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Apple Extended Keyboard [AEK Numero Uno] - Great Keyboard? Or *Greatest* Keyboard?
Posted by: trs on 2026-05-02 11:08:20
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Posted by: Durosity on 2026-05-02 13:39:42
Personally I prefer the AEKII.. but maybe that's just because that's what I was used to back in the day. Also I quite liked the butterfly switch keyboard on my 12" MacBook so perhaps I'm not the best judge of keyboards. 😀
Posted by: Nixontheknight on 2026-05-02 14:39:42
I personally prefer the ADK, feels like a modern keyboard, as it isn't too clunky
Posted by: finkmac on 2026-05-02 16:20:50
it's just a keyboard.
imo looks wrong with big box mac IIs
and looks REALLY wrong with compact macs.
Posted by: croissantking on 2026-05-02 17:21:59
and looks REALLY wrong with compact macs.

What! It's one of my favourite pairings. It's amusingly silly.
Posted by: trs on 2026-05-05 16:53:42
What! It's one of my favourite pairings. It's amusingly silly.

An AEK parked in front of an SE/30 is a beautiful sight indeed. Like a Mini Cooper body on a GMC Jimmy frame, there’s no kill like overkill.

I love pairing my AEK with my desktop-bound MBP via a drakware ADB dongle - deliciously anachronistic 😌

-PAGE BREAK-

AEK PROS & CONS

PROS:
  • Just the right shade of silver-beige
  • Key switches go “clicky-slap” in a satisfying way when you’re really cookin’
  • Fixed at a most agreeable angle for my middle-aged wrists
  • ADB ports are clocked properly (imho) so that the square part faces away from the user (comports favorably with my particular flavor of OCD)
  • “undo cut copy paste” markings under the F1-F4 keys is a soothing reminder of simpler times, like a comfort blanket or a faded window sticker on a vintage car
  • Apple logo in bottom-left corner just looks right
  • The original AEK, so extra street cred
CONS:
  • Caps Lock key is too sensitive
    • You know what I mean - sometimes the key cap doesn’t stay down when you hit Caps Lock and so it’ll be in Caps Lock with the Caps Lock light on but the key will still be “up” and so you gotta tap it super quick to get it right or else your aforementioned OCD will eat you from the inside out
    • Barely a CON but I had to put something here
-PAGE BREAK-

AEK II PROS & CONS

PROS:
  • Adjustable height, if you’re into that sort of thing
  • Two of the three versions have really nice key switches
  • I like the shape of the AEK II’s Power key more than the AEK’s
CONS:
  • Bunko height-adjustment mechanism loves to collapse at random intervals
  • ADB ports face the wrong way (according to me)
  • Apple logo placed way up at the tippy top in an awkward spot that fees like an after thought
    • Fails to “tie” the proverbial “room” metaphorically “together”
  • Feels ~10% flimsier than the AEK
-ONE MORE-

ADK PROS & CONS

NEITHER PRO NOR CON:
  • Permanently attached ADB cord
    • Sorta goes hand in hand with having only one ADB port but really doesn’t matter
  • Feet up or feet down, doesn’t matter, angle is the textbook example of MID
    • Look up “mid” in the dictionary and you’ll see a halftone illustration of an ADK in both positions
    • Right below that, by definition #2, you’ll see a halftone illustration of an ADK key switch, followed by “see also: mushy, flavorless, dead”
  • Apple logo is embossed and not a sweet li’l enamel six color Apple LIKE GOD INTENDED but not a total deal breaker
-2 3 4 DJ BREAK IT DOWN NOW 🎧🎤🎚️-

AEK UNO is the CLEAR WINNER
Posted by: ClassicGuyPhilly on 2026-05-05 17:29:06
@trs put forth much wisdom above, I will simply say AEK!
Posted by: trs on 2026-05-05 19:23:19
@trs put forth much wisdom above, I will simply say AEK!
ErnestBorgnineNavalCapDoff.jpg
Posted by: croissantking on 2026-05-06 19:37:16
Isn’t the AEKII the exact width of a Mac II… and the AEK a shade wider?
Posted by: volvo242gt on 2026-05-07 02:37:11
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M0115 does look slightly wider than a big box II. Personally, I prefer the M0116 "shorty" keyboard. Have one that I use with the Q650. That said, if I do get one of the ADB to USB converters, I may get a M0115 to use with the Mac Pro. The M7803 and A1048 "dirt collector" keyboards don't feel very good. Even the old M2980 ADK feels better. Used an ADK with my old B&W G3. Surprisingly, the M2452 shown above felt like a M2980, so not too bad.
Posted by: Ortho'sDeli on 2026-05-07 11:58:08
I have an AEK and two seemingly-same versions of the AEKII. I only use the AEK if that says something.

