Comment Re:It's not that simple (Score 1) 125
I'm a Slashdot user and don't feel the need to apologise for the fact that I like and use Apple equipment.
I'm also old and I've used a manual typewriter, as had many typists who subsequently moved on to electric typewriters. The throw and effort required for manual typewrites is significant and takes some time to get used to, not to mention the timing needed to avoid tangling the letter hammers. The iteration to electric typewriters was probably something of a compromise, keep the tiered design, find a more comfortable throw, but not too short to really put off people who are used to manual typewriters.
Move to where we are now, losing the tiered nature probably pissed a lot of people off, but was necessary for laptop design. Key throw and feel is something that an ergonomics study could easily confirm optimal design, although this may be subject to change over time. As for the butterfly keyboard, I'm with Gruber on this - the design is poor, both from a reliability and usability perspective.
As for testing, Apple needs to seed new designs to Slashdotters and anyone else who hates their equipment (I include creatives who are incapable of looking after any of their tools). This would ensure that the kit is properly abused, misused, eaten over and generally treated like crap before being released to the general public.
