<s>
Microsoft	O
has	O
designed	O
and	O
sold	O
a	O
variety	O
of	O
ergonomic	B-Device
keyboards	I-Device
for	O
computers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
oldest	O
is	O
the	O
Microsoft	B-Device
Natural	I-Device
Keyboard	I-Device
,	O
released	O
in	O
1994	O
,	O
the	O
company	O
's	O
first	O
computer	B-Device
keyboard	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
newest	O
models	O
are	O
the	O
Sculpt	O
Ergonomic	B-Device
Keyboard	I-Device
(	O
2013	O
)	O
,	O
the	O
Surface	O
Ergonomic	B-Device
Keyboard	I-Device
(	O
2016	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
Microsoft	O
Ergonomic	B-Device
Keyboard	I-Device
(	O
2019	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
general	O
,	O
ergonomic	B-Device
keyboards	I-Device
are	O
designed	O
to	O
keep	O
the	O
user	O
's	O
arms	O
and	O
wrists	O
in	O
a	O
near-neutral	O
position	O
,	O
which	O
means	O
the	O
slant	O
angle	O
(	O
the	O
lateral	O
rotation	O
angle	O
for	O
the	O
keys	O
in	O
each	O
half	O
relative	O
to	O
the	O
axis	O
of	O
the	O
home	B-Device
row	O
in	O
a	O
conventional	O
keyboard	B-Device
)	O
is	O
approximately	O
10	O
to	O
12.5	O
°	O
,	O
the	O
slope	O
(	O
the	O
angle	O
of	O
the	O
keytop	O
surfaces	O
starting	O
from	O
the	O
front	O
edge	O
closer	O
to	O
the	O
user	O
towards	O
the	O
top	O
of	O
the	O
keyboard	B-Device
,	O
relative	O
to	O
a	O
horizontal	O
plane	O
)	O
is	O
-7.5	O
°	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
tent	O
or	O
gable	O
angle	O
of	O
each	O
half	O
(	O
the	O
angle	O
of	O
the	O
keytops	O
from	O
the	O
center	O
of	O
the	O
keyboard	B-Device
towards	O
its	O
left	O
and	O
right	O
edges	O
,	O
relative	O
to	O
the	O
horizontal	O
desk	O
surface	O
)	O
is	O
20	O
to	O
30°	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
generation	O
of	O
the	O
Microsoft	B-Device
ergonomic	I-Device
keyboards	I-Device
,	O
named	O
the	O
Natural	B-Device
Keyboard	I-Device
,	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
September	O
1994	O
,	O
designed	O
for	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
95	I-Application
and	O
Novell	O
Netware	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Microswitch	O
division	O
of	O
Honeywell	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
responsible	O
for	O
that	O
company	O
's	O
keyboards	B-Device
and	O
was	O
acquired	O
by	O
Key	O
Tronic	O
in	O
early	O
1994	O
,	O
is	O
also	O
credited	O
with	O
design	O
input	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
keyboard	B-Device
uses	O
a	O
fixed-split	O
design	O
,	O
with	O
each	O
half	O
of	O
the	O
alphanumeric	O
section	O
separated	O
,	O
laterally	O
rotated	O
,	O
and	O
tilted	O
upwards	O
and	O
down	O
from	O
the	O
center	O
of	O
the	O
keyboard	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
keyboard	B-Device
also	O
introduced	O
three	O
new	O
keys	O
purposed	O
for	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
upcoming	B-Application
operating	I-Application
system	I-Application
:	O
two	O
Windows	O
logo	O
keys	O
(	O
)	O
between	O
the	O
and	O
keys	O
on	O
each	O
side	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
key	O
between	O
the	O
right	O
Windows	O
and	O
Ctrl	B-Device
keys	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
it	O
was	O
not	O
the	O
first	O
ergonomic	B-Device
keyboard	I-Device
,	O
it	O
was	O
the	O
first	O
widely	O
available	O
sub-	O
$100	O
offering	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
keyboard	B-Device
gained	O
popularity	O
quickly	O
,	O
