Wireless Keyboard Uses Up Batteries Quickly

I have a 20" G5 and added a wireless keyboard about a year ago. This past week I've noticed that the keyboard depletes its batteries in less than a week.
I've noticed that the batteries in my wireless keyboard attached to my new 27" i7 is still almost at 100% after several weeks.
Is this a hardware issue or software? Is there a fix??
Thanks,
kayjh

If you have an Apple wireless keyboard or mouse, it will eat batteries. All of them do. It is a hardware issue inherent in the product. I used rechargeable Sanyo 2700 mAh batteries, which are, arguably, the best out there and the most longevity using those batteries I could get was two months out of the mouse and one month out of the keyboard before battery replacement. I sold the wireless stuff and went wired. Get wired or lots of batteries.
zoz

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What is the fix for a wireless keyboard that eats batteries?

What is the fix for a relatively new wireless keyboard that eats batteries?

Part of it may be something in the battery reporting software.
I got my first wireless Apple KB with a new iMac last November (2011) and, disliking the abbreviated design for desktop use, bought a wired board for the iMac and appointed the wireless to be the travel keyboard for my MacBook Pro. I used it on a routine basis and the battery level stayed at 100 percent until June, when it suddenly read 50 percent. Today it's still 50 percent. Makes absolutely no sense but it works.
It's been on most of the time, including a couple of trips when I failed to turn it off and it was running in my backpack for days. It still ahs the batteries Apple shipped with it.
My Magic Trackpad and Magic Mouse, on the other hand, showed normal battery decay over time when connected to the same computer
If the keyboard stops working, that's one thing but, if you are seeing odd percentage reports and the thing still works, just keep using it until it dies. A couple of spares in the computer bag take very little space.
I've not seen a battery calibration feature mentioned for input devices like we have for the "smart" batteries in notebook Macs.

IMac shutting down on startup - Can't enter safe mode as wireless keyboard doesn't connect quickly enough

Hi all,
I was planning to use bootcamp to install Windows 7 on my mid-2010 21.5" iMac.
Bootcamp recommended I usk disk utility to repair the drive. I had a snow leopard install disk in the drive, (I didn't realise Lion already had it's recovery tools built in to the hard drive.)
Disk utility said it can't repair the drive and recommended I start backing up my data (because the hard drive could be about to fail). Fine, so I restarted, with the intention of backing up everything (all my work for the last 12 months). So I press the power button, grey screen comes up, then the apple logo, then a progress bar appears (found this odd at first, but later found out it has something to do with disk utility and a bad hard drive) it gets to around 20% and then all power is cut from the iMac and the hard drive stops/everything powers down.
Now, I can't seem to get my iMac to boot into recovery utilities or into safe mode because it doesn't connect to the wireless keyboard in time before it shuts down. So, if I use a wired keyboard (I have a dell USB keyboard that I can take from the office), will I be able to boot into safe mode?
Also, if the disk in drive is causing the problem, then I can't remove it because the wireless keyboard won't connect/register any keypresses.

Ok so, status report:
Wired keyboard is non responsive when I plug it in before/during boot. So i guess it needs to be plugged in before the iMac shut down. That's that out the window.
Plugged in headphones and I can't hear the startup chime so don't know when to start holding buttons.
To make matters worse, the wireless keyboard is no longer paired with the iMac, getting a green blinking light which indicates it wants to connect to a computer or device.
So I can't enter any commands whatsoever, can't remove the disk in the drive or boot safe mode. It's my worst nightmare.

Unable to connect wireless keyboard after changing batteries

The keyboard in switched on, batteries changed but it still doesn't connect. All systems are up to date.

Found the solution myself... The MacBook is not so happy about the iPad having it´s Bluetooth switched on as well... Realised this when the iPad suddely woke up beside me as I typed on the wireless keyboard...

