Got myself a new keyboard, the Inqunix Magi65 which is a low profile mechanical keyboard.
The case is a nice touch to take it with you.
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The case is a nice touch to take it with you.
been really tempted by a low profile one myself but trying to find one with a UK keyboard layout is hard :/ I dont know if I could live with US layout
The only low profile UK layout I know of is the Nuphy Air75 v3.
NuPhy Air75 V3
 1.The Air75 V3 is available in three layout versions: ANSI, JlS and ISO ANSI - US EnglishShipping NowJlS and ISO (German,French,British)[Only available in Nova White]ð¢ Pre-orders from July 7 to August 7â Estimated shipment on August 15-20, 2025.ð Post-August 7 Orders â Shipping immediately...
nuphy.com
I can live with ANSI as it's very similar to the default mac keyboard already. The £ is easy enough to use on occasions too.
Take a look at Keychron, I have a couple those keyboards and absolutely love them
I did try them actually and I FELT, perhaps incorrectly, that the keys were closer together than on other keyboards. Perhaps I'd have got used to it, dunno. I liked the feel, the sound and the fact I could leave the basic lighting effect on without it turning off when it thinks I'm away from the keyboard (logitech)
The only low profile UK layout I know of is the Nuphy Air75 v3.
NuPhy Air75 V3
 1.The Air75 V3 is available in three layout versions: ANSI, JlS and ISO ANSI - US EnglishShipping NowJlS and ISO (German,French,British)[Only available in Nova White]ð¢ Pre-orders from July 7 to August 7â Estimated shipment on August 15-20, 2025.ð Post-August 7 Orders â Shipping immediately...
I can live with ANSI as it's very similar to the default mac keyboard already. The £ is easy enough to use on occasions too.
ooo thats interesting thanks, will check that out
It has only just been released this month, lots of reviews on YouTube. I was going to go for it but I decided I preferred the Inqunix Magi65 overall.
yeah I'd seen lots of reviews but it was ANSI/US and no UK! not sure how I missed them releasing the UK so thanks
There was an article two days ago about a guy who bought computer parts from Germany because he couldn't get them from US retailers because they were out of stock. He wound up with a bill for tariffs amounting to 75% of the cost of the parts. This made the national news.
If you wanted to buy parts, you bought them in July like we did ahead of any incoming tariffs.
The bundle we bought is now $30 higher and there's only one left. It is possible that some computer parts may take a tariff hit even though I thought that they were exempt. Maybe not now.
I can run Monterey, Ventura, Sonoma or Sequoia on my i7-10700 desktop using WSL and QEMU and it runs reasonably well for using iCloud Apps. Sequoia has a few glitches, wallpapers in particular. I don't really need macOS on my Windows desktop as there are Macs on both sides of it but I like to experiment with getting something to work on the desktop before moving it to the Lenovo Yoga. I will likely wind up with Sonoma on the Yoga. I have Ventura on it right now but Sonoma is probably a better version to go with.
The situation with Intel is not good right now. I've heard yield numbers of about 55% and that Intel is pushing Panther Lake to 2026 which means that they won't have better laptops early 2026. I am thinking that we're going to get Core Ultra 2 refresh for early 2026 rather than Nova Lake. I've considered doing a build but unfortunately there aren't a lot of good options for my requirements. I don't need a lot of cores, just good single-core performance and really good efficiency. I think that Intel could do a better job with something like Lunar Lake in a desktop but I'd want more RAM.
On the MacBook side, I was thinking about replacing my M1 Pro MacBook Pro 16 with an M4 MacBook Air 13 for doing my macOS stuff. I find that I don't really run heavy stuff on the 16 anymore now that I have the Yoga so I could get by with an Air. What would even be nicer is a 12 inch MacBook. It's also possible that I might just use my iPad mini for iCloud Apps and use the macOS virtual machine when I have a lot of typing to do.
I'm watching the PC build market as they might get a rude shock from tariffs.
If you wanted to buy parts, you bought them in July like we did ahead of any incoming tariffs.
The bundle we bought is now $30 higher and there's only one left. It is possible that some computer parts may take a tariff hit even though I thought that they were exempt. Maybe not now.
