Keyboards

8bitdo-m-edition-mechanical-keyboard-is-a-modern-take-on-ibm’s-model-m

8BitDo M Edition mechanical keyboard is a modern take on IBM’s Model M

8bitdo, ibm, Keyboards, mechanical keyboards, Tech, Wireless keyboards / /

Bucks buckling springs —

Numpad sold separately.

–

  • 8BitDo’s IBM-like M Edition keyboard.

    8BitDo

  • Design cues help pay tribute to the ’80s buckling spring keyboard.

    8BitDo

  • It even has arrows on the Tab key, like the original Model M had.

    8BitDo

  • A profile view.

    8BitDo

  • Modern updates include these dedicated media keys.

    8BitDo

  • The keyboard has integrated storage for the wireless dongle.

    8BitDo

8BitDo is releasing an IBM-inspired look for its $100 wireless mechanical keyboard. Keyboard enthusiasts love regaling normies with tales of IBM’s buckling spring keyboards and the precedent they set for today’s mechanical keyboards. But 8BitDo’s Retro Mechanical Keyboard M Edition doesn’t adopt very much from IBM’s iconic designs.

8BitDo’s Retro mechanical keyboards come in different looks that each pay tribute to classic tech. The tributes are subtle enough to avoid copyright issues. Similar to 8BitDo’s ‘80s Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) and Commodore 64 designs, the M Edition doesn’t have any official IBM logos. However, the M Edition’s color scheme, chunkier build, and typeface selection, including on the Tab key with arrows and elsewhere, are nods to IBM’s Model M, which first succeeded the Model F in 1985.

Of course, the keyboard’s naming, and the IBM behemoth and floppy disks strategically placed in marketing images, are notes of that, too:

The IBM Easter eggs are apparent.

Enlarge / The IBM Easter eggs are apparent.

8BitDo

Despite its IBM-blue striped B and A buttons, the M Edition won’t be sufficient for retro keyboard fans seeking the distinct, buckling-spring experience of a true Model M.

As mentioned, the M Edition is basically a new color scheme for 8BitDo’s wireless mechanical keyboard offering. The peripheral connects to Windows 10 and Android 9.0 and newer devices via a USB-A cable, its wireless USB-A 2.4 Ghz dongle, or Bluetooth 5.0. 8BitDo claims it can endure up to 200 hours of use before needing a recharge. The M Edition also comes with the detachable A and B “Super Buttons” that connect to the keyboard via a 3.5 mm jack and are programmable without software.

  • A closer look at the Super Buttons.

    8BitDo

  • The pair of buttons attach to a port on the keyboard’s top edge.

    8BitDo

Differing from the Model M’s buckling spring switches, the M Edition has Kailh Box White V2 mechanical switches, which typically feel clicky and light to press. With crisp clicks and noticeable, but not slowing, feedback, they’re good for a modern mechanical switch for frequent typing.

But IBM’s ’80s keyboard didn’t use modern mechanical switches. It used buckling springs over a membrane sheet that made keys feel heavier to push than the keys on the preceding Model F keyboard (which used buckling springs over a capacitive PCB). 8BitDo’s switches are hot-swappable, though, making them easily replaceable.

The M Edition’s keycaps have an MDA-profile-like height, according to 8BitDo’s website. True Model M keycaps all had the same profile. The M Edition’s keycaps are doubleshot like the true Model M’s were, but the new keyboard uses cheaper ABS plastic instead of PBT.

While dimensions of 14.8×6.7×1.8 inches make the M Edition fairly dense for a tenkeyless keyboard, I would have loved to see 8BitDo commit to the vintage look with a thicker border north of the keys and more height toward the top.

But smaller keyboards that let owners reclaim desk space are the more common prebuilt mechanical keyboard releases these days, especially for gaming-peripherals brands like 8BitDo. A gaming focus also helps explain why there’s no numpad on the M Edition. 8BitDo is releasing a detachable numpad to go with the keyboard. It can connect via Bluetooth, dongle, or cable, but it will cost $45 extra.