TS3048 My new wireless keyboard uses the key positions of the old keyboard

I am using a wireless keyboard to type this question...the letters work fine its the characters and the corresponding keys that are not working. I have downloaded all the updates, it looks like a simple setting issue. The computer seems to still think it is using the old key positions. Thanks for the help, I am suprised this is not a common problem with a troubleshoot answer on apple online support

I had this problem too. You have to download and install "Keyboard Software Update 1.2" from apple support downloads. After downloading and install you should restart your computer and the problem is gone. Additionally you will be able to view the battery status of your keyboard in the system preferences / keyboard / bluetooth windows.
Jaap

After upgrading to Maverick my apple wireless keyboard battery drain too quickly (30% in 1 day)

Just as the topic's tittle, after upgrading to Maverick, along with many small errors, keyboard battery draining is by far the most not-so-pleasuring thing to deal with. My keyboard used to consume roughly a few battery percent per week. After the OS upgrade, still with the same using habit, it went from 80% down to 60% the last week, and from 60% to 30% just yesterday. Does anyone else here get this and any solution please? Much appreciate it! Thank you!

Software bugs are killing not only IT industry (just look the drop in PC sales, and also a new sharp drop in tablet sales!), but industry in general.
The reason for this is very simple: wrong people are on wrong jobs. As simple as that.
To introduce this kind of bug, the drain of keyboard battery after installing an "advanced" version 100 (or so) operating system, and have this kind of bug a Jimmy from 3rd grade would not had made, is beyond comprehension.
I trace these kind of stupidities for at least 30 years. While Microsoft can be forgiven as they started it all with a poorly conceived operating system foundation by a few teenegers and later it was impossible to go back to square one, the Apple on the other hand had all things available to them beautifully: the most advanced, architecturally, operating system foundation - Unix. And they failed too. They put an awkward GUI lipstick on that beautiful Unix operating system, with a lot, a LOT of bugs!?
Again: the reason for all of this is that throughout the decades and decades, the wrong people were put on the wrong jobs. Nowadays VERY small percentage of educated people work on software systems development. There are no computer scientists, computer engineers, electrical engineers, software engineers anymore working for those companies like Apple. Throughout the decades of mis-management they had been replaced by all sorts of inadequate occupations: sociologists, psychologists, English majors, shoe salesmen, even Preachers .
And the result we see: a never ending stream of stupidities like this one. If chimpanzees had spent all this time, all these intangible and tanglible investments, on creating operating systems I assure you they would do a MUCH better job than these dilletants

Wireless keyboard: using scroll and Cmd keys with iPad?

Excited to set up my Origami case and pair my Apple wireless keyboard with my iPad 1.
Surprised to find that while I can type, all other keys don't work - specifically Cmd-L/Cmd-R as well as the scrolling keys.
Is this a known bug or limitation? Is there a workaround? Needing to touch the screen for every movement isn't very usable.
I've rebooted the iPad. Google turns up many discussions, but no resolution, at least that I've found.
Thanks.

Hello:
I tmight be that the KB failed...
However, try resetting the PRAM - it might help and cannot hurt.
Barry

Can wireless keyboard used with numbers

thinking of getting apple wirless key board but wanted to know if it works with numbers as do quite a bit on spread sheets
thanks

Yes it will work. Apple also makes a wireless keyboard that includes the numeric keypad that makes number entry much easier.

What battery to use in an Apple Wireless Keyboard

Hello. I bought a used Apple Wireless Keyboard (short, two batteries to be inserted), but can't find any information on what type of battery to use (rechargeable or no) other than the very vague information "AA". Batteries seem to have two main values, the mAh (as far as I understand, that stands for duration only—but don't we need an Ampere value, too?) and voltage. At least a voltage information would be helpful. 1.2V, as I read, will be considered by the mac as "low on battery", but I'm sure there is an upper limit, too, isn't there?
I'm not asking for an introduction to electryphysics here, although it may sound that way. Really all I want to know is: What pair of rechargeable batteries to buy.

Hello:
Adding to "X4's" good feedback....
. At least a voltage information would be helpful. 1.2V, as I read, will be considered by the mac as "low on battery",
Nope. Rechargeables are all 1.2v. They do not last as long as rechargeables, but that makes no difference to me. I use 2450 mAh Energizers and a 15 minute Energizer charger (all obtained on eBay - new - at a very reasonable cost).
IMHO, rechargeables are better (long term) and are also environmentally friendly.
Barry

How long are the batteries for the Apple Wireless Keyboard supposed to last

I have an Apple Wireless Keyboard using Bluetooth to connect to my MBP. I'm using the keyboard about 10–12 hours a day. The battery typically lasts for only a month or two. Is this a normal life, or should it last longer than that? I've heard of experiences in which the battery can last upwards of a year.

