Missing keyboard Power button still today

Question

Missing keyboard Power button still today

I was wondering how many people besides me are missing the Power-On Button found on all the old Apple keyboards still today?

I know, you don't actually need to power down your machine anymore but as a laptop user, it's a pain to always open the cover to reach the on/ off button then fast close it, so it will only use my extern display as monitor when at home or office.

For the moment I use a pretty old iMac G3 keyboard but that's kinda broken at some other keys, so I need to switch keyboards to my newer Pro keyboard after each procedure.

Does anyone know of any working solutions, third party keyboards with power button?

I'm willing to buy a macbook but the on/off switch is again below the display argh do those keyboards' power buttons still work with the new intel hardware?

Anyone?

PB 12" G4 1GHz Mac OS X (10.4.9)

PB 12" G4 867MHz Mac OS X (10.4.4)

Posted on Apr 12, 2007 10:53 PM

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Answer 1

Apr 13, 2007 8:30 AM in response to Joachim Schneider

Yes I miss this feature too.

Simple, Power button then hit return - Computer shuts down, Quick, Simple, Efficient.

Turning on - a light touch of a key - Computer boot's up, Quick, Simple, Efficient. Now it's a very hard push on the CPU that slides it back across the desk.

Ummm is this "Thinking Different"

It seems such a pain going to a menu and choosing shutdown - Then having to hit a return key or more usually using the mouse because that's where your hand is.

I know its just a product of the keyboard design because my old imac keyboard works this way on any modern PPC computer running OSX

Bring back the power button again and "Think Different" Apple.

Or maybe they have forgotten that.

Almost every mac made and every operating sysyem

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Answer 2

varjak paw

Level 10

182,686 points

Apr 13, 2007 9:59 AM in response to Jeremy Travis

Bring back the power button again

They can't, not to an external keyboard. USB can't power up a computer that's turned off, since the USB bus isn't active to accept the powerup command. Apple would have to provide a completely separate bus just for turning on the system, and that's not going to be cost-effective.

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Answer 3

Apr 13, 2007 3:41 PM in response to varjak paw

Sorry Dave, I think, no, I know you're wrong here. If you ever had a G3 Tower or an iMac G3 you'd know that the USB keyboard had a power button that could turn ON the system when it was turned off, yes, via USB! Sure this might not be in the USB specs or protocols but Apple made it possible - and some PCs manufacturers actually copied that.

Even my G4 powerbook 12" can be powered on with the old USB keyboard from the G3! It also worked on an G4 MDD, so I think the feature is simply available, maybe even in the new Intels? Anybody?

On the Pro keyboards there is no power button anymore. Maybe that's the "cost effective" thing you're talking about. However, I'm willing to pay some extra bucks for Apple hardware anyway, so please, let Dell/ HP and whoever else be cost effective but let Apple be effective in USE.

Thanks for your attention.

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Answer 4

varjak paw

Level 10

182,686 points

Apr 14, 2007 2:48 PM in response to Joachim Schneider

I was insufficiently specific, and should have said current USB cannot power up a system. Early systems allowed it, but that was removed from the USB bus in Apple systems several years ago now. I don't know if USB 2.0 even allows such a thing in the standard.

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Answer 5

Apr 15, 2007 3:48 AM in response to varjak paw

Ok, so current systems can't be booted with the power button on the keyboard.

Well, that's not good news 😟 but at least now I know. Thanks a lot.

I use my laptop a lot with an external monitor and closed that's why I loved the power button on the keyboard. Sad it's gone.

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