I can run Monterey, Ventura, Sonoma or Sequoia on my i7-10700 desktop using WSL and QEMU and it runs reasonably well for using iCloud Apps. Sequoia has a few glitches, wallpapers in particular. I don't really need macOS on my Windows desktop as there are Macs on both sides of it but I like to experiment with getting something to work on the desktop before moving it to the Lenovo Yoga. I will likely wind up with Sonoma on the Yoga. I have Ventura on it right now but Sonoma is probably a better version to go with.
The situation with Intel is not good right now. I've heard yield numbers of about 55% and that Intel is pushing Panther Lake to 2026 which means that they won't have better laptops early 2026. I am thinking that we're going to get Core Ultra 2 refresh for early 2026 rather than Nova Lake. I've considered doing a build but unfortunately there aren't a lot of good options for my requirements. I don't need a lot of cores, just good single-core performance and really good efficiency. I think that Intel could do a better job with something like Lunar Lake in a desktop but I'd want more RAM.
On the MacBook side, I was thinking about replacing my M1 Pro MacBook Pro 16 with an M4 MacBook Air 13 for doing my macOS stuff. I find that I don't really run heavy stuff on the 16 anymore now that I have the Yoga so I could get by with an Air. What would even be nicer is a 12 inch MacBook. It's also possible that I might just use my iPad mini for iCloud Apps and use the macOS virtual machine when I have a lot of typing to do.
I'm watching the PC build market as they might get a rude shock from tariffs.
I have two Keychron K15 Pros that use an ALICE layout. I absolutely love them. I did get palm rests from YesWristRest.com since Keychron didn't think they are needed. Great, low profile, and ergonomic...
I was really pulling for Intel. We need new fans in this country producing arm chips not x86. Microsoft needs to get behind arm chips and encourage a shift to arm architecture on Windows as more mainstream and slowly exit x86.
I have a core ultra and while it is fast plugged in, it is not great on battery and battery life doesn't compare to m2 which is way older and yet m2 can perform almost as well core ultra plugged in and exceeds performance on battery.
I can only imagine m4 pro or max.
Intel is always behind and promising the world is just around the corner. But around the corner never happens and in real world use for anything other than gaming with an Nvidia dedicated GPU and 2 hours battery life unplugged or workstation with no dedicated gpu may get 6-8 hours unless settings tweaked. Heat is still a huge problem.
Intel promised like Armstrong level chips by this year if I remember correctly with this crazy timeline. I was super excited. Now I just feel like getting a m4 MBA for $799 or a pro for a few hundred more is hard to beat. A Mac mini for desktop is also pretty hard to beat. I don't do super pro stuff so I can't talk about studio.
I like gaming but it's not a big deal to me. I can use online platforms and even some okay games on a Mac. Basically for me Windows PC has turned into a secondary device for me and my MacBook has replaced it. I like Windows and having a PC but gone are the days where I needed a PC for compatibility, more software, etc. MacBooks used to be prohibitively expensive and now they are reasonable and even very competitive.
I used to like PC for the ability to install Linux but things have changed a lot over the years and Linux has too little marketshare still after 25 plus years of FREE software! I still love Linux but again now it is a tertiary device if that.
What I am saying is that the hardware is at a stagnation and inflection point for Windows mobile PCs and Windows itself needs a lot of work and a redirection away from monetization of its user's. Compare that to Apple and it's security and privacy advantages and much better UI overall I don't know why I would go with Windows PC'S?
Pricing used to be a big advantage for Windows devices and now with nice used m1 and m2 MacBooks cheap or new MBA cheap with decent specs it is getting harder to argue for Windows. A base model m4 MBA will also have better hardware quality and build than comparative laptops in the same price. Ram and storage might be a better deal on Windows PC's and removable ssds but beyond that what is there? Maybe you get an Oled touchscreen, more ram, and more storage for the same price as MBA or MBP but the build quality will not be as nice and I can count on one hand the number of times I needed to use the touchscreen over trackpad and keyboard in a year. Oled is nice but I prefer Apple's IPS or mini led.