exceeding	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
forecast	O
of	O
100,000	O
units	O
sold	O
by	O
the	O
end	B-Device
of	O
1994	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
soon	O
asked	O
Key	O
Tronic	O
to	O
ramp	O
up	O
production	O
to	O
100,000	O
per	O
month	O
in	O
1995	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
Natural	B-Device
Keyboard	I-Device
sold	O
over	O
600,000	O
per	O
month	O
at	O
its	O
peak	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Over	O
3million	O
units	O
had	O
been	O
sold	O
by	O
February	O
1998	O
,	O
when	O
its	O
successor	O
,	O
the	O
Natural	B-Device
Keyboard	I-Device
Elite	O
,	O
was	O
introduced	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
with	O
most	O
Microsoft	B-Device
keyboards	I-Device
,	O
software	O
(	O
Microsoft	O
IntelliType	B-Application
)	O
is	O
bundled	O
with	O
the	O
keyboard	B-Device
for	O
both	O
Mac	O
OS	O
X	O
and	O
Windows	O
,	O
allowing	O
users	O
to	O
customize	O
the	O
function	O
keys	O
and	O
modify	O
keys	O
fairly	O
extensively	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Microsoft	B-Device
Natural	I-Device
Keyboard	I-Device
has	O
had	O
several	O
upgrades	O
and	O
refreshes	O
since	O
its	O
introduction	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
of	O
these	O
was	O
the	O
Natural	B-Device
Keyboard	I-Device
Elite	O
,	O
introduced	O
in	O
February	O
1998	O
at	O
a	O
retail	O
price	O
of	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Like	O
the	O
original	O
Natural	B-Device
Keyboard	I-Device
,	O
the	O
Elite	O
was	O
manufactured	O
by	O
Key	O
Tronic	O
,	O
who	O
also	O
assisted	O
in	O
its	O
development	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Another	O
significant	O
change	O
was	O
the	O
keyboard	B-Device
's	O
adjustable	O
feet	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
the	O
original	O
Microsoft	B-Device
Natural	I-Device
Keyboard	I-Device
had	O
feet	O
in	O
the	O
front	O
to	O
generate	O
reverse	O
tilt	O
,	O
the	O
Elite	O
and	O
its	O
successors	O
have	O
their	O
feet	O
in	O
the	O
back	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Natural	B-Device
Keyboard	I-Device
Elite	O
was	O
manufactured	O
in	O
at	O
least	O
two	O
different	O
color	O
schemes	O
;	O
white	O
with	O
black	O
lettering	O
and	O
black	O
with	O
white	O
lettering	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
third	O
iteration	O
was	O
the	O
Natural	B-Device
Keyboard	I-Device
Pro	O
,	O
introduced	O
in	O
June	O
1999	O
at	O
a	O
retail	O
price	O
of	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Natural	B-Device
Keyboard	I-Device
Pro	O
restored	O
the	O
standard	O
inverted-T	O
layout	O
of	O
the	O
cursor	O
keys	O
and	O
six-key	O
nav/edit	O
cluster	O
2×3	O
layout	O
,	O
and	O
added	O
a	O
row	O
of	O
program	O
shortcut	O
keys	O
along	O
the	O
top	O
edge	O
of	O
the	O
keyboard	B-Device
(	O
above	O
—	O
and	O
the	O
numeric	B-Device
keypad	I-Device
)	O
,	O
including	O
multimedia	O
keys	O
and	O
power	B-Device
management	I-Device
keys	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Vista	O
and	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
have	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
customize	O
shortcut	O
key	O
behavior	O
without	O
additional	O
software	O
when	O
using	O
the	O
"	O
internet	O
keyboard	B-Device
"	O
keyboard	B-Device
layout	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
other	O
modern	O
operating	O
systems	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
FreeBSD	B-Operating_System
