Apple Apple Extended Keyboard II vs Apple Apple Keyboard (M0116)
Better figure, where one is clearly better
| AppleApple Extended Keyboard II | AppleApple Keyboard (M0116) | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Released | 1990 | 1987 |
| Typing | ||
| Layout | Full size | Full size |
| Switches | Mechanical | Mechanical |
| Backlight | None | None |
| Keys labelled for | Mac | Mac |
| Touch ID | No | – |
| Switches | Mechanical switches; Deskthority documents Alps and Mitsumi switch variants across M0312 and M3501 units. | Mechanical Alps switches; Deskthority's exact-model inspection documents tactile SKCM Orange and Salmon production variants and a mechanically locking SKCL Caps Lock switch. Switch variants and language layouts are not separate hardware generations. |
| Key travel | – | Exact-model key travel and actuation force are not published in the recovered maker documents and remain omitted. |
| Keycaps | – | Deskthority documents dye-sublimated PBT keycaps with an ABS space bar; these material identifications come from specialist inspection, not Apple's product sheet. The legends use Apple's bottom-left italic layout. |
| Layouts | Apple's M0312 specification lists 105 keys, including an 18-key numeric pad, 15 function keys, six editing keys and inverted-T arrows. | Apple's March 1987 product sheet lists 81 keys, including the numeric pad and four cursor-control keys. The pictured US M0116 has a large Return key, Control to the left of A and Caps Lock at the lower-left corner. The related international M0118 layout moves these keys; it is a language-layout option, not a different generation. |
| Special keys | F1–F15 function keys with a supplied labelling overlay; lock indicators for Caps, Num and Scroll Lock. | Escape, Control, Command, Option, locking Caps Lock and a separate power key. The four arrow keys sit in one row below the right Shift key; there is no F-key row. Apple's hardware reference explicitly distinguishes this keyboard from the larger Apple Extended Keyboard. |
| Connections and battery | ||
| Connects by | Cable | Cable |
| Power | Cable | Cable |
| Receiver | Detachable 1 m Apple Desktop Bus cable supplied; the keyboard has ADB ports for connection to compatible Apple computers. | Detachable Apple Desktop Bus cable and two bidirectional ADB ports; either port connects upstream, with the other able to connect a mouse or another compatible input device. ADB is different from both USB and the earlier Macintosh Plus keyboard's synchronous serial port. |
| Battery life detail | – | Powered over the ADB connection; no battery is required. A keyboard-only current requirement was not recovered and remains unpublished. |
| Works with | Any Apple personal computer with an Apple Desktop Bus interface, according to Apple's specification. | Apple's product sheet specifies any Apple personal computer with an ADB interface and names the Macintosh SE and Macintosh II. Modern computers require a suitable separate ADB converter; none is included here. |
| Software | – | Apple's product sheet advertises a separately packaged remapping desk accessory for assigning menu commands or text strings to a key or combination; it is not listed among the keyboard's supplied items. |
| Design | ||
| Weight | – | 1000 g |
| Width × depth × height | 475 × 195 × 41 mm | 418 × 142 × 44.5 mm |
| Size | – | Apple's exact M0116 product sheet gives width 418 mm, depth 142 mm, height 44.5 mm and weight 1 kg. Third-party measurements of surviving examples are not substituted for the maker's figures. |
| Materials | Beige plastic enclosure; the rear foot raises the stated typing angle from 6° to 14°. | Separate moulded enclosure, mechanical switch board and individual keycaps, visible in the original product photograph and specialist exact-model inspection. |
| Colours | Beige. | The recovered original maker product photograph is monochrome; an exact factory colour description was not recovered. |
| In the box | Keyboard, 1 m ADB cable, function-key overlay, owner's guide and warranty statement in Apple's M0312 packing list. | Apple Keyboard and cable, referral card and limited warranty statement in Apple's M0116 order list; the computer and mouse are separate. Apple's March 1987 price list introduces the keyboard without a future availability note, while April 1987 University of Minnesota ordering information names the M0116 in available Macintosh SE configurations. An exact first-sale month or day is not established, so year precision is retained. |
More comparisons
- Apple Apple Adjustable Keyboard vs Apple Apple Extended Keyboard II
- Apple Apple Extended Keyboard vs Apple Apple Extended Keyboard II
- Apple Apple Extended Keyboard II vs Apple Apple Keyboard II
- Apple Apple Keyboard (M0116) vs Apple Apple Keyboard II
- Apple Apple Extended Keyboard vs Apple Apple Keyboard (M0116)
- Apple Apple Desktop Bus Keyboard (A9M0330) vs Apple Apple Keyboard (M0116)
- Apple Apple Keyboard (M0116) vs Apple Macintosh Plus Keyboard (M0110A)

