Mechanical Keyboard for macOS?

[chscag]

I had one of those IBM keyboards that I used for years on various PCs that I owned. Mine was the old PS2 version with adapter for use on other than an IBM PS2 computer.

The keyboard you gave the link for looks exactly like the one I owned. I just went to their site and looked around. That keyboard weighs 7 Lbs. LOL, that's heavier than some Mac notebook computers.

 

[Lifeisabeach]

Thank you! I do try to be as accurate as possible. (I spend most of my time dealing with Mac-using attorneys, and if you don't give citations or if you give inaccurate information to them, they will excoriate you!)

Those keyboards are indeed clones. Apple never made them in light blue. The originals were clear and white to match the color scheme of the Macs that were on sale when the original was offered. I suspect that subsequent Apple keyboards were redesigned more for aesthetic reasons than any other. I used my original A1048 keyboard for many years...until it broke. Darn it was a great keyboard!

These clones can be found from multiple eBay sellers, though I haven't seen them offered elsewhere. If these were genuine new old stock Apple keyboards, they would probably be three times the price!

I've heard from several users who have purchased these keyboards, and they have been so happy with them that they were practically giggly. Apparently they have the same mechanical switches as the original (rather than the mushy dome switches used on all cheap keyboards these days) and the same build quality.

As far as them potentially being a "security risk", that sounds a little far fetched to me. Has anyone ever heard of any instance where an input device was a security risk (Mac *or* Windows)?

Don’t Panic, But All USB Devices Have a Massive Security Problem

USB devices are apparently more dangerous than we've ever imagined.

www.howtogeek.com

More of a proof of concept and maybe more likely to happen to targets of foreign powers. But let’s not pretend it’s not a known vulnerability.

Glad to know those users are giggly over cheap clones. Sorry man, but that just isn’t a ringing endorsement here. Fact is, if they are clones, they most certainly aren’t authorized and they aren‘t being honest about them being clones. That alone just sets my alarms off. They may well be the bestest things ever, but I don’t like a seller telling me they are the real deal if they aren’t, even if they are just as good.

 

[Randy B. Singer]

That keyboard weighs 7 Lbs. LOL, that's heavier than some Mac notebook computers.

IKR? I doubt that they've changed the design of those keyboards in the last 35 years. (Which is probably a really good thing. It means that they haven't cheapened it's design.)

 

[krs]

My understanding from Randy's reply above that these are clones, not Apple original keyboards. Not very likely that someone is going to come across a suddenly found pallet load of old Apple Keyboards.

I trust what Randy wrote because I know he does his research before posting something like that.

The seller certainly advertises them as "genuine Apple"

Brand New genuine Apple A1048 English layout USB wired full size keyboard, MP/N: 658-0306, M9034LL/A. Model : A1048. Brand new and sealed in OEM cellophane paper packaging. Actual pictures of the keyboard, Please check all pictures.

And one of the images shows this:

 

[krs]

Those keyboards are indeed clones. Apple never made them in light blue. The originals were clear and white.............

These keyboards don't look blue to me when you look at the whole lot:

 

[Randy B. Singer]

And one of the images shows this:

Since I don't have one of these keyboards myself, I can only tell you what I've been told.

It's possible that the photos are (mostly?) of the original Apple keyboard and that the one that you will actually receive is a clone without the Apple branding. I don't know. I do know that I've ordered chargers for my MBA's from eBay that were billed as an "Apple Charger", but when they showed up they looked exactly like a genuine Apple charger but without the branding on them.

I do know that the members of my user group who have these keyboards say that they are "a clone". That makes sense because of the price, and the fact that it is unlikely that a cache of hundreds of these brand-new keyboards would show up about 15 years after they were discontinued.

For the price, and based on feedback from users, it seems like they are a worthwhile bet. But I can't assure you these aren't a nasty communist tool filled with malware designed to corrupt your morals, take over our country, and make your tushy fall off. If anyone here buys one and lives to tell about it, please let us know about your tushy.

 

[pm-r]

I do know that the members of my user group who have these keyboards say that they are "a clone". That makes sense because of the price, and the fact that it is unlikely that a cache of hundreds of these brand-new keyboards would show up about 15 years after they were discontinued. /QUOTE]


Anyone else notice the kraft plup packaging used in that box of keyboards that was so popular and in tune with Apple's time when they were being so environmentally conscious???

Offshore packaging usually uses a different kind of pulp. Just saying...

They sure look exactly like the Genuine Apple keyboard I just bought from an old local Mac tech for my 2007 iMac I'm giving to my Nephew. I kept my Apple aluminum wired extended keyboard to use with my replacement 2011 27" iMac. Both great full keyboards and no batteries to keep replacing. ;-)




- Patrick
=======

 

[Lifeisabeach]

Since I don't have one of these keyboards myself, I can only tell you what I've been told.

It's possible that the photos are (mostly?) of the original Apple keyboard and that the one that you will actually receive is a clone without the Apple branding. I don't know. I do know that I've ordered chargers for my MBA's from eBay that were billed as an "Apple Charger", but when they showed up they looked exactly like a genuine Apple charger but without the branding on them.

I do know that the members of my user group who have these keyboards say that they are "a clone". That makes sense because of the price, and the fact that it is unlikely that a cache of hundreds of these brand-new keyboards would show up about 15 years after they were discontinued.

