Microsoft created a new 104-key standard (an extension of the 101-key Model M layout) that other keyboard manufacturers soon licensed. The Windows key wasn’t limited to only ergonomic keyboards, though. The Windows key on a Microsoft Natural Keyboard.
#What does the enhanced keyboard driver do series#
This success spawned a long-running ergonomic keyboard series at Microsoft that continues to this day. (In February 1996, Byte Magazine reported “nearly 1 million” units had been sold during its first year on the market). Soon after its release, the Natural Keyboard became a runaway success, selling 600,000 units a month at the height of its popularity.
In addition to the Windows keys, the Natural Keyboard also had a Menu key designed to open the right-click context menu on Windows 95. When used in combination with other keys, the Windows key could perform other Windows-related tasks, like opening File Explorer (Windows+E). When pressed once, the Windows key opened the Start menu in Microsoft Windows 95 (released almost a year after the keyboard). These new keys would justify themselves by becoming the new meta-keys for enhanced Windows shortcuts, similar to the Command key on the Mac. The original Microsoft Natural Keyboard Box, circa 1994. This resulted in two Windows keys, located between the Control and Alt keys to the left and right of the space bar. When it was time to create its first keyboard, someone at Microsoft had the brilliant idea of including a permanent piece of Windows branding on it. Unlike Apple’s keyboard, though, Microsoft’s tilted each half at gentle angles to reduce wrist strain.īy this point, Microsoft had already created other hardware products, including its widely acclaimed mice. This ergonomic keyboard was in the same vein as the earlier Apple Adjustable Keyboard, which split the standard QWERTY keyboard in half. It first appeared in September 1994 on the Microsoft Natural Keyboard. It might seem like the Windows key has always been with us, but it hasn’t.
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