After
hacking away on Art Lebedev's utterly gorgeous Optimus Maximus for a few days, we
came away both awed and disappointed. For as beautiful and functional as this beast is, we still felt that actually typing on it -- you know, its primary purpose -- left a lot to be desired. Still, it's hard to deny the ingenuity in the OLED-stuffed 'board, but with such a lofty price tag and even loftier expectations, we can't imagine all of the lucky
early adopters being a hundred percent satisfied. For those that laid out for this exquisite piece of kit, how on Earth could revision two be better? Want a few more keys to play around with? Could it stand to lose some of that clicky tactility? Or will it really only be worth the coin once it bags your lunch, irons your shirt and chauffeurs you to work? Do tell.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Rafer @ Apr 11th 2008 6:35PM
Price?
Jamma @ Apr 11th 2008 6:37PM
Amen on the price. Also, perhaps a version with a normal keyboard and just user editable screens for the short cut keys, since I don't need it ALL to have a screen
MrGam3r @ Apr 11th 2008 6:41PM
actually, there are three versions I believe.
there is one with just the shortcut keys, one with i think 60 or so keys......and the more well known version that has all of the keys with oleds...
Aguiluz @ Apr 11th 2008 6:55PM
Price and the keys must be as mushy at just right mushiness.
Juaquin @ Apr 11th 2008 7:11PM
You can buy one with just the spacebar as a screen and buy separate keys for whatever keys you want to have screens as well. I'd buy the basic one then a few keys for things like W,A,S,D and other common gaming keys.
Microdot @ Apr 12th 2008 12:14PM
ditto on price. it would be nice to see this at the level he previously stated (around "the cost of a good cell phone" - last time i checked, even my iphone wasn't $1500). it is a disposable item for me... i go through keyboards once a year, and this would be a tremendous waste. if it hit the $200-300 range, i would buy.
Macha88 @ Apr 12th 2008 1:17PM
Once you change the price, i'll tap that.
Gregory @ Apr 13th 2008 8:38AM
Microdot, if you would just get yourself The One True Keyboard--an IBM Model M (http://www.clickykeyboards.com)--you wouldn't have to replace it every year. The M is so solid that you could beat someone to death with it, put it back down on your desk, and resume typing. It also makes that beeeeeeautiful Selectric clickety-clack as you type, and drives your cubicle-mates to drink.
Aah, I love my Model Ms, and you can have them when you pry them out of my cold, dead fingers.
So how would I improve the Optimus? Why, I'd put buckling spring mechanisms under each key so it wouldn't feel like you're typing on Cream of Wheat. What the heck--the thing already costs an arm and a leg anyway.
sirius @ Apr 14th 2008 2:17AM
Exactly =D
palehorse @ Apr 14th 2008 2:53PM
what he said.
Conor Maher @ Apr 11th 2008 6:36PM
its 1000% too expensive for a start, for me > $80 is splashing out on a keyboard...
Also wouldnt a cheapo OLED / LCD panel beneath a plexi keyboard be equally cool / functional? surely it could be done with fiber optics quite easily also...
mcdizzle895 @ Apr 11th 2008 6:36PM
Yes, it would be nice if they made it more affordable...Other than that, it's pretty freakin amazing.
Tony @ Apr 11th 2008 8:26PM
Well I would make it more expensive.
applefan @ Apr 11th 2008 10:48PM
But will it blend?
matt @ Apr 11th 2008 6:39PM
duh, I'd make it like, at least twice as big.
austin @ Apr 11th 2008 7:07PM
what is this, a keyboard for ants?
IT HAS TO BE AT LEAST...... 3 TIMES THIS SIZE!
Bobs @ Apr 11th 2008 7:07PM
What is this?! A keyboard for ants?!
austin @ Apr 11th 2008 7:15PM
bobs, beat you to it by
austin @ Apr 11th 2008 7:15PM
less than 60 seconds
< 60 didnt show up
CosterMonger @ Apr 11th 2008 6:39PM
make it a 3d hologram with a static touch {no glasses}.
I'd buy a wacom cintiq before ever even thinking about getting this thing.
Zac Reid @ Apr 13th 2008 5:25PM
Perhaps it should just type what I am thinking...
Blue Sunshine @ Apr 11th 2008 6:40PM
A YTMND button is in order.
mushrooshi @ Apr 11th 2008 6:40PM
Every time i see this, I do a facepalm.
