Under the 92 full-size keyboard standard, chocolate block independent keycaps are used, so that each key is placed on the keyboard base like a chocolate keyboard with chocolate blocks floating on the water. While ensuring the size of the keyboard area, the contact area between fingers and keycaps is increased, making keystrokes more accurate and feeling more comfortable. The concave cap-shaped keys are designed based on ergonomic characteristics. At the same time, the non-adhesive design also reduces the chance of pressing the wrong key. Compared with traditional keyboards, both key travel and key spacing are significantly improved, increasing the comfort of operation. Spend. The chocolate keyboard has a simple and clean appearance, 19.02mm optimal key travel and fingertip curve design, shortcut keys marked with strong contrasting colors, compact dust-proof keys, and comfortable feel. These connotations have been integrated, innovative and presented on the chocolate keyboard.

The notebook chiclet keyboard won the Red Dot Award, the highest award of the 2009 German Red Dot Design Award, an internationally authoritative industrial design award. The reason why people call these popular notebook keyboard designs chocolate designs is because the appearance of this keyboard looks like real chocolate. In view of the wide variety of notebook chocolate keyboards, it is necessary to explain the chocolate keyboard here. basic distinction. There is a layer of C-side substrate with holes cut out in the keyboard. Each keycap is placed independently in the C-side substrate with holes. We call this keyboard an island keyboard or an independent keyboard. Keyboards other than island keyboards are non-island keyboards. Non-island keyboards do not have a C-side substrate. Keyboards with very thin and relatively flat keycaps are called duckweed keyboards, which can also be called flat floating, Suspended.

1 Advantages of the flat island keyboard: easy to clean, no nails stuck

Disadvantages: small keycaps are not suitable for men with thick fingers. Island keyboards are not a new thing, as early as 2004 , Sony VAIO X505 uses such a keyboard structure, Sony calls it an isolation keyboard, but when chocolate became fashionable, this keyboard structure was chocolateized. Therefore, when it comes to chiclet keyboards, everyone should have some common sense. The founder of this keyboard should be Sony. Later, Apple notebooks adopted this design across the board, leading some people to mistakenly believe that the chiclet keyboard was an Apple invention. Not to mention, the raised texture of the island keyboard is the most chocolatey. The raised chocolate keycaps make this keyboard look very eye-catching. At the same time, the island keyboard has a low overall thickness. This advantage makes it obvious in ultra-thin models and small-screen netbooks. There is an obvious gap between the keycaps, which looks beautiful (for girls) and is much easier to clean. At the same time, the larger keycap gap of the island-style keyboard makes it easier for first-time laptop users, especially girls, to reduce input errors and avoid accidents when nails get stuck in the keyboard gap. Awkward. Therefore, the island keyboard has become a symbol of fashionable and ultra-thin notebooks. However, the buttons themselves are small and have a large gap, which is not so easy to use for men with thick fingers. In fact, this is the reason why many male users don’t like using Sony laptops.

2 Curved Island Keyboard

Advantages: easy to clean, no nails stuck, curved surface feels good

Disadvantages: keycaps are still too small

We have seen another unique design on Lenovo’s recently launched ThinkPad Edge series and X100e series. Although the keyboards of these notebooks are typical island keyboards, in details, they are similar to those of Sony and Apple. The keyboard has certain differences. It incorporates more traditional keyboard elements, such as the appearance of curved keycaps on the island keyboard. The 2.5mm ultra-long key travel is closer to the traditional keyboard, making it more comfortable to type. The excellent rebound feel makes typing on the keyboard feel comparable to the traditional ThinkPad classic keyboard. This greatly alleviates the problem of some users, especially old ThinkPad users, who have difficulty adapting to the flat keycaps of the chocolate keyboard, and adds an island-style keyboard. scope of application. But strictly speaking, this button design still feels "too small" visually. Of course, if the fuselage is enlarged, the keycaps can be appropriately enlarged.

