Not a whole lot changed from the Extended to the Extended II (M3501), but there were some changes. First, here's what didn't change: The size. Many Mac users from way back in the legacy era consider the old ADB Apple Extended Keyboard II to be the best keyboard Apple ever made. Others of us might debate that, but the Extended Keyboard II was certainly the biggest, heaviest keyboard Apple ever made, covering a vast expanse of desktop and weighing in at a hulking 5 pounds.

Many Mac users from way back in the legacy era consider the old ADB Apple Extended Keyboard II to be the best keyboard Apple ever made. Others of us might debate that, but the Extended Keyboard II was certainly the biggest, heaviest keyboard Apple ever made, covering a vast expanse of desktop and weighing in at a hulking 5 pounds. It was considered a professional alternative to its lesser Apple Keyboard and Apple Keyboard II contemporaries – and to the truly mediocre AppleDesign Keyboard that succeeded them.

This was in turn superseded by the also somewhat mediocre (but likable, IMHO) Apple USB ‘board that debuted with the original iMac and was also supplied even with the Blue & White G3 and early G4 Power Mac towers.

Direct comparison with these less-than-stellar ‘boards helped reinforce the Apple Extended Keyboard II’s legendary status. Unlike the other keyboards mentioned above, which are membrane types, the Apple Extended Keyboard II had mechanical key switches that gave it a smooth and light, albeit hard-bottoming, action.

I like the soft landing and (usually) light touch and shorter key travel of membrane ‘boards and think the current USB Apple Pro Keyboard is the best Apple keyboard ever, both esthetically and in terms of feel. However, there are many folks who prefer the feel of mechanical key switches and like an IBM-style “click” in their keystrokes.

For this constituency, there’s now a way to have all that, plus the white & crystal esthetics of modern Apple peripherals all in one modern, USB unit.

Tactile Pro (top) vs. Apple Extended

The Matias Tactile Pro USB Keyboard is hyped as the return of the Apple Extended Keyboard II in contemporary Apple-style livery. “The best keyboard Apple ever made rises again,” it says on the box.

Does the claim have objective substance?

This ‘board may be even better in some aspects. It’s certainly better looking. The original Extended Keyboard II presents a dull expanse of boring beige plastic. The Tactile Pro, on the other hand, is much more compact without sacrificing functionality, and to my eyes it’s very attractive in opaque white and crystal clear plastic with white keys.

In form factor and size, the Tactile Pro is actually closer in appearance to the Apple Keyboard II that was the entry-level Mac ADB keyboard prior to the introduction of the AppleDesign keyboard, and of course to today’s Apple Pro USB keyboard.

Here’s a comparison of dimensions:

• Apple Keyboard II: 80 keys, 16″ x 6″
• Matias Tactile Pro: 109 keys, 18″ x 6-1/2″
• Apple Extended Keyboard II: 105 keys, 18-3/4″ x 7-3/4″

The Tactile Pro resembles the Keyboard II in having notched back corners with ports (respectively USB and ADB) for plugging in other peripherals, but it manages to include even more keys than the much larger Extended Keyboard II did – and it makes the key caps larger in the bargain, partly because the Tactile Pro is bigger than it looks.

With standard Eject and Volume control keys, the Tactile Pro keyboard has been designed to match the look and features of Apple’s Pro Keyboard.

For full access to CD Eject and Power button features, you will need to download the Tactile Pro Driver Software (Mac OS X only, 407 KB). Num lock and caps lock are indicated by a thin green light when active.

The Tactile Pro’s key caps are labeled with the international characters, accents, punctuation, currency, and other symbols that are available by holding down the Option or Shift+Option keys.

Two fold down legs can elevate the back of the Tactile Pro about 3/4″, and rubber pads back and front keep the keyboard from sliding around on the support surface.

As for the key switches themselves, Matias says that they are the same Alps mechanical units used in the Extended Keyboard II, but the action on my old Apple keyboard that I used for comparison is considerably smoother than that of the Tactile Pro. Perhaps that’s because the old keyboard switches are well worn in, but it pertains to the seldom-used keys as well as the heavily used ones. Maybe Alps switches aren’t quite the same as they used to be.

The Tactile Pro’s key switches are also significantly noisier than the ones on the Apple ‘board, but since some people profess to like a clicking sound (believe it or not, somebody makes a shareware application that simulates the sound of a keyboard clicking for folks to miss it with their quiet membrane ‘boards) that may not be a shortcoming, depending upon your noise tolerance.

The Tactile Pro’s key switches have the same relatively long travel as the ones on the Extended Keyboard II, and that is reflected in the thicker section of the Tactile Pro keyboard compared with today’s slimmer ‘boards like the Apple Pro or Macally iceKey.