You might as well use the macbook pro keyboard or purchase a wired keyboard to save on a monthly battery bill.
If 2 or 3 bucks every 1-2 months is that big of an issue, I agree.
But I bought and use mine for convenience, and that convenience is worth far more than the $2-3 for 3 AA alkaline batteries I spend as needed, even if it were on a monthly basis. Of course, if the built in keyboard serves you better, or a wired KB, certainly that would be the way to go (though I'm not sure why one would purchase a BT AWKB if that were the case). Think of what you spend money on for convenience. $3 a month, or 10 cents per day, or less than a penny per hour, for the convenience you apparently want (you bought the KB) works fine from my perspective. I look at the cost for me to golf, bike, fish, canoe, camp, ski, snowboard, scuba dive, eat out, travel, buy electronics and furniture, vehicles, clothes, etc. etc. etc. and if I could get those down to a penny an hour . . . well, it isn't going to happen.

IMAC 10.6.8 error message: batteries wireless keyboard, but I have a numeric keyboard

I use a numeric keyboard, originally a wireless, but for a yr now a numeric. I get an error message: my wireless keyboard needs new batteries or will turn off automatically; I'm at 15% now (left).
I also get a rolling earth ball when i first power up, eventually getting to desktop.
I'm afraid i may be about to crash and die. Help! Thanks, Sheila from Madison

If you are not running any BT devices try turning it off: System Preferences>Bluetooth and uncheck 'on'.
If you are using BT for other devices try deleting the entry for the old BT keyboard.
For the slow boot-up problem have a look at System Preferences>Starup Disk, select 'Macintosh HD, Mac OS X, 10.6.8' and restart. Sometimes the Mac struggles to find a start-up disk and this re-establishes the link.

Wireless keyboard characters not typing, Battery tip.

To save people a lot of head scratching, resetting PRAM and wasting time.
If you are having strange problems with your wireless keyboard check the batteries.
My uppercase T was not working, tried everything resetting smc, pram, starting in safe mode.
I had previously replaced the batteries but had no high quality types, duracell etc that I normally used so used I cheaper ones. The battery indicator showed they were 80% so don't go on that.
Once I had replaced the batteries with duracell, the other higher quality ones such as ever ready are just as good, the problem rectified.
Moral of the story use good batteries.

Yes, that is the moral to the story; all too often the dime a dozen batteries are to blame. Just to add to your useful observation; rechargeables are also good to have and use. Put them on charge when it suits and change them in moments.
But one small point. It is said they do not show their real charge status and are sometimes 10 to 20 % out. Be aware.

My resolution of Apple wireless keyboard failure.

I’ve seen a lot of posts on this Forum pertaining to wireless keyboard disconnect problems. There are many, many suggestions for how to resolve (rebooting, removing plists, updating firmware, suspicions about Leopard, disconnecting all USB devices, etc., etc.), and none that I’ve read about seem to do the trick consistently/reliably.
Rather than posting this tale at the end of another topic, I thought I’d post a new topic indicating my problem/resolution. First of all, I have an iMac, 20”, Intel Core 2 Duo, 1GB, running Leopard 10.5.5. This was purchased Oct. 2006 and I have the wireless white plastic keyboard (which includes the numeric keypad) and mighty mouse. Over the past 2 years the wireless keyboard and mouse have worked very reliably, until recently. Several weeks ago my keyboard disconnected unexpectedly and I had a tough time getting it back “online”. I did all the logical things: replaced batteries, rebooted, removed plist files, made sure all software/firmware was up to date, etc. In some cases in trying to pair it, it would be seen, I would type in the passcode, it would connect, but only to disconnect shortly thereafter. Finally, it stayed connected and I thought I was home free.
Then, yesterday it disconnected again. I did all the things done previously to no avail. This time the keyboard was never seen. i.e., I never got to the point where the Bluetooth Assistant asks for a passcode, it just never saw the keyboard. By the way, the keyboard light blinked when I turned it on just like it should, and I should mention that throughout this process, my Apple wireless mouse worked fine.
At this point I decided, enough! Fortunately, I live close to an Apple store so I made an appointment to talk to a “genius”, which I did this morning. I brought in my computer and wireless mouse and keyboard. Since the mouse worked fine, I was convinced the problem was with the keyboard, but I brought in my iMac just to make sure the problem wasn’t there.
With the access to other wireless keyboards, Macs, etc.) available at the Apple store, it was pretty easy to trouble-shoot the source of the problem. My keyboard would not pair with another Mac in the store, but my iMac would pair just fine with a different wireless keyboard. My batteries were fine so the problem was obviously some sort of failure with my keyboard. The genius guessed the Bluetooth antenna went bad.
Even though my system was out of warranty, the genius told me I could buy a replacement keyboard at a discounted price of $45, which I did. So, that is my “resolution”. Not quite as satisfactory as finding some sort of magic bullet that would fix my old one, but I now have a working wireless keyboard, at a fair price, and I can quit tearing my hair out trying a myriad of unproductive “fixes”.

