Preorder Optimus Maximus: The $1500 Keyboard
We often see massively hyped products which then fail to emerge as their release date is postponed time and time again. The correct term for these products is Vaporware.
The Optimus Maximus Keyboard of Art. Lebedev Studio could fit this description. First announced in 2005, the release was postponed twice. To be more cost-effective, the technical specification of the keyboard changed and after another postponed release were changed back to the original.
Especially at an estimated price tag of $1500 for a keyboard, noone would be interested in the product anymore. But the much-hyped and long-awaited Optimus Maximus keyboard is different. Behind each of its 113 keys, a small 48x48 pixel OLED display works its magic, allowing the user to change the picture on each key. Custom keyboard layouts or shortcuts can be switched easily on a per-application basis.
Today, Art. Lebedev Studio announced via a countdown on their website that they will apparently start taking pre-orders from computer owners with more money than sense in roughly 3 days. Only 800 keyboards will be shipped until end of January 2008, ensuring that the price is kept high.
hmm.. The features sound cool but I can wait until the end of January 2008!
They will come out batched. 200 at the beginning of December, 200 at the end and 400 in January. And currently it doesn’t look like the Optimus Maximus has a competitor…