Do mechanical keyboards really need arrow keys? 

Which keys are absolutely essential to a keyboard? Many will tell you the entire numpad is, while others demand macro keys. I personally insist on a volume knob for my home office setup. And as someone who has tested 60 percent keyboards, which have no numpad or arrow keys, I'd add that for productivity and my sanity, arrow keys are also mandatory.

Arrow-less keyboards have their market, but for the vast majority, no arrows on a keyboard is a deal-breaker. A mechanical keyboard Angry Miao announced today asks us to consider an alternative, though. Instead of arrow keys or relying on a key combo for arrow input (like most 60 percent keyboard users do), it has a capacitive touch panel on the front edge for inputting arrow and other functions with your thumbs.

Is Angry Miao on to something here?

It’s not about the keyboard

Angry Miao's AM Compact Touch saves space by replacing arrow keys with a thumb-controlled touchpad.

Credit: Angry Miao/Indiegogo

Before we dive into this intriguing touchpad, let's get something out of the way: You probably don't want to buy the Angry Miao AM Compact Touch wireless keyboard. For one, the peripheral is still in the crowdfunding stage (Indiegogo launches on February 2, according to The Verge). Angry Miao is a known company among mechanical keyboard enthusiasts with several high-end limited product releases in recent years and successful crowdfunding campaigns. Other mechanical keyboard companies, like Keychron, tend to start products through crowdfunding, and some publications, including The Verge and TechCrunch, have tested AM Compact Touch samples. But investing money in any crowdfunding campaign comes with risks.

Beyond that, the AM Compact Touch has a niche layout with no arrow keys, numpad, or function row. Those still interested will also face a steep price, reportedly $398 to $615.

Still, I couldn't help being fascinated by the AM Compact Touch because it challenges how we normally navigate a keyboard. It also bestows function to a part of the keyboard that's virtually never used.

Do I find arrow keys necessary on a keyboard because they're imperative for daily computing or because that's what I'm used to? Now's as good a time as ever to consider if keyboards need a shake-up.

Are touchpads the next arrows?

The Compact Touch uses a capacitive touch panel that relies on a custom PCB and software the company says it spent three months optimizing. The touchpad is positioned to be accessible by two thumbs and is supposed to support four-way swipes and is approximately 2×0.5 inches, according to The Verge.

The panels add further control with support for long-pressing in four directions, Angry Miao claims. This enables actions like slide left and long-press for rewind, or swipe up and long-press to turn up the volume.

Below is a video demoing the feature. Angry Miao published the video, though, so keep that in mind when considering its apparent ease of usability.

Thinking about applying this concept to other keyboards, the touchpad's location seems wise, since it looks like it would be within reach of both thumbs, save for times when you're using a numpad (if the keyboard has one). Angry Miao says this means you can use the touchpad without moving your wrist, and less physical movement can be helpful for ergonomics.

A touchpad that's a successful arrow replacement could make 60 percent keyboards more appealing, especially for travel and freeing up desk space. The design could even provide "arrow" access with the left hand, which you don't get with a traditional keyboard layout.

But there's one thing painfully missing from touch panel input that mechanical keyboard users adore: tactility. Mechanical keyboard loyalists like input with some oomph behind it, whether that oomph is tactile travel, a discernible bump, and/or a proud clicking noise. Using a flat touch panel in lieu of addictive tactile keys seems counterintuitive.

Mechanical keyboards with high price tags also are wise to be as versatile as possible, and the touch panel on the Compact Touch seems limited when it comes to tasks like repetitive line-by-line scrolling and advanced movements, like steering a car in a game.

Early hands-on reviews suggest the Compact Touch's touchpad is decently, but not absolutely, reliable. TechCrunch reported that it largely worked as expected and was "easy enough to go back a few letters" when writing, but that for other tasks, it's "a guessing game whether you’ll be able to time things right to stop the cursor where you need to." The reviewer ultimately ended up programming arrow input into a secondary layer on the keyboard, suggesting they didn't want to use the touchpad long-term.

TechCrunch's article also pointed out that the location of the touch panel makes it harder to use a wrist rest.

The Verge said there were "many occasions" when the reviewer's cursor went up when they intended for it to go left and down when they wanted it to move to the right. They also said swipe and holding was "easy to overshoot," noting that "since Windows and Mac operating systems are not built for this," this is something you'd have to deal with sometimes.

The final product may arrive more polished. But these early touchpad experiences suggest it's reasonable to expect inherent frustration in the immediate term and greater obstacles than just personal adjustment in the long term.

Often imitated, never duplicated

Early reviews suggest that Angry Miao's specific take on the touch panel has room for improvement. Dealing with potentially wonky OS support is a no-go for impatient people like me, but, as with foldable PCs, that doesn't automatically mean we shouldn't explore the idea further. Greater interest could eventually yield greater support.