and	O
most	O
Linux	B-Application
distributions	O
,	O
have	O
comparable	O
configuration	O
options	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Natural	B-Device
Keyboard	I-Device
Pro	O
also	O
included	O
an	O
internal	O
two-port	O
USB	B-Protocol
hub	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
commonly	O
used	O
to	O
connect	O
other	O
input	O
devices	O
such	O
as	O
a	O
mouse	O
or	O
trackball	O
,	O
but	O
this	O
was	O
dropped	O
in	O
subsequent	O
iterations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
September	O
2002	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
introduced	O
the	O
redesigned	O
Natural	O
Multimedia	O
Keyboard	B-Device
(	O
sometimes	O
styled	O
as	O
MultiMedia	O
)	O
at	O
a	O
retail	O
price	O
of	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Natural	O
Multimedia	O
Keyboard	B-Device
reworked	O
the	O
row	O
of	O
multimedia	O
buttons	O
and	O
included	O
the	O
controversial	O
F	B-Device
Lock	I-Device
feature	O
,	O
originally	O
debuted	O
in	O
the	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Office	I-Application
Keyboard	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Another	O
common	O
criticism	O
is	O
that	O
although	O
the	O
bunched	O
arrow	O
keys	O
of	O
previous	O
generation	O
has	O
been	O
fixed	O
by	O
returning	O
to	O
the	O
standard	O
inverted	O
T	O
layout	O
,	O
the	O
six-key	O
nav/edit	O
cluster	O
has	O
been	O
changed	O
to	O
a	O
2x3	O
vertical	O
layout	O
,	O
with	O
moved	O
to	O
the	O
F-Lock	B-Device
function	O
of	O
,	O
and	O
key	O
expanded	O
to	O
double	O
height	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
the	O
Natural	O
Multimedia	O
Keyboard	B-Device
,	O
the	O
status	O
indicator	O
lights	O
for	O
Num	B-Device
lock	I-Device
,	O
Scroll	B-Device
lock	I-Device
,	O
and	O
Caps	B-Device
lock	I-Device
were	O
moved	O
from	O
between	O
the	O
banks	O
of	O
alphanumeric	O
keys	O
to	O
a	O
more	O
traditional	O
location	O
above	O
and	O
to	O
the	O
right	O
of	O
the	O
backspace	B-Device
key	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Natural	O
Multimedia	O
Keyboard	B-Device
was	O
manufactured	O
in	O
at	O
least	O
three	O
different	O
color	O
schemes	O
,	O
including	O
white	O
with	O
blue	O
accents	O
,	O
black	O
with	O
silver	O
accents	O
,	O
and	O
white	O
with	O
black	O
accents	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Wireless	O
Optical	O
Desktop	O
Pro	O
was	O
introduced	O
alongside	O
the	O
Natural	O
MultiMedia	O
Keyboard	B-Device
in	O
September	O
2002	O
at	O
a	O
retail	O
price	O
of	O
,	O
That	O
Desktop	O
bundle	O
included	O
a	O
wireless	O
version	O
of	O
that	O
keyboard	B-Device
,	O
a	O
wireless	O
optical	O
mouse	O
(	O
sold	O
separately	O
as	O
the	O
Wireless	O
Optical	O
Mouse	O
blue	O
)	O
,	O
a	O
USB	B-Protocol
receiver	O
,	O
and	O
an	O
adapter	O
to	O
convert	O
the	O
USB	B-Protocol
plug	O
to	O
PS/2	B-Protocol
for	O
older	O
systems	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
finish	O
of	O
the	O
mouse	O
and	O
keyboard	B-Device
were	O
changed	O
to	O
black	O
with	O
silver	O
accents	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
indicator	O
lights	O
(	O
Num	O
Lock/Caps	O
Lock/Scroll	O
Lock	O
)	O
were	O
moved	O
to	O
the	O
receiver	O
rather	O
than	O
the	O
keyboard	B-Device
to	O
conserve	O
power	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
September	O
2005	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
introduced	O
the	O
Natural	O
Ergonomic	B-Device
Keyboard	I-Device
4000	O
at	O
a	O
retail	O
price	O