See, this is why I'm such a skeptic of things that are sold on eBay. Photos that don't represent the actual product. Cheap knockoffs that may well be fine for some usage scenarios, but downright dangerous in others. Chargers are just one of those categories where we have stories of houses burning down from knockoffs being used. Never mind the potential for damage to the device you are charging itself. It's nice that the members of your group rave about these keyboards. Some people love cheap stuff that are passed off as the real deal but their testimonials are anecdotal at best. Heck, despite them insisting they are clones, the listing is extremely and absolutely 100% clear on what these should be: "Brand New genuine Apple A1048 English layout USB wired full size keyboard, MP/N: 658-0306, M9034LL/A. Model : A1048. Brand new and sealed in OEM cellophane paper packaging. Actual pictures of the keyboard, Please check all pictures." So either the seller is lying through their teeth, or your group members don't know what they are talking about. I have a hard time believing that $35 newly-built knockoffs are as well built as the original. A very hard time. It literally defies imagination.

For the price, and based on feedback from users, it seems like they are a worthwhile bet. But I can't assure you these aren't a nasty communist tool filled with malware designed to corrupt your morals, take over our country, and make your tushy fall off. If anyone here buys one and lives to tell about it, please let us know about your tushy.

Oh come on man. There have been plenty of security articles in recent years warning about plugging phones and such into "unknown" chargers due to the risk of them being compromised, and this keyboard does have a USB hub. Now I am with KRS's assessment regarding the seller's history and reputation. Given how long they've been selling there and the scale of their rep, it's pretty darned unlikely they are selling fishy items. I'm actually going to agree that these are worth going for. I don't think they are clones or knockoffs, but the genuine real deal this seller managed to acquire. It's that or he is lying through his teeth, and he wouldn't have the rep he has if he was inclined to do that.

 

[krs]

So either the seller is lying through their teeth, or your group members don't know what they are talking about. I have a hard time believing that $35 newly-built knockoffs are as well built as the original. A very hard time. It literally defies imagination.

The seller had close to thousand of these to sell.
Last time I looked he sold 697....and not a single person who received one of these complained that they were a knockoff.

Ebay also used to be quite active in removing listings of counterfeit products - hard to believe that 700 knockoffs were sold as "genuine Apple" with nobody complaining or Apple getting the listing pulled.
As to the $35.- price...the seller is obviously trying to make another 5 bucks or so by inflating the shipping cost, but we also don't know what he paid for the keyboards.
On buyer bought 10 for just under $30.- each; I assume the seller paid $20.- or less each for the lot - having that many he just wants to sell them as quickly as possible.
I was actually toying with buying one to see what I actually get.
But if I get what is shown in the pictures - clear base, white keys, Apple logo etc. -how would I be able to tell if it was a clone or NOS?

 

[Lifeisabeach]

The seller had close to thousand of these to sell.
Last time I looked he sold 697....and not a single person who received one of these complained that they were a knockoff.

Ebay also used to be quite active in removing listings of counterfeit products - hard to believe that 700 knockoffs were sold as "genuine Apple" with nobody complaining or Apple getting the listing pulled.

Exactly. That's why I think your assessment was the most logical one. The seller's rep is rock solid and long-standing.

As to the $35.- price...the seller is obviously trying to make another 5 bucks or so by inflating the shipping cost, but we also don't know what he paid for the keyboards.
On buyer bought 10 for just under $30.- each; I assume the seller paid $20.- or less each for the lot - having that many he just wants to sell them as quickly as possible.

Oh I'm not questioning the price if they are old stock that he's looking to move. I was questioning the price if they were truly newly-built clones that are supposed to be just as good as the originals. Although I suppose someone could just as easily find an old crate of clones sitting around in a warehouse and looking to flip those in the same manner.

I was actually toying with buying one to see what I actually get.
But if I get what is shown in the pictures - clear base, white keys, Apple logo etc. -how would I be able to tell if it was a clone or NOS?

Teardown?

Apple Keyboard A1048

A major redesign of the Apple Pro Keyboard, released in May 2003. Updated in 2005 with USB 2.0.

www.ifixit.com

 

[krs]

Oh I'm not questioning the price if they are old stock that he's looking to move.

My comment re the $35.-price was in response to Randy's comment that if these were genuine Apple keyboards they would fetch three times that price.
For only a few, I would agree, but not if one advertises that there are still over 200 forsale.
I think the ebayer would have been able to sell these at a higher price if he sold them one at a time, but that would have meant a lot more work and would take much lomger - obviously not his business model.

 

[pm-r]

My comment re the $35.-price was in response to Randy's comment that if these were genuine Apple keyboards they would fetch three times that price.
For only a few, I would agree, but not if one advertises that there are still over 200 forsale.

Just for interest sake, various Apple Keyboards SOLD PRICE at ebay.ca were in the $25.00± - $60.00±cdn price range.

apple keyboard for sale | eBay

Find great deals on eBay for apple keyboard. Shop with confidence.

www.ebay.ca

- Patrick
=======

 

[Lifeisabeach]

My comment re the $35.-price was in response to Randy's comment that if these were genuine Apple keyboards they would fetch three times that price.
For only a few, I would agree, but not if one advertises that there are still over 200 forsale.
I think the ebayer would have been able to sell these at a higher price if he sold them one at a time, but that would have meant a lot more work and would take much lomger - obviously not his business model.

Maybe we should buy a dozen or so and flip them one at a time? We'd be rich!

EDIT: tbh, I don't believe these really sell for big dollars. (I take that back... found a couple listings for around $125 with multiple units sold).

 

[krs]

Maybe we should buy a dozen or so and flip them one at a time? We'd be rich!

I assume the person who bought 10 at $30.- each might plan to do that.