Apple Updates Standalone Keyboards for OS X Lion - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

Apple Updates Standalone Keyboards for OS X Lion

by

As noted by Italian site iSpazio [Google translation], Apple has quietly tweaked its standalone Apple Keyboard with Numeric Keypad for OS X Lion.

lion keyboard f keys
One minor change is a slight adjustment to the icon displayed on the F3 key to remove the frame around the collection of windows. The F3 key had been used to activate Exposé, but with that feature now being folded into the broader Mission Control feature in OS X Lion, the key now activates Mission Control.

In a larger change, the F4 key has now been repurposed since the previous Dashboard function has also been folded into Mission Control in Lion. Consequently, the F4 key is now used to invoke Launchpad, Lion's iOS-like application launching screen.

The new keyboard is billed as requiring Mac OS X 10.6.8 or later.

We don't know for certain that Apple has also updated its wireless keyboard with the same changes, as the company has not updated the images on its keyboard page or in its online store, but we do know that both the wired and wireless keyboards saw their model numbers transitioned to "/B" revisions alongside Wednesday's launch of OS X Lion. Consequently, it seems reasonable to conclude that both keyboards have been updated with the tweaked functionality.

Top Rated Comments

M-O Avatar
198 months ago
when are these bad boys getting back-lighting?
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Akapp42 Avatar
198 months ago
I'll save everyone about $50

Do what I did, change the shortcut key from System Prefs>Keyboard. Then do this: MacRumors content image (http://www.flickr.com/photos/65356661@N05/5965532030/)
Hacked for Launchpad (http://www.flickr.com/photos/65356661@N05/5965532030/) by akapp42 (http://www.flickr.com/people/65356661@N05/), on Flickr
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
198 months ago
Why not use the rocket icon for LaunchPad?
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
coder12 Avatar
198 months ago
Replacing the Dashboard button with Launchpad is extremely stupid:

* There is no gesture to activate Dashboard
* There already is a gesture to activate Launchpad
* Dashboard is more useful than Launchpad


This way, the only way to activate Dashboard is either swipe left a zillion times until you get to the leftmost space which is Dashboard, or if you're like me and find that Dashboard has no place among your desktops and windows in Mission Control, you either have to assign a hot corner to it, or keep the Dashboard icon in the Dock. I just press the Dashboard button on my keyboard and I have Dashboard, simple as that.

FN + F12 still works :P
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
198 months ago
Is there a way to change F4 to open Launchpad instead of Dashboard on older keyboards? (without setting them to use standard function keys obviously).
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
198 months ago
IIRC, it always has been. That just means it's not assigned as a specific hot key (with function keys turned off). Probably because many browsers use F5 as "refresh".

Ah thinking about it this could be because it doesnt have a backlit keyboard. As on Apple's portable options this gives the user the chance to turn the brightness down.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 27 Next to iPhone

Here's When iOS 27 Rolls Out Today in Every Time Zone [Update: It's Out]

Sunday September 13, 2026 3:00 am PDT by
Update 10:04 a.m.: iOS 27 is rolling out now, though it may take a bit for all users to see it, so keep checking! Apple is about to release iOS 27, which will finally deliver more advanced Siri AI capabilities as well as a variety of other refinements, improvements, and new features to iPhones. It's Apple's biggest software update of the year, and Apple announced at Wednesday's iPhone event...
iOS 27 Icon iPhone

iOS 27 Available Now With These 8 New Features

Monday September 14, 2026 9:00 am PDT by
Update — 10 a.m. Pacific Time: Apple has released iOS 27. During its iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Duo event last week, Apple announced that iOS 27 will be released widely on Monday, September 14. iOS 27 should be available around 10 a.m. Pacific Time / 1 p.m. Eastern Time today via the Settings app, under General → Software Update. Below, we have highlighted eight new features and...
Apple iCloud Plus expansion hero

iCloud+ Now Includes Apple TV, Apple Arcade, and Curated Apple Music Stations in Over 100 Countries

Tuesday September 15, 2026 1:43 am PDT by
Apple today announced a new subscription initiative that turns paid iCloud+ subscriptions into a broader services bundle in more than 100 countries. In select countries, Apple says every paid iCloud+ plan, including the cheapest 50GB tier, now includes Apple TV and Apple Arcade "at no additional cost," while family sharing extends the storage, TV and Arcade access to up to five people....