Apple Keyboard II (1990)
The return of the keyboard in the box: the Macintosh Classic and LC companion, lighter and cheaper to build.
© Stephen Edmonds · CC BY-SA 2.5 ↗ Resized, no crop or retouching.
Specs
| Connectivity | Apple Desktop Bus, two bidirectional ports, detachable coiled cable |
| Switches | rubber-cup membrane (Mitsumi or SMK depending on the run) |
| Key feature | once again included as standard with the computer, per Wikipedia |
Launch
Apple introduced the Keyboard II (M0487) in 1990 and shipped it as standard with the Macintosh Classic and Macintosh LC, marking the company's return to bundling a keyboard with its computers after the II and SE years, when it was bought separately, per Wikipedia. Deskthority describes it as the low-cost successor to the Apple Standard Keyboard, with two bidirectional ADB ports and a detachable coiled cable that let users choose which side to connect.
Marketing
Outside it closely resembled the original Apple Desktop Bus Keyboard, but added flip-down feet to adjust the typing angle and a revised case and key design, per Wikipedia. To cut costs, mechanical switches were dropped - except for a latching Caps Lock - in favor of a rubber-cup membrane made by Mitsumi or SMK depending on the run, per Deskthority and Wikipedia. In 1993 it was produced in black under the same model number for the Macintosh TV, the first all-black Mac, per Wikipedia.
Flaws and fixes
The savings showed in the key feel: the membrane was softer than its predecessor's tactile Alps switches, a transition documented by Deskthority and Wikipedia. Its legends were pad-printed, as Deskthority documents.