I’ve long looked for an Apple-specific desktop keyboard with backlighting. There are a couple of mechanical options out there, but they are almost all compromised some way. Some aren’t true Mac keyboard layouts, just Windows layouts with the command row re-labelled. And if you’re after small and sleek, that rules mechanical out anyway. For all their glorious comfort, they are all big, chunky and, well, mechanical devices. What I really wanted was a Space Gray Apple keyboard with backlighting. Eventually Apple themselves did a Space Gray, if I wanted to fork over $6,000+ CAD for an iMac Pro, and it still doesn’t have backlighting.

1. Matias Wired Aluminum Keyboard For Mac Computer
2. Matias Rgb Backlit Wired Aluminum Keyboard For Mac Review

The Matias Wired Aluminum Keyboard is compatible with Mac OS X all the way back to version 10.6.8 (Snow Leopard). If you’re running legacy software on older systems, this can be a lifesaver. Find Similar Products by Category.

For anyone with more modest budgets, we were left out in the cold. That is until Matias announced at CES 2018 that they were stepping in to fill the gap with their RGB Backlit Wired Aluminum Keyboard for Mac. In fairness, this isn’t their first Mac-specific, Space Gray, backlit keyboard. Last year they launched a wireless version, which I also tried. Unfortunately, what was a decent design was hamstrung by the problems associated with Bluetooth. I’ve never had great experiences with wireless keyboards, and the flaky Bluetooth on the Late 2013 Mac Pro made it especially unliveable.

May 10, 2018 - For years, Apple shipped its Aluminum Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad with a wired USB connection. But the wired version was. Beautiful aluminum design with numeric keypad. Modeled after Apple's iconic aluminum keyboards, the Matias Wired Aluminum Keyboard looks & feels just as.

The combination of Matias wireless keyboard and Mac Pro meant dropped keystrokes, and this odd buffering where your keystrokes would stop being registered for the Mac, but stored in the keyboard, then dumped to the Mac all at once. This ranged from mildly annoying (while typing a document) to incredibly frustrating (when playing a game). I’m happy to report that switching to a wired interface has eliminated all of those problems.

I was expecting the keyboard to look and feel identical to last year’s wireless keyboard, just with a USB cable to plug in, but it isn’t. Matias has taken the opportunity to make a couple of subtle changes for the better. First, they changed the keystroke. Every keyboard has a signature keystroke which is the biggest factor in making or breaking a keyboard.

The wireless keyboard was very flat, much like the new MacBooks and MacBook Pros with their re-designed butterfly switches. The wired keyboard takes a different approach. The keystrokes are surprisingly deep, deeper even than the original Apple wired keyboard. The stroke is firm, but not unpleasantly so, and I adapted to it in just a couple of minutes.

Second, the entire keyboard is thicker than the Apple wired keyboard and feels thicker even, than the Matias wireless keyboard. It adds a nice level of substance to the experience. Though there’s no adjustable feet, the keyboard is solidly planted with no rattles or wobbling of any kind. I’d adopted some lazy habits with the thinner Apple keyboard, which were immediately a problem with the Matias. I tend to drop my wrists to rest on the table, which works with the super low Apple keyboard, but not so much with the thicker Matias. With only a little tweaking, I was able to find a better position, and all was well. The keys are placed exactly where they are on the Apple wired keyboard and there was zero learning curve when it came to key placement.

Matias Wired Aluminum Keyboard For Mac Computer

The only difference I could find was that the eject key on the Apple keyboard has been replaced by a backlight key. And when’s the last time anyone ever used the eject key?

The keyboard also includes a USB 2.0 port so you can plug in a mouse or flash drive. The big feature here, aside from being able to get the Space Gray colour without spending a fortune at Apple, is the backlighting, which I’m happy to report is nice and clear. It’s well managed, with only a little bleed from under the function key row.

