Home > Consumer Reviews > Logitech Cordless Desktop S 530 Laser for Mac ( 967664-0403 )

I bought my first Mac (an iMac, all very swish), about two weeks ago. I got over most of the initial oddities of the Mac and came to appreciate very much its overall strength and superior quality to any PC I'd ever owned (and I always owned good ones). The only lasting problem I had was the horribly annoying (for PC users) keyboard and mouse (I had the Mac bluetooth/wireless mighty mouse and keyboard . . . high end stuff for Mac). Traditional Mac users who've never used anything else, simply don't understand the ease of use which comes with most higher end PC mouse/keyboard combos. Though I tried very hard, I found the Mac keyboard and especially the mighty mouse to be simply too focussed on form and not enough on function. In particular, for the mouse, the right click function is just not good enough for ex-PC users, it's really not good enough for Mac in general, given the rest of their quality, but many avid Mac people will have difficulty in accepting this. I don't think it's a matter of preference, either, it's really just a matter of ergonomics and basic physics. Enter, then, the Logitech s530, the product that enabled me to finally find happiness and satisfaction with my iMac. Above all, it works really, really well in terms of system function, which is extended with lots of useful features (Mac addicts will say "I don't know why anyone would use these features, why not just learn six thousand different key combinations instead?!" to which I reply: why not use a single button with a nice little icon on it?!), and very very nice in terms of ergonomics. I bought the bluetooth mac mouse/keyboard with my iMac. I shouldn't have wasted the money. I should have bought this product FIRST and just chucked whatever combo came standard. We live and learn, but I hope mine helps yours.

The logitech s530 wireless keyboard for the Mac is very good. The keyboard's feel is much closer to a laptop (a plus for me), except with 'standard' size buttons.

The mouse, of course, being based on the Logitech 600 series is excellent.

An important caveat: the bundled software, as of this post (11 Mar 06) does *not* work with Intel-based Macs. However, all standard buttons (mouse and keyboard) work as intended.

Because of the absence of Intel-based support, the product warrants 4-stars (otherwise it would easily yield a 5).

I'll start with the positive:

* I really like the feel of this keyboard. It's better than all the PC keyboards I tried and it's much better than the standard Apple keyboards, which feel mushy to me. However, keyboard feel is of course a matter of taste, and I highly recommend trying one out in a store. I had previously bought a keyboard online based on positive reviews, and I hated the way it felt.

* Although I use this in a setting where wireless adds little value, it's still sort of nice. I can pick up the keyboard and put it elsewhere on my desk if I want to sketch something out on paper.

* The iTunes buttons (including volume control and mute) are great. They even work when the screensaver is on, which is not something you get with software-only iTunes controls. With those programs, the keys go to the password box (to unlock your screen) instead of directly controlling iTunes.

* The mouse feels comfortable and has decent buttons (perhaps too many). I've remapped one of the buttons to "middle click" so that I can open new tabs in my web browser.

A few negatives though:

* Being wireless, there's sometimes noticeable lag. This is more a problem for the mouse than the keyboard. It goes to sleep when you're not using it actively, so it takes some movement to wake it up again. With the keyboard on the other hand, I'm using it all the time so it has fewer chances to fall asleep.

* The drivers don't offer all the customization I'd like. For example, you can't reassign the iTunes keys to control another music player. (Note for Intel Mac users: the drivers now work on the Intel Mac.)

Overall I'm pretty happy with it. I'm a very picky keyboard user; I want the keys to feel responsive and give me feedback when the keystroke is sent to the computer. I've been looking for a new keyboard for about a year, and this one is the first one I've been happy with. It's not perfect, but it doesn't seem that my perfect keyboard is out there.

New drivers came our for the Intel Macs.
Owned for about 4 months, and really like this combo.

Small issues - back mouse button doesn't work in Safari,
but does in Firefox. Wish mouse was rechargeable.

Very streamlined, and great feel for both. Battery life on keyboard is very long ... mouse will depend on use.
I only use little receiver in back of Mac, and works great.
A+ for this design.

I am no expert. I've used Macs for 18 years, but my technical expertise is minimal. Given that, I've never been a fan of Mac keyboards--they seem unresponsive. (Laptops excluded). Plus, I was having trouble with the Bluetooth connection on my latest Mac keyboard. Is part of my problem that I started out on manual typewrters, pounding away, and if I was younger I would be happier with Mac keyboards? Dunno.

So I went with this Logitech Cordeless Desktop. Love it. It is reliable, and the keyboard is perfect for me--I can type quickly and accurately. I've had great luck with other Logitech products too.

For the record, Amazon got this keyboard to me quick at what I take to be a good price.