Sonder's Customizable E-Ink Keyboard Again Rumored for 2018 MacBooks as CEO Denies Meeting Tim Cook
In an ongoing story surrounding the alleged talks between Apple and Australian startup Sonder, The Wall Street Journal is today adding its own set of "people familiar with the plans" to the report. The new article reiterates a 2018 launch window for customizable e-ink keyboards on Apple's MacBook line, which was mentioned in a now-deleted Reddit post that began the rumors last week.
In response to the increasing amount of rumors surrounding Apple and Sonder, the latter company this week has confirmed that it never met with Apple during Tim Cook's travels in China and Japan, suggesting that any talk of Apple's acquisition of Sonder is false.
In a press release, Sonder CEO Francisco Serra-Martin stated that the original article by The Guardian -- which ignited the story on the back of the Reddit post -- "contains a number of factual errors." Serra-Martin confirmed that he "did not meet Tim Cook on Wednesday 12th October 2016," which The Guardian story said he did, without providing specifics of the meeting and its potential relation to acquisition talks.
The Guardian’s article “Apple in talks to acquire Australian startup Sonder” contains a number of factual errors. Sonder founder Francisco Serra-Martins did not meet Tim Cook on Wednesday 12th October 2016, although we would very like the opportunity to in the future.
The team at Sonder is pleased with the incredible response from the industry as we continue to present our story. We are not able to comment further on information on any single company or customer. Sonder’s E Ink keyboard provides infinite possibilities right at your fingertips and releases later this year.
With Serra-Martin's direct confirmation of the original story's lack of veracity, it appears that, for now, Apple's plans aren't immediately related to introducing the customizable e-ink technology into MacBooks or Magic Keyboards. Sonder's own e-ink "Sonder Keyboard" is launching later this year for $199.
Popular Stories
The iPhone is Apple's top-selling product, and it gets an update every year. In 2024, we're expecting the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro lineup, with an arguably more interesting feature set than we got with the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Capture Button All four iPhone 16 models are set to get a whole new button, which will be...
Apple suppliers will begin production of two new fourth-generation AirPods models in May, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Based on this production timeframe, he expects the headphones to be released in September or October. Gurman expects both fourth-generation AirPods models to feature a new design with better fit, improved sound quality, and an updated charging case with a USB-C...
Apple is widely expected to release new iPad Air and OLED iPad Pro models in the next few weeks. According to new rumors coming out of Asia, the company will announce its new iPads on Tuesday, March 26. Chinese leaker Instant Digital on Weibo this morning 日发布%23">claimed that the date will see some sort of announcement from Apple related to new iPads, but stopped short of calling it an...
Resale value trends suggest the iPhone SE 4 may not hold its value as well as Apple's flagship models, according to SellCell. According to the report, Apple's iPhone SE models have historically depreciated much more rapidly than the company's more premium offerings. The third-generation iPhone SE, which launched in March 2022, experienced a significant drop in resale value, losing 42.6%...
MacRumors was first to report that Apple was planning to rebrand "Apple ID" to "Apple Account" across its software platforms and websites like iCloud.com as early as this year, and now Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has corroborated this change. A mockup of the new Apple Account branding In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said the new "Apple Account" branding will start to be used later this...
iOS 17.4.1 and iPadOS 17.4.1 should be released within the next few days, with a build number of 21E235, according to a source with a proven track record. MacRumors previously reported that Apple was internally testing iOS 17.4.1. As a minor update for the iPhone, it will likely address software bugs and/or security vulnerabilities. It is unclear if the update will include any other changes. ...
Top Rated Comments
But in all seriousness, this is an interesting concept, but as the main input option for a computer, would likely seem a little too gimmicky for Apple to try to rock the boat. Can you imagine the rush to class action lawsuits if 2 or 3 of these had errors and someone couldn't change their keys back from Mandarin or emojis? Certainly someone would need to cover those lost wages and the emotional distress. :eek: