Apple on Tuesday announced a new wireless keyboard and mouse, which the company expects to be available in two weeks. Apple CEO Steve Jobs debuted the products during his Apple Expo keynote in Paris France.
“Apple was the first to fully integrate Bluetooth support in its operating system with Mac OS X and the first to make Bluetooth standard across our entire line of professional notebooks,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “The Bluetooth-based Apple Wireless Keyboard and Mouse are an ideal complement to our new PowerBooks and provide our desktop customers with an elegant way to eliminate cable clutter.”
The wireless keyboard and mouse have reliable performance up to 30 feet from the computer and offers secure 128-bit, over-the-air encryption keeping sensitive information safe as it is being typed. The devices also include Adaptive Frequency Hopping (AFH) software, which eliminates interference between Bluetooth devices and other wireless networks and devices.
The Keyboard features 16 function keys, full numeric keypad, inverted-T, audio control and the ability to eject optical media.
Both devices feature an advanced power management system that automatically switches to low power modes during inactivity and can also be turned off when not in use. The Apple Wireless Mouse features two Energizer e2 AA batteries providing up to three months of use. The Apple Wireless Keyboard features four Energizer e2 AA batteries providing up to nine months of use.