 --> 00:04:49.320 Logitech store and they're going to get one of these. 00:04:49.320 --> 00:04:53.680 I don't like Logitech keyboards for the most part, which is crazy because I love Logitech 00:04:53.680 --> 00:04:58.640 mice and I love Logitech headsets as well. This is literally the MX for Mac. 00:04:58.640 --> 00:05:05.280 Wow, crazy. I should note that they just expanded the lineup of Mac specific keyboards and mice. 00:05:05.280 --> 00:05:08.440 It comes in a nice silver to go with your... It's not space gray. 00:05:08.440 --> 00:05:11.480 I like the silver. I like the silver and the off-white. 00:05:11.480 --> 00:05:14.520 I don't like the typing experience though. No? 00:05:14.520 --> 00:05:17.520 No, not at all. It feels gross. It feels great. 00:05:17.520 --> 00:05:20.520 What? What about the... Compared to the Magic Keyboard? 00:05:20.520 --> 00:05:24.280 I'd take the Magic Keyboard over this. Really? Yeah. 00:05:24.280 --> 00:05:30.320 Thanks for those options, Jonathan. But I want to show you what a really nice keyboard looks, sounds, and feels like. 00:05:30.320 --> 00:05:35.680 So how much is that one? This one's about five or six hundred dollars and this one's also about five or six hundred 00:05:35.680 --> 00:05:39.760 dollars. For this, you're really paying a lot for the screen here and this one is kind of just 00:05:39.760 --> 00:05:42.760 pure quality. This is so... I know. 00:05:42.760 --> 00:05:45.760 I love it. That's my favorite right now. It's eight pounds? 00:05:45.760 --> 00:05:48.760 Eight point two. Yeah. This is a similar like seven... 00:05:48.760 --> 00:05:51.760 What are these? Ivory? No. 00:05:51.760 --> 00:05:54.760 Those are ceramic. Those you buy separately. You buy the keycap separately. 00:05:54.760 --> 00:05:58.000 I ruined it with my grimy hands. 00:05:58.000 --> 00:06:01.640 Pretty nice keyboard still. It doesn't sound like the Sims though. No. 00:06:01.640 --> 00:06:04.640 No, no, no. This is a linear keyboard. Like this is also linear. 00:06:04.640 --> 00:06:07.640 But these are all linear. So these are probably all linear. Yeah. 00:06:07.640 --> 00:06:10.760 So what is linear? Linear is a type of key switch. There are three types. 00:06:10.760 --> 00:06:16.000 Linear, tactile, and clicky. If you're looking at cherry switches, the linears are going to be red, the browns are 00:06:16.000 --> 00:06:19.460 going to be tactile, and the blues are going to be clicky. 00:06:19.460 --> 00:06:25.260 And this is kind of works for other brands as well. The linear ones, you can press down on the key and it moves smoothly to the end. 00:06:25.260 --> 00:06:31.200 They're also good for typing. I like typing on linear sometimes. It's good for people who don't want anything getting in the way of their kills, I guess. 00:06:31.200 --> 00:06:34.240 What could be getting in the way of their kills? Feel. 00:06:34.240 --> 00:06:39.000 There's no bump to worry about. With a tactile switch, there's a detent that you can feel as you type. 00:06:39.000 --> 00:06:46.160 So what does this mean for my Sims keyboard? The closest thing we're going to get is either a clicky or a very heavy tactile, is my guess. 00:06:46.160 --> 00:06:51.160 The other ones are probably going to play better with your Mac because they're specifically 00:06:51.160 --> 00:06:54.320 made to work with Apple products. 00:06:54.320 --> 00:06:57.720 So do you think I should just make my own keyboard? Wow. 00:06:57.720 --> 00:07:02.960 Let me tell you. These days, it's only intimidating because a lot of people fear taking apart or putting 00:07:02.960 --> 00:07:07.920 together small electronics. But since you're putting it together yourself, you'll know all the ins and outs of how it 00:07:07.920 --> 00:07:12.600 works and what's inside of it. It's just a few extra screws and maybe a ribbon cable or two. 00:07:12.600 --> 00:07:16.160 Unless you want to go to the trouble of lubing switches, it should only take an hour or two 00:07:16.160 --> 00:07:19.680 to put together your own mechanical keyboard. Easy peasy. 00:07:19.680 --> 00:07:22.880 This one has blue switches, so you might actually like it because it's got clickies. 00:07:22.880 --> 00:07:28.640 Oh, this is a Mac layout. That's great. And they probably have a little switch on the side somewhere that lets you turn it from 00:07:28.640 --> 00:07:31.640 Windows to Mac. Yeah. There you go. 00:07:31.640 --> 00:07:34.640 So I mean, you have options. Whoa. What's with all the colors? 00:07:34.640 --> 00:07:37.640 You get that sweet, sweet RGB. Oh my goodness. 00:07:37.840 --> 00:07:43.320 Can I change the color? If it's not a function, then you can find software that'll let you change the color. 00:07:43.320 --> 00:07:46.520 Is this linear? This is tactile, but it's brown. 00:07:46.520 --> 00:07:49.560 They're annoying because the bump is incredibly minor. It feels like it's broken. 00:07:49.560 --> 00:07:52.560 It's almost linear. No, no, no. It's not broken. 00:07:52.560 --> 00:07:57.560 It's just a cherry brown. I think I can safely say that I do not like brown switches. 00:07:57.560 --> 00:08:00.760 This is probably closest to your Magic Keyboard. 