For a French typist, this is intuitive. The apostrophe is used so frequently (e.g., c'est, l'homme, d'accord ) that it deserves a prime spot on the home row of the right hand. You can type j'apprends le français without lifting your fingers far.
The true French apostrophe is not a vertical stroke but a curved, suspended droplet—typographically known as a "closing single quotation mark" or guillemet simple fermant ( ’ ). This preference for the curved form dictated the bizarre engineering of the French keyboard, creating a dichotomy that frustrates beginners and delights typographers to this day. apostrophe in french keyboard