The numpad has a button for switching to a regular calculator.

Enlarge / The numpad has a button for switching to a regular calculator.

8BitDo

8BitDo’s new keyboard colorway may appeal to people craving a hint of IBM nostalgia that doesn’t make their workspace look like it’s completely stuck in the past. But considering the fandom and legacy of old-school IBM keyboards’ switches and looks, shades of gray and blue won’t feel retro enough for many IBM keyboard fans.

The real deal: an IBM Model M.

Enlarge / The real deal: an IBM Model M.

If you want a real Model M, there’s a market of found and restored models available online and in thrift stores and electronics stores. For a modern spin, like USB ports and Mac support, Unicomp also makes new Model M keyboards that are truer to the original IBM design, particularly in their use of buckling spring switches.

The M Edition comes out on July 15.

Listing image by 8BitDo

8BitDo M Edition mechanical keyboard is a modern take on IBM’s Model M Read More »

copilot-key-is-based-on-a-button-you-probably-haven’t-seen-since-ibm’s-model-m

Copilot key is based on a button you probably haven’t seen since IBM’s Model M

AI, copilot, generative ai, Keyboards, laptops, microsoft, Tech, Windows, Windows 11 / /

Microsoft chatbot button —

Left-Shift + Windows key + F23

–

A Dell XPS 14 laptop with a Copilot key.

Enlarge / A Dell XPS 14 laptop. The Copilot key is to the right of the right-Alt button.

In January, Microsoft introduced a new key to Windows PC keyboards for the first time in 30 years. The Copilot key, dedicated to launching Microsoft’s eponymous generative AI assistant, is already on some Windows laptops released this year. On Monday, Tom’s Hardware dug into the new addition and determined exactly what pressing the button does, which is actually pretty simple. Pushing a computer’s integrated Copilot button is like pressing left-Shift + Windows key + F23 simultaneously.

Tom’s Hardware confirmed this after wondering if the Copilot key introduced a new scan code to Windows or if it worked differently. Using the scripting program AuthoHotkey with a new laptop with a Copilot button, Tom’s Hardware discovered the keystrokes registered when a user presses the Copilot key. The publication confirmed with Dell that “this key assignment is standard for the Copilot key and done at Microsoft’s direction.”

F23

Surprising to see in that string of keys is F23. Having a computer keyboard with a function row or rows that take you from F1 all the way to F23 is quite rare today. When I try to imagine a keyboard that comes with an F23 button, vintage keyboards come to mind, more specifically buckling spring keyboards from IBM.

IBM’s Model F, which debuted in 1981 and used buckling spring switches over a capacitive PCB, and the Model M, which launched in 1985 and used buckling spring switches over a membrane sheet, both offered layouts with 122 keys. These layouts included not one, but two rows of function keys that would leave today’s 60 percent keyboard fans sweating over the wasted space.

But having 122 keys was helpful for keyboards tied to IBM business terminals. The keyboard layout even included a bank of keys to the left of the primary alpha block of keys for even more forms of input.

An IBM Model M keyboard with an F23 key.

Enlarge / An IBM Model M keyboard with an F23 key.

The 122-key keyboard layout with F23 lives on. Beyond people who still swear by old Model F and M keyboards, Model F Labs and Unicomp both currently sell modern buckling spring keyboards with built-in F23 buttons. Another reason a modern Windows PC user might have access to an F23 key is if they use a macro pad.

But even with those uses in mind, the F23 key remains rare. That helps explain why Microsoft would use the key for launching Copilot; users are unlikely to have F23 programmed for other functions. This was also likely less work than making a key with an entirely new scan code.

