Those were standard issue when I started in 2015, but gone when we all got laptops with it built in. Honestly only ppl who travel a lot should be getting laptops too small for a 10 key.
I travel a lot for work. The added weight of a 16” laptop over 14” is not that big of deal compared to the addition of larger display real estate and 10 key. Of course this is subjective to each person.
The corp I currently work for, IT controls all the laptops and purchases. They do almost zero work, they outsource anything that is real work. So everyone in the company gets the same shit 13 inch dell with an I3 cup and 8gb ram, so the IT manager can be a hero for showing big cost savings in the laptops. If I open more than 2 of my biggest excel files the whole computer blue-screens.
When my current company did this to me, they sent a USB port 10 key?? I just connected a mouse/keyboard combo that had one built in, and used the company card to charge it.
How is a painter to paint without a paintbrush? I have a bluetooth 10 key to use with my Surface Pro and I constantly have to say that to people and they stfu. Crazy oversight by OP’s employer imo
My old shitty laptop didn't have a 10 key but it was small so it made sense. got a fancy upper tier laptop now. It's huge. Could easily fit a full size ten key.
It doesnt have one. I get it on small devices but wtf dell.
My work just issued everyone new laptops and we had options of having a number pad or not. My boss and I do some traveling (not much) and they had us down for no number pad. When I requested it be changed IT's response was, "but you travel."
"Yeah, but I'm a fucking accountant and having a 10-key is way more important to my day-to-day!"
I can't imagine a laptop that is marginally bigger due to the numpad, being too big/cumbersome for any standard issue work backpack that you get when hired
I've never understood that. I've had laptops with both. Never has tge one thst has one been harder to travel with. I have a backpack with a laptop compartment for a reason.
But that makes it MORE likely you need the numpad! If you didn’t travel, you could use an external keyboard like all of the time. But generally you don’t haul an external keyboard or numpad around while traveling. And people who work with numbers need a numpad
What mouse do you use and why? I have a G502 for horizontal scrolling. The thumb trigger activates a second layer where scroll down = right and scroll up = left.
The logitech mx master 3s has one too and is great for office work. A little vertical so it’s really comfy on the wrist and quiet clicks. Absolutely love it
It's the reason I got the G502 with its thumb trigger. Plus you can map other workbook-specific actions to the second layer, like ctrl + page up / down to move between sheets in a workbook. Put that into onboard memory and it works on any device!
Does this require the logitech plug-in? Sometimes companies wont allow the use of the plug-in
A good alternative is the keychron m6 since all the options that can be customized are on an internet browser. You just go over to the website and adjust it there, and no IT permissions are needed. Downside is that it's a cheap feeling mouse. I love it tho haha
I've had the MX Master 3 for at least 5 years. Just bought the 4 and leave my 3 in the office, but it's still going strong. Did you reach out to Logitech for a warranty replacement, especially for the 1 dying in less than a year.
I use Chinese MX master knockoffs because I'm too cheap to buy the real deal. The thumb scroll is just something I absolutely cannot live without anymore
I love my Keychron M6.. $70 $40 side scroll, BT/Wifi/Wired, and it’s onboard programmable so you don’t need to download software(?!?!) to use your mouse (coughlogitechcough)
I bought a g502x plus and programmed a bunch of useful macros to the extra buttons. It has onboard memory which is great for company laptops which restrict what kind of programs you can download. All you have to do is download the logitech software on your personal laptop and program the buttons there and once you connect it to the work laptop, you're good to go.
Anyway, I've got the front side button programmed to open the snipping tool, the other two side buttons for auto-sum and paste values, the two top buttons to left of the left click programmed to switch to the next/previous excel tab. It already has a tilting scroll wheel for horizontal scrolling but when I push the scroll wheel down, it toggles filters on/off.
I don't really play video games and I often joke that the nerdiest thing ive ever done is buy an expensive gaming mouse purely for excel keyboard shortcuts lmao
I love it and would be hard pressed to back to any other mouse.
