Boxing the Optimus Maximus

As opposed to unboxing, that is. Yeah, that's right: in their seemingly endless mission to document every bit of minutiae related to the Optimus Maximus OLED Keyboard, the Optimus Project guys have taken pictures of the box that will contain the keyboard. Some key points of the box:

• Made of brown cardboard, with a glossy white exterior.
• Features foam padding.
• Has two layers of foam.
• Includes cut outs to keep the power supply, cable, and keyboard seated.
• Comes with handy white handle.
• Yes, we're over analyzing this to make a point.
  

C'mon Optimus Project, get this out the door already.

[mudlouse @ Sep 2nd 2007 2:05PM]

I haven't seen polysteyrene used in packaging in a while now, it's usually cardboard or that eggbox stuff.

[Xavier Gill @ Sep 2nd 2007 3:05PM]

For $1500 you'd expect to be made out of mahogany and angels

[AC @ Sep 2nd 2007 2:11PM]

Hahaha.

[Erik @ Sep 2nd 2007 2:12PM]

Now thats just good reporting.

[Zach @ Sep 2nd 2007 2:16PM]

its a $1300 keyboard and tehy can't even include a customized case? holy shit what a failure

[Wwhat @ Sep 2nd 2007 2:21PM]

You can buy the box separately for $299.- without shipping.

[flyy @ Sep 2nd 2007 2:30PM]

No,no, the box itself is the groundbreaking product that costs $1500. But for a limited time they'll throw in a bonus Optimus Prime keyboard >.>

[Wwhat @ Sep 3rd 2007 8:36AM]

My mistake

[randy @ Sep 2nd 2007 2:22PM]

I guess that's what the box will look like shortly before 9 out of 12 people realize they've made a huge mistake and decide they better put back inside.

[August @ Sep 3rd 2007 12:10AM]

"I've made a huge mistake." - George Oscar Bluth

[Justin @ Sep 2nd 2007 2:28PM]

for a keyboard that costs $1000+ it should come at least a steel bullet proof case or something, gezz talk about cheap..(the packagaing)

[Andrew @ Sep 2nd 2007 2:29PM]

Do they have to make it blatently obvious this is their first foray into major electronics manufacturing?! I'm going to call it right now, next week they'll be showing off their PO template design while giving a sneak peek behind the scenes look into the customer service training video.

[Reader @ Sep 2nd 2007 2:42PM]

even my 15 dollar network card came with cooler boxing then that

[Andy @ Sep 2nd 2007 2:54PM]

dual layer foamage!! No Way!

[waiownsyou @ Sep 2nd 2007 2:55PM]

They're just stalling

[XenoX101 @ Sep 2nd 2007 2:58PM]

I have a particular fondness for watches and almost every watch over $300 comes in a nice case lined with synthetic fibre or something and is good enough to keep in for storage.

My $300 Tissot came in a nice box similar to what I mentioned above and to see a $1500 keyboard in that cardboard polystyrene junk is just a joke.

Ironic that they mention it so considering what it is (or what it isn't/should be).

[uopercival @ Sep 2nd 2007 3:08PM]

They better hurry up and ship the darn thing before my cousins in China come out with the knockoff version. I'd bet it'd even come in a nicer box judging by the boxes that motherboards and video cards ship in these days.

[bl0nde @ Sep 2nd 2007 3:09PM]

They need Apple to design the packaging for this keyboard.

[The Golden Wombat @ Sep 2nd 2007 8:12PM]

It's a plain white glossy box, what's more Apple than that?

[Homeboy @ Sep 2nd 2007 3:09PM]

When they'll start shipping it will read on the box: Keyboard not included.

[Kris Janssen @ Sep 2nd 2007 3:14PM]

That must have been -by far- the dumbest thing I have ever seen... I call vaporware on this one.

[Michael Geary @ Sep 2nd 2007 7:37PM]

You hit the nail on the head. The center of that foam piece *is* filled with vapor.

[chris @ Sep 2nd 2007 3:15PM]

holy shit this thing needs external power? art lebedev makes some awesome shit, but this is kinda lame.

[Alex Deva @ Sep 2nd 2007 3:23PM]

That's the single most relevant comment :) What kind of power consumption would this thing have, that it can't draw its juice from USB?

[dj-kenpo @ Sep 2nd 2007 11:28PM]

umm, ya, it has a hundred or so lcd's... so it can't be owered by 500ma of power from your usb port. go figure.

I also can't power my 19" lcd from my usb either. f'n samsung.

