Optimus Maximus sold on eBay at terrifically inflated cost

You may remember seeing an eBay auction for a NIB Optimus Maximus keyboard a few weeks ago on Engadget. As you can imagine, the news generated a lot of excitement -- particularly from the folks at eBay, who decided it would be a sweet item to feature on their homepage. Thus the auction was ended quickly and relisted in accordance with special rules and regulations, and now some poor, poor soul (or wealthy, as it were) is the proud owner of an auctioned Optimus Maximus. Hey, it only cost $2,750... or just a little bit less than double the list price ($1564.72). Oh you crazy eBayers.

[Via TG Daily]

[mike @ Feb 11th 2008 5:37PM]

Those that jack prices up like that are usually Nigerian scammers. No body is that stupid to pay that much for this product..

[brian peppers @ Feb 11th 2008 6:42PM]

For those of you who didn't look at the first question...it's awesome:

Q: Does this keyboard have an "Any Key"? My computer is always asking me to push that key but my low-end keyboard doesn't seem to have one.

A: Yes, you can make 113 ANY keys if you want.

[Tony @ Feb 11th 2008 8:07PM]

Everyone should read the Q&A on this. It's hilarious.

You may have to log in to see all of them, but you can see the first five without doing so.

[Jake @ Feb 11th 2008 10:07PM]

You're right - the Q & A was worth the price of admission. Full marks. Two distinct references to the "any" key? Bonus points.

[allanrubin @ Feb 12th 2008 11:07AM]

You guys should see the questions I didn't post. I received over 100 questions about the item and nearly all of them were incredible lame.

[Burgey @ Feb 11th 2008 5:38PM]

Why waste money. Us poor folk need it. :)
http://www.burgey.org

[Nathan @ Feb 11th 2008 8:05PM]

Why spam your worthless garbage pale of a site? Us comment folk don't need it.

[JuggleNuts @ Feb 11th 2008 5:40PM]

All this this keyboard does is make me want to punch someone in the face.

[geognerd @ Feb 11th 2008 5:48PM]

I still don't understand what the big deal is about this keyboard. What's wrong with a $15 Microsoft or Logitech keyboard?

[Josh L @ Feb 11th 2008 5:52PM]

$15 Logitech or Microsoft keyboards don't have keys that are mappable mini-LED screens.

Not that I'm saying such a keyboard is worth this price (or even the MSRP, for that matter)...

[insertAlias @ Feb 11th 2008 5:57PM]

First of all, this isn't intended for your common, average user. This is either a high-end toy for very wealthy people, or for very specific application power users. Imagine having all the shortcuts for Photoshop, a 3d rendering program, a CAD program, an audio editing program, etc, all mapped directly and visually to they keyboard. Also, say you have to regularly use several different languages. There really are some uses for this keyboard.

Second, new technology always comes at a great premium. In a few (ok, maybe more than a few) years when this kind of keyboard costs $100, you will have the Optimus to thank for pioneering the way.

[Reader @ Feb 11th 2008 6:10PM]

Last time I looked at my keyboard was never so having little images tell me what the key does is pointless. I suppose the Optimus would be alright for Kiosks and what not, but touch screens are just fine in that sense.

[fuma @ Feb 11th 2008 8:07PM]

for $2750... does it do klingon? or better yet can I put pics of boobs on each key?

[Mii @ Feb 11th 2008 8:18PM]

I imagine that the person buying it is about 13 and wanted it for his birthday since his sister got a pearl necklace. He received it and asked his Butler/Cook/Driver (and all around handyguy) to carefully map pictures of all his quake controls onto the keyboard. After promptly going online and getting his ass kicked, he has the same butler take over, and frag the other team for him, which he promptly executes with aplomb (since he secretly takes out his frustrations online, after texturemapping the family pictures onto his bots). That while wearing white gloves so he doesn't leave any unseemly marks on the clear keys. So in the guy who ends up using it is the working guy, whodathunk?

[applefreak @ Feb 11th 2008 6:04PM]

they are called PS3s....sound like the same story ???

[James Cameron @ Feb 11th 2008 6:04PM]

So was it Art Lebedev the proud ebay buyer is now the owner of that Maximus?

[zevdawg @ Feb 11th 2008 6:10PM]

You can imagine having those keys in a professional setting; seeing the keys... however... most professionals aren't sitting there gawking at the keyboard, they know where all their shortcuts are.

[Homeboy @ Feb 11th 2008 6:12PM]

Does the one sold on ebay even ship with a firmware???

[zevdawg @ Feb 11th 2008 6:20PM]

One would think that it does :) If anything their site should have the drivers.

[Jean @ Feb 11th 2008 6:47PM]

As a bilingual geek, I would totally use the Maximus to switch between two keyboard layouts. I don't need to know where the qwerty keys are, but when it comes to accent marks, I need all the help I can get.
That being said, the price is still too steep for me (plus I want a natural keyboard version...)

[tekdroid @ Feb 11th 2008 6:57PM]

RRP $39.95
Huge slabs of totally unnecessary polystyrene and oversized bleached boxes rule. I want the packaging to outlast me, after all. Now that's value.

[Blaktornado @ Feb 11th 2008 7:19PM]

Pfft. This is nowhere near as good as the Optimus Tactus will be xD when that comes out, we'll have something to drool over.

[Neil Peel @ Feb 11th 2008 7:27PM]

I can't understand the gulf between basic and garbage keyboards and ridiculous stuff like this.

