Mechanic fans keyboard is also a Windows user whose life is pretty easy. There are enough PC keyboard choices available to hook up the English Channel, and Windows users crave the responsiveness, elasticity, and sensory satisfaction of a good mechanical need just to close your eyes and just.
Mac users have a harder time. Yes, you can plug any mechanical keyboard into any part of the Apple hardware and type the correct letters and numbers instantly. But modifier keys—Control, Command, Option—are not mapped correctly for Mac OS. The symbols on the keycaps also don’t match. (Which is Command, again?) All the extra value that makes mechanical keyboards feel like the original platform—things like media controls, volume buttons, Spaces, and wake buttons—yes. may not work.
There are already a number of Mac-friendly options on the market (especially Keychron some good choices), but the newest and most interesting one is MacTigr from Das Keyboard.
Better
Photo: Das Keyboard
The Texas company makes some of our favorite mechanical keyboards, including models in the powerful Professional line and the sleek Prime 13. MacTigr takes all the hard earned Das mojo and turns it into a full-size mechanical keyboard with a minimalist design and pure plug-and-play Mac compatibility. (A few years ago, Das Keyboard came out with a variation of it 4 Professional Keyboards for Mac. It’s fine, but the MacTigr is smaller, more capable, and more modern.)
The slim body is all metal, with an aluminum frame topped with a steel plate. It feels sturdy (it weighs 2.5 pounds) and has a matte black finish that makes it appear stealthy. No backlight. A set of media buttons sits above the 10-key keyboard that controls Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube in your browser or whatever media player you last touched.
The volume knob, which Das has featured on higher-end keyboards since the very first session, is particularly classy. It is coated with a soft and flexible silicone. Hidden inside are buttons that quietly press as you increase and decrease the volume. Next to the media keys is a dedicated sleep button that puts your Mac to sleep with a single press. The MacTigr is a USB-C keyboard, so it only supports modern Macs with USB-C ports, although it also has a dual USB-C hub just above the F12 key, where you can attach a charging cable. or other accessories.
Point and click
True mechanical keyboard enthusiasts have a favorite type of switch. Switches, a spring-loaded mechanism beneath each keycap that records each keystroke, gives the keyboard its signature character and auditory click. If you’re sitting next to someone with a green or blue switch, that click could be noisy. (Key switch types are distinguished by color.) MacTigr is equipped with Cherry MX Reds, which are at the quieter end of the color spectrum. Yes, it’s still a mechanical keyboard and it still rattles like a Ducati, but it’s quieter than most.
Cherry MX Reds are linear switches, so they register each keystroke with almost no physical resistance (or “collision” in keyboard parlance). This makes the MacTigr amazingly responsive; It took me a whole week of practice before I could type at a normal speed without pressing the keys repeatedly. Since the getting to know you stage, it has become a trusted favorite.
