*** Welcome to piglix ***

Microsoft Natural keyboard


The Microsoft Natural Keyboard is an ergonomic keyboard for computers, introduced in 1994. It was designed for Microsoft by Ziba Design. The keyboard was a split keyboard with each half of the keyboard separated and tilted upwards and down from the center of the keyboard. This key arrangement was ergonomically designed to prevent carpal tunnel syndrome and other repetitive strain injuries associated with typing for long periods of time. Another innovation was the integrated wrist pad helping to ensure correct posture while sitting at the computer and further reducing strain on the neck, arms and wrists. This keyboard also introduced three new keys purposed for Microsoft's upcoming operating system: two Windows logo keys between the Ctrl and Alt keys on each side, and a Menu key between the right Windows and Ctrl keys. Although it was not the first ergonomic keyboard, it was the first widely available sub-$100 offering. The keyboard gained popularity quickly, selling over 600,000 per month at its peak.

As with most Microsoft keyboards, software (Microsoft IntelliType) is bundled for both Mac OS X and Windows, allowing users to customize the function keys and modify keys fairly extensively.

The first generation of the Microsoft Natural Keyboard was released in 1994, designed for Microsoft Windows 95 and Novell Netware.

The Microsoft Natural Keyboard has had several upgrades and refreshes since its introduction. The first of these was the Natural Keyboard Elite, introduced in 1998. The Elite features a nonstandard layout of the key block normally found above the cursor keys. Another common criticism of the Elite is that the arrow keys' inverted-T layout has been changed into a cross-like layout, with left/right arrows keys side by side and up/down keys bracketing them from above and below, increasing the distance between the vertical keys. Another significant change was the keyboard's adjustable feet. While the original Microsoft Natural Keyboard had feet in the front, the Elite and its successors have their feet in the back. The Natural Keyboard Elite was manufactured in at least two different color schemes; white with black lettering and black with white lettering.


...
Wikipedia

...