WEBVTT - BrainStuff Classics: Which Computer Keys Wear Out First?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff production of iHeart Radio. Hey brain Stuff.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm Lauren Vogelbaum, and today's episode is another classic from

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<v Speaker 1>our erstwhile host, Christian Sagar. As casual computer use has

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<v Speaker 1>shifted from happening on laptops and desktops to touch screen devices,

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<v Speaker 1>the patterns of wear on traditional cordy keyboards has shifted too,

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<v Speaker 1>so which keys now were out first? Hey brain Stuff,

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<v Speaker 1>it's Christian Sager here. If you spend a lot of

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<v Speaker 1>time using a computer, you have undoubtedly noticed that over

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<v Speaker 1>time some of the letters on your keyboards start to disappear.

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<v Speaker 1>That leads to the question which keys on a keyboard

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<v Speaker 1>tend to wear out the fastest. Since keys wear out

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<v Speaker 1>because of use, it's logical to assume that the keys

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<v Speaker 1>that wear out the fastest are the ones we use

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<v Speaker 1>most heavily, So which ones are they? Back in the

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<v Speaker 1>days before computers, when typewriters and type setting machines were

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<v Speaker 1>used to put words on paper, that was a fairly

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<v Speaker 1>easy question to answer. As a trade publication called The

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<v Speaker 1>Inland Printer noted, back in it was widely accepted that

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<v Speaker 1>the most used key on keyboards was the space bar,

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<v Speaker 1>followed by the letter E. Some sources still adhere to

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<v Speaker 1>that convention. A Microsoft product marketing official told Business Insider in,

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<v Speaker 1>for example, that the most used key was the space bar,

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<v Speaker 1>followed by the E and then the backspace key. But

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<v Speaker 1>if you really want the definitive answer, the source best

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<v Speaker 1>equipped to give it might be someone who replaces computer

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<v Speaker 1>keys for a living. Patrick Halcrow is owner and operator

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<v Speaker 1>of Laptop dash keys dot com, which supplies keys and

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<v Speaker 1>parts needed, along with repair instructions, to people who need

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<v Speaker 1>to fix their broken laptop keyboards. Halcrow explains in an

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<v Speaker 1>email that these days, habits have changed. That's because a

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<v Speaker 1>lot of people who were once casual computer users have

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<v Speaker 1>switched to using smartphones and tablets with touch screens to

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<v Speaker 1>write emails and check out social media and videos, and

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<v Speaker 1>the people who still use laptops are mostly either workers

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<v Speaker 1>or computer gamers. As Halcrow says, gamers mostly order replacements

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<v Speaker 1>for the W, A, S, and D keys, as well

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<v Speaker 1>as the arrow keys. That's because these specific keys are

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<v Speaker 1>used for player movement in RPG type games as well

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<v Speaker 1>as vehicle control in driving type simulators. People who use

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<v Speaker 1>desktop and laptop computers for work, in contrast, tend to

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<v Speaker 1>replace the vowel keys A, E, I, O, and you,

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<v Speaker 1>and the space bar and the arrow keys, which Halcrow

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<v Speaker 1>said are the keys pressed most often when typing. According

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<v Speaker 1>to Halcrow, people tend to replace key ease mostly because

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<v Speaker 1>of aesthetics. They don't like the look of a keyboard

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<v Speaker 1>where some of the letters are worn off, and not

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<v Speaker 1>because of wear and tear on the underlying mechanism. When

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<v Speaker 1>there is actual damage, he says, it's not because of

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<v Speaker 1>wear and tear, but rather it's accidental. Think of your

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<v Speaker 1>pets knocking a laptop off a table or children breaking

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<v Speaker 1>off the keys, and as is the case with all accidents,

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<v Speaker 1>breaking the actual key mechanism is more unpredictable. Today's episode

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<v Speaker 1>was written by Patrick da Tider and produced by Dylan

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<v Speaker 1>Fagan and Tyler Klang. For more on this and lots

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<v Speaker 1>of their topics, is it how stuffworks dot com. Brain

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<v Speaker 1>Stuff is production of iHeart Radio or more podcasts to

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