Microsoft ergonomic keyboards
[32] The Microswitch division of Honeywell, which was responsible for that company's keyboards and was acquired by Key Tronic in early 1994, is also credited with design input.
This key arrangement was ergonomically designed to prevent carpal tunnel syndrome and other repetitive strain injuries associated with typing for long periods of time.
[5] The keyboard gained popularity quickly, exceeding Microsoft's forecast of 100,000 units sold by the end of 1994.
[35] Like the original Natural Keyboard, the Elite was manufactured by Key Tronic, who also assisted in its development.
The Natural Keyboard Pro also included an internal two-port USB hub, which was commonly used to connect other input devices such as a mouse or trackball, but this was dropped in subsequent iterations.
Another common criticism is that although the bunched arrow keys of previous generation has been fixed by returning to the standard inverted T layout, the six-key nav/edit cluster has been changed to a 2x3 vertical layout, with Ins moved to the F-Lock function of PrtScn/SysRq, and Del key expanded to double height.
[38] This keyboard provides a significantly changed ergonomic design, including an integrated leatherette wrist rest, noticeably concave key banks, and a removable front stand to generate negative slope, which helps to straighten the wrist and allows the fingers to drop naturally onto the keys.
The multimedia keys have again been redesigned, and the six-key nav/edit cluster has been fixed by returning to the standard 3×2 horizontal rectangular layout.
In their place, on the Natural Ergonomic 7000 keyboard, resides a single battery indicator light.
The Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Desktop 7000 comes with a USB wireless dongle that connects both the mouse and the keyboard.
The arrangement of the six-key nav/edit cluster is nonstandard, although the arrow keys are still laid out as an inverted-T.[46] The Sculpt Ergonomic keyboard and mouse connect to the computer wirelessly using a 2.4 GHz radio through a proprietary USB dongle.
[47] Microsoft state the proprietary wireless connection eliminates any delay in waking the computer.
The Surface has also dropped the option to add the magnetic front riser for negative slope.
[50] One reviewer noted the typing action of the Surface scissor switches was "more satisfying with improved quality" than the Sculpt.
[28] Paul Thurrott criticized the Surface Ergonomic keyboard for dropping the front riser option and the increased width, which extends the reach needed to use the mouse for right-handed users.
