Please forgive what is probably a mundane question, but after 30 years of using “other” Machines, I have seen the light and bought my first Mac. I have read that I should “sleep” the Mac rather than “shut down”, but should I turn off mouse and keyboard?
(I am running a new iMac 21.5″ with OS X 10.8.2 which I thnk is Mountain Lion.)
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Adrian Hayes
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How Do I, or Should I, Turn Off My Wireless Keyboard?
Comments: 7 Responses to “How Do I, or Should I, Turn Off My Wireless Keyboard?”
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If you have the wireless keyboard from Apple, then you do not need to turn it off when you are not using the computer. The keyboard automatically enters a "low-power mode" when you don't use it. It basically goes to sleep like your Mac does, waiting for you to press the spacebar to wake it up.
Now if you are going to not be using your Mac for a while, say you are away for a week on vacation, then you may want to power it off for maximum battery conservation. You do this by simply pressing and holding on the round metal button on the side. Do it for about 3 seconds and you'll see the green light on the top of the keyboard turn off. This shuts it down, and you can turn it on again by pressing the same button.
Apple recommends that if you are putting the keyboard away for long term storage that you remove the batteries. That's probably good advice for any piece of electronics that uses batteries.
With the wireless keyboards (and mice and trackpads) I recommend that you get rechargeable batteries. I've been using the Apple-brand ones for years with good success, but probably any quality set of AA rechargeables will work just as well. It probably saves you money in the long run, and is certainly less wasteful.
Just to note that the AA rechargeable batteries that come with the Apple rechargers seem to be very high quality. You get 6 batteries with each charger. And the chargers work very nicely, too, although each charger handles only 2 batteries at a time and unlike many such chargers will not work with AAA batteries.
I've been an iPhone/iPod touch user for about 5 years, and an iMac user for about 2. The rechargeable Apple batteries and charger work very well. They are not expensive and you will never run out of power on keyboard and trackpad at the same time. They charge quickly and last long. I've been more than happy, as with all they're products.
Approximately how long do the batteries in the key board and mouse last with a new iMac 10.8.2, just to give me an idea of how soon I should get the recharger and rechargeable batteries?
It depends so much on your usage that it is hard to estimate. Could be a few weeks. Could be a few months.
Gary,
Thank you for your reply. It gives me a good idea of how soon to back up the batteries.
Well I never new that if you leave it,and use the space bar to get it to work again.
I always press the the side button to get it on and off.
I did not know about the space bar tip that you gave Gary Thanks.