I have about 5 mechanical keyboards (WASD, Duckys, DAS, ...) and yet if I want to type fast, I use an apple keyboard. The short travel distance of those keys really work for me.
I've been waiting for switches that are somewhere in between, mechanical but thin travel. I've looked at some really esoteric and rare keyboards as well but I wouldn't fork $220 for a keyboard...
Anyways I totally understand his view though. I can't believe the latest keyboards on the macbooks. I couldn't stand them for 10 mins at the apple store trying to surf. My 2008 Mac book pro keyboard was the best thing on earth. I found it better than my older thinkpad (I know, hot topic).
And I bloody hope that they don't mess up the external keyboard in that fashion, or I will go out and buy 10 and stash them for the future. That's the only down side of the apple keyboard, they last a year at most, after which the switches get mushy.
A small tip which can help when typing with mechanical key switches: you don't need to bottom them out. Most barely have to travel 1/3 the total distance they are capable of traveling.
If you can learn to type on one without bottoming out, you will notice the same speed increases, as well as greater comfort while typing. Be forewarned: bottoming out is a hard habit to break.
And different switches behave differently. Cherry MX Blue and Brown switches have a mechanical bump just after the switch is registered so you have tactile feedback before bottoming out. This is in contrast to the Cherry MX Black that's perfectly smooth.
It's kind of like the difference between the Nintendo Zapper trigger and the triggers on an Xbox 360 controller.
It's the same for me. Although owning 2 mechanical keyboards I'm actually feeling fastest on good low profile keyboards, like the 2015 Macbook Pro keyboard. The Non-Pro-Macbook keyboard however seems awful.
However this superior typing speed seems to be only a subjective feeling for me, some typing speed programs suggest that the end result about the same. I don't think the reason is the key travel alone, it's also the height of the keycaps and the overall keyboard. I find it easier to move the hands around on the lower profile ones.
For less key travel you could try the offerings from Logitech (Romer G Switches have less travel than) or the newer Cherry Mx Silent Switches (which can however only be found on some rare Corsair offerings). I have a Logitech one and the feeling is significantly different to classical Cherry. However the keycap and keyboard height for all of those is pretty much equal to classical mechanical keyboards.
If you want less travel on your mechanical keyboard, you can use o-rings on the switches. Also dampens the sound when bottoming out. I personally use one per switch, but you can also go for two rings per switch which gives you laptop-like travel.
It killed one of my DAS actually using those. Not sure what happened, the controller just stopped working and I was told "that happens". And I found later (with a new one) that I much preferred it without those, it felt like a manual clutch on an automatic car.
The Magic Keyboard and Retina MacBook Pro Keyboards are the sweet spot for my fingers. I tried the MacBook keyboard and I can't get used to it for the life of me.
I NEED a little bit of travel under my fingertips, it's an important feedback that speeds up the typing. The butterfly mechanism is way too similar to typing on a screen.
I own all three of these keyboards/laptops and I agree completely. The butterfly keys on the pretty little MacBook work well enough, and they do allow the MB to be so small and light that it has replaced my iPad for short trips. The MB is perfect for reading HN at the coffee shop, but the new style keys just don't cut it for extended sessions of typing.
I'm hoping that the new MacBook Pro just announced with the new generation of butterfly keys will be as good as the Retina MBP or the Magic Keyboard; it remains to be seen.
I have a MacBook (which I love in general) and I've come to prefer its keyboard to the older Mac keyboards with more travel and smaller caps, which just feel mushy to me now. I doubt i'll be getting one of the new Pro models in the near future, but I suspect that the keyboards on those might be a sweet spot for me as far as laptop keyboards go.
The keyboard I use when I'm sitting at a desk is an HHKB with PBT caps and deep, luxurious Topre switches, which has no real mobile equivalent as far as I know.
Over the years I've become attached to different keyboards and it changes. For years I was a mechanical keyboard snob but eventually that obsession passed.
My current keyboard of choice is the Logitech K750. It's cheap but fits my hands and typing style perfectly. My big complaint is that the volume up key is beside the power down key so occasionally when a great song plays and I want to crank the volume, I instead power my machine down and that's a huge buzzkill. My second complaint is that the battery wears out and Logitech hasn't made it easy to replace. I wish I could buy a wired version.
I've been waiting for switches that are somewhere in between, mechanical but thin travel. I've looked at some really esoteric and rare keyboards as well but I wouldn't fork $220 for a keyboard...
Anyways I totally understand his view though. I can't believe the latest keyboards on the macbooks. I couldn't stand them for 10 mins at the apple store trying to surf. My 2008 Mac book pro keyboard was the best thing on earth. I found it better than my older thinkpad (I know, hot topic).
And I bloody hope that they don't mess up the external keyboard in that fashion, or I will go out and buy 10 and stash them for the future. That's the only down side of the apple keyboard, they last a year at most, after which the switches get mushy.