Twenty Years, One Keyboard – by Dave Caolo

Dave Caolo, in a guest post at Minimal Mac speaking of his love for the mighty Apple Extended Keyboard II:

First is the sound. That lovely wooden-stick-on-a-hollow-log “thonk” that announces each keystroke is yet to be duplicated. It’s satisfying in a way that affirms your productivity. Much like the jackhammer operator feels content at the end of a noisy day’s work, I feel that I got much accomplished with all that thonking and clacking.

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I also love the keyboard’s feel. Apple’s Bluetooth keyboards are nice, but the keys barely move when pressed. In contrast, the Extended Keyboard’s keys just drop when pressed, providing wonderful tactile feedback. They then spring back with perfectly appropriate force. I’ve used some keyboards that either repelled my fingers on the upstroke or yielded like cold oatmeal when pressed. They’ve all made me long for the ancient artifact in my office.

Finally, I love this keyboard’s longevity. It’s nearly 20 years old and working flawlessly. Once a year I take it apart and give it a good cleaning, and that’s the only maintenance it’s ever required. When reassembled it looks great and is ready for duty. In fact, the keyboard on my MacBook Pro has lost keys while the Extended Keyboard works as it did the day I unboxed it. Also, the Griffin iMate I use for ADB to USB connectivity years ago still works, and Mac OS X (so far at least) is happy to let me use it.

Any job is more pleasant when you can use tools that you love. I’ve used other rigs over the years, but when I’m sitting in my own quiet office with the Extended Keyboard II beneath my hands, I feel that I could write forever.

I still use this very keyboard and agree with Caolo on every point he makes. When I have to recharge the batteries of the Apple Wireless Keyboard, instead of using another set of batteries, I grab my Griffin iMate and connect the Apple Extended Keyboard II. And I love it. It came with a Quadra 700 I bought second-hand in 1998 and when I started typing on it, I immediately had my ‘eureka’ moment. I’ve been using it for years ever since. Now it needs some cleaning, since there are a couple of keys which behave a bit erratically, but I won’t leave it behind. I’m actually thinking about getting a second one.