island vs. traditional keys - which do you prefer?

two weeks ago i had both an X100e and Edge 13" land on my desk to play with for a project.   i wrote some thoughts about the Edge over on the Lenovo forum.   i'm now in the midst of writing my thoughts about the X100e.

but, this got me thinking.   both of these systems have island keys.   while they feel like traditional keys, i'm not sure i like their aesthetics as much.   the Edge is ok the way it is but i think the X100e might look better with traditional keys.   maybe not.   i dunno.

what do you think?   if you've been lucky enough to use both (or even another system like an HP, Dell, Apple, etc.), which key design do you prefer using?   which do you prefer in terms of aesthetics?

 

Use it long enough, and you'll get used to either type.

 

I think people should note whether they have used both. I have and I prefer the traditional keys BUT the island type from LENOVO is still very nice to type on. I guess.

Edit: both are okay.

 

true.   in that case, which do you prefer in terms of aesthetics?   or, doesn't it matter?

 

I LOVE chiclet keyboards. Not only are they more aesthetically pleasing to me, but I find them easier to type with, but that's my personal preference. When I sold my macbook with accessories, I ended up purchasing another Apple keyboard cause I love them so much. But I suppose you get used to either if you use it long enough.

 

Have you ever used the lenovo island keys? They do not feel the same as a mac's chiclet keyboard.

 

I generally prefer standard, traditional keys, and dislike the Mac island keyboards. I've played with a Thinkpad X100e for a little while, but haven't really typed on it much, so for now, I won't pass judgment either way.

 

No I haven't. But it's not a problem for me since I use an external keyboard anyhow.

Well I did say it is all preference.

 

the island design is easier to keep clean. But personally i prefer the traditional key of the thinkpads.

 

to me, both the Edge and X100e feel like regular ThinkPad keyboards in terms of tactility.   it's the looks i can't quite get used to.

perhaps it's because i see island (or chicklet) keys as a "me too" feature rather than a unique design.   everyone modeled their notebook keys off of IBM back in the day and i prefer the old school look.

but, maybe chicklets have their place.

 

Well, when I think of the old IBM keyboards (those things were built like tanks) I think of solid keyboards with high reliability and long lasting. But for me anyway, chiclet style keyboards just "look" better to me. Really I'd say go with whatever floats your boat.

 

That's what I've been hearing too. The traditional keys look more "right" on a Thinkpad, but that's probably just from familiarity.

 

Ya, I will agree with erik said. I mean in terms of usability, I don't care. And lead_org brings up a valid point about cleaning, but the island keys just look like something is missing. All in all I won't really care, but I hope it isn't pushed further just to attract more consumer market share :\.

 

same here.   everyone has island keys and it's no longer an original concept.

 

It just means that it's becoming more popular. Someone had to do it eventually.

 

I'm personally not a fan of island or chiclet keyboards from a tactile standpoint. I find it very hard to effectively locate the leading edge of keys and they just feel very odd. These two factors slow my typing speed tremendously on island style keyboards. However, this experience is primarily from using Apple and Sony keyboards with square keys (the curved ThinkPad island style may be better).

Island keys do allow for a very clean and minimalist design (e.g. Sony and Apple). However, to me they look very odd on a ThinkPad that otherwise exudes a very industrial style. It definitely feels like a bit of 'me too' went into the design decision.