3 Flat Duckweed Keyboard

Advantages: Cool appearance

Disadvantages: The keycaps are not stable enough, and it is easy to accidentally touch other keys

Acer's Timeline series of thin and light notebooks pioneered the concept of duckweed keyboards. This keyboard has a suspended structure and chocolate-style keycaps. But if you look carefully, you will find that the keycap of the duckweed keyboard is just a flat piece, not a cube like the island keyboard. Because of this, there is no need for grooves on the bottom of the duckweed keyboard to match the keycaps. The first impression of a duckweed keyboard is very cool. Because the key surface is just a flat sheet structure, and the central support point is hidden under the keycap, it makes people feel that the keyboard is supported by pieces of duckweed. The C surface of the notebook is full of science fiction flavor, and this special structure also makes the duckweed keyboard feel special, with low triggering force and quick keycap response. Of course, who will pay for such a design depends on the user's preferences. There are also some problems with duckweed keyboards. Since there is a large gap between the keycaps and the bottom of the keyboard, and the gap between the two keys is also large, not only dust, but even some larger debris such as food residues are collected. , small screws, etc., may be thrown into the gap between the keycap and the bottom surface. This will not only affect the cleaning of the notebook, but also may cause the keycaps to jam once large debris enters. At the same time, since there is no limiting function of keycaps and slots, the keyboard still feels like it is shaking from side to side when in use. In addition, pressing the keys too tightly also makes it easy for users with larger fingers to press the keys. Touch other keys by mistake. From this perspective, the key travel of this kind of duckweed-type keys must not be long, otherwise there will be many problems (in fact, there are flat duckweed-type keyboard models with long key travel on the market), and the design strength of the manufacturer is also Higher demands were made.

4-step duckweed keyboard

Advantages: larger keycaps, comfortable feel

Disadvantages: a bit stiff visually

Recently Another kind of duckweed keyboard has become popular in the notebook market. However, unlike the traditional Acer-style duckweed keyboard, this duckweed keyboard can be considered an improvement. Take the product in the picture as an example. Its keyboard part is more like a traditional keyboard with improved keycaps. It replaces the flat keyboard on traditional notebooks with a square ladder-shaped chocolate shape. The curved surface on the key surface is changed to a flat design. The advantage of this design is that it not only makes the keyboard look neat and tidy, but also the gaps between the keys are still very small, making it less likely for dust to enter; in addition, the stepped duckweed keyboard is tighter and more compact than the Acer one. The smooth flat duckweed keyboard artificially increases the distance between the keycaps that your fingers touch, preventing them from accidentally hitting other keys when pressing. In a sense, this stepped duckweed keyboard can make the key travel larger and feel better.

However, the appearance of too many squares on this keyboard makes it visually stiff. Of course, this also depends on personal preference.

5 Curved duckweed keyboard

Advantages: The curved keycaps fit your fingers and the touch pressure is stable

Disadvantages: You still need to control the key travel

HP has also brought us an improved duckweed keyboard, such as the keyboard used on the HP 2140. Like the traditional flat duckweed keyboard, it does not have a C-surface base plate, but its keycaps are curved. The advantage of this keyboard design is that it not only ensures the density of the keyboard and avoids the entry of dust, but also relies on the curved surface to concentrate the touch points of the fingers at the center of the keycap, so that the keys do not become too heavy when pressed. "Staggering this way and that." Generally speaking, the advantages of this curved duckweed design are that it fits the fingers better, has a stable touch feel, and is very beautiful in shape. However, similar to the traditional "Acer duckweed keyboard", it does not solve the key travel problem: if the key travel is slightly longer, it may contact other keys, and manufacturers still need to accurately control the key travel of the keyboard

This design can be traced back to the early mobile devices of electronic calculators, CASIO, SHARP and other manufacturers.

Sony's notebooks also use the design intermittently, but they have not received much attention.

It wasn’t until 2006 that Apple’s MacBook adopted this design, making it the focus again.

So now many people think that Apple created the chiclet keyboard, which is completely wrong. Sony was the first to create the chiclet keyboard.

After that, many big manufacturers such as HP, Dell, and Lenovo , ACER, Shenzhou, etc. have also begun to adopt this retro design

Benefits 1. Easy to clean. There are obvious gaps between each keycap, making it easy to remove dust; anyone who has ever cleaned an old keyboard knows that it is an absolute nightmare. Each keycap must be cleaned separately, and a toothpick is required. Such "professional tools". 2. Blessed are girls with long nails. Many women with long nails will have the experience of pressing the wrong keys or getting stuck because their nails are too long when using laptops. The floating keyboard will allow you to say goodbye to these troubles and grow long nails with confidence.