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Microsoft keyboards
Raised as a usability problem by 35 people on Hacker News over 19 years (2008–2026), in 26 threads.
No issue was raised by at least 3 people in 3 threads this year.
No issue was raised by at least 3 people in 3 threads in the last 5 years.
Every issue, all time, most people first
Function key layout makes typing awkwardUnreviewed
20082026- Function key layout makes typing awkward compared to the commenter's other keyboard2021-02-25
- Keystrokes sometimes not registered, so typing mistakes were caused by the keyboard2017-09-26
- Keyboard was awful and likely worsened the commenter's wrist pain2012-03-17
Keys are uniformly spaced, so users can't tell them apart by feelUnreviewed
20082026- Arrow keys lack surrounding space, so users must look down to find them2021-02-13
- Can't tell which keys are which by feel without looking, since keys are uniformly spaced2019-09-03
- Keys are spaced unusually far apart, so the # and Return keys are hard to reach comfortably2015-03-18
Keys need too much force to press, tiring daily typingUnreviewed
20082026- Keys wear out, so they must be pressed hard and deliberately to register2021-04-30
- Keys need very high force to press and feel gummy, straining the hands2018-12-12
- Keys require too much force to press, tiring daily typing2013-08-16
Unreviewed issues were grouped by machine: Claude Haiku labelled each comment as a usability complaint, named what it's about and summed up the problem in a line, and a small model grouped similar problems. Nobody has checked them by hand. Expect mistakes.
The newest 35 complaints
- Disabling Caps Lock leaves it stuck on after reboot and Shift no longer turns it off2026-06-10
- Repairing it requires endless screws, many of them hard to access2025-08-01
- Keyboard lags several seconds in the office, making it unusable there2022-07-01
- Function-or-media switch is confusing and makes keys hard to use as intended2021-11-22
- Short key travel causes many typos; mushy Esc key hinders Vim editing2021-05-15
- Keys wear out, so they must be pressed hard and deliberately to register2021-04-30
- Some split designs are so extreme they become unusable2021-04-30
- Function key layout makes typing awkward compared to the commenter's other keyboard2021-02-25
- Keys get stuck and keystrokes dropped after keyboard sleeps2021-02-24
- Poor experience on Mac due to missing drivers2021-02-24
- Left button randomly fails to click, about every third click2021-02-24
- Fn keys are small, flimsy and hard to use2021-02-24
- Keystrokes dropped constantly when receiver is plugged into a USB hub2021-02-24
- Arrow keys lack surrounding space, so users must look down to find them2021-02-13
- Num Lock and Print Screen moved to unintuitive places, hard to find2020-10-10
- Can't tell which keys are which by feel without looking, since keys are uniformly spaced2019-09-03
- Escape and F-key row is reduced in size, hard to use frequently2019-04-13
- Keys need very high force to press and feel gummy, straining the hands2018-12-12
- Missing right Ctrl key makes Dvorak keyboard shortcuts infuriating to use2018-08-26
- Keystrokes sometimes not registered, so typing mistakes were caused by the keyboard2017-09-26
- Unused favourites, star and calculator buttons clutter the top row2016-10-25
- Some multimedia keys are not detected or do not work on Mac2016-07-05
- Keys are spaced unusually far apart, so the # and Return keys are hard to reach comfortably2015-03-18
- Home, End, Insert and Delete keys are misplaced, so user keeps making mistakes2015-03-18
- Keys register repeated presses unintentionally on early batch2015-03-15
- Folding point makes it unusable for hunt-and-peck style typing with wandering hands2015-03-15
- ESC and F-key sizes are poorly chosen, and the layout is bad for touch typing2015-03-15
- Meta, alt and windows keys force thumb curling, causing thumb joint pain2014-10-20
- Pinch-to-zoom and swipe gestures work opposite to what users expect from iPads2014-04-30
- Keys stop registering when pressed together, so arrow movement and shooting conflict2014-03-07
- Left-handed typist finds the redesigned space bar unusable for their thumb2014-01-18
- Keys require too much force to press, tiring daily typing2013-08-16
- Keyboard was awful and likely worsened the commenter's wrist pain2012-03-17
- Later models have bulbous, cluttered design that makes them hard to use2009-08-24
- Uneven key tactile feedback causes many typing mistakes and out-of-order letters2008-05-09