3 ms·

Yea, what I really want is physical keys that travel but also have OLED screens built in on the top. Expensive, but best of both worlds.

escapecharacter 6y ago
I hope this is Apple's eventual goal; "expensive and best of both worlds" sounds exactly like something Apple would do.
- jessriedel 6y ago
  Me too, but I'm not holding my breath. The idea has been out there for a long time. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optimus_Maximus_keyboard https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optimus_Maximus_keyboard
  - manicpolymath 6y ago
    The Optimus Maximus keyboard showed why OLED was a bad choice for the keyboard. Chyrosran22 did a review of a used one that had severe burn in on all the keys. It would be interesting if someone could make a screen key cap that was compatible with Cherry MX or Alps switches. The problem is with communication and power delivery, though. Could NFC power a tiny E-Ink display? https://youtu.be/qj7GYU-wedo https://youtu.be/qj7GYU-wedo
    - novok 6y ago
      I think mini/micro LED displays are the future of making something like that work without burn in issues. They are small and flat enough that you could fit in whatever key you want to. There will be a lot more wires involved although, as each key cap will have a mini display in them in front of the switch, and I'd worry about that wire eventually breaking from the constant moving of that wire inside the keyboard key.
    - gorbypark 6y ago
      I’m pretty sure I’ve seen NFC powered eink displays before! Here’s a random one after a quick Google search, https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2020/03/7-5-inch-e-ink-display-is-powered-completely-by-nfc/ https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2020/03/7-5-inch-e-ink-displ...
- FabHK 6y ago
  There was a rumour 3 weeks ago that Apple was "Researching Keyboards With Adaptive Displays on Each Key": https://www.macrumors.com/2020/12/29/apple-researching-keyboards-with-displays-on-keys/ https://www.macrumors.com/2020/12/29/apple-researching-keybo...
wwweston 6y ago
I wonder if e-ink might be better -- less energy, could work with a general keyboard backlight?
- skygazer 6y ago
  I think e-ink requires a side-light rather than backlight, as the little spheres are opaque, with a dark side and a light side that physically reorient, meaning illumination from a backlight would have to somehow shine through the dark side, when the dark side faced the backlight, but be blocked by the dark side when it faced outward. Maybe someone can up with a UV transparent dark side and a fluorescing light side or something.

escapecharacter 6y ago

I hope this is Apple's eventual goal; "expensive and best of both worlds" sounds exactly like something Apple would do.

jessriedel 6y ago
Me too, but I'm not holding my breath. The idea has been out there for a long time. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optimus_Maximus_keyboard https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optimus_Maximus_keyboard
- manicpolymath 6y ago
  The Optimus Maximus keyboard showed why OLED was a bad choice for the keyboard. Chyrosran22 did a review of a used one that had severe burn in on all the keys. It would be interesting if someone could make a screen key cap that was compatible with Cherry MX or Alps switches. The problem is with communication and power delivery, though. Could NFC power a tiny E-Ink display? https://youtu.be/qj7GYU-wedo https://youtu.be/qj7GYU-wedo
  - novok 6y ago
    I think mini/micro LED displays are the future of making something like that work without burn in issues. They are small and flat enough that you could fit in whatever key you want to. There will be a lot more wires involved although, as each key cap will have a mini display in them in front of the switch, and I'd worry about that wire eventually breaking from the constant moving of that wire inside the keyboard key.
  - gorbypark 6y ago
    I’m pretty sure I’ve seen NFC powered eink displays before! Here’s a random one after a quick Google search, https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2020/03/7-5-inch-e-ink-display-is-powered-completely-by-nfc/ https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2020/03/7-5-inch-e-ink-displ...
FabHK 6y ago
There was a rumour 3 weeks ago that Apple was "Researching Keyboards With Adaptive Displays on Each Key": https://www.macrumors.com/2020/12/29/apple-researching-keyboards-with-displays-on-keys/ https://www.macrumors.com/2020/12/29/apple-researching-keybo...

wwweston 6y ago

I wonder if e-ink might be better -- less energy, could work with a general keyboard backlight?

skygazer 6y ago
I think e-ink requires a side-light rather than backlight, as the little spheres are opaque, with a dark side and a light side that physically reorient, meaning illumination from a backlight would have to somehow shine through the dark side, when the dark side faced the backlight, but be blocked by the dark side when it faced outward. Maybe someone can up with a UV transparent dark side and a fluorescing light side or something.