“Russian design studio Art Lebedev opened its online store for pre-orders of the Optimus Maximus LED keyboard. The first shipment of 200 keyboards was sold within one day, despite the keyboard’s hefty price tag of $1564.37,” Wolfgang Gruener reports for TG Daily.
“According to a note posted on Art Lebedev’s website, the first 200 buyers will be receiving their keyboard in early January. The next 200 keyboards will ship after December 20, with another 400 becoming available in early January,” Gruener reports.
here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Lurker_PC” for the heads up.]
nothing wrong with apples keyboard for that price
EeeeeH What do I want LED’s on a keyboard for? especially if I want to be green.
I suppose I had better read the full article before slating something I have no need for.
How many starving Africans could $1564 feed, for fscks sake.
It’s way too expensive and is the wrong color. Other than that, it looks great!
But most people won’t keep a keyboard, let alone a computer 20,000 hours.
Okay, I get it. You can watch videos on your keyboard at upto 10fps.
So what do I do with my monitor in the meantime?
I’d buy it for $100.
“How many starving Africans could $1564 feed, for fucks sake.”
What an asinine thing to say. Let me guess, Reality Check: You’re in serious need of one. A reality check, that is. Do you use a Mac or a Windows box? Did you ask yourself that question when you purchased the computer? Probably not, right?
If you don’t want it, don’t buy it. Personally I think it’s excessive for what it does. But I thought the first iPod was overpriced too. And look at them now.
There are plenty of items for sale in this world that some people consider excessively priced. But to others the cost isn’t unreasonable. It’s all relative.
Kind of like the fact that you could feed starving Americans with that money, too. Or Slovakians. Or Somalians. Or Koreans.
i think the point is that you get an ambient light detecting, LED keyboard with the macbook pro for a lot less than $1500
@ Reality Check: One fat one! Aaaaha! ha! ha! haaaaaa!!!!!
Before you post back claiming that I am insensitive, we all should occassionally pick the log from our eyes before trying to pick the speck from our neighbours eye.
cool, buy WAY too much money
I love my Microsoft Internet Pro keyboard that I bought on eBay for $14.
Hey “Reality Check” — you’re a fool. Yaah, tis thing is overpriced. I expected it to be $200, tops. But, uh, way to trot out quasi-racist stereotypes with your “starving Africans” remark, douchebag. So I guess I should feel guilty now about the $3500 I spent on my replica Japanese sword collection or the $6500 I’ve got invested in my Mac system?
Oh, you’re right … I DO feel guilty for those starving Africans.
NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My MacBookPro keyboard lights up – and a computer came with it.
This is a great idea, but all that is needed at the moment (to keep price down) is a panel of, say, 10 keys on the left or right of the main keyboard area which can change colours, change images, etc.
This would make the keyboard a lot less expensive, and allow for greater adoption by computer-using customers and developers, who all need to get used to this new possibility.
It’s too much, too early. Let’s hope Apple does something with this technology.
Did it occur to anyone that Reality Check might simply be joking a little bit? It’s a way of commenting on the lofty price of the keyboard, not a indictment of those who spend a lot of money for things.
Then again, I could be wrong.
My prediction: 7 units sold, then a markdown to $1132.49. Then 13 units sold. Then a markdown to $992.18. Then 25 units sold. Then a markdown to $599.25. Then 41 units sold. Then a markdown to $375.15. Then 42 units sold. Then . . .
Out of business.
The Optimus Maximus keyboard was actually designed as a favor to Biggus Dickus and his wife, Incontinentia Buttocks.
Free wannabe-Optimus : http://www.keyboardtattoo.com/en
French design, available immediately, no led (but cool stickers), no ambient light sensor (but real vivid painted colors), requiremenrt Mac OS X 10.3 and a white desktop keyboard
DAMN, Spanky! That thing better have a mini transporter unit and an espresso maker on it for that price.
Wouldn’t feeding this to starving people be more cruel? Oh, never mind.
For example: How about stopping our own drug companies from developing GM crops under the guise of starving Africans?
If African Countries take up the GM crop, they will only be able to achieve a single harvest, the next time they plant the seeds they have saved from the previous harvest as they currently do, the new seeds will not germinate unless they buy expensive activators to activate the growth gene.
Then they have to buy weed killer which will not target the GM plants, but all other plants being killed will deny pollen and nector to bees, butterflies, ants and birds like the Humming bird that feeds solely on nector, because when the harvest is done, the soil will be left barren, when weeds would come into their own.
I write this based on the canadian farmers who were forced to pay compensation to Monsanto for growing genetically modified plants. These farmers were organic farmers who had the misfortune of their plants being pollinated by GM crops that were supposedly miles away. Of course we conveniently forget that pollen can survive for hundreds of years.
What legacy are we leaving our children by allowing these to occur in uncontrolled experiments?
I once spent exactly $1564.37 — on dinner. It’s funny, too, because the whole time all these well-fed Africans were waiting on me and my guests. Guess I’m rich AND a racist.
Hey Crabapple — Anymore horror stories you’d like to share with the class, you pinko commie liberal socialist tool?