[Sweathog @ Sep 2nd 2007 3:34PM]

What's the fuss?
As PCWorld noted:
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,128669-page,1/article.html
1. Vista is incomplete.
2. Vista is expensive
3. Vista needs new hardware.
4. Windows XP Isn't Obsolete
Unless you are a M$ fanboy, Vista won't be a compelling buy until 64-bits apps and drivers are ubiquitous & they've wrung the kinks out of the 64-bit version of Vista.

[Andrew @ Sep 2nd 2007 4:17PM]

Captain irrelevant strikes again!

Besides, I've been running Vista since January on my HP laptop with no issues, sans loss of Quickplay, which in my book is no issue.

[Sweathog @ Sep 2nd 2007 3:35PM]

This company needs its own You Tube channel, with an extra large fast forward button.

[Jo @ Sep 2nd 2007 3:51PM]

They misspelled 'create' in that demo video.

[strider_mt2k @ Sep 2nd 2007 3:53PM]

Sorry, that's just a prototype.

The ACTUAL box isn't scheduled until 2008. :\

[Jeff @ Sep 2nd 2007 10:09PM]

"The ACTUAL box isn't scheduled until 2008. :\"

And when it finally comes out, the glossy white finish and styrofoam will have been axed out of cost concerns.

Oh, and the price will have risen to $1,800.

[insider @ Sep 2nd 2007 3:58PM]

What is the chemical composition of said foam? Some of us would like to know :D

[Josh @ Sep 2nd 2007 4:50PM]

But hey - i hear it is made by God.

[Melenor @ Sep 2nd 2007 6:20PM]

You really, really just wanted to write about the Optimus, didn't you?

[Brian @ Sep 2nd 2007 6:21PM]

vaporware is vaporous

[Joe @ Sep 2nd 2007 6:53PM]

Arggg... Who cares? Call me when someone makes a universal remote with those keys.

[Mindfield @ Sep 2nd 2007 8:37PM]

My God. It's like they somehow managed to harness the energy of Pride Day.

As for this particular box -- wow. It's like they're trying to emphasize the keyboard's awe-inspiring awesomeness with the generic OEM packaging there. "Look at how well this box contrasts with the keyboard. See? Bland, awesome. Bland, awesome. It's genius!"

[pryam44 @ Sep 2nd 2007 9:48PM]

the fact that the keyboard has no letters on the keys kinda detered me from buying it, but that white case is sweet and makes it worth the money

[ark_v2 @ Sep 2nd 2007 10:11PM]

Oh Lord, how useless.

[Vexorg @ Sep 2nd 2007 10:58PM]

I should buy one of those boxes, frame it, and put it up on the wall with a big "vaporware" plaque underneath it.

[transfrmr @ Sep 2nd 2007 11:21PM]

Yeah, except yours just makes the keys different colors as opposed to being able to display custom graphics and animations...

I wonder why there's such a price difference... Oh yeah, that's why.

[transfrmr @ Sep 2nd 2007 11:29PM]

It would be nice if the comment that I was replying to with this which linked to a cheaper keyboard that just had multicolored leds behind the keys hadn't been deleted.

He had said that he would just buy that cheaper one, and gave a link. Now it just makes it look like I'm making a totally random comment without that post.

[technabob @ Sep 2nd 2007 11:59PM]

I guess Engadget didn't like that I linked to my own blog. Here: I'll link to the YouTube video instead if that makes em feel better:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpnUbF2nnrA

[LEXX911 @ Sep 2nd 2007 11:37PM]

With so much energy, brain power, creativity ect...went into their design of the Optimus...I guessed that ultimately drain their creative juice right out of them and this is all they have left for they creative box.

[Tristan @ Sep 3rd 2007 12:13AM]

Check out the edge on the cut... Looks like a home job to me. Dodgy!

[dudeInAmerica @ Sep 3rd 2007 1:19AM]

$1500 !!!

Does anyone even look at their keyboard for more than 2 seconds?

[TA @ Sep 3rd 2007 2:57AM]

They compensate the high cost of the keyboard with the low cost of packaging. Something not ideal during shipping...

[JP @ Sep 3rd 2007 9:08AM]

looks nice!

we did this 14 years ago, we had a dealer desk system with 24 lcd keys, OK they were just black with red or green light :)

that was for Zillion and Fides

[NewZero @ Sep 3rd 2007 11:07AM]

Uhmmm... Mayube I'm looking too closely, but this looks like a 5th grade diorama(sp?) project. The foam well for the keyboard looks like it was scooped out with a melon baller, and the cut-outs on the box show evidence of poor cutting and pencil outlines. I'm calling Bravo-Sierra on this one folks.

[David Hearn @ Sep 3rd 2007 5:15PM]

$1500 for a keyboard?! How much for just the nifty box it comes in?