When I needed to purchase a USB keyboard for my Mac mini, I settled on a used Macally iKey, knowing
that the product had a history of problems. It's the luck of the
draw when you get an iKey - some work fine, others may repeat key
strokes or have problems with their USB ports.
My iKey worked fine for about a week, and then the "A" and "E"
keys began to activate twice on some strokes.
Since my first typing experiences were on an old 1950s vintage
Royal mechanical typewriter, I may pound harder on a keyboard than
I need to. This could be forcing some of the iKey's switches to
travel farther downward than they should, turning them off and then
on again as they move upward, so my typing style (or lack of it)
could have accelerated a defect that would have occurred eventually
anyway. Of course, this is only an uneducated guess.
Since I didn't feel like I should have to adjust my typing
habits to accommodate a flaky used keyboard, I decided it was time
for a change.
The disappointing thing about the iKey was that it really worked
for me. It had the same layout and spacing as the old Apple
Extended and Apple Design ADB keyboards and felt comfortable to
use. I wanted something very similar - but obviously without any
defects. Price was also an important factor.
I
settled on Kensington's
Keyboard-in-a-Box USB and ordered one from Amazon.com at a
total cost of $25.64 with free "Super Saver" shipping.
Keyboard Out-of-the-Box
The first thing I noticed about the Kensington keyboard was its
lightness. It's much lighter than the iKey and Apple's old ADB
keyboards. It's also quite thin and more compact, due to the
placement of the function keys right above the top row of keys with
no space in between.
The case is transparent smoke gray, and the keys are absolutely
black with stark white lettering. This makes them very visible.
A wrist rest is included and is very easy to attach if you want
to use it. Two auxiliary USB ports are recessed into the upper
ends.
Because of the location of the function keys, the
Keyboard-in-a-Box (center) is only slightly deeper than the old
Apple Keyboard II (top), which had no function keys. Its layout is
nearly identical to the Apple Design Keyboard (bottom), but its
length is slightly shorter due to the key spacing being
imperceptibly tighter. This makes the total key area about 3/8"
shorter overall.
This is not likely to be noticeable even by strict touch typists
and makes for a compact but fully functional keyboard.
Do the Twist
When I set it down on my desk, a problem became apparent. The
keyboard rocked diagonally on two of its corners. It was about 1/4"
off the desk at the high corner.
After verifying that my desk was completely flat and considering
the problem for a few seconds, I unceremoniously grabbed the board
at both ends and gave it a firm flex in the opposite direction of
its twist. It didn't break, and I got the crude adjustment right in
the first try. The keyboard now sits flat on all of its feet.
When I asked Kensington's support representative about the
problem, he indicated that this particular defect had not been
reported before now.
I'm not certain if it's more disturbing that the product shipped
with this irregularity or that I could easily fix it the way I did.
At any rate, the Keyboard-in-a-Box doesn't win any points for
sturdiness. This could make it a poor choice for travel.
Plug and Play
I plugged the keyboard into a vacant slot in my USB hub and
booted the Mac mini. The OS requested two key strokes and then
recognized the 'board.
The pressure required for a key stroke on this keyboard is less
than on Apple's ADB 'boards and similar to the iKey. However, the
keys don't bottom out quite as softly as the keys on the other
boards. The board also flexes slightly with each stroke, but I'm
fairly heavy handed. Nonetheless, I didn't find it unpleasant to
type with.
After two weeks, I had used the Keyboard-in-a-Box for writing
and updating several web pages, emailing, and writing two articles
for Low End Mac. It performed flawlessly and continues to do
so.
Recommendations
If it bothers you that you may have to risk adjusting the
flatness of a new keyboard as described above, or if you need a
rugged keyboard for travel, the Kensington Keyboard-in-a-Box is
probably not for you.
However, if you're looking for a light duty, economical, compact
USB keyboard with all of the functions of Apple's ADB 'boards,
Kensington's Keyboard-in-a-Box should fit the bill nicely. It works
for me. 