I think part of the LED funtionality is to assign different icons to different keys with different tasks to them, and be able to switch to and from specific layouts for different apps.
It might be handy for a high-end video editor? Just wondering since the keys can be easily modified and they work in low light.
And sorry if that was on-topic.
While it is expensive I don’t think many people here get the idea. Yes your Macbook Pro does come with led lit keys. But this keyboard you can change the keys. Like say you were playing WoW you can change the A key to have the left arrow .. or a bomb or a spell .. whatever you want. They key’s have lcd screens in them
lcd = LED
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People here are missing the point, or else not reading the full article. Apple’s keyboards with ambient light sensors just brighten in dim light. On this keyboard each key displays a changeable image. It does NOT have a fixed letter. In other words, if I wanted the keyboard to display Chinese characters (or Kanji, or Cyrillic characters) instead of the Latin (Western) alphabet, I just flip a switch in System Preferences. It’s like the old OS 9 Key Caps desk accessory — on the actual friggin’ keyboard! How cool is that?
Or say you are using Photoshop and flip a setting and each of keys now display on icon that shows what function each key is assigned to, like Cut, or Paste, or Crop. Or you’re in a FPS and the keys display icons for forward, backwards, change ammo, shoot, etc.
Now are we getting it?
Finally!
THE perfect keyboard to go with your computer from http://www.go-l.com/
Damn kids – why don’t you figure out what the keyboard does before you say things like “my macbookpro has a lightup keyboard and a computer too…”
It seems like 19 out of 20 of the posters so far – maybe even worse than that – don’t have a clue what this thing does.
Here’s the thing –
If you switch to dvorak – all the key images switch too
If you switch to russian – all the key images switch too
If you switch to japanese – all the key images switch too
If you are running photoshop and hit the command key – all the key images display an icon represnting what that shortcut does
If you are playing world of warcraft – all the keys display images for the commands that those keys do in world of warcraft.
And, you don’t have to tell it that you switched to world of warcraft from photoshop – it knows by itself.
Also cool, but not as vital – you can run “keysavers” – like screensavers when you are away from your computer.
Anytime you have shift or option or caps or command pressed the keys all change their image.
The thing is pretty fscking cool –
I wouldn’t pay $1400 for it, but I would pay $200 or $300.
(It seems like those of us who know what we are talking about all responded at the same time….)
“How many starving Africans could $1564 feed, for fscks sake”
Probably none, as the corrupt governments there would probably take the money.
OK. I get it. While that is totally and absolutely more and I want from my keyboard. I’m sure I’ll want one soon.
Here are some better images and descriptions:
http://www.artlebedev.com/everything/optimus/
“They key’s have lcd screens in them”
Not exactly. They are OLED.
P.S. There’s a (Flash) demo page showing Photoshop and Half-Life layouts.
http://www.artlebedev.com/everything/optimus/demo/
@ Blame Canada: Whos Blaming Canada? I only stated a case where innocent farmers were thumped by a powerful company for a situation out of the farmers control and knowledge for that matter.
It was only recently (Late last year) that EU banned rice from the US because it had been contaminated with GM rice but the US government did not declare it until random tests revealed it.
Will you slap me with one of your labels just because of what actually happened?
Do you work for Monsanto?
Why your reaction?
Does this mean Keyloggers will be renderd ineffectual?
I just tried the demo and it is frightning how every button you press on your keyboard lights up on the demo.
Keylogging Extroadinaire!
The only people that might be “getting it” are those extremely few individuals that also might pay cash for a Ferrari or Rolls-Royce. For the rest of us, it’s ridiculously overpriced.
Give it two years though; it’ll be $49.95 and made in China instead, (or the design ripped off at least).
It’s a great design.
What you are looking at is not so much as an overpriced keyboard. You are looking at quite possibly the future of all keyboards. Since everyone here is pretty much well versed in the history of computers, I will spare you the price comparisons between things we take for granted now than with what those things cost when they first came out. Just think how much a Macbook, which costs 1099 now would have cost 10 years ago. My guess would have been 20,000 dollars.
“How many starving Africans could $1564 feed, for fucks sake.”
Rascal you’re infantile.
No more diamond rings, no champagne or luxury cars in your lefty world. Everyone down to the lowest denominator.
While this is some awesome technology it’s will probably be rendered obsolete soon by the multi-touch screen technology that Apple and others are coming out with, why bother with a keyboard with a fixed key layout that only displays 10fps when you could have a widscreen multitouch monitor with a key layout that can total change depending on what you need?
That being said… can anyone loan me $1564.37?
E of E
I want it. I won’t get it. But I think it is very cool. If I remember correctly, they have a mini-version of about 10 keys available too. (or will have). I would love to have it esp. for my work computer since I all sorts of specialized keyboard shortcuts I use.
Hmm, just thought of something, I wonder if the letter changes based on what font you are using.
Actually, what I want is this combined with the light keyboard (can’t remember the name – the one that projects a laser image of a keyboard onto a surface).
Did you know that “infantile” is an adjective?
Reminds me of Star Trek:TNG. The “keyboards” were touch sensitive screens and changed according to what application you were in.