I don't give a shit about how much of a mac fanboy you are. Little shits like you give mac users and mac fans (hence the lack of "boy" in "fanboy", btw I am a male) bad names. Your types are the little shits who embarrass us.
How about you do some mac users a favor and shut your damn mouth.
Eli @ Apr 11th 2008 6:42PM
perhaps he was being sarcastic.
Flashpoint @ Apr 11th 2008 6:42PM
I'd hook it to a nuclear weapon.
applefan @ Apr 11th 2008 8:21PM
Ummm....
Lupo @ Apr 12th 2008 1:28AM
i wouldnt feel safe drilling holes in a nuclear warhead just to hang my fancy keyboard on it
bigshum @ Apr 14th 2008 4:07AM
I'd hook it up to my weapon.
King Mook Mook @ Apr 19th 2008 12:45AM
I'd hang it on Jake Dunn's (from Crysis) face.
jimmy @ Apr 11th 2008 6:43PM
i'd make the qwerty / numpad portion of the keyboard static and just make the function keys dynamic as well as add anothe row to the key bank on the left side.
IE make it more affordable. chaning the qwerty keys doesn't seem that useful
ethana2 @ Apr 11th 2008 8:16PM
www.colemak.com
Any dvorak user could tell you qwerty needs to go die. Qwerty is the windows of keyboard layouts.
ben @ Apr 12th 2008 6:11PM
Dvorak is like metric time.
mushrooshi @ Apr 11th 2008 6:44PM
Other than the price:
I guess maybe have the software easier to use? I don't own one (obviously), but ive seen videos of the software used, and it looks... not confusing, since I am able to use it (You want confusing? try Logic pro), but more smooth.
Josh @ Apr 11th 2008 6:44PM
Oh yeah Mushrooshi. Cause you didn't just do a damn good job all on your own of making yourself look bad....
jimmy @ Apr 11th 2008 6:44PM
oh yeah and make it ergonomic for christ sake. i haven't used a flat keyboard in almost a decade
d840 @ Apr 13th 2008 4:04PM
Ergonomic keyboards suck. Seriously...
Perhaps if you're typing non-stop for hours at a time, but it is so much easier to find the keys on a regular keyboard. In fact, I don't ever see myself buying an ergonomic keyboard.
In the end, it's just a personal preference. They should have both styles so those of us who like ergonomic and for those who hate it can still be happy.
That, and price it under $200.
Eric @ Apr 11th 2008 6:45PM
how about making it... well, not shitty to type on.
renouned apple fanboy @ Apr 11th 2008 6:47PM
@Eli
Yeah, I thought it best to get it out of the way first thing :-)
BTW- My real change to it would be to build in a speaker, my laptop sounds awful.
Sime @ Apr 11th 2008 6:47PM
make it so u could play back one video on all of the screens, making it look like one screen. then i might buy it =)
Paul @ Apr 11th 2008 6:50PM
Make it flat and rollable...
Podaman @ Apr 11th 2008 6:50PM
have the OLED cover the entire face of each key
Iain @ Apr 11th 2008 7:00PM
Bingo.
That's the only thing apart from price, to have the OLEDs filling the keys - especially the space bar.
FTY @ Apr 11th 2008 10:13PM
They are saving this for Optimus Tactus which will be even shittier to type on as there are no keys:), but at least it will look cool as opposed to the Optimus Maximus.
http://www.artlebedev.com/everything/optimus-tactus/
macserv @ Apr 12th 2008 7:52PM
Yes, this. This would be the most disappointing change from concept to shipped product.
mushrooshi @ Apr 11th 2008 6:52PM
OH... so it was sarcasm.
Too bad there are real fanboys who do this.
Saint Dumb Ox @ Apr 11th 2008 6:53PM
Remove the Segway-of-keyboards factor.
Junior @ Apr 11th 2008 6:54PM
I would slap some boobs on it. I'd like to make porn time a little more realistic. Also the price. Other than that, it looks awesome.
adam @ Apr 11th 2008 6:54PM
PRICE PRICE PRICE - Really $500 for a keyboard? I don't care what it does, it ain't worth $500.
Chris Macdonald @ Apr 11th 2008 6:54PM
go full hd on all the keys
Zak @ Apr 11th 2008 6:55PM
Minus sarcasm points for not knowing how to spell "renowned".