APPLE FIX THIS! Aluminum Keyboard + Mac Mini = DYSFUNCTIONAL

Question

I have a Mac Mini 1,1 (1.6ghz CD) and found out the hard way that the EFI firmware DOES NOT support the new Apple aluminum keyboard properly during post startup. You simply cannot use ANY startup modifier keys (cmd-c, option, a-o-p-r etc.) because the EFI firmware doesn't recognize the keyboard until the OS driver loads.
I found this out with a bunk boot camp install which left me with the famous 'no bootable device --' error and was unable use the option key to get to the boot selection screen to return to Mac OS. I called Apple and they were clueless and suggested I take the computer in for service.
After about 50 restarts, and 2 other (and newer) aluminum keyboards, I though i'd try a PC USB keyboard for fun.. and long behold the bloody thing worked and I was able to restart and access the boot screen etc.
I eventually found some mention of this on google where people who also have this problem are recommended to restart the computer while holding the remote's MENU button to get to the boot selection screen.
My question is WHY HAS APPLE NOT PATCHED THE MINI OR AI KEYBOARD'S FIRMWARE TO FIX THIS PROBLEM?
I'm also willing to be most people who buy a Mac Mini probably also pick up the Aluminum keyboard which means there are newbies and long time users who probably don't even know their computers or keyboards are gimped until it's too late.

Answer 1

OK, I'll bite!
Firstly, welcome to Apple Discussions.
Secondly:
no PS2 socket!
Which is hardly a surprise really, since PS2 keyboards have been a dead dog ever since USB arrived, and it would be a difficult proposition to find any new system that had a connector for either PS2 keyboard or mouse these days. There are some legacy technologies which are worth continuing to support, but that isn't one of them.
Thirdly:
now I have to go buy a **ing keyboard just because I updated the firmware.
I suspect there's more to it than that. Having updated firmware on a series of systems, and monitored reports from lots of users, your problem is not at all common, and therefore suggests there may have been a problem existing on your system prior to the firmware update which the update merely served to trigger. If so, then you would likely have faced the problem sooner or later.
It isn't clear from your description exactly what is happening with your system. You report hat you connected a USB mouse but it didn't appear to work, but subsequent to that it isn't clear what you mean by a 'hard reset' or whether the mouse worked after that. Obviously with a dead keyboard (presumably bluetooth, though you don't say) you can't log in, but if the USB mouse now works, then there is reason to expect a USB keyboard will get you into the system and then allow a little more troubleshooting and problem solving.
What is clear is your frustration at the system and the USB issues you have had with it, though you don't really explain what those issues are either. However, given that many people have Macs that wake up from sleep and have functional USB mice and external drives (which is what I assume you mean yours does not) then there's clearly something wrong with your system - or the components you have connected to it.
It would help to know what you do have connected to the mini, and whether you have USB hubs etc also. Many wake from sleep issues are the result of devices which are not entirely standards compliant, drawn too much current, or hubs which for one reason or another are not fully compatible. Of course they can also be because the computer is faulty!
Have you always had these problems with this system? If so, I can understand the frustration. If not, at what point did these issues start, and what was the last item before that which you added to the system?
Troubleshooting USB issues is often down to disconnecting everything and then trying one component at a time until you discover the one that seems to generate issues. Before you start that however, it would be a good idea to perform reset on your system - you describe it as a 1.7G model, though the nearest actual product to that is a 1.66GHz Intel Core Duo. If that's it, then what you need is an SMC reset (the SMC is he system management controller which looks after the functioning of ports etc). To reset it:
-From the Apple menu, choose Shut Down (or if the computer is not responding, hold the power button until it turns off).
-Unplug all cables from the computer, including the power cord and any display cables.
-Wait at least 15 seconds.
-Plug the power cord back in, *making sure the power button is not being pressed* at the time.
-Then reconnect your keyboard and mouse to the computer.
-Press the power button on the back to start up your computer.
Following that, test USB components one by one and see if you can pin-point the culprit that way.