CES 2018: Matias Announces Wired Aluminum Mac Keyboard With RGB Backlighting

Wednesday January 10, 2018 3:51 AM PST by Tim Hardwick
At CES on Tuesday, third-party accessory maker Matias announced an RGB-backlit wired aluminum keyboard for Mac. Inspired by Apple's own, now defunct wired keyboard, Matias' silver and space grey versions look almost identical, except for the addition of a "color dial" on the back and a dedicated key on the layout that allow users to incrementally shift the backlighting through the color spectrum.


Citing a Harvard sleep study, Matias notes that too much blue-light exposure at night is known to negatively impact melatonin levels, which can shift the body's natural time clock — leading to poor sleep and various other health issues. However, the existence of the rotary color dial on its latest keyboard means users can dial back the blue component of white light when they're working late into the evening.

The RGB keyboard features Apple-style function keys to let users control screen brightness, volume, iTunes, and so on, and also includes a built-in USB 2.0 port underneath on the right hand side, for connecting a wired mouse or wireless dongle.

The keyboards cost $99 each and will be available in a wide range of international layouts (US, EU, and Asian). They can be pre-ordered now from the Matias website, with free shipping to the U.S. and Canada, for delivery in late February.

Tag: CES 2018
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theluggage
8 months ago

I’m glad to see this. I just wish Apple would come out with a backlit keyboard. It’s odd to me that they haven’t.


It was clearly more important to reduce the key travel and decrease the typing angle - as demanded by absolutely nobody at all.

Not even clear why wireless is a must-have on a desktop keyboard, either... solve the problem with backlights sucking power, and it is jolly useful to have a couple of extra USB-A ports on the desk, esp. with an iMac where all the ports are tucked around the back.

Matias notes that too much blue-light exposure at night is known to negatively impact melatonin levels, which can shift the body's natural time clock


...quite possibly a "thing" in the case of that ultra-bright 27" rectangle that you're staring intently at, but methinks that if your keyboard backlight is disturbing your sleep then you're holding it wrong...
Rating: 5 Votes
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theluggage
8 months ago

Likely to capitalize on scale by sharing parts and processes between desktop and mobile versions

Because they want a uniform typing experience across all their products.


I could almost understand that, but it's not the same part - its a sort of half-way house between the old-style (excellent) key switch and the (horrible) new MBP keyswitch. Its not bad - and I stuck with it for several weeks before deciding it was just less comfortable and somehow more error-prone that the old keyboard, and switching back. Some people seem to like it (but then I know people who liked the hockey puck mouse and Windows Vista :-) ) but several others here have found the same as me: it feels OK at first but becomes uncomfortable after extended use (I think it is a combination of the angle and reduced "springy-ness"). However, I don't recall anybody complaining about the old keyboard unless they were die-hard full-travel people...

A classic case of "It ain't broke: don't fix it!"

Fortunately, it's a very easy problem to solve on the iMac


True.

Unfortunately, the old Aluminium wired keyboard was a really, really good example of how to make an acceptable short-travel keyboard. Fortunately, I have a couple of spares...
Rating: 2 Votes
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Arkanok
8 months ago
That’s great because I miss the wired Apple keyboard, but at $99, it’s not much cheaper than the official wireless keyboard.
Rating: 1 Votes
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Phil in ocala
8 months ago

I'd really like to get one of these - but after reading the latest reviews of some of their other keyboards (wireless w/keypad and illuminated wireless w/keypad) on Amazon, I'm not going to risk a pre-order. Seems like they have a lot of quality issues lately.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Chinese Quality
Rating: 1 Votes
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ignatius345
8 months ago

Yeah that's part of the paradox of Apple, I guess. They made the iMac keyboard more like the laptop keyboard, but why? I get that they want to reduce the size and weight of a laptop to make it as portable as possible (even though I may not prefer the newer keyboard), but why do this with the iMac? And if you really want to make the iMac keyboard like the laptop keyboard, why not make it backlit? Why not add TouchID?

Because they want a uniform typing experience across all their products. Apple is huge on consistency whenever possible. That's a good thing when it works because Apple hardware and UI conforms to certain design conventions and is more familiar as soon as you start using it.

In this case, though, it's just a "lowest common denominator". If the iMac had a wonderful keyboard with tactile response and decent key travel, people would start wondering why they put a trash keyboard in the MacBook just to save a millimeter on the thickness of the device. So everybody gets the same ****y butterfly-switch keyboard that feels like you're hammering your fingers on a piece of hard metal.

Fortunately, it's a very easy problem to solve on the iMac -- just plug in [nice keyboard of your choice] and never look back. On the laptop side... well, let's just say I'm still rocking a MacBook Air because it has somewhat real-er of a keyboard.
Rating: 1 Votes
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ThisBougieLife
8 months ago

It was clearly more important to reduce the key travel and decrease the typing angle - as demanded by absolutely nobody at all.


Yeah that's part of the paradox of Apple, I guess. They made the iMac keyboard more like the laptop keyboard, but why? I get that they want to reduce the size and weight of a laptop to make it as portable as possible (even though I may not prefer the newer keyboard), but why do this with the iMac? And if you really want to make the iMac keyboard like the laptop keyboard, why not make it backlit? Why not add TouchID?
Rating: 1 Votes
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jamisonbaines
8 months ago
no pictures of the space grey model?
Rating: 1 Votes
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mrzz
8 months ago
It's really difficult to understand that apple hasn't been able to create their own external backlit keyboard - what a shame.
Rating: 1 Votes
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Solomani
8 months ago
I'd pay a premium for an official Apple (extended with numeric keypad) wireless backlit Magic Keyboard!
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It's really difficult to understand that apple hasn't been able to create their own external backlit keyboard - what a shame.

do they know there is a demand?
Rating: 1 Votes
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theluggage
8 months ago

I was under the impression that the new MacBook Pro "second gen" butterfly keyboard was about the same as the Magic Keyboard I have. Is that not true?


I've only tried the butterfly keyboards in a shop, but my brief impression was certainly that the 2nd gen in the MBP was better than the 1st gen in the rMB - similar travel but somehow better "feel", but it certainly isn't the same as the Magic - which is still a scissor mechanism.

The travel on the "magic" is somewhere between the "butterfly" and the "classic" key - but it ain't Goldilocks.
Rating: 1 Votes
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