The Copilot button is reprogrammable

When I previewed Dell’s 2024 XPS laptops, a Dell representative told me that the integrated Copilot key wasn’t reprogrammable. However, in addition to providing some interesting information about the newest PC key since the Windows button, Tom’s Hardware’s revelation shows why the Copilot key is actually reprogrammable, even if OEMs don’t give users a way to do so out of the box. (If you need help, check out the website’s tutorial for reprogramming the Windows Copilot key.)

I suspect there’s a strong interest in reprogramming that button. For one, generative AI, despite all its hype and potential, is still an emerging technology. Many don’t need or want access to any chatbot—let alone Microsoft’s—instantly or even at all. Those who don’t use their system with a Microsoft account have no use for the button, since being logged in to a Microsoft account is required for the button to launch Copilot.

A rendering of the Copilot button.

Enlarge / A rendering of the Copilot button.

Microsoft

Additionally, there are other easy ways to launch Copilot on a computer that has the program downloaded, like double-clicking an icon or pressing Windows + C, that make a dedicated button unnecessary. (Ars Technica asked Microsoft why the Copilot key doesn’t just register Windows + C, but the company declined to comment. Windows + C has launched other apps in the past, including Cortana, so it’s possible that Microsoft wanted to avoid the Copilot key performing a different function when pressed on computers that use Windows images without Copilot.)

In general, shoehorning the Copilot key into Windows laptops seems premature. Copilot is young and still a preview; just a few months ago, it was called Bing Chat. Further, the future of generative AI, including its popularity and top uses, is still forming and could evolve substantially during the lifetime of a Windows laptop. Microsoft’s generative AI efforts could also flounder over the years. Imagine if Microsoft went all-in on Bing back in the day and made all Windows keyboards have a Bing button, for example. Just because Microsoft wants something to become mainstream doesn’t mean that it will.

This all has made the Copilot button seem more like a way to force the adoption of Microsoft’s chatbot than a way to improve Windows keyboards. Microsoft has also made the Copilot button a requirement for its AI PC certification (which also requires an integrated neural processing unit and having Copilot pre-installed). Microsoft plans to make Copilot keys a requirement for Windows 11 OEM PCs eventually, it told Ars Technica in January.

At least for now, the basic way that the Copilot button works means you can turn the key into something more useful. Now, the tricky part would be finding a replacement keycap to eradicate Copilot’s influence from your keyboard.

Listing image by Microsoft

Copilot key is based on a button you probably haven’t seen since IBM’s Model M Read More »

8bitdo’s-$100-wireless-mechanical-keyboard-is-a-tribute-to-commodore-64

8BitDo’s $100 wireless mechanical keyboard is a tribute to Commodore 64

8bitdo, commodore 64, Keyboards, mechanical keyboards, Tech, Wireless keyboards / /

  • Fits in nicely with old cassettes and floppy disks.

    8BitDo

  • The keyboard uses a top mount and has an aluminum top plate.

    8BitDo

  • The keyboard has knobs for toggling connectivity modes (left) and controlling the connected system’s volume (right).

    8BitDo

  • There’s a magnetic compartment for storing the optional wireless dongle.

    8BitDo

The Commodore 64 introduced a generation of future computer geeks to personal computing. The 8-bit system first launched in 1982 and was discontinued in 1994. During that time, it made its mark as one of the first and most influential personal computers, and many still remember the computer fondly.

A Commodore 64.

Enlarge / A Commodore 64.

Gaming peripherals maker 8BitDo wants to bring that nostalgia to people’s fingertips and this week announced the Retro Mechanical Keyboard – C64 Edition. 8BitDo is careful not to use the name “Commodore” outright. But with marketing images featuring retro Commodore gear in the background, press materials saying that the keyboard was “inspired by the classics,” and certain design cues, the keyboard is clearly a tribute to the ’80s keyboard-computer.

8BitDo starts with the sort of beige that you only see on new peripherals these days if the gadgets are trying to appear old. A rainbow stripe runs horizontally and north of the function row, like on Commodore’s computer. There’s a power button with a bulb popping out of the keyboard case, ready to illuminate when it receives the signal.

