Logitech Craft Advanced Wireless Keyboard Is Made For Mac

• Logitech Craft Advanced Wireless Keyboard Is Made For Machine
• Logitech Craft Advanced Wireless Keyboard Is Made For Mac Free

For Mac OS users, enhanced creative control in Adobe Photoshop CC, Adobe Illustrator CC, Adobe Premiere Pro CC 2017 and above Type with confidence on a full-size wireless keyboard crafted for efficiency, stability and precision. Aug 31, 2017 - Logitech made a smarter keyboard that has a brilliant customizable dial. The standout feature of the Craft is the “creative input dial,” a large silver knob. Logitech has also made the Craft usable for both Mac and PC, with keys listing. First truly wireless earbuds look nice but are twice the price of AirPods.

Logitech’s MX Master mouse has long been considered one of the best options out there for creative and professional users. And now the company is finally making a keyboard that meets the standard set by the MX series of mice — the Craft keyboard. The standout feature of the Craft is the “creative input dial,” a large silver knob in the top left corner of the keyboard. It’s sort of like a, minus the part where you have to own a Surface device. Logitech has built integrations for seven apps — Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere, and InDesign; and Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel (although the Office integrations are only available on Windows for now).

There are also some generic functions, like volume control or forward / back on pages that can be manually applied to any application (assuming it supports that input). The way it works is particularly clever: the top of the dial is touch sensitive, so simply tapping it brings up whatever contextual options are available. For example, if the brush tool is selected, tapping the top of the dial will pop up multiple options for brush size, softness, and more.

Once you’ve selected your option, just rotate to adjust. I was able to try it out for a few days, and Logitech’s integrations is seamless. While I’m not quite a professional user, the physical, tactile sensation of turning the dial just feels really nice, whether you’re scrolling through tabs or adjusting font size. Options in other apps are more generalized.

I could use the dial to adjust volume on my computer, or skip tracks in iTunes, but it lacked the same utility as the curated Logitech integrations. That said, the ability to use the dial to scroll between tabs in Chrome almost justifies the entire keyboard’s existence. Of course, none of that would matter if the Craft wasn’t also a capable keyboard on its own, but fortunately, it stands out as one of the better non-gaming keyboards I’ve ever used. Each of the chiclet-style keys has an indented center that just naturally guides your finger to the keys, and the switches have just enough resistance to make each key press feel substantial. The keys are backlit, which isn’t the most important thing on a desktop keyboard, but Logitech has added some clever tech that causes them to automatically light up when you put your hands near the keys.

My one major complaint is the space bar, which for some reason just feels mushier than the rest of the keys, but it’s a minor quibble on what’s otherwise an excellent keyboard. Photo: Logitech Logitech has also included the same Flow technology as the MX series of mice where you can switch between separate computers by just moving your mouse over. In fact, the Craft works in concert with Logitech’s MX mice, so switching devices on one will automatically switch the other, too. Like the MX Master and MX Anywhere, you can connect the Craft to up to three devices, and switch between them at the press of a button. And if you’re using an MX mouse, the same Flow feature. Logitech has also made the Craft usable for both Mac and PC, with keys listing both options where applicable, and even ensuring that all the specialized function keys work the same.

The Craft connects to your computer over either Bluetooth, Logitech’s Unifying Receiver, or a wired USB-C port (a USB-A to USB-C cable is included in the box). It’s made of the same, soft matte black plastic as the MX mice, with an aluminum bar to provide some weight and stability on the top of the device.

Along with the MX mice and the Craft, Logitech is rounding out its desktop collection with a new set of MX Sound speakers, which are designed to fit the same visual style of the company’s other pro products. Most notable are the connectivity options, with Logitech supporting up to two simultaneous Bluetooth devices and two 3.5mm inputs. Both new products will be available in October. The Craft keyboard is set to cost $199.99, while the MX Sound will cost $99.99.

When Logitech told me about this new CRAFT keyboard, I was intrigued. I asked if the key throw was short, and they affirmed it is.

