I have a confession: I hate the caps lock key! I mean it's a crazy holdover from typewriter days and for me at least it's always much more of an annoyance than a help. Fortunately, as we covered in an earlier Mac 101, Apple makes it easy to turn the caps lock key off altogether in the Keyboard tab of the Keyboard & Mouse Preference Pane. It looks like they've gone even farther with the new Apple Keyboard. "Wolf" Rentzsch has discovered an undocumented anti-caps lock function whereby the keyboard will not register a very quick press of the caps lock as sometimes happens by accident when reaching for the left shift key. You can still activate it by pressing and holding the key. Rentzsch notes that if caps lock is already active a quick press will disable it, confirming that this is an intentional feature. He posts a little video to demonstrate.
This is vintage Apple: thinking about and implementing the little things that make your computing life just a little better.
[via Engadget]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
10-07-2007 @ 2:22PM
chris said...
definitely an awesome little feature i've never seen before. both design and functionality win in this case, not only is there no extra space between the A key and the caps lock like on any other keyboard, but it also does a good job at keeping accidental key presses from activating it. these are the little things apple does that makes their products a pleasure to use 8)
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10-07-2007 @ 2:31PM
vectorelement said...
The same thing happened with the eject key. I swear in 10.4.9 (or so) and earlier, a quick tap of the eject key would open up your disc drive. I was surprised that now it has to be held down.
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10-07-2007 @ 2:47PM
smoke tetsu said...
Actually, you don't have to hold it at least in my experience. You just have to press it rather than tap it. It's not like the eject key.
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10-07-2007 @ 2:47PM
Adico said...
the same goes for backspace key also on the new keyboards
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10-07-2007 @ 2:59PM
Brian said...
notice how this article calls it a feature while engadget's has the air of this being an atrocity lol
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10-07-2007 @ 3:23PM
TheCase said...
I've never had a problem, as I disable the key in the keyboard modifier preferences.
Does any one in their right mind actually use the capslock any more?
(Other than morons "screaming" at me in an email)
Agreed though, it is a nice feature.
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10-07-2007 @ 3:24PM
smoke tetsu said...
The article at gizmodo is worse. http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/peripherals/apples-new-aluminum-keyboard-features-built+in-anti+caps-lock-bias-307827.php
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10-07-2007 @ 3:51PM
khedron said...
Depends -- if it keeps me from turning Caps Lock into a Control key, I don't like it.
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10-07-2007 @ 4:32PM
Big John said...
Can someone document the undocumented feature of the MISSING NUMPAD on the new wireless keyboard? Seriously, I just don't understand it...
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10-07-2007 @ 5:08PM
Rhywun said...
> Does any one in their right mind actually
> use the capslock any more?
I use it every single day and I believe I am in my right mind. Lots of programming tasks require typing in all caps.
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10-07-2007 @ 5:14PM
Adrian vG said...
Missing numpad? Isn't it activated when holding down the FN key in the bottom left, just like on a macbook?
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10-07-2007 @ 5:15PM
iKenny81 said...
The same protection is also on the new wireless keyboard...
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10-07-2007 @ 5:33PM
yakov chodosh said...
LOL THIS R00LZ THX
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10-07-2007 @ 5:51PM
Mr Lizard said...
Definitely a fault with the keyboard. On mine, anyway.
When I hit the caps lock key near it's left side, no problem. Caps lock comes on.
Hit it near the right side, and this problem occurs.
Sounds like a dodgy connection underneath the button.
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10-07-2007 @ 7:24PM
dappleganger said...
This new keyboard is zen-icious!
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10-07-2007 @ 7:30PM
basscadet said...
Caps Lock is useful. This feature (if implemented well, haven't tried it yet) sounds ok though.
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10-07-2007 @ 8:27PM
mathmonkey said...
This sounds horrible. I hit caps lock all the time, on purpose, and I want it to register. If there's a setting to disable this "feature" then fine, but I don't need my keyboard to think for me, just like I don't need my word processor to fix all my spelling errors for me.
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10-07-2007 @ 9:55PM
ford said...
I don't find this to be the case with my keyboard.
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10-07-2007 @ 10:10PM
pn said...
I'm pissed. I map my caps-lock to Control and (a) I'm an avid emacs user and (b) a fast typist and (c) two control key taps is my Quicksilver activation key. I just bought one of these keyboards because I really like the low profile and short key travel (speed!) but this delay keeps messing me up. Why not do this in software and let me turn it off. Grrrrrrr.
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10-07-2007 @ 10:48PM
crackheaduare said...
This is only on the wired keyboards, the wireless ones (which I just received today) act normal with the cap lock key....
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