The Keyboard Company

The Keyboard Company, Inc. was an American electronics manufacturer based in Garden Grove, California, best known for producing keyboards and accessories for Apple Computer during the formative years of the Apple II and Apple III. Although the company existed as a legally separate corporation, it became closely integrated with Apple’s hardware supply chain soon after its creation and was ultimately purchased outright by Apple in 1982. The company was founded by Michael Muller, a former general manager of Datanetics, a Fountain Valley manufacturer of keyboards for calculators, cash registers, and early computer systems. Datanetics had been acquired by International Telephone & Telegraph in 1976. In 1977, Steve Jobs commissioned Datanetics to manufacture keyboards for the original Apple II. As demand from Apple and other computer makers increased, Jobs encouraged Muller to establish a separate company focused on Apple keyboard production. The Keyboard Company was incorporated on May 4, 1979, and by September of that year it was functioning as a wholly owned Apple manufacturing subsidiary in practical terms, despite remaining legally distinct. Its Garden Grove facility became an important production site for Apple II keyboard units. The plant reportedly reached output of approximately 50,000 units per month. The company’s principal business was contract manufacturing, but it also developed and sold peripherals for Apple systems. Its first notable independent product was an external numeric keypad for the Apple II, introduced around late 1979 or early 1980. The keypad addressed a limitation of the original Apple II, which lacked a dedicated numeric section, and was particularly relevant to accounting users and owners of VisiCalc, the influential spreadsheet program. Its installation used a daughterboard and ribbon-cable connections rather than requiring soldering. Apple commissioned the company to manufacture Apple III keyboards in spring 1980. As Apple’s user base expanded beyond business applications into entertainment and gaming, The Keyboard Company broadened its accessory range. It introduced the Joystick II for the Apple II and Cursor III for the Apple III in 1981, followed by Hand Controllers, a pair of paddle-style controllers, in 1982. On April 1, 1982, Apple purchased The Keyboard Company and its Garden Grove facility. The operation was renamed the Accessory Products Division, commonly abbreviated APD, and Muller became its president and general manager. Under Apple ownership, the organization expanded beyond keyboard manufacturing and contributed to the development and production of printers, including the LaserWriter and ImageWriter families. In Apple’s 1984 organizational structure, APD operated as a separate business unit alongside the Apple II and Apple 32 divisions, the latter covering Lisa and Macintosh development and production. Muller later established an APD factory in Millstreet, County Cork, Ireland, and remained with Apple until 1987. The Garden Grove workforce reached 661 employees in February 1985, but layoffs later that year reduced employment to 275. Alps Electric announced an acquisition of the Garden Grove plant in August 1985, with the transaction completed on August 28. The facility subsequently manufactured Apple mice under Alps ownership. Alps eventually announced the site’s closure in the late 1990s, and the plant shut down in spring 1998. The Keyboard Company therefore survives primarily as an important early Apple manufacturing and peripheral-supply business rather than as an active standalone brand.

The Keyboard Company emerged from the Southern California electronics-manufacturing network surrounding Datanetics. Michael Muller had served as Datanetics' general manager before International Telephone & Telegraph acquired that company in 1976. Datanetics manufactured keyboards for electronic calculators and cash registers and became an early supplier to computer makers. In spring 1977, Steve Jobs engaged Datanetics to manufacture keyboards for the original Apple II. The supplier subsequently received work from other manufacturers, including Mattel Electronics. Jobs later encouraged Muller to form an independent company dedicated to Apple keyboard production. The Keyboard Company was incorporated on May 4, 1979. By September 1979, it was operating from a Garden Grove plant and carrying out Apple II keyboard manufacturing, while maintaining a separate legal identity. The operation quickly became a substantial production resource for Apple, reaching an output of about 50,000 keyboard units per month. The company also pursued its own peripheral products. Around the end of 1979 or the beginning of 1980, it introduced an external numeric keypad for the Apple II. The product was aimed in part at accounting users, an important early Apple II market, and addressed the absence of a dedicated numeric keypad on the original computer. Its design used an internal daughterboard and ribbon-cable connections, allowing installation without soldering. The accessory gained attention among VisiCalc users. In spring 1980, Apple selected The Keyboard Company to manufacture keyboards for the Apple III. The company then expanded into input devices associated with gaming and interactive software. The Joystick II was made for the Apple II and the Cursor III for the Apple III in 1981. In 1982, it introduced Hand Controllers, paddle controllers sold as a pair. Apple acquired The Keyboard Company and its Garden Grove facility on April 1, 1982. The former company became Apple's Accessory Products Division, or APD, with Muller appointed president and general manager. APD's responsibilities broadened considerably under Apple ownership. Muller promoted the development of printers using different technologies, work that led to products such as the LaserWriter and ImageWriter. In 1984, Apple organized its operations into three business units: Apple II, Apple 32, and APD. APD was responsible for accessory activities and continued under Muller's leadership. Muller opened an APD manufacturing facility in Millstreet, County Cork, Ireland, and left Apple in 1987. The Garden Grove factory remained a significant employer, with 661 workers recorded in February 1985. Mid-1985 layoffs reduced the workforce to 275. In August, Alps Electric of Tokyo announced plans to acquire the site from Apple while retaining the remaining employees; the transaction closed on August 28, 1985. The former Keyboard Company facility continued under Alps ownership. By the late 1990s, it employed about 500 people and concentrated on producing mice for Apple. Alps later issued employees notices ranging from six months to one year before the plant's closure, with many receiving retention bonuses. The factory finally shut down in spring 1998. The Keyboard Company itself ceased to exist as an independent business after Apple's 1982 acquisition, but its manufacturing lineage continued through APD and later the Alps-operated facility.

