I will install the update soon, it’s just a matter of downloading the 22 MB and rebooting…

Yes, good point, we should not be stuck with the keys as they are. In particular, we should at least have the option of just turning off the special function and choosing either another function from a list (including running AppleScripts, of course), or having it simply default to the underlying F-key. Really, how hard would that be to implement? Why, I could practically do it myself! Ha ha. Not. But Apple should, and we may well see this in future updates or in 10.5.

You’re kidding, another update already? What a lot of keyboard updating! I look forward to reading your report …

I wouldn’t mind the brightness keys if they were configurable, i.e. if I could remove the shortcuts. But they are hard-wired and cannot be changed with the keyboart shortcuts pref pane.

Thanks for the clarification about the Option key. I guess the Canadian CSA keyboard engineers were not brought up to speed. Geez.

Fantastic hardware. Light yet solid, a good compromise between key noise and resistance, freakishly slim and low profile, charmingly lacking in a numeric keypad. My hands breathe a sigh of relief on this keyboard! I love the tiny little power light that is virtually invisible until it turns on, the nearly perfect featureless of the keyboard aside from the keys themselves. I could only improve it with a slightly different selection of special keys. I like it so much I feel like ordering another one, for no reason I can think of other than, I dunno, having a backup. ;-)

As for those brightness keys … actually, I like adjusting my desktop’s screen brightness! Lighting conditions are certainly not constant in my office: rather bright during the day, rather dark at night. I like working in the dark, and turning the screen way down. It’s always been a PITA opening the brightness control panel for that. I’m genuinely grateful to have brightness at my fingertips.

And no issues with the software yet. I am not experiencing any of the problems that other users are reporting at MacFixtIt.com. (In a sense, the variability in user experience is almost as disturbing as the actual problems, but I’m pleased to be on the “no problem” side of the equation for once!) As for the problems you’ve pointed out here, Pierre:

I had no problem assigning F-key shortcuts in iWork (not sure if that problem was limited to the high F-keys for you).

No problem assigned Ctrl-F9 to “Bring All to Front”.

Old F-key shortcuts for Exposé are still as before … and still work as before.

I’m also pleased to report that, while the wired keyboard lacks an “opt” label, my wireless actually spells out “option” and “command” and “control”! However, I can see from the photos on apple.ca/keyboard that the wired keyboard looks the same, so it sounds like the key labels are different on the Canadian CSA version.

And my shipping box was just exactly big enough for the keyboard. ;-)

The software issues just add to the overall inconsistency of the Mac OS X experience, I am afraid.

Well, I look forward to getting it eventually. The software issues sound kind of par for the course to me — disappointing of course, but not surprising. They won’t be any worse than the myriad of difficulties I’ve had with 3rd-party keyboards. What matters to me is having a compact wireless keyboard. I hate reaching over a numeric keypad for my mouse!

I loved my MacBook’s keyboard, though, and I’m thrilled to see the desktop hardware taking cues from it. I suspect I’ll be getting one for my iMac shortly.

Personally, however, I’m not a big fan of the new keyboards. I quite like the somewhat chunky typing feel I get from my Logi, not to mention the extra buttons for various other tasks. I also dislike the way Apple rearranged the features of the keyboard. The feel is only okay for me (as with most laptop keyboards), but definitely not as nice as full keys. I’ll stick with PC keyboards. :)