As noted by Italian site iSpazio [Google translation], Apple has quietly tweaked its standalone Apple Keyboard with Numeric Keypad for OS X Lion.

lion keyboard f keys
One minor change is a slight adjustment to the icon displayed on the F3 key to remove the frame around the collection of windows. The F3 key had been used to activate Exposé, but with that feature now being folded into the broader Mission Control feature in OS X Lion, the key now activates Mission Control.

In a larger change, the F4 key has now been repurposed since the previous Dashboard function has also been folded into Mission Control in Lion. Consequently, the F4 key is now used to invoke Launchpad, Lion's iOS-like application launching screen.

The new keyboard is billed as requiring Mac OS X 10.6.8 or later.

We don't know for certain that Apple has also updated its wireless keyboard with the same changes, as the company has not updated the images on its keyboard page or in its online store, but we do know that both the wired and wireless keyboards saw their model numbers transitioned to "/B" revisions alongside Wednesday's launch of OS X Lion. Consequently, it seems reasonable to conclude that both keyboards have been updated with the tweaked functionality.

Top Rated Comments

M-O Avatar
190 months ago
when are these bad boys getting back-lighting?
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Akapp42 Avatar
190 months ago
I'll save everyone about $50

Do what I did, change the shortcut key from System Prefs>Keyboard. Then do this: (http://www.flickr.com/photos/65356661@N05/5965532030/)
Hacked for Launchpad (http://www.flickr.com/photos/65356661@N05/5965532030/) by akapp42 (http://www.flickr.com/people/65356661@N05/), on Flickr
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
190 months ago
Why not use the rocket icon for LaunchPad?
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
coder12 Avatar
190 months ago
Replacing the Dashboard button with Launchpad is extremely stupid:

* There is no gesture to activate Dashboard
* There already is a gesture to activate Launchpad
* Dashboard is more useful than Launchpad


This way, the only way to activate Dashboard is either swipe left a zillion times until you get to the leftmost space which is Dashboard, or if you're like me and find that Dashboard has no place among your desktops and windows in Mission Control, you either have to assign a hot corner to it, or keep the Dashboard icon in the Dock. I just press the Dashboard button on my keyboard and I have Dashboard, simple as that.

FN + F12 still works :P
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
190 months ago
Is there a way to change F4 to open Launchpad instead of Dashboard on older keyboards? (without setting them to use standard function keys obviously).
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
190 months ago
IIRC, it always has been. That just means it's not assigned as a specific hot key (with function keys turned off). Probably because many browsers use F5 as "refresh".

Ah thinking about it this could be because it doesnt have a backlit keyboard. As on Apple's portable options this gives the user the chance to turn the brightness down.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

m5 macbook pro deal

Why You Shouldn't Buy the Next MacBook Pro

Tuesday February 10, 2026 4:27 pm PST by
Apple is planning to launch new MacBook Pro models as soon as early March, but if you can, this is one generation you should skip because there's something much better in the works. We're waiting on 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, with few changes other than the processor upgrade. There won't be any tweaks to the design or the display, but later this...
iOS 26

Apple Releases iOS 26.3 and iPadOS 26.3

Wednesday February 11, 2026 10:07 am PST by
Apple today released iOS 26.3 and iPadOS 26.3, the latest updates to the iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 operating systems that came out in September. The new software comes almost two months after Apple released iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. According to Apple's release notes, ...
Apple Logo Zoomed

Apple Expected to Launch These 10+ Products Over the Coming Months

Tuesday February 10, 2026 6:33 am PST by
It has been a slow start to 2026 for Apple product launches, with only a new AirTag and a special Apple Watch band released so far. We are still waiting for MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, the iPhone 17e, a lower-cost MacBook with an iPhone chip, long-rumored updates to the Apple TV and HomePod mini, and much more. Apple is expected to release/update the following products...
iPhone 16e Bottom Crop

Apple Reportedly Unveiling a New iPhone Next Week

Tuesday February 10, 2026 1:51 pm PST by
Apple plans to announce the iPhone 17e on Thursday, February 19, according to Macwelt, the German equivalent of Macworld. The report said the iPhone 17e will be announced in a press release on the Apple Newsroom website, so do not expect an event for this device specifically. The iPhone 17e will be a spec-bumped successor to the iPhone 16e. Rumors claim the device will have four key...
Apple Logo Black

Apple Acquires New Database App

Wednesday February 11, 2026 6:44 am PST by
Apple acquired Canadian graph database company Kuzu last year, it has emerged. The acquisition, spotted by AppleInsider, was completed in October 2025 for an undisclosed sum. The company's website was subsequently taken down and its Github repository was archived, as is commonplace for Apple acquisitions. Kuzu was "an embedded graph database built for query speed, scalability, and easy of ...