• 1998

  Former Garden Grove facility closes

  [1]The Keyboard Companyen.wikipedia.org

  The former Keyboard Company plant, then operated by Alps and focused on Apple mouse production, shut down in spring 1998.

• 1987

  Michael Muller leaves Apple

  [1]The Keyboard Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Muller, who had led the company and later APD, departed Apple in 1987.

• 1985

  Garden Grove plant sold to Alps Electric

  [1]The Keyboard Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Following workforce reductions, Apple sold the Garden Grove plant to Alps Electric; the transaction was finalized on August 28.

• 1984

  Accessory Products Division becomes a major Apple business unit

  [1]The Keyboard Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Apple's reorganization placed APD alongside the Apple II and Apple 32 divisions as one of three principal business units.

• 1982

  Apple completes acquisition

  [1]The Keyboard Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Apple purchased The Keyboard Company and its Garden Grove facility on April 1 and renamed the operation the Accessory Products Division.

• 1981

  Joystick II and Cursor III introduced

  [1]The Keyboard Companyen.wikipedia.org

  The company expanded its accessory portfolio with the Joystick II for the Apple II and Cursor III for the Apple III.

• 1980

  Apple III keyboard production begins

  [1]The Keyboard Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Apple commissioned the company to manufacture keyboards for the Apple III in spring 1980.

• 1979

  The Keyboard Company is incorporated

  [1]The Keyboard Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Michael Muller incorporated The Keyboard Company on May 4, 1979. By September, the company was handling Apple II keyboard production from its Garden Grove facility.

• 1977

  Datanetics begins producing Apple II keyboards

  [1]The Keyboard Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Steve Jobs commissioned Datanetics, where Michael Muller was general manager, to manufacture keyboards for the original Apple II. This relationship provided the foundation for the later creation of The Keyboard Company.

A specialized electronics manufacturer and Apple-focused peripheral supplier serving early personal-computer users, including business, accounting, spreadsheet, and gaming customers.

• Computer keyboards · 1979

  Apple II keyboards

  The company's core manufacturing role was producing keyboard units for the Apple II. Production was performed at the Garden Grove facility and reportedly reached approximately 50,000 units per month during the company's early growth.

• Computer peripheral · 1979

  Apple II external numeric keypad

  Introduced around late 1979 or early 1980, this accessory added dedicated numeric-entry functionality to the original Apple II. It targeted accounting and spreadsheet users and connected through an included daughterboard and ribbon-cable arrangement.

• Computer keyboards · 1980

  Apple III keyboards

  The Keyboard Company manufactured keyboards for the Apple III after receiving an Apple commission in spring 1980. Unlike the original Apple II configuration, the Apple III keyboard included a numeric keypad.

• Game controller · 1981

  Joystick II

  The Joystick II was an input accessory developed for the Apple II as the platform's user base increasingly included video-game players.

• Game controller · 1981

  Cursor III

  The Cursor III was a joystick-style controller made for the Apple III and introduced as part of the company's expansion into interactive and gaming peripherals.

• Paddle controller · 1982

  Hand Controllers

  Introduced in 1982, Hand Controllers were paddle-style input devices sold as a pair for compatible Apple computer applications and games.

• 1985

  Apple sells the Garden Grove plant to Alps ElectricM&A

  Background

  Employment at the facility fell from 661 workers in February 1985 to 275 after layoffs in the middle of the year.

  Action taken

  Apple agreed to sell the Garden Grove plant to Alps Electric, with the buyer planning to retain the remaining employees. The deal closed on August 28.

  Aftermath

  The facility continued operating under Alps and later focused on manufacturing mice for Apple until its closure in spring 1998.

  Source

• 1982

  Apple acquires The Keyboard CompanyM&A

  Background

  The Keyboard Company had become a major Apple keyboard supplier and was already operating closely with Apple despite its separate legal status.

  Action taken

  Apple purchased the company and its Garden Grove facility on April 1, 1982, and renamed the operation the Accessory Products Division.

  Aftermath

  The business continued within Apple under Michael Muller and expanded into printers and other accessories before later changes in ownership affected the Garden Grove site.

  Source

1. 1The Keyboard Companyen.wikipedia.org
2. 2History of the Keyboard Companytelcontar.net