Also, a person of culture. Love my C30 although it's getting pretty long in the tooth.
Posted by: Trash80toHP_Mini on 2026-05-07 16:32:59
I used both Nimitz Class Apple KBDs at the NYMUG office, not all that impressed. Much prefer the sleeker VT-100 styled ALPS keyswitch enclosing look and feel of the DataDesk 101 upgrade I did for the MacSignMaker SE/Radius16 workstation. Wore one or two out over a 17 year span. Now I've got them in ADB and Plus versions.

More discussion! 😉
Posted by: nathall on 2026-05-09 22:39:18
Probably in the minority, but I really like the ADK. The AEKs have always been way too big for the space I have available, almost comically huge.
Posted by: Nixontheknight on 2026-05-10 05:59:40
Probably in the minority, but I really like the ADK. The AEKs have always been way too big for the space I have available, almost comically huge.
Same, the ADK is best. It may be membrane unlike the AEKs, but at least it fits on a normal desk
Posted by: Trash80toHP_Mini on 2026-05-10 07:57:50
Same here, but probably my favorite it the Radius branded ADK style version that came with the Radius 81/110. Dunno how, but somehow it feels just right to me in the Sleeping Beauty Wars over AEK size in one theater and feel of the IBM ClackMonseter in the other.
Posted by: croissantking on 2026-05-10 09:06:11
I don’t much like the ADK, but it was the first one we owned back in ‘98 so there is some nostalgia for it.

What I’ve noticed is that there is massive variation in quality between different batches, some having awful ‘spongy’ keyswitches and others being quite nice and responsive.
Posted by: trs on 2026-05-11 13:35:49
Probably in the minority, but I really like the ADK. The AEKs have always been way too big for the space I have available, almost comically huge.

Same, the ADK is best. It may be membrane unlike the AEKs, but at least it fits on a normal desk

Here's an ADK stacked on top of an AEK. It's, like, barely smaller. A quarter inch on each side, tops. "Comically huge," my butt... no WAIT

I did just think of a PRO to put in the ADK's column: the ADB port is tucked up under in the middle there, which narrows the effective width. If you're into trackballs like I am, this is definitely a point in the ADK's favor.
Posted by: Trash80toHP_Mini on 2026-05-11 14:53:41
Nice pics, but that adds up to 1/2" larger in each dimension, not to mention max height.

IMO, it's the AEK's Snow White design stripes and angularity that give it that Nimitz Class look-n-feel. Rolling deck but love mechanical switch feel.

Espresso Design Language curvature in the ADK with its edges falling away on all sides rather than trying to smack you in the forehead if you lean too far forward makes for a look-if not-feel improvement to many eyes, especially in front of the machines appropriate to its era.

. . . and the DataDesk Mac-101 rules them all!
Posted by: nathall on 2026-05-11 23:44:15
Here's an ADK stacked on top of an AEK. It's, like, barely smaller. A quarter inch on each side, tops. "Comically huge," my butt... no WAIT

Interesting comparison, but you haven’t converted me. Only convinced me the ADK is better at looking and feeling smaller. 😀
Posted by: adespoton on 2026-05-12 15:26:21
I have to admit, I'm also in the ADK camp. The AEK was... fine... and the AEKII made some tradeoffs that always sounded good, but never felt as good. But a good quality ADK always felt way better to me, despite the inferior mechanisms. Of course, a BAD ADK just felt like mush, and was horrible to type on. Crazy that there was so much variability between batches. For a while, I took my own ADK with me when I went to use another computer so that I wouldn't have to deal with what could turn out to be a very bad typing experience. Since then, I've moved on to A1243s which I still use (and likewise carry with me).
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