I really hope there is some big changes ahead for Windows PC'S. A processor that is fast and efficient and isn't a toaster needing fans and has long battery life is the breadth of life Windows Laptops need right now and until that comes along I personally feel I am in Windows purgatory just waiting to get out into at least Windows low level heaven. Lol
I have a core ultra and while it is fast plugged in, it is not great on battery and battery life doesn't compare to m2 which is way older and yet m2 can perform almost as well core ultra plugged in and exceeds performance on battery.
I can only imagine m4 pro or max.
Intel is always behind and promising the world is just around the corner. But around the corner never happens and in real world use for anything other than gaming with an Nvidia dedicated GPU and 2 hours battery life unplugged or workstation with no dedicated gpu may get 6-8 hours unless settings tweaked. Heat is still a huge problem.
Intel promised like Armstrong level chips by this year if I remember correctly with this crazy timeline. I was super excited. Now I just feel like getting a m4 MBA for $799 or a pro for a few hundred more is hard to beat. A Mac mini for desktop is also pretty hard to beat. I don't do super pro stuff so I can't talk about studio.
I like gaming but it's not a big deal to me. I can use online platforms and even some okay games on a Mac. Basically for me Windows PC has turned into a secondary device for me and my MacBook has replaced it. I like Windows and having a PC but gone are the days where I needed a PC for compatibility, more software, etc. MacBooks used to be prohibitively expensive and now they are reasonable and even very competitive.
I used to like PC for the ability to install Linux but things have changed a lot over the years and Linux has too little marketshare still after 25 plus years of FREE software! I still love Linux but again now it is a tertiary device if that.
What I am saying is that the hardware is at a stagnation and inflection point for Windows mobile PCs and Windows itself needs a lot of work and a redirection away from monetization of its user's. Compare that to Apple and it's security and privacy advantages and much better UI overall I don't know why I would go with Windows PC'S?
Pricing used to be a big advantage for Windows devices and now with nice used m1 and m2 MacBooks cheap or new MBA cheap with decent specs it is getting harder to argue for Windows. A base model m4 MBA will also have better hardware quality and build than comparative laptops in the same price. Ram and storage might be a better deal on Windows PC's and removable ssds but beyond that what is there? Maybe you get an Oled touchscreen, more ram, and more storage for the same price as MBA or MBP but the build quality will not be as nice and I can count on one hand the number of times I needed to use the touchscreen over trackpad and keyboard in a year. Oled is nice but I prefer Apple's IPS or mini led.
I really hope there is some big changes ahead for Windows PC'S. A processor that is fast and efficient and isn't a toaster needing fans and has long battery life is the breadth of life Windows Laptops need right now and until that comes along I personally feel I am in Windows purgatory just waiting to get out into at least Windows low level heaven. Lol
Been pretty happy with my Lemokey P1 HE (Keychron fork), under half the price of my custom Tofu after all the shipping of various parts. Solid build and quality and sounds quiet pleasant when typing, also nice not using the stock standard red/brown/blue switches (I find red far too light).
I think Apples implementation of ARM skews our perception of performance outside of them. All the other ARM chip variants still compare poorly to x86, nevermind the still existent application compatibility issues that MS still would have to deal with.
Lunar Lake (Core Ultra 2) is nice for battery life and single-core performance. Core Ultra is better on multicore performance.
I bought a Lunar Lake laptop in July and I could see it replacing my M1 Pro MacBook Pro 16 as it has better single core performance and about 10% less multicore.
I have three primary programs that I use. One is never going to be ported to ARM and performance is poor on Apple Silicon so I assume that it would be similar on Windows 11 ARM. The second would run under Prism. There is a native Apple Silicon but there is no schedule available for when it would be native on Windows 11 ARM. The third has native version on Windows x86, macOS x86 and Apple Silicon. Performance was horrible on Apple Silicon before the native version came out. There is no native Windows ARM version though they will likely make one in maybe three years if they take as long on Windows 11 ARM as they did on Apple Silicon.
There's just so much x86 software out there where it would cost a lot of money to do native ports or where native ports aren't possible.
I can wish can't I? Lol.
This is the catch 22 for Windows. The vast x86 software library and even older legacy software that runs on Win 11 still. Honestly this is one of the major reasons why Windows software hasn't advanced.
