OMG that keyboard is so loud!
May 9, 2020 12:25 PM Subscribe
I have a macbook pro. Its keyboard is clackety. I also have an iPad that I could use for most of the things I need to type, but don't like typing on the screen. I would like to be able to type quietly. Help!
So, I thought, I'll just get a keyboard for my iPad - but I'm not convinced they'll be any quieter. I watched a youtube review of wirecutter fave logitech slim folio and... it sounds pretty much like my current keyboard although it was described as "quiet." My current iPad is 5th gen. If I get a new keyboard I would probably go ahead and also upgrade to the 7th gen iPad since the keyboards seem to be model-specific. I am also open to the idea of some sort of cover for my laptop keyboard if it would mute the noise. I tend to sit on the couch with like 6 things around me so a wireless bluetooth keyboard probably wouldn't work - it needs to actually be attached to either my laptop or my iPad. The magic search word seems to be "silent" but I'm not finding any iPad keyboards marketed as "silent." Suggestions?
So, I thought, I'll just get a keyboard for my iPad - but I'm not convinced they'll be any quieter. I watched a youtube review of wirecutter fave logitech slim folio and... it sounds pretty much like my current keyboard although it was described as "quiet." My current iPad is 5th gen. If I get a new keyboard I would probably go ahead and also upgrade to the 7th gen iPad since the keyboards seem to be model-specific. I am also open to the idea of some sort of cover for my laptop keyboard if it would mute the noise. I tend to sit on the couch with like 6 things around me so a wireless bluetooth keyboard probably wouldn't work - it needs to actually be attached to either my laptop or my iPad. The magic search word seems to be "silent" but I'm not finding any iPad keyboards marketed as "silent." Suggestions?
Is there a keyboard you've used that you'd describe as quiet? In general, your bog-standard full-travel membrane keyboards are going to be the quietest, but they still make some noise. I wouldn't call them that much quieter than most laptop-style short-travel keyboards, though perhaps the noise is lower-frequency enough to be less distracting?
Try expanding your search to "silent bluetooth keyboards"? They should work with iPads just fine. Or you could use an external keyboard with your Mac; it'll work with just about any keyboard currently made.
posted by Aleyn at 2:57 PM on May 9, 2020
Try expanding your search to "silent bluetooth keyboards"? They should work with iPads just fine. Or you could use an external keyboard with your Mac; it'll work with just about any keyboard currently made.
posted by Aleyn at 2:57 PM on May 9, 2020
Response by poster: No misophonia, just some annoyance at the clackety-ness in these days of "more time spent together at home on the couch."
posted by 2 cats in the yard at 3:17 PM on May 9, 2020
posted by 2 cats in the yard at 3:17 PM on May 9, 2020
If you can get an older Apple Bluetooth keyboard from somewhere, they're the older Mac key style with more travel and considerably less noise, and they will both pair with an iPad (you'll need a stand or cover that doubles as a stand to prop your iPad up) and your MacBook. I suggest you research; there are bound to be plenty of websites that list the keyboard versions because you're not the only person that hates the new Mac keyboards with a passion.
There are lots of keyboard folios for an iPad but they're just fashion, not a requirement; a Bluetooth keyboard does not need to be part of a folio to work.
Extending this, any Bluetooth keyboard will work, and, since no one except Apple makes clackety keyboards like the modern Mac ones, pretty much any other make will make things quieter. Just find ones with the flat square keys, or indeed any cheap normal-looking desktop keyboard style, and avoid any fancy mechanical ones (some are silent but they're harder to identify if you're a novice).
If you plan on resting it over the Mac keyboard - which works just fine and puts the keyboard positioned where you want it to be in relation to the screen - then finding one with a flat bottom helps with that. You can measure the space and check the keyboard dimensions as you buy.
posted by How much is that froggie in the window at 5:42 PM on May 9, 2020
There are lots of keyboard folios for an iPad but they're just fashion, not a requirement; a Bluetooth keyboard does not need to be part of a folio to work.
Extending this, any Bluetooth keyboard will work, and, since no one except Apple makes clackety keyboards like the modern Mac ones, pretty much any other make will make things quieter. Just find ones with the flat square keys, or indeed any cheap normal-looking desktop keyboard style, and avoid any fancy mechanical ones (some are silent but they're harder to identify if you're a novice).
If you plan on resting it over the Mac keyboard - which works just fine and puts the keyboard positioned where you want it to be in relation to the screen - then finding one with a flat bottom helps with that. You can measure the space and check the keyboard dimensions as you buy.
posted by How much is that froggie in the window at 5:42 PM on May 9, 2020
Best answer: You can buy silicone moulded covers for the keyboard- custom for each kind of MacBook and designed to repel spills. A side bonus is that they muffle the clacking.
posted by nouvelle-personne at 6:32 PM on May 9, 2020
posted by nouvelle-personne at 6:32 PM on May 9, 2020
I also recommend a Bluetooth keyboard (which will work for the laptop as well!), but avoid the Logitech K480, which is the noisiest Bluetooth keyboard I have ever experienced.
posted by lhauser at 7:56 PM on May 9, 2020
posted by lhauser at 7:56 PM on May 9, 2020
Response by poster: Thanks for all the suggestions. I ended up buying a cover in hopes that would help, and it has reduced the clicking a tiny bit. At this point I think the best solution would be to learn to type on my iPad, or to put up with the (slightly reduced) clacking.
posted by 2 cats in the yard at 11:15 AM on May 17, 2020
posted by 2 cats in the yard at 11:15 AM on May 17, 2020
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by crunchy potato at 2:56 PM on May 9, 2020