  • The 8BitDo keyboard’s power LED.

    8BitDo

  • Retro rainbow.

    8BitDo

Like the Commodore 64, the C64 keyboard has limited keys, foregoing a number pad. The column of F-keys on the right side of the retro computer is abandoned in favor of today’s standard navigation keys. Naturally, the ports have also been updated. 8BitDo’s wireless mechanical keyboard can connect with a detachable USB-C to USB-A power cable via a 2.4 GHz wireless USB-A dongle or Bluetooth 5.0. 8BitDo claims that the keyboard’s 2000 mAh battery can endure 200 hours of use before needing a charge.

The new keyboard also reduces the bulkiness of a true vintage keyboard. It’s 6.7 inches tall and weighs 2.31 pounds. Commodore 64s were about 8 inches tall and weighed over 4 pounds.

A trimmer keyboard should help 8BitDo better appeal to its core audience of gamers. The keyboard even comes with a separate pair of large buttons and a joystick for gaming with an arcade feel. The joystick and Super Buttons, as 8BitDo calls them, are programmable, including with macros, without downloading 8BitDo’s software.

NES-inspired keyboard.” data-height=”1708″ data-width=”2560″ href=”https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/5-Super-Stick-and-Super-Buttons.jpg”>The keyboard comes with a joystick and mega-size buttons, just like 8BitDo's <a href=NES-inspired keyboard.” height=”427″ src=”https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/5-Super-Stick-and-Super-Buttons-640×427.jpg” width=”640″>

Enlarge / The keyboard comes with a joystick and mega-size buttons, just like 8BitDo’s NES-inspired keyboard.

8BitDo

The C64 doesn’t support Apple devices; it only supports Windows 10 and Android 9.0 and higher. The software for reprogramming the keyboard and setting up different profiles (which you can toggle with the heart button near the keyboard’s top edge) doesn’t officially support Apple OSes.

SA keycaps

If you really want to feel like you’re typing on an ’80s system, it’s not just about muted shades of beige; it’s about what your fingers feel. While there are some design changes that might have made the keyboard feel more authentic, some thought was clearly given to making this 2024 keyboard feel like it came out more than 30 years ago.

To start, the C64’s keycaps are made of ABS plastic with doubleshot legends. Some premium mechanical keyboards these days opt for PBT, as such keycaps typically offer better grip and resist fingerprint smudges better. But if we’re trying to be as accurate to the original C64 as possible, doubleshot ABS is the way to go.

The keycaps on the Commodore 64 were also notably spherical and contoured. 8BitDo’s design uses SA-profile keycaps, which are some of the tallest keycaps that are widely available. Some hardcore enthusiasts can tell the difference between SA keycaps and the Commodore 64’s original keycaps, but this is still a strong choice from 8BitDo, (plus the original Commodore 64 keycaps wouldn’t fit on modern mechanical switches without some modding).

8BitDo’s $100 wireless mechanical keyboard is a tribute to Commodore 64 Read More »

figma’s-creator-micro-made-me-a-macro-pad-person-with-its-colorful,-clicky-keys

Figma’s Creator Micro made me a macro pad person with its colorful, clicky keys

creator micro, figma, Glowing keyboards, Keyboards, macro pad, mechanical keyboards, Tech, work louder / /

Clicky Keyboards —

Besides being a fun tool, this pad’s layers work great for OS-switching.

–

Creator Micro on a desk next to keyboard, glasses, and Field Notes notebook

Enlarge / It’s coded for designers, quite literally, but the Figma Creator Micro is just a rebranded version of the stock Creator Micro from Work Louder. It is quite colorful, though.

Figma

A number of my friends, friends who aren’t streamers, have picked up Elgato’s Stream Decks. I can understand the impulse to have shortcuts, automation triggers, and fiddly little knobs within arm’s reach, without expanding the keyboard itself. But the Stream Deck’s customizable icons, upright nature, and streaming-focused app support make it a non-starter for my physical desktop. I’m a clicky keyboard person, even if I can see some intriguing non-QWERTY possibilities.

