Laptop Manufacturers are discrimnating against disability PERIOD

[melon]

CHICLET BEEEEEEEEEEEEPIN KEYBOARDS !!!!!!!!! the worst freakin design innovation in history !!!!!!!!!!

I cant not believe how discriminating manufacturers are for people who have trouble typing as it is,when there are even non-disabled folk who cant use them.

As if there isnt enough stigma without being marginalised , what do they BEEEPPPPPPPP expect us to do if we need to travel or use it outside our homes ??

Take out another keyboard so we fufill their impression of us ( because thats going to look so cooooooooooool in airport, or cafe or anywhere where rational people are )

I just dont get it.. even LENOVO sold out the very thing people loved about their laptops...

UGH

m

[Ulti]

From what I see, quite a lot of the ThinkPad range still stick with the trust conventional Lenovo keyboards. Especially the T and X series.

[g8ina]

Photos, references ??

Being "disabled" myself I am interested in this.

[melon]

Photos, references ??

Being "disabled" myself I am interested in this.

sigh

How long till desktop keyboards too ?

[kalniel]

Why are these keyboards worse for disabled people?

[Agent]

There is a big difference between discrimination and a regular product being difficult to use.

Are car manufacturers discriminating against people with no hands by only fitting a steering wheel to change direction?

I work with quite a few people that have disabilities, but I'm struggling to see why this is discrimination. Care to elaborate?

Discrimination to me would be one of these manufacturers saying "Sorry, this has a chiclet keyboard and you have a disability so we can't sell it to you".

[alsenior]

From what I see, quite a lot of the ThinkPad range still stick with the trust conventional Lenovo keyboards. Especially the T and X series.

Even the new think pads have chiclet keyboards but judging by the reviews it will be the last generation

[g8ina]

Size of keys ? ... I do remember the Sinclair stuff as mentioned in the referring article, hated it then but only for the feel of it and the complete lack of tactile feedback.

[melon]

Why are these keyboards worse for disabled people?

Well, while I did say disability , I did not say what type ,other than to suggest it was also applicable to those ( for whatever reason ) who had trouble typing .

I dont mean trouble as in typo / mistakes, but actual physical problems ie. issues with proprioception , tendons ,ligaments etc

Stuff you'll find in many related conditions from RSI to more chronic issues like EDS,HMS that is usually more widespread so that it affects many other areas too.

m

[kalniel]

in typo / mistakes, but actual physical problems ie. issues with proprioception , tendons & ligaments etc

Yep, but why are they worse? Is it travel depth? Pressure required to press the key etc? Laptops have nearly always had reduced key travel and smaller keyboards. I've not tried this new style of keys, but the reviews seem to prefer them over old style laptop keys which are hard to accurately press.

[melon]

Size of keys ? ... I do remember the Sinclair stuff as mentioned in the referring article, hated it then but only for the feel of it and the complete lack of tactile feedback.

Its the extra force required to press down because keys are lower / plus the fact its more difficult to stop my fingers subluxing when I do it , due to the lack of tactile feedback .

I also have bad soft touch sensation / proprioception when it comes to feeling things in general which makes it even more uncomfortable / difficult , so the less of it there is ( weight , texture ) the harder it is for me to find or use it

Its why I cant stand or use touch screens either..

m

[jimbouk]

sigh

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.

Haven't used one personally but the larger spacing may help some people. For some people this could be an issue as you say, but you did start off with quite a blanket statement.

[Fraz]

Eh? It's all just membrane switches. What does it matter whether the keys have sloping slides with no plastic separating them, or whether the keys have vertical sides with plastic separating them? How is a minor difference in the shape of a plastic button discriminatory?

[melon]

Size of keys ? ... I do remember the Sinclair stuff as mentioned in the referring article, hated it then but only for the feel of it and the complete lack of tactile feedback.

Its basic like a calculator IMO - ok occasionally but not for someone dependent on a keyboard everyday ( as I suspect most disabled are )

I bet chiclets are cheaper to produce too. ( cough cough )

m

[g8ina]

Its basic like a calculator IMO - ok occasionally but not for someone dependent on a keyboard everyday ( as I suspect most disabled are )

Well I certainly am

But I wouldn't change my Microsoft RT9443 Internet Keyboard for anything.... It's now 10 years old, has been stripped for cleaning twice and is still going strong.

Yes its noisy, but I likes it.

[melon]

Haven't used one personally but the larger spacing may help some people. For some people this could be an issue as you say, but you did start off with quite a blanket statement.

People having been using the same layout for years with no complaint, why change it now ?

A mm or 2 is hardly going to help those with bad sight, so Im not sure what other benefits you mean..

see here

41 % in that poll hated it
15% disliked it

Only 12% didnt care
and 25% hadnt tried it.

Thats already in the majority ,and thats not even including folk with issues or disabilities like me - so clearly a lot of people DO have a problem with it.

And this coming from a forum of what is - or was essentially IBM users / fans.

m