If a laptop does NOT have a back lit keyboard: is that a purchase dealbreaker?

New laptop does not have a back-lit keyboard... dealbreaker?

  • no backlit keyboard... no problem!

    Votes: 43 75.4%

  • no backlit keyboard... Steve Jobs would never let this happen if he were still alive...

    Votes: 14 24.6%
  • Total voters
    57
D

Deinos

Gawd
Joined
Aug 25, 2011
Messages
556
Pretty much what the title says. If a new laptop being released does not have a back lit keyboard, would you not purchase it? If you would not, why? (e.g. you are not a touch typist, do all of your computer work in a cellar :D, etc.)

To start things off, while it is a minor annoyance to me, it is definitely not a deal breaker. I am a touch typist, so I really don't need the extra light. Also, there very few times that I am not computing near a plentiful light source (or at least enough light to discern key labels).

Side note: I have been considering a Yoga 13 and doing a ton of research in various message boards, etc. Seems like the lack of a back lit keyboard comes up often as a deal breaker. It just seems like a really minor issue to me.

So, please take the poll and discuss!
 
It's very minor. Two laptop purchaces ago I bought a laptop that had backlit keys, my most recent did not. It's cool and pretty and slightly useful if typing long letters in the dark, but definitely not a dealbreaker if it's not present.
 
In this day in age? Yes all keyboards should be backlit or glow in the dark, or like the IBM with the led light on the keyboard.


Of course, I would take a way better quality keyboard over backlit cheap crap anyday.
 
Thanks for the replies so far. I agree with you both for the most part. I am definitely fine with the lack of it, especially if the rest of the laptop is amazingly well done. Would expect a good explanation if their was a lack of lighting, but definitely can overlook it.
 
I would like my next NB to have a back lite.
Wish I can find cheap back-lit KBs for mine.
 
I personally dislike backlit keyboards and focus more on the quality of the trackpad and the feel of the keys when looking at laptops.
 
darrpara said:
I personally dislike backlit keyboards and focus more on the quality of the trackpad and the feel of the keys when looking at laptops.
Click to expand...

good thing about backlit keyboards, you can turn them off. it's not like laptop companies engineer their laptop around the keyboard, nope, a different company usually makes the keyboard and then they just throw it in the laptop, much like the trackpad.
 
I have a back lit keyboard that I'm typing on now (Samsung Series 7 Chronos). It is absolutely a great feature and one that I included in my requirements list when purchasing. But I could do without it. Not a deal breaker, but definitely a great feature to have for low light typing/gaming (if you're one to actually look at the keys).
 
backlighting helps for laptop keyboards because their key layout is often non standard. the only laptop i can really use without looking at the keys is a macbook. dell, lenovo, everyone else, they can't decide where they want their Fn, Home/End, PageUp/PageDown so it's a pain in the ass to use with no light
 
/shrug, my laptop has a backlit keyboard, and I can count on one hand the number of times I have needed to use it. The backlight is usually kept completely off because /shrug.
 
considering they run about $20 to $30 addition for most vendors, I'd say it's not a deal breaker but it gets added to the negative side in the final decision making process,
 
I know the general layout of a QWERTY keyboard. But if I'm doing something special with Fn keys, I can usually make it out from the big backlit screen attached to the keyboard...
 
Generally, when I am gaming, I enjoy having a backlit keyboard, as I like to game in a darkened room. Otherwise, most of my productive based things that I do on a laptop, I do in a well-lit room, and that is when having a great feedback keyboard/mouse is needed (not to say that it is also important when gaming too, though).
 
Mine recently lost a few keys, so between backlit and the alternative, I dropped the $60 for the former replacement.
 
Nope that is what the bumps on the f and j key are for.


Sent from my non back lit laptop, lol
 
It's not the standard keys thats the issue, its the supporting keys as someone else mentioned. I use 5 different laptops between work and home and they all have completely different layouts. I just got a Y580 since my gaming laptop was very seriously out of date and the kb layout is completely different than what I'm used to since it has the num pad (big plus) but in a very cramped style.
 
Backlit keyboard is in the top 3 of features I look for in a laptop.
 
Not a feature I look for or need in a laptop.

Gaming keyboard yes, laptop don't matter.
 
If there's no backlighting and you really need light, they make bendy USB lights that are cheap as hell.
 
total deal breaker.

The first time your in the dark and you cant see the keys you will be highly pissed.
 
It's not a deal breaker to me, particularly with newer hybrid/convertible systems, but it's something I do weigh and it'd probably be close to a deal breaker on a conventional laptop/ultraportable. I also weigh things some people tend to not even look at tho, big fan of discrete Page Up/Down keys here (or at least a Fn key on the right, near the arrow keys), needing two hands for that is a big turnoff.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top