Hi there!
Just received brand new iMac 21" yesterday. Unboxed it, turned it on and none of both bluetooth devices (keyboard and magic mouse) managed to get paired.
I was able to connect a USB mouse to log into the Mac. Did all turn off/on Bluetooth, turn off/on iMac several times with no luck. Weird thing is that when I lift keyboard on a 30 degree angle above my desk it seems to actually pair with the iMac but then when back to original position it disconnects.
I've tried the magic mouse with my 2008 Macbook and works flawlessly. After several attempts never managed to pair magic mouse with iMac and as said earlier keyboard is not working on a standard position on my desk. It is frustrating to have paid close to 2,000$ for something that does not even work out of the box... Any ideas or suggestions?
I'm planning to take it today to nearest Apple Stores but have a bad feeling about "genius" folks being able to help me out. Would be worth changing iMac for new one?
Thanks a lot in advanced!

Wireless Keyboard for iPhone?

Does anyone know if Apple's wireless keyboard (using bluetooth) will work on the iPhone 3G?
!http://a248.e.akamai.net/7/248/2041/1546/as-images.apple.com/is/image/AppleInc/ MB167?wid=185&hei=185&fmt=jpeg&qlt=95&opsharpen=0&resMode=bicub&opusm=0.5,0.5,0,0&iccEmbed=0&layer=comp!
http://store.apple.com/us/product/MB167LL/A?fnode=MTY1NDA1Mg&mco=MjE0Njk2Mg
Thanks,
-Glenn

where is the hyperlink for your information ?
This PDF link has a good explanation of BT profiles:
https://techtrain.samsungwireless.com/tekweb/Misc/Main/Accessories/Bluetooth_Pro files.pdf
The HID profile is the one needed for keyboard connection, and isn't included in iPhone 3.0 OS
where do you know, that this is not in the new os 3.0 ?
I know, because I have been using all the 3.0 betas. If you read the latest Apple site page listing the new 3.0 features, you won't see it there. Only stereo audio (A2DP) with audio/video remote control (AVRCP) were added.
http://www.apple.com/iphone/softwareupdate/
Message was edited by: modular747

Why does my wireless keyboard always become disconnected then reconnected to the wifi all the time?

So I have a brand new imac and the wireless keyboard always switches between connected and disconnected randomly. I have another identical keyboard I bought a few months ago and it works fine. Any energy saver functions that could be doing this?

Same prob here. Brand new out of the box apple wireless keyboard with FULL batteries, bought after buying my newish Mac Mini w/o keyboard.
...keeps losing the connection from about 8 'line of sight' feet away (going through Tv to view Mac)
Not sure why a properly working Mini would have to be forced to do an SMC/PRAM reset for something new off the shelf and supposedly working (works very nice with NO signal loss or early sleep with my samsung tab)...to have to do these resets seems very 'windows like' for every new peripheral you buy down the road.
My guess would be that apple made the choice to tinker the .plist for wireless items put them to sleep in 30 secs or less to make the 'battery life' look longer for the new sales pitch. I would have preferred ALL ON, SLEEPLESS and a switch on the keyboard like the old days, but oh well.
I thought I read somewhere from a geek level website that you can 'terminal' a longer sleep mode for Btooth items... anyone know which article I saw or know the terminal command?

Wireless Keyboard Uses Up Batteries Quickly

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