When I plugged the Eclipse II into my Mac, OS X recognized it as a new keyboard and guided me through a quick setup process. The Eclipse II was recognized as a standard US-layout keyboard and was immediately ready for use. I quickly noticed two things: 1. The Option and Command keys were reversed. 2. The dedicated media keys didn't exactly work: Six of the eight buttons did nothing at all, and the other two did the wrong things (Stop actually Muted, and Play/Pause acted as Volume Down).

A look at the keyboard confirmed its Windows-centricity by virtue of the little Windows Flag icon on the Command keys. A trip to the Saitek website confirmed my fears that no Mac drivers were available for download. So I went into OS X's Mouse and Keyboard preference pane and did what I could, remapping the Option and Command keys to work as they do on my iBook's built-in keyboard and my usual external keyboard, a Kensington Slim Type Keyboard for Mac. This solved the problems I was having when I tried to cut, paste, save, or Option-Tab my way through applications. Only problem was when I unplugged the Saitek and went back to typing directly on my iBook's keyboard, I had to remap the keys or else face the same problems (in reverse). Uggh.

Also, there was nothing I could find to remap the media keys. And at that point I really didn't feel like going searching around the Web to find a third-party remapping app. I'd seen enough: This was a keyboard build for Windows that made it's way to a Mac-centric website for review. Oh, well.

The keys on the Eclipse II have a nice feel to them, and are comfortable to work with (I typed this review on them, as a matter of fact). They have a longer, noisier action than the slim-profile keyboards favored by some - including the aforementioned Kensington - but it's not bad. The feel is somewhat like a softer, modern version of the old school keyboards that shipped with Apple IIs and the first Macs. The snap-on adjustable wrist rest, however, is another story. It's hard plastic that's not very comfortable on the palms and also a little too slick - as I typed I found myself pushing my hands back "up the keyboard" to counteract their slipping down the wrist rest.

Conclusion
If Saitek wants to reach the Mac market, they'd do well to build a Mac-specific version of the Eclipse II with Option, Command buttons in the places (and with the labels) that Mac users are accustomed to. And to ship it with a Mac driver. And a softer, grippier wrist rest. The dimmable, multi-color backlight is cool, and the keyboard has a nice feel to it. Too bad it so clearly wasn't build to play nice with Macs.

The Saitek Eclipse II Illuminated Keyboard sells for $69.96 direct from the Saitek Online Store. Compare prices at PCPrices/Mac.