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I’m sure someone has suggested this at some point but why not physical keys with an lcd underneath each key? This would allow those keys to be fully customizabl

I’m sure someone has suggested this at some point but why not physical keys with an lcd underneath each key? This would allow those keys to be fully customizable and be worthy of the “Pro” designation.

mschaef 7y ago
Or even both the touchbar and the physical keys on the pro models? 7-row keyboards are a thing.
CydeWeys 7y ago
How about e-ink instead? Having 100 individual LCDs seems like it's be energy expensive. The problem with both of these is they'd just be expensive, period. And solving a problem I don't often have.
bszupnick 7y ago
Reminds me of a phone I used to have: https://gizmodo.com/samsung-alias-2-e-ink-flip-phone-review-5251232 https://gizmodo.com/samsung-alias-2-e-ink-flip-phone-review-... The keyboard was fully E-ink, so it changed based on the app or orientation of your phone. It was pretty awesome!
journalctl 7y ago
Because it’s expensive, bulky, and unnecessary. Something like this already exists: the Optimus Maximus keyboard. And while it’s a cool concept, it’s not without its rough edges. [1] [1] https://www.artlebedev.com/optimus/maximus/ https://www.artlebedev.com/optimus/maximus/
- Cthulhu_ 7y ago
  Wasn't the Maximus made with tech that is now 10 years old? I can imagine that costs have decreased by at least an order of magnitude by now, now that oled is much more mainstream.
- antonyh 7y ago
  I wanted one of these when I first spotted it, but in hindsight it would be too dependent on software to work and I'd probably end up spending ages setting it up when the right thing to do would be to get blank key caps.
benjymo 7y ago
"Keys" on the touch bar are more dynamic. Buttons can have different width, you can show text, sliders for e.g. volume. It's not a 1-to-1 mapping.
fnordsensei 7y ago
I'm sure there's a prototype of this sitting around somewhere in Apple headquarters, either waiting for some patent to expire, or some key component to become cheap/thin/reliable enough.
robertoandred 7y ago
Fixed, inflexible keys defeat the purpose of a screen that can show anything.
saagarjha 7y ago
You can't put a big control on a single key.

mschaef 7y ago

Or even both the touchbar and the physical keys on the pro models? 7-row keyboards are a thing.

CydeWeys 7y ago

How about e-ink instead? Having 100 individual LCDs seems like it's be energy expensive. The problem with both of these is they'd just be expensive, period. And solving a problem I don't often have.

bszupnick 7y ago

Reminds me of a phone I used to have: https://gizmodo.com/samsung-alias-2-e-ink-flip-phone-review-5251232 https://gizmodo.com/samsung-alias-2-e-ink-flip-phone-review-... The keyboard was fully E-ink, so it changed based on the app or orientation of your phone. It was pretty awesome!

journalctl 7y ago

Because it’s expensive, bulky, and unnecessary. Something like this already exists: the Optimus Maximus keyboard. And while it’s a cool concept, it’s not without its rough edges. [1] [1] https://www.artlebedev.com/optimus/maximus/ https://www.artlebedev.com/optimus/maximus/

Cthulhu_ 7y ago
Wasn't the Maximus made with tech that is now 10 years old? I can imagine that costs have decreased by at least an order of magnitude by now, now that oled is much more mainstream.
antonyh 7y ago
I wanted one of these when I first spotted it, but in hindsight it would be too dependent on software to work and I'd probably end up spending ages setting it up when the right thing to do would be to get blank key caps.

benjymo 7y ago

"Keys" on the touch bar are more dynamic. Buttons can have different width, you can show text, sliders for e.g. volume. It's not a 1-to-1 mapping.

fnordsensei 7y ago

I'm sure there's a prototype of this sitting around somewhere in Apple headquarters, either waiting for some patent to expire, or some key component to become cheap/thin/reliable enough.

robertoandred 7y ago

Fixed, inflexible keys defeat the purpose of a screen that can show anything.

saagarjha 7y ago

You can't put a big control on a single key.