The Matias Tactile Pro gives the impression of being ruggedly constructed out of top-quality materials and is covered by in impressive five-year warranty and 30-day money-back guarantee.

The Matias Tactile Pro Keyboard for Mac sells for $99.95, which is pricey as keyboards go these days, but if you like that vintage mechanical key switch feel, there are not many alternatives.

For another take on the Matias Tactile Pro, see Kirk Hiner’s review on Applelinks.

• For other perspectives on the best Mac keyboard ever, see The Best Mac Keyboard? I Beg to Differ.

Keywords: #bestkeyboard

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searchword: matiastacticalpro

In my previous Welcome to Macintosh column, I looked at the legendary Apple Extended Keyboard as the beginning of my Keyboard Roundup series. Just as some movies follow up on the original with a sequel, Apple came out with a sequel to the Apple Extended Keyboard. It was named, appropriately, the Apple Extended Keyboard II.

Not a whole lot changed from the Extended to the Extended II (M3501), but there were some changes.

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First, here’s what didn’t change: The size and weight remained pretty much unchanged. The wide space at the top for putting keyboard shortcuts is still there. In the picture below, you can tell where a slip over cover (more than likely containing keyboard shortcuts) once was. The lock down Caps Lock key is still the same.

You’re saying at this point, “What about the feel of the keys? Did that change?”

On that note, let’s move on to what did change. The feel of the keys changed only a slight bit. The tactile feel is still there, but it’s different from the original Extended in the sense of it being a softer feel when a key is pressed down.

It’s difficult to put into words the difference between the two as far as the feel. The sound is different as well. It still has a clickity sound, but it’s not a click-clock sound like the original. The benefit is that the Extended II doesn’t sound quite as loud as the original Extended.

Don’t get me wrong, the Extended II, even with these changes, is still plenty satisfying to type on. Some even argue the Extended II is better than the original.

What else changed? The biggest thing is the addition of a height adjustment. The original Extended (top in photo) was taller in height and did not include a height adjustment. The Extended II isn’t as high, but if one wants the angle of the original Extended, it’s there with the height adjustment.

I have to say though, the adjustment is rather crude. Maybe it’s just the two I have, but the height adjustment leaves something to be desired. If you want a higher angle, you slide the bar over. But getting this bar slid over is a task in and of itself. You’ll more likely end up not even messing with the adjustment. Apple really missed the mark here.

Other changes are mostly cosmetic. The Apple logo was moved from the lower left corner of the keyboard to the upper left corner. The Extended II has more of a sloping curve in the top part of the plastic casing instead of the slight curve on the original Extended.

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On the original Extended, the power key looked just like the other keys. The Extended II’s Power key is flatter and wider (rear in photo). This may have been changed to help typists better avoid hitting it by mistake.

The original Extended had little grooves located above the Help, Home, and Page Up keys, below the arrow keys, and between the Delete, End, and Page Down keys and the top arrow key. The Extended II doesn’t have these grooves.

On the original Extended you would find Undo under F1, Cut under F2, Copy under F3, and Paste under F4. These are gone from the Extended II.

Cleaning the Extended II

One other difference that’s noticeable is in the disassembly of the Extended II. The original Extended had four screws on the bottom of the casing. The Extended II only has one screw on the bottom and relies on plastic clips around the keyboard to hold the rest together.

One other thing that didn’t change: the key caps are not easily removed, so my recommendation doesn’t change. Don’t attempt to remove the key caps.

Like with our look at the original Extended in last week’s column, I’ll show you how to disassemble the Extended II to get all the crud, dust, and other junk out of it. Here’s how to get to the guts of the Extended II:

1. Turn the Extended II over with the bottom facing up.
2. Looking at the picture to the right. you’ll notice the lone screw on the bottom towards the top of the keyboard. Using any kind of regular Philips screwdriver, unscrew this screw and place it wherever you place screws.
3. Turn the Extended II back over so the keys are facing upward, but place it toward the edge of whatever you’ve got it set on. You can either use your fingernails or a thin flat-head screwdriver to pry the top part of the plastic casing upward toward you. I’m sorry for the lack of a picture here. There wasn’t really a sure way to get a picture of how to do this. This can be tricky, but it can be done. If you’re stuck, shoot me an email at thomas (at) lowendmac (dot) com and I’ll walk you through it.
4. Lift the front part of the plastic casing up and off.
   
5. You should now be looking at the main part of the keyboard like is shown in the picture below.
   

At this point, you’ll see all the dirty stuff in the keyboard. Unlike the original Extended, I was unable to find a way to get the main part of the keyboard out of the bottom of the casing (although there probably is a way). Because of this, I recommend just cleaning it with the main keyboard still in place. If anyone knows how to get the keyboard out of the bottom part of the casing, please email me and let me know.