of	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
keyboard	B-Device
provides	O
a	O
significantly	O
changed	O
ergonomic	O
design	O
,	O
including	O
an	O
integrated	O
leatherette	O
wrist	O
rest	O
,	O
noticeably	O
concave	O
key	O
banks	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
removable	O
front	O
stand	O
to	O
generate	O
negative	O
slope	O
,	O
which	O
helps	O
to	O
straighten	O
the	O
wrist	O
and	O
allows	O
the	O
fingers	O
to	O
drop	O
naturally	O
onto	O
the	O
keys	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
F	B-Device
Lock	I-Device
key	O
now	O
defaults	O
to	O
"	O
on	O
"	O
,	O
providing	O
the	O
original	O
function	O
key	O
features	O
rather	O
than	O
the	O
new	O
"	O
enhanced	O
"	O
functions	O
,	O
and	O
retains	O
its	O
setting	O
across	O
reboots	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
4000	O
has	O
the	O
indicator	O
lights	O
for	O
Caps	B-Device
lock	I-Device
,	O
etc	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
4000	O
is	O
also	O
significantly	O
quieter	O
to	O
type	O
on	O
,	O
with	O
less	O
of	O
the	O
distinctive	O
"	O
click	O
clack	O
"	O
noise	O
that	O
is	O
common	O
with	O
older	O
keyboards	B-Device
;	O
as	O
it	O
is	O
likely	O
uses	O
cheaper	O
membrane	O
key	O
switches	O
(	O
as	O
opposed	O
to	O
mechanical	O
)	O
,	O
which	O
tend	O
to	O
be	O
quieter	O
but	O
have	O
twice	O
as	O
much	O
travel	O
before	O
depression	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
2007	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
introduced	O
the	O
Natural	O
Wireless	O
Ergonomic	B-Device
Keyboard	I-Device
7000	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
Natural	O
Ergonomic	O
Desktop	O
7000	O
bundle	O
,	O
which	O
includes	O
the	O
Natural	O
Wireless	O
Laser	O
Mouse	O
7000	O
at	O
a	O
retail	O
price	O
of	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
biggest	O
difference	O
between	O
the	O
7000	O
and	O
4000	O
keyboards	B-Device
,	O
aside	O
from	O
wireless	O
functionality	O
,	O
is	O
the	O
position	O
of	O
the	O
status	O
lights	O
(	O
Num	B-Device
Lock	I-Device
,	O
Caps	B-Device
Lock	I-Device
,	O
Scroll	B-Device
Lock	I-Device
,	O
and	O
F	B-Device
Lock	I-Device
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
their	O
place	O
,	O
on	O
the	O
Natural	O
Ergonomic	O
7000	O
keyboard	B-Device
,	O
resides	O
a	O
single	O
battery	O
indicator	O
light	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Microsoft	O
Natural	O
Ergonomic	O
Desktop	O
7000	O
comes	O
with	O
a	O
USB	B-Protocol
wireless	O
dongle	O
that	O
connects	O
both	O
the	O
mouse	O
and	O
the	O
keyboard	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
attachment	O
to	O
elevate	O
the	O
front	O
of	O
the	O
keyboard	B-Device
is	O
separate	O
in	O
the	O
box	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Natural	O
Ergonomic	O
Desktop	O
7000	O
bundle	O
also	O
comes	O
with	O
batteries	O
,	O
a	O
very	O
brief	O
user	O
guide	O
,	O
a	O
disk	O
containing	O
the	O
Microsoft	O
Intellitype	B-Application
and	O
Intellipoint	O
software	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
Natural	O
Wireless	O
Laser	O
Mouse	O
7000	O
,	O
which	O
uses	O
the	O
same	O
physical	O
design	O
as	O
the	O
Natural	O
Wireless	O
Laser	O
Mouse	O
6000	O
with	O
a	O
different	O
radio	O
frequency	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
introduced	O
the	O
Sculpt	O
Ergonomic	B-Device
keyboard	I-Device
in	O
August	O
2013	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
Sculpt	O
Ergonomic	O
Desktop	O
bundle	O
with	O