I hadn’t considered looking further into a secondary keyboard until I noticed that the makers of interface design tool Figma had collaborated with Work Louder on a custom tiny keyboard, the Figma Creator Micro. It’s a version of Work Louder’s standard Creator Micro, done up with a Figma-style color scheme and set up with four layers of shortcuts most useful inside that app, for a total of 48. It’s mechanical, it’s colorful, and it—or its more standardized cousin—might do a good bit toward improving your workflow.

Figma sent me a sample of its Creator Micro to test it out. I do not design interfaces, nor use Figma, but for all purposes, you could consider this to also be a test run of the standard Creator Micro. The two are functionally identical, minus the looks, and the pre-programming and custom shortcut keycaps included with the Figma version. Mine came with the “Clicky” (Kailh White) keys, though “Silent” (Kailh Brown) is an option.

  • The Figma Creator Micro, minus the USB-C cable it needs for data and power.

    Figma

  • The keycaps included with the Figma version of the Creator Micro.

    Figma

  • The base of the Creator Micro.

    Figma

  • Creator Micro on a desktop, with keyboard for scale.

    Figma

I reprogrammed three layers of my Micro with essentially the same 12 shortcuts, remapped with the web-based VIA software to mimic the same functions on Mac, Windows, and Gnome-based Linux (I haven’t gotten around to Chrome OS yet, but logically that’s next). This is a need more common among technology writers than perhaps many other trades, but it’s my favorite thing about the Micro. When I switch systems, I have to both physically switch my full-size keyboard (a NuPhy Air 75) between “Mac” and “Win” and also mentally shift my keyboard shortcuts. When I toggle between layers on the Micro (helpfully indicated with tiny LEDs), my shortcut scheme remains the same.

That scheme is geared toward my work, which is largely typing, taking screenshots, manipulating windows, and choosing which music is playing when I’m staring at a cursor and doubting myself. I’ve addressed the Micro’s buttons in horizontal rows, from the top:

  • Play, Next (skip) media
  • Resize windows left, center, full-size, and right (using native shortcuts or Rectangle)
  • Full-screen, active window, area selection, and save-to-file screenshots
  • Copy, paste

The top and bottom rows could probably be replaced, but I’m finding it nice to have backups for when my fingers can’t relearn the Command/Control differences between systems. The tall dial I have set to system volume and the smaller metallic wheel set to undo/redo actions. You can obviously go much further into specific app shortcuts, so long as you’re willing to learn VIA’s encoding system.

Having these shortcuts available has been helpful, but also fun. I’m not above admitting that I’m using the Micro to make my job—typing into a box about electricity—seem more like running some kind of complicated machine. The tactile feedback and sound from pressing one of the Micro’s keys provides the same kind of forward momentum feeling that mechanical typing enthusiasts pursue. Moving windows around with dedicated keys, and choosing when to grab a screenshot, feels more intentional and lends a sense of mastery.

OK, it’s fun, I’m saying. It’s fun to have a little box for little computer tasks, rather than efficiently doing them all through one slab you must memorize under pain of being considered unoptimized. Sometimes I just twirl the volume knob up and down, with nothing playing, because it’s fun to twirl a knob.

That kind of fun isn’t going to be worth $130–$160 (at the moment) to most people, maybe not even those already tuned into clicky keys. I think the Micro (and its Figma variant) looks and feels great, especially the knob, wheel, translucent RGB-lit border, and the just-heavy-enough non-skid base. Think about it when you next find your fingers tired from stretching to hit awkward combinations or your brain fatigued from differentiating between too-similar letters.

As Marcin Wichary, Figma’s design director and author of Shift Happens, a terrific compendium of keyboard history, puts it in Figma’s blog post about their Creator: “In a way, the QWERTY keyboard is boring because it has to be boring… it lost a lot of its personality to become versatile, and a lot of its quality to become ubiquitous.” The Creator Micro, and its Figma variant, are just two more tools to wield against practical, reasonable monotony.

