Chiclet Keyboards Become New Classic For Notebooks

It seems like only yesterday when Apple announced its new line of notebooks with unibody aluminum cases and a dramatic change to chiclet keyboard keys (first seen in the MacBooks and then adopted across the product line). While this keyboard design wasn’t an Apple invention by any means, it’s rarely seen on modern computers. I believe the first time I encountered a chiclet keyboard was in the mid 1980’s with the Timex-Sinclair 1500. Apple’s variation features backlit keys and uses hard plastic key-caps instead of the soft, spongy rubber found on the old Timex. According to many reviewers and satisfied users, Apple’s version was pleasant to type on and good looking too. As so often happens with the ultra-competitive computer industry, other notebook makers rushed to copy Apple’s changes. In a matter of months, chiclet keyboards appeared on portables from HP, Dell, and Sony. Before long, the look served as an immediate way to differentiate a notebook as a new model and was adopted industry-wide.

An exception to the rule was Lenovo, manufacturer of modern day versions of the classic IBM ThinkPad portables. The ThinkPad earned its reputation over the years as a reliable, no-nonsense laptop. When everyone else started offering portables with shiny cases in designer color choices, the ThinkPad followed the old Henry Ford automobile model: available in any color you liked as long as it was black. Additionally, the ThinkPad’s cases were textured, to help hide scuffs and scratches. They also retained the IBM trademarked TrackPoint mouse, an eraser-like rubber pointing stick embedded between the G, H, and B keys.

Now, Lenovo, too, gives in to change by offering a redesigned chiclet keyboard on the new ThinkPad T430, T430s, and T530, as well as on the X1 (Lenovo’s first model experimenting with the transition). Dilip Bhatia, Vice President and General Manager for Lenovo’s ThinkPad Business Unit, says the new keyboard features patent pending keys with a larger keytop and a curved surface area to align the typist’s fingers with the intended key for greater accuracy. Bhatia claims the improved design has been tested repeatedly with many customers and is designed with their feedback, so he believes it will please everyone.

Checking out the ThinkPad message forums tells a different story. A recent poll asking how users liked the recent keyboard change reveals 43 percent voting “Very bad – This may be a deal breaker for me.” I haven’t yet had the opportunity to try one of these out for myself, but I do own a late 2010 Apple MacBook Pro with chiclet keys. My opinion of it is mixed. On one hand, it’s proven to be easier to type on than I expected it to be. The spacing between the keys helps prevent typing the wrong character and the back-lighting works well in the dark. On the other hand, I seem to make more mistakes when typing on it quickly than I do with traditional keyboards. I’m also a bit concerned that the chiclet keys are prone to sticking if they aren’t kept really clean. When I have the opportunity, I prefer using it with a full-size desktop keyboard and mouse attached to a docking station.

With the industry’s standardization on the chiclet keyboard now practically complete, I’m afraid that 43 percent who feel it’s a deal-breaker won’t have anywhere else to turn, except for the used computer marketplace. Here’s hoping Lenovo managed to do something exceptional with the new design.

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