I get it. I understand having compatibility on Windows is a huge issue for a lot of consumers.
I would imagine that there would be some software that suffers from a transition from x86 to arm. I would imagine that there would be software like Rosetta to fill in the gaps and over time this will become more and more efficient.
MS could simply as they have done fork Windows into two camps but now the main camp is x86. They need to switch this so the majority of average users would run on arm or something like it and if MS invested properly in the transition they could get the majority of Windows users on arm. Leave the rest the option to run x86 and set up a timeline to a final transition. For those businesses and professionals who will not be able to transition to arm any time soon MS could offer a paid supported version of Windows for x86.
If MS made a big push in the direction of arm or similar risc architecture then software companies would follow suit and eventually compatibility to x86 will become a non issue.
MS has to have the guts to move in a direction. The laws of physics are limiting how much smaller cpu can get in nm. We will be getting to Armstrong level and then what? Changing architecture will offer a little more time to find a better substrate than silicon like graphene or the like. AMD and Intel can only squeeze so much more performance by decreasing the nm size to boost power and efficiency.
I know Lunar Lake and the most current AMD chips are very good. They are very close to my series in performance and battery life is much better but these processors still have to much thermal output and still like a lot of electricity. Better than before but still in real world use suffer from the same issues and bigger batteries can only do so much. Performance on battery is much better but still not the same as m series. Since Apple is leading with m4 now I find it hard to believe that Intel or AMD will catch up to m series chips and even harder they will surpass them. If you consider only one metric than sure but if you consider wattage-efficiency, thermal output, Performance regardless of power source at the same time then I just don't see a big change from Intel or AMD.
That is why giving Windows a fair chance by changing the software architecture to be more efficient since the hardware side is bottlenecked for now would be a great strategy to boost interest, sales, and give Windows laptops a more level playing field.
At this point from my consumer point of view spending money on Windows laptops is a bit of a gamble in terms of how long will current generations of new Intel and AMD processors give long term performance or will new tech quickly outpace what is currently available? With Apple you know m4 is great now and at least 3-7 years into the future and you know future releases of m series chips just keep getting better.
The tech world is always in flux so whatever will be the next generation game changer chip for Windows PC'S arrives this entire post may become irrelevant but until then I feel like everything is in a weird state right now with AI uncertainty, the state of PC processors, and geopolitics going crazy as seems to be occurring more frequently and poor economics all combine into a weird new reality.
It is obvious that current Qualcomm iterations for arm on Windows are lacking but that is due to a low market interest in these products.
If Qualcomm and other competitors like Samsung etc, could have a bigger guaranteed market than R&D into arm chips for Windows would exponentially develop to fill the market. This could be a potential gold mine for arm cpu producers outside of Apple.
Until the market demand is there we will just have proof of concept designs we see now like the Surface arm laptop.
One of the issues that Microsoft has is choosing Qualcomm for their ARM chips. There is just no reason to use them right now. Lunar Lake is comparable to M3 in efficiency but doesn't have the high-end performance. Qualcomm doesn't make Apple Silicon level CPUs, at least so far. Lunar Lake is a one-off using TSMC. If Intel doesn't get 18A working, then that could be it for the company. If they do get it working, then the expectation is that they would return to profitability by 2030. I don't own Intel stock nor do I plan to.
AMD doesn't have anything in the low-power space like Lunar Lake. Their chops are gaming.
ARM is still a tiny percentage of Microsoft sales and not having any desktops is probably a factor. But not having a need for ARM is another factor. The vast majority of users are fine with the base MacBook Air and they'd be fine with Lunar Lake or AMD HX 3** too. I use an M1 Pro MacBook Pro and it's still far more CPU than I need. And Apple can just keep cranking up the multicore score but what percentage of consumers need it?
You can build a BMW or a Dodge Charger which will always outperform a Corolla, Camry or RAV4, but, for most people, the Corolla, Camry or RAV4 gets you from point a to b for a lot less than the high-performance vehicles.