Now you’re ready to put it all back together. Here’s how:

1. With the keys facing upward, put the front cover back on by lining it up at the top and lowering it down. Press down on the bottom and all the way around until you hear everything snap back into place.
2. With both hands, turn it over so the bottom is facing up.
3. Find the screw you took out earlier and put it back in.

That’s all she wrote. A nice, clean Extended II keyboard awaits you.

From the Mailbag

I’ve received a lot of emails from people about their original Extended keyboards or ones like it. I want to thank everyone for the emails and stories you sent. I want to share two of them to wrap up this column.

And I want to hear from you. If you have any stories to share about your Extended or the Extended II keyboard, email me at thomas (at) lowendmac (dot) com and tell me your story! I also want to mention that I reply to every email I receive, whether it’s a question or a comment.

Steve’s Story

The first story comes from Steve. His Extended was a trooper through all the years he used it:

When I bought my Mac IIci back in 1990, I bought the Extended Keyboard with it. It took me awhile to really appreciate how good a keyboard it actually was. Is. I used that keyboard daily throughout six solid years on my IIci, and it never failed me. When I upgraded from a IIci to a PowerTower Pro 225, Power Computing’s keyboard never left the original plastic; the Extended Keyboard came along for the ride. Six years later I ditched the PowerTower Pro for a mirrorred door G4 where, with the help of an ADB-to-USB adapter, I got another two years out of it before replacing it with a Matias Tactile Pro, which I still use today.

So let’s summarize: I got about 14 years of heavy, daily use out of that keyboard without a single operational problem, and it bears mentioning that I touch type at an average of 90 words per minute, so I’m hardly a slouch on the keyboard. The keyboard outlasted four mice, three computers, four apartments (well, my childhood home plus three apartments), several girlfriends, and two cars.

The only reason why I got rid of it was because, after twelve years of service, I had actually worn holes into several of the keys. The space bar, left command key, left shift key, and Return keys actually had holes in them. The keys themselves still worked, but the increasingly-larger holes made typing difficult. (I even tried filling the holes with epoxy, but it wasn’t the same.)

I actually still have the keyboard in my mother’s basement; I keep it as a sort of memento of times past, when building a keyboard actually meant building something that you could, in an emergency, reliably use as a blunt weapon.

That’s what I call heavy duty typing!

Chris’ Story

The last story comes from Chris Tucker. Along with his story, he has great cleaning advice for these old battleboards. There’s even a picture with this one:

In the space of less than a year, I collected six Extended keyboards (and three Extended II keyboards). All for between 1 and 2 dollars each at the local GoodWill thrift store. One of the Extended boards was in its original box. All that was lacking was the keyboard cable. The Extended I’m using now on my Rev. 2 [Blue & White Power Mac G3] was the first Extended I bought. It was filthy beyond belief. So much so that I had to pull all the keycaps off to clean them.

Cleaning was easy. A bucket of hot water, a generous dollop of Spic & Span mixed in, and just dumping all the keys in the bucket and leaving them overnight. Brownian motion is your friend.

Cleaning the top and bottom was done in a similar manner, save that I soaked them in the bathtub with hot water and Spic & Span for a few hours. The diverse crud on the actual keyboard was easily removed via an old toothbrush and shaking and some canned air. The next day, the keycaps only required some rubbing with a towel to clean them right up.

Once reassembled, it really did look brand new.

As for the keyboard itself. It is, perhaps, the best keyboard I have every used. And as I am a 55 year old hacker, I have used a lot of keyboards in my life. After using this Extended keyboard, just about any other contemporary keyboard feels like I’m poking at a slab of Silly Putty.

The Extended II boards feel just as good. I find that the angle of the Extended is just fine for my typing needs, so the Extended IIs are safely stashed away with the extra Extendeds. Just in case.

I’ve a few AppleDesign ADB boards. I’d been using one for some years on the diverse Macs I’ve owned over the years – until I read about the Extended keyboard some years ago. Shortly thereafter, I found the first of my Extended keyboards in the thrift store.

What a difference between the two of them! Despite that the Extended was obviously a very used, 20-year-old keyboard, it hasn’t given me a moment’s trouble. Indeed, the deciding factor in my buying the B&W was the ADB port.

I was not giving up my Extended keyboard just to use OS X. I think that’s pretty much the giveaway that I am indeed a Macintosh fanatic. Choosing a keyboard compatible computer.

There’s no doubt about it – ya gotta love the old Extendeds!

In the spirit of all Extended lovers out there, click on!

Further Reading

Keywords: #extendedkeyboardii #appleextendedkeyboardii

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