The Apple Command key (or, as you might better know it, ⌘) has a beautiful and clear history. Originally, the ⌘ key was an Apple symbol instead, but Steve Jobs thought that using the Apple logo as a keyboard shortcut in the original Macintosh’s menus was “taking the logo in vain” so he tasked the great icon designer Susan Kare to find a solution. The symbol she chose was the traditional clover symbol we all know today, chosen because it is commonly used in Scandavaniva to indicate a tourist attraction or place of interest.
Interesting, right? Unfortunately, there’s no related story as to why the Option key has its own unique (and very abstract) symbol: ⌥. Marc Edwards’ brilliant take on what the ⌥ symbol means is doubtless revisionist history, but I love the visual metaphor of a train switching tracks. That may not be the real tale, but it should be.
Source: Twitter
Via: Brooks Review
John Brownlee is a writer for Fast Company, and a contributing writer here at CoM. He has also written for Wired, Playboy, Boing Boing, Popular Mechanics, VentureBeat, and Gizmodo. He lives in Boston with his wife and two parakeets. You can follow him here on Twitter.
11 responses to “What Are The Mac’s Command ⌘ And Option ⌥ Symbols Supposed To Represent?”
The Option key symbol? has always frustrated me because the key itself does not indicate the symbol, only the words ‘alt’ and ‘option.’ This causes great confusion to new and/or ignorant users. This oversight is very un-Apple.
I couldn’t have said that better myself. I just try keys until I get the right one…
I just figured out that the weird symbol was the option key while trying to learn the iTunes shortcuts. Please, put the symbol on the corresponding key.
I had a friend that used to call the command key “Open Apple” since it looked like an apple that had been eaten.
On a side note, whenever I type in the comments section the field grows one row with each letter. I am using Safari 6 :)
I’m looking at my late-2010 Macbook Air’s keyboard right now, and the Option key is clearly labeled with “alt” on top and the ? symbol at the bottom of the key. Same on my boss’ early-2012 MBPro.
On the other hand…pictures on store.apple.com (and my memory) show that desktop keyboards do have “alt” and “option” (or “opt” in older keyboards) instead of the ? symbol.
Weird stuff.
Same thing happens on Chrome.
Most of the people that I chat with while using the iOS emojis always commented as to why I have been using ? icons. I didn’t know they were option symbols. I admit I constantly tease them filling the screen with ??????????.
On my hackbook with OSX the Windows Logo becomes the Mac-option key and the Laptops ALT-key works as the Apple-Command Key.
Actually, the term “Open Apple” dates back to the Apple IIe days. The IIe had two apple keys on each side of the space bar. One was a solid black “filled” apple, the other was an outlined “open” apple. The “open” Apple functioned similarly to the command key, so as people switched to the Mac they continued to call it “Open Apple”. I remember our computer guy in elementary calling it that for many years!
Correction to my comment earlier:
We non Macs see [] [] []
On my windows machine at work we []s versus the Mac option key seeable.
The ? is just a 2-way switch symbol used in Electrical Engineering but shown in upside down way. Nothing mystical :)