New ThinkPad Keyboards from a Blind User's Perspective

[recklessplayer]

Hi all,

I’m posting this on Lenovo community as well as the ThinkPad board to generate maximum visibility, so apologies in advance for double posting.
Generally a lurker on these forums, I thought that I should speak out because this is important to people like me.

I’m a blind ThinkPad user from the time of IBM. Blind PC/ Mac users rely on screen readers to operate. A screen reader is a piece of software that reads out loud textual and tagged graphical elements present on the screen. Due to certain technological barriers, keyboards have been the primary input device for blind screen reader users instead of a mouse. In fact that is why companies like Microsoft, Apple, and Google have built-in keyboard shortcuts in the form of key combinations and key sequences in their respective apps. Accessibility is a big issue when it comes to purchasing/ adopting software by governments in some countries. There is a good reason for that too. I can use Excel, R, Python, PowerPoint, and other apps just as well as the next person, but I’m heavily discriminated against in my field.
The point of all this rambling is that keyboards are essential for productive blind people, which is why I loved ThinkPad’s.

As I started checking out ThinkPad reviews for my next upgrade, I was stunned to discover that some keys that are quite important to me are missing in the newer keyboards. CapsLock, Insert, and Escape are all used by screen readers to provide navigational and positional information. Thanks to these boards at least I know that the function keys can be turned on without messing in BIOS, since that’s not accessible. I can’t edit a single cell in Excel without F2!
Another point to note is that I can live with the new keyboard design since I have no other option but to adapt, so that’s not a big problem. But I and other blind workers like me can’t live without all the keys that a traditional keyboard has.

I was contemplating either the T440S or the W540, but unfortunately if the axing of keys that Lenovo considers irrelevant continues, I’ll have to start looking elsewhere.

If someone from one of the government/ educational department is reading this, you better start looking for another brand for bulk buying if you have an “equal opportunity” policy. Lenovo apparently doesn’t care to find out how its ThinkPads are being used by a diverse set of people.

[Ibthink]

As I started checking out ThinkPad reviews for my next upgrade, I was stunned to discover that some keys that are quite important to me are missing in the newer keyboards. CapsLock, Insert, and Escape are all used by screen readers to provide navigational and positional information. Thanks to these boards at least I know that the function keys can be turned on without messing in BIOS, since that’s not accessible. I can’t edit a single cell in Excel without F2!
Another point to note is that I can live with the new keyboard design since I have no other option but to adapt, so that’s not a big problem. But I and other blind workers like me can’t live without all the keys that a traditional keyboard has.

I was contemplating either the T440S or the W540, but unfortunately if the axing of keys that Lenovo considers irrelevant continues, I’ll have to start looking elsewhere.

The keys you have mentioned (CapsLock, Insert and Escape) are all still there on T440s/W540, they are not "axed" - and won´t be axed in the forseeable future. The X1 Carbon 2014 keyboard was only an experiment that failed and won´t be seen on any other ThinkPad, thats for sure. Have no fear about that...

[FragrantHead]

The X1 Carbon 2014 keyboard was only an experiment that failed and won´t be seen on any other ThinkPad, thats for sure. Have no fear about that...

I do fear that! Lenovo's sensibilities diverge so much from my own, why wouldn't I fear that? Do you have links showing poor reception of that keyboard outside Thinkpad afficionado forums? A link to Lenovo themselves? Poor sales figures for the X1?

The top Google hit for the X1 leads to Engadget. Their summary:

"With a durable, thinner-than-ever build, high-res display and a useful new keyboard feature, the X1 Carbon could have been a great Ultrabook. Unfortunately, the short battery life, cramped button layout and the removal of the SD card slot are all strikes against it."

It's not really the keyboard they're complaining about.

[Theokretes]

Just for a quick dip in history: IBM introduced the function keys on the first IBM PC the 5150. And later expanded it to F12 on the Model M in 1985; which is where the standard ANSI 101 layout is derived from. This is also why keyboards have the 'system request' function still, which is a vestigial aspect from IBM mainframes.

Ironically Lenovo was the first to remove system request which IBM had originally put in, in the first place.

Though I prefer IBM's original 101 layout, the 104 (or slightly modded derivatives on the T60 keyboard) is still solid. Lenovo's austere designs (such as removal of the caps lock which I use) is irritating.

That's one reason why I won't be switching away from T6x series.