Well, my experience has pretty much been the opposite. I've found that I am extremely accurate on Topre boards. I just tried a round on my browns just recently, and came back to the Topre board and it was like a breath of fresh air.
Seems to be an individual thing. I can highly suggest the 55g board though, they are seriously crisp. I'll be selling my 45g board to get another 55g board for work now that they're back in stock at EK.
I have one of those myself. It has a broken stabiliser or something under the spacebar, so I never really used it much. There are a few subtle differences, like the spacebar is wider on the Apple keyboard but set a little further to the right. The caps lock on the Apple is a tad wider, but is stepped slightly.
And yeah the transparent case shows up all the hairs and other particles that inevitably collect under the keycaps.
Coincidentally I have something that looks like that too, except it is hidden away in the garage somewhere. I was excited to determine whether it was AEKII, but it was not. The exact model I cannot now recall.
I also have one of these, which is probably marginally a step above the first one you posted about:Show Image(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c5/Apple_Pro_Keyboard_black.jpg)
Coincidentally I have something that looks like that too, except it is hidden away in the garage somewhere. I was excited to determine whether it was AEKII, but it was not. The exact model I cannot now recall.
I also have one of these, which is probably marginally a step above the first one you posted about:
... http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/51/Apple_Adjustable_Keyboard.jpg
... although I'm sure it's some sort of ALPS switch, it sounded (and felt) different than the AEK II ...
There's so much keyboard knowledge trapped on Japanese sites (Kaineko2, Mousefan (above), Sandy55 etc), and Google at least just cannot translate them — you get the most hilarious nonsense come back.
I was surprised how stiff and unpleasant I found my brand new Topre variable at first, but once I broke it in/it broke me in, I find that it's the keyboard that I type the most accurately on. That white Apple keyboard though is horrible, but I do have some photos of a little spider (Amaurobius fenestralis or A similis) asleep inside it.)
Assuming there weren't several variants, then it was one of Alps Electric's lesser-known switches:
http://www7.ocn.ne.jp/~hisao/image/adjustable.htm
Looks like it's a PCB mounted switch — most Alps switches are plate mount, even the ones with rubber domes inside.
There's so much keyboard knowledge trapped on Japanese sites (Kaineko2, Mousefan (above), Sandy55 etc), and Google at least just cannot translate them — you get the most hilarious nonsense come back.
The AEK II used "normal" Alps switches, but they were a special damped variant, the same design (rubber side dampers in the slider) as the new Matias Quiet Switch, which is why it had a different sound and feel. (They're called "cream" switches, but Alps used cream for several things including their latching lock switches. Alps reused colours like there was no tomorrow.)
Google has gotten a lot better at it. It used to be unusable, now you can at least get the gist of it.
With regard to the Topre, I think my mistake was going for 45g uniform -- I find it not tactile enough, and that I often end up with unintended keypresses ...
Wow, Daniel! I never thought I'd find anyone who could get to the bottom of the Apple Adjustable keyswitch mystery …
The AEK II used "normal" Alps switches, but they were a special damped variant, the same design (rubber side dampers in the slider) as the new Matias Quiet Switch, which is why it had a different sound and feel. (They're called "cream" switches, but Alps used cream for several things including their latching lock switches. Alps reused colours like there was no tomorrow.)Are you saying the Matias Quiet Switch is the same switch as the old Alps Cream switch as used in the AEK II?
Are you saying the Matias Quiet Switch is the same switch as the old Alps Cream switch as used in the AEK II?
Or are you saying the Matias Quiet Switch is similar to the old Alps Cream Switch in 1 specific way?
Is there no one here that prefers the original AEK over the AEK II? I have both and find the AEK a far more enjoyable typing experience.
I find the 45 g perfectly tactile; I don't consider the 35 g switches to be properly tactile, just mushy, but the way they're used on the variable board, it doesn't matter. Topre is almost perfect; the one thing that it just doesn't do, is click.
Ah, see, that's the sort of knowledge only ever found on Japanese sites, in Japanese.
Japanese grammar is actually quite simple. Well, at least much simpler than grammar of any Slavic language, heh.