Thread
Back at the "Extended Keyboard II"
I just wanted to share my happyness about the Apple Extended Keyboard II, that I am now using again on a daily basis. I am still using just oldworld Macs for everything at home. I had 4 years with many different USB keyboards (cheap one but as well some better Cherry ones), and as well the other ADB stuff.
As I sold some stuff the last moth I stumbled across my Extended Keyboard II that somebody gave me 10 years ago, and cleaned it, and wanted to give it a try, as I never used it. And it is absolutely great! It is wonderful, totally right feeling, and a real product for everything that may come - feels totally undestroyable. Well it was not that cheap back than in 1994, but that the difference is that huge, ... seems I will stay at mechanical keyboards as far as possible. When I think what problems all the G3 & G4 USB keyboards are producing a few years after usage, I cannot belive it that people are accepting such stuff at all!
What nice USB keyboards do you use with your G4s?
As I sold some stuff the last moth I stumbled across my Extended Keyboard II that somebody gave me 10 years ago, and cleaned it, and wanted to give it a try, as I never used it. And it is absolutely great! It is wonderful, totally right feeling, and a real product for everything that may come - feels totally undestroyable. Well it was not that cheap back than in 1994, but that the difference is that huge, ... seems I will stay at mechanical keyboards as far as possible. When I think what problems all the G3 & G4 USB keyboards are producing a few years after usage, I cannot belive it that people are accepting such stuff at all!
What nice USB keyboards do you use with your G4s?
I used a black AEKII and ADB mouse from my Directors Edition on my G3 tower in preference to the USB keyboard it came with... they really are just such a nicely designed keyboard,. I use the black variant of the extended USB keyboard on my G4 and a puck mouse (I actually like the puck) as it doesnt have an ADB port, which i find all in all to be almost as nice a keyboard to use as the AEKII, tho if anything I'd prefer it to have the extra bit of a lip beneath the bottom row. It's reasonable tho, and far nicer than the early small footprint USB keyboards.
I dunno, I have to disagree. I have an AEKII and an AppleDesign keyboard side by side, and I was kind of partial to the AppleDesign keyboard, I liked its feel a bit better plus it had taller keys.
With the AEKII, I found myself fumbling over the keyboard alot (i have fat sausage fingers). And chicklet keys, heeeeck with that. I hate those, too flat and not enough travel, pretty much just like every other chinese/taiwanese laptop made today, and netbook/tablet keyboards. Dont get me started. Press one key and I got dsjhewyrgsdyhfewt lol
With the AEKII, I found myself fumbling over the keyboard alot (i have fat sausage fingers). And chicklet keys, heeeeck with that. I hate those, too flat and not enough travel, pretty much just like every other chinese/taiwanese laptop made today, and netbook/tablet keyboards. Dont get me started. Press one key and I got dsjhewyrgsdyhfewt lol
Mine is the M3501. I hate it. with a passion. lol. my fingers dont like it. Plus its piss yellow ;-)
my Appledesign keyboard looks brand new. I remember using them in school when the computer lab was full of 5200 roadapples, and those keyboards.
I got my first try at an AEKII when the LC5XX came with them, and i really didnt like it that much then.
Like my PC I use now, I use the mid 90s microsoft keyboard. (not the split type, they sucked). I dont like the Model M that much. it types ok, but i fumble on that one too. This one not so much.
my Appledesign keyboard looks brand new. I remember using them in school when the computer lab was full of 5200 roadapples, and those keyboards.
I got my first try at an AEKII when the LC5XX came with them, and i really didnt like it that much then.
Like my PC I use now, I use the mid 90s microsoft keyboard. (not the split type, they sucked). I dont like the Model M that much. it types ok, but i fumble on that one too. This one not so much.
I still mourn the passing of my beloved DataDesk Mac101, NOTHING from apple compares to the Alps Mechanical Switches or VT-101 styling and KeyCaps the original as far as I'm concerned. I never cared as much for the 101e that came after.
I keep an AEKII handy, but I much prefer the sharp edged sculpting of the AppleDesign's KeyCaps, I think the sculpting of the KeyCaps has a lot more to do with the feel of a KBD than most folks seem to. Snappy mechanical clicking is a bonus, but a really well engineered rubber dome's tactile feedback is good enough. I hated the AppleDesign at first because it's a bit mushier than I like, but it came bundled with the Quadra 630 that I installed in the rug rat's desk so I got used to it . . .
. . . I could use it all I wanted at night without waking the little bugger up . . . ;D
I keep an AEKII handy, but I much prefer the sharp edged sculpting of the AppleDesign's KeyCaps, I think the sculpting of the KeyCaps has a lot more to do with the feel of a KBD than most folks seem to. Snappy mechanical clicking is a bonus, but a really well engineered rubber dome's tactile feedback is good enough. I hated the AppleDesign at first because it's a bit mushier than I like, but it came bundled with the Quadra 630 that I installed in the rug rat's desk so I got used to it . . .
. . . I could use it all I wanted at night without waking the little bugger up . . . ;D
) Yeah, I kinda like it. Not a fan of the one that has more of a light brown color to the keys and small black characters on them, since it always felt a little rubbery with a weird squeakiness to the sound of the keys being depressed. But, the board with the almost olive-drab keys with the large white characters is perfect. It seems that the platinum IIe keyboard was more like the original version.
-J
-J