Brightness is easily controlled by pressing, and holding, the backlight key while pressing + or – to increase or decrease the glow. You can also press and told the backlight button, and then tap the number keys on the top row to jump to a specific brightness. To change the colour, Matias has included a thumbwheel along the back of the keyboard, next to the USB cable. In theory and execution, the colour wheel is a super-simple way to cycle through the available colours. The colour is uniform across the keyboard, and there are no multi-colour patterns like you would find on some gaming keyboards. Personally, I only found such patterns useful when gaming, and this isn’t that kind of keyboard, so I actually appreciate that Matias has gone for simplicity here, in a very Apple kind of way.

Overall my only issues are minor quibbles that shouldn’t deter anyone from buying one of these keyboards. Matias has delivered a delightfully simple implementation that avoids all the quirks of Bluetooth. To me, this is the keyboard that Apple should have made, rather than pushing towards ever flatter keys and insisting on wireless.

Matias Rgb Backlit Wired Aluminum Keyboard For Mac Review

The Matias keyboard looks good, feels good, and will never run out of battery. The Matias RGB Backlit Wired Aluminum Keyboard for Mac is available in Space Gray or Silver directly from Matias at and will set you back $99 USD which seems very reasonable, given the quality. Disclosure – I did not receive any consideration for this review. I purchased the keyboard myself, out of my own funds.

The opinions are my own.

Apple is known for its leading technology. This is evident with most of their products—except for keyboards and mice. If you’ve wanted an up-to-date keyboard, for example, you probably went with an aftermarket competitor. One such competitor is Matias that has just come out with a thin aluminum keyboard much like Apple’s standard keyboard—only better. Matias has been known primarily for keyboards with tactile key presses much like the earlier Apple keyboards of yesteryear. Matias still produces these keyboards—for around $150.

Very pricey for a keyboard! This year, Matias has released its to fill the void that Apple has left.

If you wanted an Apple keyboard with a numeric keypad, you had to settle for the Apple’s Wired Keyboard with Numeric Keypad for $49. The only Apple alternative would be its Magic Keyboard that is indeed wireless, but without the number keypad at a price of $99. To fill this void, Matias comes to the rescue with it’s Wireless Aluminum Keyboard for $99 loaded with features that Apple left off its own keyboards. Apple Layout What makes this keyboard so useful for Mac users is that it features Mac-specific keys such as Command, Option, Volume Up/Down keys. Many of the Function keys are specific to Mac users. This is definitely not a universal keyboard for Windows users.

Features. Bluetooth® Wireless Capability– This keyboard is entirely wireless using Bluetooth® technology. Just pair the keyboard to your Mac or other devices and you’re ready to go!. Pairs 4 Devices – It can pair up to 4 Bluetooth® devices including: your Mac, iPad, iPod touch, Windows or Android device. 1 Year Rechargeable Battery – Matias claims that their battery is 5x to 12x bigger than most other keyboards. This keyboard can last up to a year with a single 5-hour charge.

The battery is a 1,600 mAh lithium-ion polymer. Responsive Touch – With its thin keycaps, it’s very easy to get a crisp key touch. Caps Lock Light – Some competitor keyboards do not offer a Caps Lock light due to space considerations, but this Matias keyboard does!.

Color Choice – Matias offers this keyboard in 4 colors: silver, black (Space Gray), gold or rose gold. Specifications This Matias keyboard is very compact for one that includes a number keypad. It is slightly heavier only due to its large battery. Size: 17.35” x 4.58” x.75” Weight: 1.8 lbs.

Negatives There are a few negatives with this keyboard, but none are major. In order to connect other devices you have to press one of 4 buttons on the upper right corner of the keyboard. These are the 4 pairing buttons to connect other devices. They used to be Fn keys 16-19. The other criticism is that in order for Matias to maintain its small size, most of the keys have very little space between then that may cause typing errors. Conclusion This is a very capable keyboard one would have expected Apple to release. Although its pricing may seem steep ($99) you are getting a lot of features that other manufacturers do not offer.

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