The original Apple Wireless Keyboard was released on September 16, 2003. It was based on the design of the white Apple Keyboard with white keys in a clear plastic case. Unlike the wired version, it did not have USB ports to connect external devices.
The Wireless Keyboard connected using Bluetooth and operated on four AA batteries. The batteries were accessed on the bottom of the keyboard behind a cover secured by two plastic screws that could be opened by turning one-quarter turn using a coin.
This keyboard can be used with Macintosh computers running Mac OS X 10.2.6 or later.
This particular Wireless Keyboard has a French key layout.
The Apple USB Keyboard was released with the original Bondi blue iMac in 1998. This keyboard used translucent plastics to match the iMac models that shipped with them for the next two years and was available in Bondi blue, blueberry, strawberry, lime, tangerine, grape, and graphite.
The bottom of the keyboard included a support leg that allowed the keyboard to lay flat or tilt up. The keyboard included a full row of half-height function (fn) keys, a keypad, and a dedicated power key in the upper-right corner.
The Apple Remote Generation 2 was made of aluminum and featured a circular button array at the top with two buttons below. The button array had an aluminum button at the center (unmarked) used to select, and four directional buttons on a single ring-shaped button marked with white dots at the top, bottom, right, and left positions. The dots were meant to serve multiple purposes. The up and down buttons could be used as volume up/down or moving up/down on menus, while the left and right buttons could be used as forward/rewind or moving right/left in menus. The two buttons below were marked “Menu” and Play/Pause (using symbols).
The remote was aluminum with black buttons and matched the aluminum iMac at the time. This remote was powered by a CR2032 battery accessed on the back of the remote using a coin.
The design of this remote was slightly revised after initial production. The original design had the ring of buttons flush with the aluminum front. The revised design of the ring button bulges out slightly. This example uses the revised button.
This remote shipped with the first generation Apple TV and could also be used with IR-capable Mac computers. This remote can be configured to pair with a single device.
The Apple TV Generation 2 was a major change from the original Apple TV. It was designed to stream rented movies and TV shows from Apple, and to stream movies, shows, photos, and other content from a Mac, PC, iPod, iPhone, or iPad at 720p (30 FPS). It also supported Netflix, YouTube, and Flickr using built-in apps.
The Apple TV Generation 2 used an Apple A4 processor and ran a version of iOS. Ports included HDMI, optical audio, 10/100Base-T Ethernet, and a Micro-USB port (used for service and diagnostics). It connected wirelessly using 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi. Its all-black external case was 3.9 inches square and 0.9 inch tall.
The Apple TV Generation 2 shipped with the aluminum Generation 2 Apple Remote.
The original Apple USB Mouse, model M4848, used a half-teal blue and half-white ball that matched the Bondi blue iMac. When new iMac colors were introduced (blueberry, strawberry, lime, tangerine, and grape) the teal and white ball continued to be used until it was replaced with a gray and white ball.
These teal and white USB Mouse balls are official replacement parts provided by Apple.
Apple included a few different versions of IR remotes in the various AV kits and expansion cards sold throughout the 1990s. The remotes shown here represented two designs with the same functions. The remotes were not marked as “official” Apple parts, lacking both model numbers and serial numbers.
The buttons include Mute, Power, Volume up, Volume down, Channel up, Channel down, Display, Stop/Eject, TV/Mac, Reverse, Play/Pause, and Forward.
The Apple Ethernet Twisted Pair Transceiver used the Apple Attachment Unit Interface (AAUI) to connect Ethernet transceivers to computers. This transceiver used a 10BASE-T connector. This version of the transceiver used an RJ45 port.
Apple computers with an AAUI port included Macintosh Quadra, Centris, PowerBook 500, Duo Dock II (for PowerBook Duo), early Power Macintosh computers, and some Macintosh LC and Performa computers.
When I first began as a Technology Coordinator for a school district, our Macintosh LC520 network was connected entirely using Apple Ethernet Twisted Pair Transceiver devices and BNC connectors in a daisy-chain setup. When we updated the computer lab, we stopped using the AAUI port and installed 10BASE-T cards in the computers.
This was Apple’s second PlainTalk Microphone product. This version was introduced with the AV models of the Macintosh Quadra series in 1993 and sold separately. This microphone was designed to be placed on the top of a CRT screen. The long connector was used to power the microphone.
This version of the Apple Plaintalk Microphone was cast in transparent plastic to match the G3 Blue & White tower. This microphone was included with a G3 Blue & White tower and was never opened.
SCSI (Small Computer System Interface) was used to physically connect two computers to peripheral devices and transfer data between them. SCSI was used to connect hard disk drives, tape drives, scanners, CD drives, and other devices. SCSI is pronounced “scuzzy.”
The examples shown here include both an unopened cable in the 1992 packaging and an opened example that I found in an AppleCD 300e Plus (1995) box.
I remember using an Apple SCSI System Cable to connect external Apple CD-ROM drives, scanners, and hard drives. The thickness of the cable made it difficult to bend and contributed to a high failure rate.
