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Comment by karmakaze | Hacker News Reader

That was an amusing read. True to Apple's "form over function", like how the wireless magic mouse doesn't charge from the edge because that would leave a notch. I suppose with iPhone X, notches are 'in' and we can expect a new mouse.

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>like how the wireless magic mouse doesn't charge from the edge

That's not at all true. The magic mouse charges from the bottom to discourage people from leaving it plugged in while they're using it which, as most people do with rechargeable mice, kills the battery.

Then why is the keyboard different?

Boom

What are you 'boom'-ing about? The keyboard has replaceable batteries. The mouse does not.

Are you sure about that? The now-standard Magic Keyboard?

I am not sure. I haven't had an Apple Keyboard for years, just the mouse. I just know what the reason was when the Magic Mouse 2 was released.

Yet you found time to vigorously contradict two people who had better information. Sigh.

They did not have better information. One of the engineers that worked on the Magic Mouse 2 responded to a thread on HN specifically about why the Magic Mouse 2 had the port on the bottom. Nothing they said disproves or contradicts that.

The current standard Apple keyboard does not have replaceable batteries, contrary to your assertions in this thread.

No big deal. Let’s move on.

The keyboard isn't rechargeable. The batteries are and you can remove the batteries and replace them. The mouse's battery is internal and cannot be replaced by the user.

The two Magic Keyboard models don't appear to have user-replaceable batteries. I'm typing on one, and I don't see a case opening.

Looks like the new ones have updated to an internal battery. Not sure why that's any different than the mouse. I'm just stating what was previously given as the reason for the port being on the bottom.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT205160

“Magic Keyboard, Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad, Magic Mouse 2, and Magic Trackpad 2 have a built-in rechargeable battery that lets you use the devices for extended periods between charges.

...

If you have an earlier Apple wireless mouse, keyboard, or trackpad with removable batteries, learn how to install batteries.”

You'd think for an $80 mouse they'd have thrown in a few cents worth of charging management circuitry.

Another reason why even on apple.com it has an average rating of 2.4/5.

It has charging management circuitry but that doesn't prevent it from over-cycling if someone just leaves it plugged in all the time. All it does is bounce the charge from 98% to 100% repeatedly. Show me a single example of a piece of electronics that has "solved" this problem...

So why then does the Apple keyboard not suffer this same fare?

No idea. I just know what the Apple engineer on HN said about the Magic Mouse 2 when it was released. I would imagine that the keyboard battery might be larger and, therefore, may be able to withstand more charge/discharge cycles but that's just speculation on my part.

For example Lenovo notebooks have optional battery saver regime that keeps battery charged up to 60%.

That makes no sense because they could easily fix whatever battery-killing problem you get with some electronics.

If they can easily fix it, why has no one fixed it? It's an issue that's inherent with Lithium batteries. Heat and over-cycling shorten the overall lifespan of the battery. No one has figured out the solution to this yet.

If it's plugged in all the time it's not cycling the battery. It's resting at 100%. If frequent small discharges/recharges is a problem you can let individual cells take turns discharging. I'm pretty sure battery problems of this sort are apocryphal at this point. I'd change my mind if somebody who worked on them told me otherwise.

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