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In your last paragraph you lay out the issue for MS. You can buy a new m4 MBA for $799 and older still very performant models for less making a MBA a affordable option with more than enough performance and battery life. Most people don't care about LCD screen vs OLED or other high end specs. They want something that feels well made, lasts a long time and performs well during the product lifespan which is exactly Apple products.
Why would I buy a similar priced Windows laptop for around $799 or less aren't going to feel or look as nice, may not be as fast or last as long on battery? At the end of the day the value proposition that Windows laptops used to represent is fading. People will talk about non removable ram or ssd but a lit of Windows laptops are now made similarly.
All I am saying is Windows software and hardware need help and as people are slammed with higher costs for everything buying tech products is like any other big ticket purchases they can wait unless it is broken. If I were looking to spend my money in this time I would want something that I know is quality and will last me until economics get better and that may be a few years. A lot of people are in this position.
At this time with my personal use case I would not buy another Windows laptop. I would buy whatever I could afford from Apple and hold onto it for as long as I can.
I'm on r/Lenovo and the vast majority of laptops that people are interested in are in the $500 to $800 range. Discussions of Lunar Lake are rare as those cost $1,000 - $2,200. But the build quality is much better as are the features. RAM is fixed but the options for SSD are really nice and the speeds are consistent between size options. You also have features like 2-in-1 if you want a laptop that can convert to a tablet.
One thing about the people looking for laptops in the $500 to $800 range is that they expect the ability to game on them. The only game I play on the computer is chess so I don't get the attraction but it seems to be really huge in the Windows market. You have the Microcenter chain and that's basically a store for gamers. You can get a lot of other interesting things there but the primary attraction is that you can buy parts to build your own system.
I've never seen another store where people are pushing out shopping carts with $500 - $4,000 in gear; whether whole computers or boxes of components.
Rosetta 2 is going away in 2027 so running one of my production programs will not be an option if I continue to upgrade my Apple Silicon systems. So my vendor will need a port that does everything the old program does or I will just run it on Windows. One other solution for me is if Apple adds more x86 support in M6 or M7 but I have the feeling that Apple is going in the opposite direction.
Software drives hardware decisions and I'm captive to Windows for at least a few more years.
My current 3 System setting:
View attachment 2542514
left Linux mint (Macbook2012), mid Windows 11 (Macbbok 2015), right Sequoia (Macbook 2014).
Backgrounds "Luxury_Leather_by_Stratification" edited with respective logos. (I must look how to get rid of the blueish hue on Mint)
All 3 Systems running Deskflow as a virtual sharing the Mouse/Keyboard and Clipboard seamlessly between all 3 Systems.
View attachment 2542514
Backgrounds "Luxury_Leather_by_Stratification" edited with respective logos. (I must look how to get rid of the blueish hue on Mint)
All 3 Systems running Deskflow as a virtual sharing the Mouse/Keyboard and Clipboard seamlessly between all 3 Systems.
My current 3 System setting:
View attachment 2542514
left Linux mint (Macbook2012), mid Windows 11 (Macbbok 2015), right Sequoia (Macbook 2014).
Backgrounds "Luxury_Leather_by_Stratification" edited with respective logos. (I must look how to get rid of the blueish hue on Mint)
All 3 Systems running Deskflow as a virtual sharing the Mouse/Keyboard and Clipboard seamlessly between all 3 Systems.
Interesting as this appears to be the successor to Synergy which I've been using since around 2008. I found that Universal Control has reliability issues and only works on Macs.
Are there reasons why I should move to DeskFlow from Synergy?
If you have a paid account for Synergy, probably not. If you need current free stuff, Deskflow is your best option, being the currently alive free fork of Synergy after they went commercial.
I'll test it out with a few laptops. I don't want to change my desktop setup until after I've tested it.
I use a 2019 version of Synergy which has free distributed binaries and it's worked fine for me since then. I tested out Universal Control but it seems to break frequently and I have Windows on my desktop now.
I have it running on two desktops and it seems really smooth. I guess six years of updates will do that. I just need to set it up on the Mac Studio and I should be good to go tomorrow.
It will be nice to have a native version.
It will be nice to have a native version.
Looks a bit like a Frankenstein keyboard: ANSI with different key configuration and one key missing...