Of course, whenever the Enterprise was in a battle they also had the nasty habit of blowing up and giving off massive amounts of electricity to whatever unlucky crewman happened to be standing by.
Technological marvel or sci-fi plot device. You decide
I’d buy one if it was white. But that black clashes with my eMac.
The only cool thing I see on this keyboard is what looks like an application quick launch section on the left, and only 20,000(833 days) hours of life for $1600!!
I’d pay $60 for it if was white…to match my Mac. Over $1,500 for a keyboard? That’s just plain crazy!!!
“How many starving Africans could $1564 feed, for fscks sake.”
Uh, when did it become my responsibility to feed starving Africans. If all races are equally smart, as the pc police always tell us, then they can damn well figure out a way to feed themselves.
I think the possibilities for ease of use with this keyboard — or training in new apps — are incredible. But I agree the price point seems way out of line. But at $300-$400, I’d probably snap it up just for Photoshop use alone! At a decent hourly billing rate, it’d pay for itself in a matter of weeks!
If it was a Commodore Amiga A1200 of new loaded with the latest and greatest AOS running on PA Semi’s PWRficient CPU I’d certainly buy 3 of these. I am definitely not paying $1500 dollars for some eye candy driven keyboard!
That is the most retarted pricing on a keyboard. Firstly, the colors are all wrong…and the design sucks and looks like a Microsoft keyboard, and is no where as close to an Apple design. Imagine how many children you can feed in third world countries with $1564. Insane. I would give the money to charity than this piece of crap.
That’s WHACK:
My prediction: 7 units sold, then a markdown to $1132.49. Then 13 units sold. Then a markdown to $992.18. Then 25 units sold. Then a markdown to $599.25. Then 41 units sold. Then a markdown to $375.15. Then 42 units sold. Then . . .
Out of business.
Actually, if you would have read the story (not even the full article, mind you, but even just the bit that MDN has posted), you would know that they have sold all of their first-run production of 200 units, via pre-order.
MW: Didn’t. You didn’t pay attention to the words in front of you.
This keyboard looks fantastic!
Most folks here don’t get it. The image on each KEY can be changed to suit the application. Hit the key with the Photoshop or VectorWorks or Call of Duty key and each SEPARATE KEY can change to suit the task.
Yeah, $1500 is STEEP, but what an amazing concept!
KA: Those look great. I had something similar stuck to my old Apple Aircraft Carrier keyboard. I’d LOVE to find a set of those things for a QWERTY or DVORAK keyboard, but alas, these are for a French keyboard layout.
I’ve been in Paris this past week and was trying to use a French keyboard with an XP box … ask me which was worse! Thank the Gods I finally got the password to my friend’s wireless network!
If African Countries take up the GM crop, they will only be able to achieve a single harvest
If African Countries take up the GM crop, they’ll also be able to significantly improve their yields, increasing the number of people each acre of farmland can feed.
Then they have to buy weed killer which will not target the GM plants, but all other plants being killed will deny pollen and nector to bees, butterflies, ants and birds like the Humming bird that feeds solely on nector, because when the harvest is done, the soil will be left barren, when weeds would come into their own.
Good grief, this is almost beyond comment.
So IOW, you’re claiming that starving countries are supposed to let weeds choke out their food crops in the name of saving bugs. I see.
Keep chasing your GM boogeyman. The sane world has too many real mouths to feed.
Black keyboards aren’t that bad, they don’t show the dirt.
But $1500 for one? Ack. Then again, in a world of six-figure cars and million-dollar studio apartments, people will buy anything.
I would buy this keyboard for 999€. The idea is perfect especially when you have to use different languages to and change the keyboard layout. I need this but I have to wait that they get their production fully going and the price comes down. This can be the best keyboard ever and Apple should implement the idea to all of it´s computers.
There’s a special key for Firefox but none for Safari? Feh!!
If you leave your Mac on all the time (like me), that’s less than 2 1/2 years of LED life on that keyboard.
Junk.
How did Art Lebedev arrive at that price?
Honestly, I not trying to be a smart $%^.
Is it because of production costs?
Is it because it was designed by Artemy Lebedev?
Is it because it is a work of art?
Short run manufacturing?
Is each one hand made?
Is it because the parts are expensive?
The store at their site says that the next “lot” will be arriving in December of 2007. Is the keyboard already being manufactured in China?
Whilst some of you get the OLEDs, most of you are too young to remember the original keyboards were around the same price (more actually, esp’ in todays money)when first released – yes, I do mean the most basic board you can imagine.
Now thats a flying keyboard
apple mac forum
Sorry, but I’ve never seen so many stupid comments together. Most of you doesn’t even know what to do with this keyboard. While I was Googling to find smth like this. You see, people of the Pentium 2 era, today each program has its own keyboard shortcuts, and you cannot remember everything. Let aside programs for video editing, design and photography, engineering, etc. etc. This keyboard is the future, you can bet on it. The matter is that is just expensive. If it was in the $150-300 range I would have bought it (depending how much the board can recognize which program I am on to light the right figures).