Apple Pro Keyboard (2000)
The Pro Mouse's companion: a full-size keyboard with translucent black keys in a crystal-clear plastic case, standard on every Apple desktop, bringing back the extended layout.
© All About Apple Museum · CC BY-SA 2.5-it ↗ Resized, no crop or retouching.
Specs
| Connectivity | USB · 2-port bus-powered hub |
| Price | standard with desktop Macs; $59 separately |
| Key feature | 15 F-keys plus volume/eject; no power button |
Launch
Apple unveiled it on July 19, 2000 at the Macworld Expo New York keynote, the same event that introduced the Power Mac G4 Cube and the Pro Mouse. According to the official release, it came standard with the iMac, Power Mac G4 and G4 Cube, and would sell separately from September for $59; it required Mac OS 9. It brought back the full-size keyboard: 15 programmable function keys, a six-key navigation pad, inverted-T arrow keys and dedicated volume, mute and media-eject keys, plus a two-port USB hub. The keynote survives in an archival copy on the Internet Archive.
Marketing
No dedicated ad campaign is on record: its showcase was shipping standard with every new desktop and matching the transparent design language of the G4 Cube announced that same day. In 2002 a white-key version arrived, coordinated with the iMac G4 at the same $59 price, according to Macs Only!'s March 2002 report.
Flaws and fixes
Macworld's October 2000 review noted two period complaints: the missing power button (you had to reach for the computer's own switch) and a cable too short if the Mac lived under the desk. The two-port USB hub was bus-powered, as Apple's own release states. In May 2003 the white Apple Keyboard (A1048) replaced it as the standard Mac keyboard.