Optimus Maximus: the god of keyboards unveiled

By Thomas Ricker | March 14, 2007

We have some good news and some bad news Optimus fanboys, which do you want first? The bad news? Ok, here goes: the Optimus isn’t being shown at CeBIT after all. Yeah, we know, we just caught a huge whiff of rather depressing vapor, but what can you do? If it’s not ready to show it’s not ready to show. Oh, and if that’s not a boot to the gut then how ’bout this: it’s not $1,200 anymore… it’s now $1,490. Ouch! Pre-orders start in April with delivery in November/December 2007. Still, there was a bit of good news that came from our meeting with Artemy Lebedev and Dimitry Tosy here at CeBIT in Hannover. First, the Optimus 103 gets a name change. While we were hoping for the Optimus Prime (there’s more than meets the eye), it looks like they’ve settled on Optimus Maximus (the god of gods). Also, all the keys will in fact be OLED with an expected life span of only 5 years, depending upon use of course. Each 32 x 32 resolution OLED will remain stationary. Instead, the key-press mechanics are executed by a plastic cap which slides around the display like a sleeve to keep the wear and tear on the OLEDs to a minimum. Break a key? No problem, replacements will be offered for $10 a pop. Sorry, no freebies in the box like your Xmas tree lights — we tried. And if you think that $1,490 is a bit too pricey for a 5-year keyboard, take heart: “two or three” additional keyboards are in the works with fewer programmable keys and a sub $1,000 price tag.

Gallery: Optimus Maximus: the god of keyboards unveiled