For years I've been looking for something that isn't cheap plastic, has a nice tap feel like a laptop keyboard but a decent slope. I don't the space bar 2 inches from my thumb, I don't want a stupid curve on the bottom row of buttons. How come NOBODY is making a simple excellent keyboard? I've spent probably 20 hours searching the web for something really good and found multitudes of silly gamer designs, trippy lighting, rolling, folding... but nothing with really great key feel and layout.

Would that I could render one myself it might be worth paying for someone to hand build me one. For now I stockpiled 4 great Benq X120s that are no longer produced... I'm down to two after user stupidity issues.

Suggestions?

[RubberBinder @ Feb 11th 2008 8:35PM]

Perhaps Apple's semi-new aluminum keyboard.

[Sasha Jevtic @ Feb 11th 2008 9:23PM]

The keyboard you crave has been around for a long time. It's called the IBM Model M.

Cheap plastic? No.
Nice tactile response? Yes.
Decent slope? Yes.
Stupid curve? No.
Expensive? No. Not like an Optimus, anyway.
Simply excellent? Absolutely.

You can find out everything you would ever want to know about these here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Model_M_Keyboard

I have a bunch of the different variants; even the 15 year old one still works great.

[ZekeSulastin @ Feb 12th 2008 12:22AM]

Sasha, the IBM Model M is HARDLY similar in feel to a laptop keyboard as the OP requested.

You might have some luck with the Logitech wireless kits and the aforementioned Apple keyboard - the Logitech S510 and DiNovo spring to mind ...

[Neil Peel @ Feb 15th 2008 1:37PM]

Thanks for the ideas chaps. The IBM style has the traditional layout, lord knows why anyone every changed it (but for laptops of course).

I will give the new Model M a playtest if I can find one in a store, like the post above says, not sure it will have a nice tactile feel, but worth a go thanks!

As for the Apple, not seen it in stores yet but I'm sure it's there. Wonder if I can get it to run on my PC without undue grief.

Thanks all!

[jason51873 @ Feb 11th 2008 7:33PM]

LOL look at the carpet that thing is sitting on. Looks like getto trailer home carpet. This guy prolly spent 6 months salary on that thing.

If a rich person had it, it would be on a marble countertop or something of the sort.

[allanrubin @ Feb 12th 2008 11:07AM]

Give me a break, that picture was taken in my basement. And you question my net worth? Need I remind you that I just nettet a 60%+ profit on this while the market was crashing. Seems like someone needs a keyboard with all green keys.

[Nik Shah @ Feb 11th 2008 7:50PM]

I don't understand why somebody would pay 1500 for this, when you could just get like a widescreen monitor, overlay it with a transparent keybaord(I have never seen them before, but I don't imagine it would be that difficult at all to make with the rollable ones), and that would allow for much higher resolution keys, with a much lower production cost.

[DT @ Feb 11th 2008 7:52PM]

MSRP?

[PSM @ Feb 11th 2008 9:20PM]

This keyboard would be totally awesome for like $150. So I can't knock somebody for buying it, I'm just assuming anyone who buys one is in a position where $1,500 to them is like $150 to me. If not, then yes they're crazy.

[alex_on_dotnet @ Feb 12th 2008 10:22AM]

My two cents on the Optimus and keyboards in general.

Keyboards age. They have lots of moving parts, they get dirty (no matter how clean and tidy you are), and though most keyboards can be cleaned thoroughly by removing the keys, most key designs make it so the keyboard changes when you remove and put back keys (the tactile feel / sounds will change). So no matter how much you spend on a keyboard, and how well you maintain it and care for it, in a year or two it will start degrading. The Optimus doesn't have magical "everlast" technology; it's a keyboard. It will get crappier to use with time. If they had figured out how to circumvent that, they'd have made it one of their selling points.

The idea of per-key macros is awesome. The idea of programmable key "screens" is even better. But honnestly, you can do per-key macros with free software off the 'net. But do you? I mean the option is out there, but is there really a need to have so many macros, per-program, on your keyboard? Personally, I end up setting up personalized shortcuts in my applications and games, and learning them. It's not a big deal. So the whole macro thing for the Optimus is really just a driver thing that you can get for free with any keyboard out there.

The screen keys? Now that's awesome. But do I want my letter and number keys to change? No, I probably wouldn't, I mean yeah having arrows for WASD in games is kind of neat, but in most games I play I'll still want to type text. And I know what WASD do. Changing the face of the twelve function keys would be semi useful, but think about it -- all software and games will still refer to the function keys by their name. Press F9 to quicksave. Press F1 for help. Sure it's prettier to have nicely lit icons instead of the old austere text labels, but I'm thinking it would also make it a bit confusing.

I think this whole Optimus thing is really just the brainchild of someone who has the resources to implement his dreams. I doubt commercial success is a criteria for these guys. They'll release the keyboard, make news, make "history", and move on to the next big thing. Some (few) people will buy the keyboard (or the stripped-down version, which I think makes more sense but is still not a sound purchase), show it off, play with it, then change it after a couple years as it starts to age. It's just a "toy", it will be cool to have and show off, but not very practical in the long run.

Lastly -- the one thing I personally always do before buying a new keyboard is to try it out in a store. See how it feels, see how it sounds. Are you guys really going to order a ridiculously expensive keyboard without trying it?

Just my two cents ;)