The Keyboard Company

Add links
Coordinates: 33°47′56″N 118°00′31″W / 33.79889°N 118.00861°W / 33.79889; -118.00861
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Apple Accessory Products Division
Apple Computer (1982–1985)

The Keyboard Company, Inc., was an American electronics company based in Garden Grove, California. It was contracted by Apple Computer to produce the keyboards of their microcomputers in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The company also produced a number of peripherals separately for Apple's systems. Apple acquired the company in 1982 and renamed it the Apple Accessory Products Division (APD).

History

The Keyboard Company was founded by Michael Muller (born c. 1944).

Mattel Electronics) hired Datanetics for computer keyboard production. Jobs suggested Muller form his own company to focus on manufacturing Apple's keyboards in early 1978.[3] By September 1979, the newly formed Keyboard Company, although legally separate, acted as a wholly owned subsidiary of Apple,[1] assuming responsibility of manufacturing Apple II keyboard units. The Keyboard Company soon manufactured roughly 50,000 units a month in their Garden Grove plant.[3]

daughter board

In late 1979 or early 1980, the company released its first peripheral, an external

daughterboard, which could be inserted into a free space within the Apple II's chassis. The ribbon cable connecting the Apple II's keyboard was then removed and connected to a similar header on the daughterboard. A ribbon cable was provided connecting the numpad to the daughterboard via another header.[4]

Apple again commissioned the Keyboard Company to manufacture the keyboards for the Apple III in spring 1980. The Apple III's keyboard included a numeric keypad. Meanwhile Apple's periphery demographic of video gamers grew to be one of its core users,[3] and the Keyboard Company responded with the Joystick II and Cursor III in 1981. These joysticks were made for the Apple II and Apple III respectively.[5] The company introduced Hand Controllers, paddle controllers sold as a pair, in 1982.[6]

On April 1, 1982, Apple Computer purchased the Keyboard Company and its Garden Grove facility outright.

Macintosh—APD was made its own unit. Muller was reaffirmed as president of APD,[9] and thereafter he opened an APD factory in Millstreet, County Cork, Ireland. He left Apple in 1987.[3]

The Garden Grove plant employed 661 workers in February 1985. Layoffs in mid-1985 reduced the workforce to 275.[10] In August 1985, Alps Electric of Tokyo, Japan, announced its plans to acquire its Garden Grove plant from Apple while retaining the remaining employees.[11] The deal was finalized on August 28, 1985.[10] In the late 1990s, the factory under ownership of Alps was 500 strong; it focused on producing mice for Apple. However, in 1997, Alps gave employees six-month to one-year notices that the plant was to shut down, with most receiving retention bonuses. The plant was finally shut down in spring 1998.[12]

See also

References

  1. ^
    ISBN 0256066736
    – via the Internet Archive.
  2. ^ "The Keyboard Company, Inc". OpenCorporates. Archived from the original on April 7, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Sander, Wendell (2013). "The Keyboard Company – History". Apple 1 Notes. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021.
  4. ^
    ISBN 9780201102420. Archived
    from the original on 2022-04-22. Retrieved 2022-04-07 – via Google Books.
  5. ^ Staff writer (November 23, 1981). "Peripherals". InfoWorld. 3 (27): 60. Archived from the original on March 19, 2022. Retrieved April 7, 2022 – via Google Books.
  6. ^ Mazur, Jeffrey (April 1982). "Hardtalk". Softalk. 2 (8). Softalk Publishing: 57 – via the Internet Archive.
  7. ^ Staff writer (1991). "The Apple Prunings". Apple2000 Souvenir Edition 1980–1990. Apple2000: 24 – via the Internet Archive.
  8. ^ Freiburger, Paul (May 31, 1982). "Apple Computer puts big effort into R&D division". InfoWorld. 4 (21). CW Communications: 1, 4. Archived from the original on April 8, 2022. Retrieved April 8, 2022 – via Google Books.
  9. ^ Staff writer (January 31, 1984). "Apple Shifting Product Lines". The New York Times: D4. Archived from the original on April 22, 2022. Retrieved April 7, 2022 – via ProQuest.
  10. ^ a b Applegate, Jane (August 28, 1985). "Apple Sells Its Garden Grove Facility to Alps". Los Angeles Times: 2. Archived from the original on April 22, 2022. Retrieved April 7, 2022 – via ProQuest.
  11. ^ Lazzareschi, Carla (August 21, 1985). "Apple Says Accord Near on Plant Sale". Los Angeles Times: 2. Archived from the original on April 22, 2022. Retrieved April 7, 2022 – via ProQuest.
  12. ^ Groves, Martha (May 17, 1998). "Layoffs Continue, but Some Firms Are Getting Better at Softening the Blow". Los Angeles Times: 5. Archived from the original on April 22, 2022. Retrieved April 7, 2022 – via ProQuest.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to The Keyboard Company.

33°47′56″N 118°00′31″W / 33.79889°N 118.00861°W / 33.79889; -118.00861

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Keyboard_Company&oldid=1145584632"