Seen on eBay, a keyboard that (according to the seller) would be a prototype. It’s not obvious, but something caught my attention, so I’m talking about it.
I’m not sure about the prototype claim, but the seller points out two things.
The first is that the label is not the usual one, and that’s true: there’s no barcode on it, just a number.
The keyboard
The label
No barcode
The second point is that the seller claims the slot at the bottom of the keyboard is not present in commercial models. And that caught my attention because, in reality, it is there. But it made me wonder: what was this slot used for?
After a quick search, it turns out it was actually meant to secure the keyboard to the desk with a metal security connector. It’s kind of a predecessor to the Kensington lock. Apple sold security keys that fit into the slot, and the same kind of slot was present on the Mac’s casing.
The slot
A photo of two security keys (found on Google)
I still don’t really know if it’s a prototype, but it sold for $75, for a good reason: some of the keys didn’t work. And with about thirty defective keys on a keyboard that has around sixty, that’s quite a lot.