the	O
Sculpt	O
Ergonomic	O
mouse	O
at	O
a	O
retail	O
price	O
of	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
keyboard	B-Device
was	O
made	O
available	O
separately	O
in	O
"	O
Business	O
"	O
packaging	O
for	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
wireless	O
keyboard	B-Device
uses	O
a	O
scissor-switch	O
mechanism	O
and	O
features	O
a	O
detached	O
number	B-Device
pad	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Sculpt	O
Ergonomic	B-Device
keyboard	I-Device
and	O
mouse	O
connect	O
to	O
the	O
computer	O
wirelessly	O
using	O
a	O
2.4	O
GHz	O
radio	O
through	O
a	O
proprietary	O
USB	B-Protocol
dongle	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
receiver	O
and	O
keyboard	B-Device
communicate	O
using	O
128-bit	O
AES	B-Algorithm
encryption	I-Algorithm
and	O
are	O
permanently	O
paired	O
at	O
the	O
factory	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Because	O
of	O
this	O
,	O
the	O
dongle	O
cannot	O
be	O
replaced	O
and	O
must	O
occupy	O
a	O
USB	B-Protocol
port	O
;	O
this	O
feature	O
has	O
attracted	O
criticism	O
as	O
a	O
Bluetooth	B-Protocol
connection	O
would	O
free	O
up	O
a	O
USB	B-Protocol
port	O
and	O
ensure	O
the	O
keyboard	B-Device
could	O
still	O
be	O
used	O
even	O
if	O
the	O
dongle	O
was	O
misplaced	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rather	O
than	O
using	O
feet	O
to	O
elevate	O
the	O
back	O
of	O
the	O
keyboard	B-Device
,	O
the	O
Sculpt	O
Ergonomic	B-Device
keyboard	I-Device
comes	O
with	O
a	O
reverse-tilt	O
riser	O
that	O
snaps	O
on	O
to	O
the	O
bottom	O
front	O
edge	O
of	O
the	O
keyboard	B-Device
using	O
magnets	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
development	O
,	O
the	O
Sculpt	O
keyboard	B-Device
was	O
codenamed	O
"	O
Manta	O
Ray	O
"	O
for	O
its	O
resemblance	O
to	O
the	O
animal	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Microsoft	O
Surface	O
Ergonomic	B-Device
keyboard	I-Device
was	O
announced	O
in	O
October	O
2016	O
at	O
a	O
retail	O
price	O
of	O
,	O
alongside	O
other	O
accessories	O
for	O
the	O
Surface	B-Device
Studio	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
shape	O
of	O
the	O
Surface	O
Ergonomic	B-Device
keyboard	I-Device
is	O
similar	O
to	O
the	O
Sculpt	O
,	O
but	O
the	O
six-key	O
navigation	O
block	O
returns	O
to	O
the	O
standard	O
two-row	O
,	O
three-column	O
arrangement	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
number	B-Device
pad	I-Device
is	O
integrated	O
into	O
right	O
side	O
of	O
the	O
Surface	O
Ergonomic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
,	O
the	O
Surface	O
Ergonomic	O
is	O
connected	O
wirelessly	O
over	O
Bluetooth	B-Protocol
instead	O
of	O
using	O
a	O
proprietary	O
dongle	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Paul	O
Thurrott	O
criticized	O
the	O
Surface	O
Ergonomic	B-Device
keyboard	I-Device
for	O
dropping	O
the	O
front	O
riser	O
option	O
and	O
the	O
increased	O
width	O
,	O
which	O
extends	O
the	O
reach	O
needed	O
to	O
use	O
the	O
mouse	O
for	O
right-handed	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Microsoft	O
Ergonomic	B-Device
keyboard	I-Device
was	O
introduced	O
in	O
2019	O
and	O
is	O
the	O
successor	O
to	O
the	O
4000	O
keyboard	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Like	O
the	O
4000	O
,	O
it	O
is	O
black	O
,	O
wired	O
,	O
contains	O
three	O
sections	O
(	O
from	O
left	O
to	O
right	O
,	O
alphanumeric	O
,	O
navigation	O
,	O
and	O
numeric	B-Device
keypad	I-Device
)	O
,	O
and	O
is	O
not	O
backlit	O
.	O
</s>