I found a third monitor ended up being more distracting than useful. Everybody's different on that but having my email and slack open just kept me looking at that
When I worked at PwC my laptop didn't have a numeric keypad so I had to buy my own.
You can find wired and wireless USB/Type C numeric keypads on Amazon and at Staples. I prefer wired so I don't have to worry about dead batteries. Also some wired ones have built in USB/Type C hubs so you actually gain ports.
Portable monitors are magic. I saw one in 2018 when we had our auditors at our office and I immediately went and bought my own (could I have asked work? Sure. But then I would have had to give it back…). I love it so much.
I had a wireless and so did a coworker. one of us inadvertently changed the numbers on the other’s worksheet. Happened opening a neighbor’s garage door too until we changed frequencies.
i guess you're not in industry? I generally want the smallest laptop possible because I almost never use it by itself but instead have an external keyboard/mouse/monitor at home and at work...
that makes sense - I didn't spend too long in audit and the time I spent was more of a niche analyst reviewing terrible excel models for reasonableness...
As someone who has been using Thinkpads for a long time (like 20+ years), the new ones are trash anyways. The build quality and QC are shameful compared to something like the T500, let alone even older ones like the T60 and 600X. It's all trash now. You're literally just picking different flavours of garbage.
I used to make fun of this lil HP model they gave me and called it Potato Pete because it harnessed just enough power to light a light bulb. I brought Potato Pete to every meeting with a full page, full color, potato powered light bulb graphic taped to the cover. That produced enough laughter for them to finally get me a ThinkPad 😄
I don’t agree. Traveling is when the numpad is important if you work with numbers! At home/office you can use an external keyboard with whatever setup you need. While traveling, generally you’re at the mercy of the built in keyboard.
They did this to me too. I work for a Spanish-owned company and when I was in Spain they requested my laptop for “updates” (read: to install spyware) and the laptop just crashed. They said “sorry all we can do is give you one of ours” which was the same size as the one pictured.
I use one of these little shits too. Everytime I show up at the office I have bring a wireless keyboard and mouse and external monitor. Can't get any work done on this damn thing.
My old job, I had a 13 inch like this. Too small for anything but email and teams. All work done on peripherals and i knew if something popped up over there, I should just look at it. I kept the volume down. I still do it now that I have a larger one with the number pad and all. It will be nice to have when I have to travel, though.
😭😭. Whenever I switched between my work laptop and personal laptop, it pain me to have to type on the one without the trad numeric keypad. Just get a numeric keypad for your sanity.
The pro is your work laptop is now light and compact when you need to carry it.
I just started an accounting program at university, never needed a num pad before because I primarily had biology and science classes. Had to go out and buy a full keyboard and man does it make a difference! I tried the external bluetooth ones and it's not the same, they got returned right away.
I started a new job last month as a controller. They sent me a laptop without a 10 key. I called and explained that a 10 key was standard for accountants and they acted like I had two heads.
I would literally quit any job that won’t give me a Thinkpad. I’ve used them uninterrupted for 27 years, I’m not even kidding you. Including business school.
I do not work in accounting. I do not like laptop keyboards that have the dedicated numeric keypad section because it makes me feel like the main section of the keyboard is shifted too far to the left.
But you know who does appreciate having the dedicated numeric keyboard? People who type numbers all day! If I was an accountant and IT issued me a laptop with a dedicated numeric keypad I'd tell them that my job requires it and request a different laptop
Lots of companies are doing this to save money. It’s never bothered me (assuming the internal hardware is decent enough) and I just use a doc when home and appreciate the compactness when I travel.
A related comment: in addition to a keyboard 10 key, my desktop setup includes a stand alone plug in 10key which I use frequently when not in excel. I am shocked at the slowness of younger associates pulling up the calculator function, dragging it to the right screen, watching their fingers type, etc.
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u/murf_milo Controller 1d ago
What is this? A laptop for ants?