Apple Desktop Bus (ADB) keyboard

The Apple Desktop Bus (ADB) keyboard refers to input devices that utilized Apple's proprietary serial bus technology, ADB, for connecting keyboards, mice, and other low-speed peripherals to Macintosh and Apple IIGS computers. Introduced in 1986, ADB allowed for daisy-chaining multiple devices…

Key facts

First appeared: 1986
Category: technology
Problem solved: ADB keyboards, as part of the ADB system, solved the problem of requiring multiple, dedicated serial ports for each input device. It offered a unified, expandable, and user-friendly interface for connecting keyboards, mice, and other low-speed peripherals, supporting up to 16 devices on a single port.
Platforms: NeXT computers, Apple Macintosh (all models from 1987 to 1998), Apple IIGS

Related technologies

ADB mice
Apple IIGS computers
NeXT computers (e.g., NeXTcube, NeXTstation)
ADB joysticks
ADB barcode scanners
Apple Macintosh computers (e.g., Mac II, Mac SE, Power Macintosh G3)
ADB graphics tablets
ADB trackballs

Notable users

Apple Inc.
NeXT Inc.