Apple Numeric Keypad II (A2M0056) The Numeric Keypad II was Apple's first external keypad. It was originally created by Michael Muller at
The Keyboard Company in 1977 at the request from Steve Jobs for the Apple II. In 1980, Apple purchased The Keyboard Company and became the Accessory Products Division.
Apple Numeric Keypad IIe (A2M2003) The Numeric Keypad IIe was released as an option specifically for the popular Apple IIe computer in 1983; it helped correct some of the II series' shortcomings. Later, the Platinum IIe would incorporate the numeric keypad into its built-in keyboard.
Lisa Keyboard (A6MB101) The Lisa keyboard was designed for and came with the
Apple Lisa. It was the first keyboard not to be integrated into the
case like the Apple II and III series before it. Like the
Apple III, it was intended to be a business computer and included an integrated numeric keypad. Like all Apple computers before it, it came in a beige case to match the Lisa and connected by a unique
TRS connector. In addition it carried over the use of the "open" Apple key from the Apple III as a command key (though it was represented by the "closed" Apple character) and included a pullout reference guide hidden under the keyboard.
Macintosh Keyboard (M0110) Introduced and included with the original Macintosh in 1984, it debuted with neither
arrow keys to control the cursor nor an integrated numeric keypad. It used a telephone cord-style RJ-11 connector to the case (also used with the
Amstrad PCW series of computers). The keyboard
pinouts are "crossed" so it is not possible to use a standard telephone cord as a replacement; doing so will result in damage to the keyboard or the computer. The keyboard also introduced a unique command key similar to the "open" Apple Key on the Lisa.
Macintosh Numeric Keypad (M0120 and M0120P) Like the Apple IIe before it, the Macintosh provided an optional external keypad which also included arrow keys that daisy chained to the computer via the telephone-cord connectors. Though introduced with the Macintosh in January 1984, Apple did not ship it until September 1984 at a retail price of US$99. The M0120P version of the numeric keypad, compared to M0120, uses symbols on the Clear and Enter keys, instead of text.
Macintosh Plus Keyboard (M0110A) Introduced and included with the
Macintosh Plus in 1986, it was an extended keyboard that had a built-in numeric keypad. In 1987 it was updated to Apple's new Platinum gray color. It continued to use the telephone-cord style connector to the system and was interchangeable with the M0110. Though Apple switched all other keyboards to
Apple Desktop Bus connectors by this time, this keyboard was manufactured unchanged for four more years until the Plus was discontinued in 1990.
Apple Desktop Bus Keyboard (A9M0330) This was the first Apple keyboard to use the new
Apple Desktop Bus (ADB) connector first seen on the
Apple IIGS. Designed to be compatible with both the Macintosh and Apple product lines, it was the first to combine both the Macintosh command key and Apple II "open" Apple key legends. It was also the first Macintosh-compatible keyboard from Apple to have either an
Escape key or a Control key, both already present on Apple II keyboards. Entirely Platinum gray in color (later Macintosh Plus keyboards had a platinum gray case with darker gray keys called "Smoke"), it was also the first to use
Snow White design language that was similar to the
Apple IIc. However, it duplicated the extended design established by the Plus. It was also the first to include an external power/reset button and an extra ADB port.
Apple (Standard) Keyboard (M0116) Also known as the
Apple Standard Keyboard, it was the first to officially use this name. Apple would later reuse the name for a series of successive keyboards. The
Apple Keyboard was a more solid version of the
Apple Desktop Bus Keyboard and optionally included with the
Macintosh II and
SE in 1987. (This shared layout with the A9M0330 meant that it retained the Escape and Control keys introduced by that keyboard, as did the M0115 Apple Extended Keyboard and subsequent Macintosh keyboards. this was the first Apple keyboard to be based on the keyset and layout of IBM's
Enhanced Keyboard models, in particular the "101 key ANSI" layout. IBM Enhanced (or "Model M") boards had begun to be shipped with IBM PCs in 1986. New additions include the
function keys (including the "nav cluster" of six keys to the left of the number pad), all laid out in the style of the IBM Enhanced Keyboards. (Also copied is the inverted-T cursor layout, making its first appearance on an Apple keyboard.) In other respects the design is a variation of that of the Apple (Standard) Keyboard. According to Apple the Extended Keyboard, $100 more expensive than the Standard Keyboard alternative at launch, was meant for use with non-Macintosh operating systems or with programs or "data communications packages" ported from other computers which used function keys. One divergence affected the modifier keys: the Extended Keyboard has three modifier keys (Control, Alt and Command), mirrored on each side of the spacebar, rather than the two of contemporary Model Ms. This actually anticipates the 104-key variation of IBM's layout, which did not become established on Windows PCs until the introduction of the
Windows key in 1994. (Macintosh programs could distinguish right from left Control and Option modifiers if desired, introducing right-modifier inputs to the Mac for the first time.)
