← Back to context

Comment by diggernet

8 days ago

Similar situation here, with W520. My fantasy for Framework 16 is to have extended hinges and thick bezel available that would lift the screen further from the keyboard deck, and of course an upgraded keyboard available with longer travel and contoured keys (and better arrow key layout).

Are you listening, Nirav?

(Yes, I know it would make the laptop slightly thicker and heavier. But I just said I'm using a W520, and happy with it...)

The arrow key layout makes Framework a non-starter for me. Full height L and R keys sucked shit on the touchbar MacBook Pros so bad that even Apple acquiesced to common sense and went back to the inverted T.

  • I use those keys heavily, and was hoping they'd fix it in the 16. Sadly, no. Their keyboard connector layout seems to make it difficult to have a keyboard with more rows, so having a layout with the bottom 3 arrow keys in a new row seems unlikely. But what about a touchpad module that has 3 (or 4) arrow keys on it?

    Still, it's not a complete nonstarter for me, because the 16 does have that optional keypad. I could actually start using the numlock key again.

    • Or just half height the left and right keys? It’s what Apple used to do before they tried this crap design on the touchbar MacBooks, then went to after they realized their mistake.