So I asked if I could review one. So why is this keyboard worth looking at? Features The glitziest feature is the Keyboard Crown, a built in dial on the upper left that works in simple ways be default and can also be programmed to work with various Adobe and Microsoft apps. More on that later. What I was after, however, was a short-throw keyboard with black keys and backlighting. The backlighting is “smart” in that it sets its level according to the ambient light, but can be overridden with function keys.

I’ve been using this keyboard for several weeks and have typed, perhaps, 10,000 words, and I like it a lot, based on the backlit, short-throw keys. The feel is just about the same as my beloved Apple Aluminum keyboard (wired), and the action is pleasant. Each key has a hemispherical indentation to give it a nice feel, and the scissor mechanism action is soft but crisp. No problem there, and that’s 90 percent of any keyboard review. Keyboard closeup. Image credit: Logitech The lithium polymer battery has good capacity. Logitech says, “the battery will fully charge in three hours.

The battery will last one week when used for two hours a day with backlighting enabled and up to three months if backlighting is disabled.” It connects and charges with cable that’s USB-A on one end (for your computer or hub) but USB-C on the keyboard itself. I think that’s preferable to the traditional microUSB. Another feature I liked is the option to use either Bluetooth LE or the Logitech Unifying receiver. I use that with my Logitech MX anywhere mouse,.

However, my Thunderbolt 2 dock (OWC) was out of ports, so I used Bluetooth with my Mac Pro, and it worked very well. Requirements for the Unifying receiver: Windows 7 and above, macOS 10.11 and above. For Bluetooth low energy: Windows 8 and above, macOS 10.12 and above. These are some of the general features that are nice.

However, I have some complaints. Things I Didn’t Like I realize that it’s an engineering decision, but I would have liked to have a USB-A port on the keyboard itself to charge my Logitech mouse. That detracts from the keyboard battery life, but has the advantage of saving a USB-A port on your Mac or hub. Logitech explained: “ We designed Craft to be the best wireless keyboard. To offer a great experience with a USB-A port on the keyboard to recharge other devices, Craft would have needed to be corded.” Another nit is the lack of an angle adjustment for the keyboard itself. But the angle out of the box was perfect for me—and I think most anyone else. Logitech explained: “ We optimized every aspect of Craft to ensure we offer the best typing experience.

The key shape, their finish, the key travel, etc and the tilt angle, which is, from our experience and user testing, the optimal angle on Craft.“ More annoying was the fact that the traditional F13, F14, and F15 function keys are allocated instead to Bluetooth operation. I previously explained how I use these keys in “” Logitech explained “the F13, F14 and F15 keys are dedicated to Easy-Switch and cannot be customized.

However all the other keys on the F-Row can be customized.” I worked around this by assigning the F1 and F2 brightness keys—which don’t work with my HP display anyway. A major annoyance is the dual design for both PC and Mac. This clutters the keyboard and ruins the Apple customer’s sense of aesthetics. It makes the keyboard look busy and feel confusing. It’s not something that’s easy to get used to. Worse, the OPT and CMD keys are so close and so labeled that it’s hard to tell where the two keys start and end.

Logitech Craft Advanced Wireless Keyboard Is Made For Machine

It requires a lot of practice to overcome. In other words, trying to be both a Mac and PC keyboard clutters one into visual and tactile confusion.

Keyboard Crown I don’t use any Adobe products and only rarely Microsoft Office, so I didn’t have a chance to work with this feature. Here are the currently supported products (from the Logitech support page.). The CRAFT on my desk. (Quick Start Guide is VERY brief.) Summary This is an expensive keyboard (US$199.99) that’s aimed at technical professionals. However, I”m not convinced that the keyboard Crown and the backlit keys justify the added price over a conventional (or Apple) keyboard. One has to really need these features.

Logitech Craft Advanced Wireless Keyboard Is Made For Mac Free

Hopefully, as a tech professional, one can absorb the price and fully exploit the Crown. Personally, I love the backlit keys with their feel, smooth action and short throw, and I may yet deploy this keyboard for everyday writing. However, for the average Mac user, it seems like vast overkill, and an, is probably all that’s ever needed. But that keyboard’s battery is rated for only one month, not three. Bottom line: great feel, great keyboard (almost) for the writer, backlit keys, lots of modern features, but marred by its dual PC/Mac nature and high price.