#Apple keypad command keys how to

The current pretzel-shaped design is used in Sweden to indicate a campground on a map. In combination with the other keys, it allows you to operate your machine without ever touching - or even having - a mouse, a situation that was far more common before the trackpad laptop took over computing. The Command key dates back to the early 1980s, and its secrets are bound up in its original name: the “Apple key.” According to Andy Hertzfeld, an American software engineer who helped develop the original Macintosh computer, the original purpose of the key is to allow you to completely do away with a mouse. But what was the original purpose of this key that is unique to Macs and, more curiously, why does it look so weird? The Command key is arguably the most important key on a Mac, and required for just about every major keyboard shortcut. If so, you probably never met the Command key - that large button with a pretzel-shaped logo next to your space bar - until well into your computer-using life.

#Apple keypad command keys how to

If you’re over the age of about 25, there’s a good chance you didn’t learn how to use a computer on a Mac. This week: the mysterious symbol on Apple’s Command Key. Welcome to Further Details, a series dedicated to ubiquitous but overlooked elements hidden on your favorite products.