00:08:00.760 --> 00:08:07.440 Yeah, but it like has a clicky switch. It's not the Sims 1, the new fee, one of my favorites. 00:08:07.440 --> 00:08:10.880 The backlight on this just lights around the keys. It doesn't actually tell me where the keys are. 00:08:10.880 --> 00:08:14.520 Yeah. So these are not double shot. So you can't see through them. 00:08:14.520 --> 00:08:19.240 But it is nice to see this Mac layer and the colors are fun. A bit Google though. 00:08:19.240 --> 00:08:23.440 Here's the thing. Okay. Apple users have a bit of history of good keyboards. 00:08:23.440 --> 00:08:27.640 There's one keyboard I want to show you. There's actually two keyboards. There's one keyboard I want to start off with. 00:08:27.640 --> 00:08:30.640 Excuse me. You're going to be so amazed. 00:08:30.640 --> 00:08:32.640 You're going to be like, this is the best keyboard I've ever tried. 00:08:37.440 --> 00:08:43.440 Wow. 00:08:43.440 --> 00:08:48.160 This is Apple's equivalent of the IBM Auto Land. 00:08:48.160 --> 00:08:55.480 How is it extended? The Apple Extended Keyboard 2. This keyboard uses the famed Alps switches. 00:08:55.480 --> 00:08:59.280 Feels gross. I genuinely hate this. 00:08:59.280 --> 00:09:02.280 I would never type on this in my life. You like this? 00:09:02.280 --> 00:09:07.200 Maybe you should just buy a memory keyboard. Also, why are the home row keys on my middle fingers? 00:09:08.200 --> 00:09:12.200 These Alps keys are legendary in the Apple circles. 00:09:12.200 --> 00:09:19.000 That's cool. I don't like them. Yeah, the bump is so mushy and I don't like the recessed caps lock. 00:09:19.000 --> 00:09:22.000 Why is this? Oh, it just sticks. That's old. 00:09:22.000 --> 00:09:25.000 That's fine. That's what they used to be like. Don't you remember using these as a kid? 00:09:25.000 --> 00:09:28.840 I do remember using these because I grew up using the Apple 2s and stuff because my school 00:09:28.840 --> 00:09:35.720 was broke. So you can't get this keyboard anymore, but there is a Canadian keyboard manufacturer 00:09:35.920 --> 00:09:41.280 that manufactures Alps keyswitches. Maybe I like Alps switches that aren't 30 years old. 00:09:41.280 --> 00:09:46.880 Maybe they're just old. Let me go again. Maybe if they're fresh, they're not this mushy. 00:09:46.880 --> 00:09:53.360 Matias is a small outfit based in Canada. They have worked to keep the spirit of the Apple Extended Keyboard alive. 00:09:53.360 --> 00:09:56.840 For instance, when the Alps switch was at risk of going out of production, they bought 00:09:56.840 --> 00:10:00.280 a million switches to keep their keyboards alive. 00:10:00.280 --> 00:10:04.720 And when production eventually did end, they loved the feel of the Alps switch so much 00:10:04.720 --> 00:10:14.120 that they designed and manufactured their own. This is the Matias Tactile Pro and then the Laptop Pro, which has the quiet click key 00:10:14.120 --> 00:10:17.120 switch. What makes it a laptop pro? It's smaller. 00:10:17.120 --> 00:10:20.120 It's wireless. Oh, it's wireless. And does it use lightning? 00:10:20.120 --> 00:10:23.120 No. It uses Micro-B. What? 00:10:23.120 --> 00:10:30.720 Oh my God. They told me it's based off the simple Alps. I like these a lot more than I like these because these are snappier and don't feel as 00:10:30.720 --> 00:10:35.320 mushy on the very bottom out. This is pretty close to the sims. 00:10:35.320 --> 00:10:40.320 Oh my God. 00:10:40.320 --> 00:10:45.160 It is. 00:10:45.160 --> 00:10:50.520 It's like exactly the same. It's all a lot in the space bar. You get that ker-chunk in the space bar. 00:10:50.520 --> 00:10:54.240 I am so amazed. I found it. 00:10:54.240 --> 00:10:57.960 I can't believe it. But do you want to type on this all day? Yes. 00:10:57.960 --> 00:11:00.960 Your choice. That's the beauty of it. I always wanted to be a sim. 00:11:00.960 --> 00:11:03.960 It's really good. It's fresh. It'll whoop at us now. 00:11:03.960 --> 00:11:10.640 Yeah, that's pretty good. It's like a how-to-han and that. For the Mac user, what do you think is the best keyboard for them? 00:11:10.640 --> 00:11:14.800 So there's no perfect answer. Everyone's going to have different needs. So really, this is the sky's the limit. 00:11:14.800 --> 00:11:20.560 It's sky's the limit. It's a giant rabbit hole that you can just dive right into and get lost completely. 00:11:20.560 --> 00:11:24.440 The mechanical keyboard world is full of a dizzying array of choice. 00:11:24.440 --> 00:11:27.760 It can be quite overwhelming, but also very personal. 00:11:27.760 --> 00:11:33.520 It's nice to be able to choose for yourself. And if you know what you want, you can find the perfect one. 00:11:33.520 --> 00:11:38.920 Like this. I can't believe it sounds like the Sims. 00:11:38.920 --> 00:11:43.640 Thanks for typing out this Mac Address. If you like the sound of this keyboard, give this video a like. 00:11:43.640 --> 00:11:47.560 And if you would rebel against the Magic Keyboard and get any of the alternatives, you might 00:11:47.560 --> 00:11:52.920 as well subscribe. Now in the comments, I'm curious what keyboard would you choose or is there one you really 00:11:52.920 --> 00:11:55.480 like that we didn't try out? Pop it down below.