My dad just bought a new iMac, so I went over to help him out since this is his first Mac. I like the new low profile of the keyboard, and to my surprise, the feel of the keys, but that's beside the point--today I'm here to show my disdain for Apple's new assignment of the function keys. It seems like they changed it just to change it, and crippled it in the process. F9-F12 used to house expose thru dashboard. Well, now they've moved those functions to the F3 region, and condensed them down to 3 keys, omitting the F10 (app specific expose) function. Why did they change (for no apparently good reason) AND cripple it? This seems to be a recent Apple theme, and I'm getting sick of it. The worst part is, that in the Keyboard CP, the assignments still reflect the original locations (read, no obvious way to revert the assignments).
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Stupid new iMac keyboard
- Thread starter jwt
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You can change them back to the old style in keyboard preferences, I believe... which is what I did within a few minutes of using it, although with me, that was with a new external keyboard on the MBP and downloading and installing the keyboard software.
I'm not currently using that machine so I can't double-check right now.
I'm not currently using that machine so I can't double-check right now.
Just open system preferences, then select the Expose tab. You will have the option to manually select which keys control expose.
You might also want to open the keyboard and mouse tab, and make sure that software tasks are controlled directly, while hardware require the Fn key.
You might also want to open the keyboard and mouse tab, and make sure that software tasks are controlled directly, while hardware require the Fn key.
Change is the spice of life you know 
The old iMac keyboard came in with the G4 iMac. Time for a change and nowt wrong with moving a few things about!
The old iMac keyboard came in with the G4 iMac. Time for a change and nowt wrong with moving a few things about!
not being accustomed to using the F9 to F12 keys so much (recent switcher) I really love the new function keys (player control and volume) but I do see your point that it is annoying for long time Mac users and lovers.
but like many above me stated you can change the functions of the keys.
but like many above me stated you can change the functions of the keys.
How do you reprogram the keys? As I said in my original posting, I went to the Keyboard and Mouse CP to do so, and the CP showed the assignments being the old assignments, not the new ones. So how do I change them back when apparently that's where the computer thinks they are? Maybe there's a bug. I don't know.
I agree, I'm not pleased w/ the way the alum KB "plays" w/ the KB settings and shortcuts. With the white KB, if I plugged into MB-- it would use the external KB's "natural" settings. Then if I unplugged the white KB, the MB would revert to its own settings.
With the new alum KB? It preserves that external KB setting regardless of whether or not it's plugged in to my MB. Quite annoying as my F keys have to be activated by pressing "fn" first.
With the new alum KB? It preserves that external KB setting regardless of whether or not it's plugged in to my MB. Quite annoying as my F keys have to be activated by pressing "fn" first.
Not sure if you tried to actually manually key in new KB shortcuts here?
I do not believe that there is any way to re-map the "special" hardware function keys. What I am saying is that for example, with the new alum keyboard, the F1 key lowers the brightness. When you press it, it is NOT sending the "F1" signal to the OS. It is saying to the OS "lower brightness." The only way to make expose, dashboard, etc operate using specific funciton keys is to toggle the setting that reads like this in Leopard:
"Use all F1, F2, etc keys as standard function keys"
Or like this in Tiger:
"Use the F1-F12 keys to control software features"
Otherwise, you have to press Fn key and F1 key together to send "F1" to the OS.
So, as an example, if you want F1 to invoke dashboard, you have to check the above setting, then assign F1 to dashboard. If you don't check the above setting, you would have to press the Fn and F1 keys at the same time to invoke dashboard. This would bypass the "lower brightness" function, and just send "F1" to the OS, which would in turn trigger Dashboard. However, if there is no special function printed on an F1-F12 key (e.g., F6), it will send "F6" to the OS whether you have the setting checked or not. Going back to my first sentence, the drawback of turning the setting on is that I don't know of any way to map some of the special functions (Brightness, for example) to F1-F12 keys manually.
Anyone else have any insight?
"Use all F1, F2, etc keys as standard function keys"
Or like this in Tiger:
"Use the F1-F12 keys to control software features"
Otherwise, you have to press Fn key and F1 key together to send "F1" to the OS.
So, as an example, if you want F1 to invoke dashboard, you have to check the above setting, then assign F1 to dashboard. If you don't check the above setting, you would have to press the Fn and F1 keys at the same time to invoke dashboard. This would bypass the "lower brightness" function, and just send "F1" to the OS, which would in turn trigger Dashboard. However, if there is no special function printed on an F1-F12 key (e.g., F6), it will send "F6" to the OS whether you have the setting checked or not. Going back to my first sentence, the drawback of turning the setting on is that I don't know of any way to map some of the special functions (Brightness, for example) to F1-F12 keys manually.
Anyone else have any insight?