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.

sonder-keyboard
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.

Tag: Sonder

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Top Rated Comments

jmh600cbr Avatar
117 months ago
2018? Let's worry about 2016 first.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ignatius345 Avatar
117 months ago
And it has an "any" key!

Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Kaibelf Avatar
117 months ago
Ridiculous rumor. Apple would never add this functionality to a keyboard for such a low price. :rolleyes:

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:
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
maflynn Avatar
117 months ago
I'm not really a fan of what is being shown for that keyboard, it kind of looks ugly.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
gpat Avatar
117 months ago
Cool... but, what about that?
http://store.oregonscientific.com/it/tastiera-virtuale-con-caricabatterie.html
Why would I want something so gimmicky on my computer?
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
rudychidiac Avatar
117 months ago
I predicted this a long time ago, I seriously should be an apple anal-yst
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)