Apple Keyboard II (M0487) Introduced and sold with the
Macintosh Classic and
LC in 1990, this keyboard was almost identical to the original ADB Keyboard, but included flip-down feet to change the typing angle and a design change that gave the frame and keys a more streamlined appearance. Internally, the M0487 differed from the original M0116, as the M0487 did not use mechanical keyswitches (save for the Caps Lock). In 1993, the
Macintosh TV, the first Mac introduced in all black, came with an identical black Keyboard II (using the same model number). This keyboard marked the return of Apple including a standard keyboard together with the computer itself.
Apple Extended Keyboard II (M0312 and M3501) A minor update to the
Apple Extended Keyboard to coincide with the release of the
Macintosh IIsi in 1990, it added an adjustable height feature. Model M0312 was manufactured with the classic
Alps mechanisms, while model M3501 was manufactured with Mitsumi or Alps mechanisms.
Apple Adjustable Keyboard (M1242) The
Apple Adjustable Keyboard, which was sold as an optional upgrade, was Apple's 1993 entry into the ergonomically adjustable keyboard market. It was often criticized for its flimsy construction. It came with a separate keypad (not sold separately), the first to do so since the original
Macintosh keyboard.
Newton Keyboard (X0044) In the mid-1990s Apple released the
Apple Newton sub-mini keyboard to allow a quick input alternative to the Newton's
handwriting recognition, which required extensive training to become useful. It connected via the Newton's serial interface. Many Mac users favoring the portable size were able to use it on a Mac utilizing a third-party enabler. Like the
iPhone that would come 10 years later, the Newton also included a
virtual keyboard.
AppleDesign Keyboard (M2980) This was the first major redesign of the Apple keyboard, featuring more fluid, curving lines to match the look of the new Apple product style. It was an unpopular replacement for the
Apple Extended Keyboard II in 1994. Significantly lighter than its predecessors, it had a much softer and quieter key interface that was unpopular with many typists. It also included only one ADB port for mice or other pointing devices, concealed on the underside, with the keyboard's cable permanently attached. The Extended II had an ADB port on either side of the keyboard, allowing the keyboard cable or mouse to be attached to the side preferred by the user. This keyboard was also produced in black using the same model number (like the
Apple Keyboard II for the
Macintosh TV), for inclusion with the black
Performa 5420 released primarily in Europe, and the black
Power Macintosh 5500 released in Asia.
Twentieth Anniversary Macintosh Keyboard (M3459) Bundled with the
Twentieth Anniversary Macintosh in 1997, this keyboard once again excluded an integrated keypad, though unlike the
Adjustable Keyboard, none was offered. Based on a
PowerBook form factor it also included an optional built-in
trackpad and leather palm rests. This was the last ADB keyboard Apple would produce, and was not sold separately.
Apple USB Keyboard (M2452) Released and sold with the
iMac in 1998, this became the new standard for all Macintosh models for the next two years. It was the first to use translucent plastics, first in
Bondi blue, then in Graphite, a darker gray, for the PowerMac G4 line and fruit-colored for each of the five first color variations of the iMac. It had a built-in retractable support leg. It also marked a return to the standard keyboard with integrated keypad with the enhanced cursor keys above the keypad. The keyboard had a power key on the top right side (implemented by shorting the D-line to ground), and was the last keyboard to have one. This keyboard can be used with Windows (although the power key has no function).
Apple Pro Keyboard (M7803) •
(M7803, 109 black keys) Originally introduced as the Apple Pro Keyboard in 2000, but discontinued three years later, this keyboard reintroduced the additional extended function keys last seen in the Apple Design Keyboard and debuted in a clear case with semi-transparent black keys . One major departure from all previous ADB and USB keyboards was the removal of the remote power key. This keyboard contained 109 keys (ANSI), and retained the single folding leg on the bottom. This was also the keyboard that came with the iconic
Power Mac G4 Cube. •
(M7803, 109 white keys, iMac G4) A version with white keys was introduced in 2002 alongside the
iMac G4.
Apple Keyboard (109 and 78 keys) instead of the Launchpad feature added in Mac OS X Lion. Later releases of the keyboard had the Launchpad logo instead. •
(A1048, white, 109 keys, USB 1.1) In May 2003, the keyboard underwent a major redesign which eliminated the frame enclosing the keys while adding an F16 key and moving the USB ports to the back. This revision also renamed the device as just the 'Apple Keyboard', thus dropping 'Pro' from the commercial name, but the complete name 'Apple Pro Keyboard' is always used in internal technical information, as seen in the System Information app for example. The A1048 was available only in white. It was later replaced by Apple's aluminum keyboards. •
(A1243, aluminium, 109 keys, MB110LL/A and MB110LL/B) The Apple Keyboard introduced in 2007, has a solid aluminum enclosure, as does the similarly styled
Apple Wireless Keyboard. This same keyboard is also the first of Apple's keyboards in 27 years to omit the long-enduring Apple logo(s) denoting the
Command key's
backward compatibility with the
Apple key that was originally introduced on keyboards compatible with the
Apple II. This convention, however, lasted much longer than Apple had intended because of how it was retained by all keyboards which used the
Apple Desktop Bus connection standard that the company introduced with the release of the
Apple IIGS. By the time that Apple discontinued the external use of
ADB, the legacy practice of including the
Apple symbol on the
Command key had stuck. This model of the Apple keyboard also has two down-stream USB ports, one at each end of the keyboard (like M2452 and M7803). This model was renamed as the 'Apple Keyboard with Numeric Keypad' after the release of the A1242 model in March 2009. This model was discontinued on 5 June 2017 and was the last wired keyboard produced by Apple. It is worth noting that there are two versions of the A1243 keyboard (the MB110LL/A and MB110LL/B), that are distinguished by the icons on the F3 and F4 keys. This slight update took place in July 2011 on the release of
OS X Lion and changed the label on the
Exposé key (F3) to
Mission Control and changing the
Dashboard key (F4) to a
Launchpad key. •
(A1242, aluminium, 78 keys, iMac) Early 2009 iMac revisions shipped with a new version of the wired keyboard, which omitted the numeric pad, similar to its wireless counterpart. The full keyboard with numeric pad remained available as a build-to-order option for an extra charge, and could also be purchased separately. The A1242 was discontinued in December 2010.
Apple Wireless Keyboard •
(A1016, white, 109 keys, Bluetooth 1.1) Introduced in 2003, this model was based on the
Bluetooth standard. It was essentially identical to the revised
Apple Keyboard offered four months earlier. According to the Apple website, it is not compatible with
iPads, unlike later models. •
(A1255, aluminium, 78 keys, Bluetooth) In 2007, an updated model clad in aluminum was released, which, like the MacBook's keyboard, eliminated the integrated numeric keypad and special keys. It takes three AA batteries, with the power button on the right-hand side of the keyboard opposite the battery opening. •
(A1314, aluminium, 78 keys, Bluetooth 2.0, MC184LL/A and MC184LL/B) On October 20, 2009, the aluminum model was updated (MC184LL/A) so that only two AA batteries are needed instead of three; two changes occurred in the physical appearance: firstly, the placement of the plastic window for the Bluetooth transceiver, which moved from the right-hand side of the keyboard's bottom to the centre, and secondly, the keyboard was a few millimeters wider in depth than the previous wireless keyboard. Like the
Magic Mouse released on the same date, it requires
Mac OS X 10.6 or later. In July 2011, a minor update (MC184LL/B) was made to the previous model, for
Mac OS X Lion. The Exposé and Dashboard legends have been replaced with those for
Mission Control and
Launchpad, respectively.
Magic Keyboard (2015) •
A1644 Magic Keyboard: 78 keys • October 13, 2015 – May 2021: MLA22LL/A (EMC 2815) $99; SilverReleased for
OS X El Capitan and later. It has a built-in rechargeable
Lithium-ion battery with a
Lightning connector for charging and an on/off switch. •
A1843 Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad: 109 keys • June 5, 2017 – current: MQ052LL/A (EMC 3138) $129; Silver • March 27, 2018 – May 2021: MRMH2LL/A (EMC 3138) $129; Space Gray
Smart Keyboard for iPad on a Smart Keyboard The
Smart Keyboard is a keyboard cover for Apple's
iPad tablet computers. It was released in November 2015 alongside the
iPad Pro. It is powered by the iPad's Smart Connector, and does not require separate charging or batteries. Its keys use a butterfly-switch mechanism, with its keys covered by a fabric material. When unfolded, the Smart Keyboard only allows for one viewing angle position; when folded, the Smart Keyboard only protects the front of the iPad. An updated design, named
Smart Keyboard Folio, was released alongside the
iPad Pro (3rd generation), with support for two viewing angles and back protection. The Smart Keyboard Folio is compatible with 11-inch and 12.9-inch
iPad Pro models from 2018 and later, and iPad Air models from 2020 and later. == See also ==