Apple Apple Extended Keyboard vs Apple Macintosh Keyboard (M0110)

Every spec side by side, from each maker's published figures.

Better figure, where one is clearly better

Apple Extended Keyboard compared with Macintosh Keyboard (M0110)
AppleApple Extended KeyboardAppleMacintosh Keyboard (M0110)
Overview
Released1987January 1984
Typing
LayoutFull sizeCompact
SwitchesMechanicalMechanical
Key travel–3.5 mm
BacklightNoneNone
Keys labelled forMacMac
Touch IDNo–
SwitchesAlps SKCM Orange or Salmon mechanical switches in M0115 variants, identified by Deskthority.Apple's original M0110 engineering specification describes individual momentary-contact switches and a self-locking mechanical Caps Lock switch. Its two-key lockout ignores additional simultaneous key depressions to prevent ghost keystrokes. The maker does not identify a switch supplier in this document.
Key travel–Apple's engineering specification gives total travel 3.5 ±0.5 mm and pretravel to the contact point 1.8 ±0.25 mm; these are design requirements, not a measurement of a surviving sample. Ordinary keys and the space bar have 90 ±25 g force at the contact point; self-locking Caps Lock is separately specified at 200 ±100 g.
Keycaps–Printed character keys; Apple's engineering specification distinguishes printed keycaps from moulded parts and specifies keycap pull-force tests. Keycap plastic formulation is not established in the recovered maker sources.
LayoutsApple's July 1987 product sheet lists 105 keys, including a numeric pad, 15 function keys, six editing keys and inverted-T arrows.The original US layout has 58 keys, with two Shift keys, two Option keys and separate Return and Enter keys. This record does not cover the later M0110A Macintosh Plus keyboard with a built-in number pad.
Special keysF1–F15; the case marks F1–F4 for undo, cut, copy and paste, though Apple says these actions were not assigned by default.Command sits immediately left of the space bar; Option produces accented and special characters. The original keyboard has no arrow, function or Control keys. Key repeat rate is set using the Macintosh Control Panel.
Connections and battery
Connects byCableCable
PowerCableCable
ReceiverApple Desktop Bus cable; Apple's product sheet says another ADB input device can be chained through the keyboard.Detachable four-conductor coiled cable, with four-contact modular plugs and a non-reversing end-to-end pinout. Apple's engineering document calls them RJ-11-type Modjack connectors; they carry the original Macintosh synchronous serial keyboard protocol, not ADB, USB or telephone signals.
Battery life detail–Powered through the keyboard cable; Apple's engineering specification lists +5 V ±10% at 50 mA maximum for the keyboard power connection. No keyboard battery is required.
Works withAny Apple personal computer with an ADB interface, according to Apple; the product sheet names the Macintosh SE and II.Supplied with the original Macintosh system; its dedicated synchronous serial keyboard interface is described in Apple's original owner guide. Modern computers require an appropriate separate protocol converter; none is included or specified here.
Software–Apple's original owner guide documents Key Caps for viewing normal and Option-modified characters, and the Control Panel's key repeat settings.
Design
Weight1600 g–
Width × depth × height486 × 188 × 56.4 mm–
MaterialsBeige plastic enclosure with fixed slope.Separate plastic keyboard housing and keycaps, described in Apple's engineering specification. Published weight and overall enclosure dimensions were not recovered and remain omitted.
ColoursBeige.Beige housing with darker keys in original maker and January 1984 photographs; this record does not treat later cosmetic or language variants as separate hardware models.
In the boxApple's order list includes the keyboard and cable, referral card and limited warranty statement.Keyboard and detachable coiled connection cable as part of the original Macintosh system. January 1984 retail availability is supported by the contemporary 29 January Los Angeles Times review of the system with its separate keyboard; Apple's introduction on 24 January is not used as an exact first-sale day. The optional separate numeric keypad is not included.

More comparisons