Listing image by Figma

Figma’s Creator Micro made me a macro pad person with its colorful, clicky keys Read More »

clicks-is-a-$139-iphone-case-for-people-who-hate-touchscreen-typing

Clicks is a $139 iPhone case for people who hate touchscreen typing

IPhone, iPhones, Keyboards, Tech / /
Clicks keyboard

There’s an app for the keyboard promising new features, but it’s not mandatory for the keyboard to work.

Clicks Technology

I used to be a speed demon on phone keyboards. Similar to when I use a mechanical keyboard, I could type with so much ease that during their early days of text messaging, people in my household would ask me to write out their longer messages. Those days of carefree cell phone typing hit a rut when I got my first iPhone.

Now, I can’t start without first looking at my touchscreen keyboard. And I almost always make at least one typo when writing long texts, emails, or documents. That’s why I’m intrigued by the latest attempt to bring old-school physical keyboards to iPhones.

A snap-on keyboard for the iPhone

On Thursday, Clicks Technology unveiled Clicks, a keyboard available for the iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max that snaps to the phone like a case. But instead of adding protection, it adds a physical keyboard. Each key boasts 0.22 mm of travel, Jeff Gadway, SVP of product marketing at Clicks, told Ars via email. That seems like miles compared to the flat nature of touchscreens.

Clicks Technology has hinted at plans for releasing Clicks in additional colors beyond what's seen here.

Clicks Technology has hinted at plans for releasing Clicks in additional colors beyond what’s seen here.

Clicks Technology

The keyboard connects via the iPhone’s Lightning or USB-C port (whichever the iPhone has). It uses iOS’s support for external keyboards, leveraging the human interface devices (HID) protocol. According to Clicks’ FAQ page, the company decided to forego Bluetooth to avoid pairing complications and latency. Users are supposed to still be able to charge their phones, including with wireless chargers, with Clicks connected.

But if you’re hoping to pair a traditional-style phone keyboard with traditional wired headphones, you’re out of luck. The company’s website says Clicks Technology is “working on a solution” to allow the keyboard and wired headphones to work simultaneously, but you have to pick one or the other for now. Clicks also isn’t considered compatible with MagSafe accessories, though the makers hope to change that eventually.

One look at Clicks’ layout, and I already see appeal in there being a Tab key, which the standard integrated iPhone keyboard lacks. Further, the keyboard is also supposed to make it easier to leverage keyboard shortcuts using its Command (CMD) key. Clicks’ makers highlight shortcuts like launching search (CMD + Space), getting to the home screen (CMD + H), and scrolling through web pages with the space key. Clicks claims to support keyboard shortcuts across “many” third-party apps, according to Thursday’s announcement.

Should the keyboard prove to work well and feel good, it could be a clever way to add more screen real estate for some iPhones since users won’t have a touchscreen keyboard hogging screen space at times. However, I’m curious to see how hard it is to hold and navigate a Clicks-equipped iPhone, including going from the physical keyboard to touchscreen as needed, for longer periods.

But Clicks also impacts iPhone battery life, even though the startup claims the effect is minimal.

“When the backlight is turned off, even on a heavy use day, battery usage will typically be less than ~2 percent. If the backlight is on, usage may increase up to another ~2 percent,” Clicks’ FAQ page, which we’ll have to take with a grain of salt, reads. The keyboard’s backlight turns off automatically after 5 seconds of the keyboard not being used and can be disabled. The keyboard also has an off switch.

When asked for further information, Gadway said the keyboard uses about 4.4 mAh when on but not in use.

“The background Wh consumption when the backlight is off is approximately 0.01628 Wh. It’s important to note that Wh is dependent on the voltage the battery uses, therefore we take the average of 3.7V,” he added.

Some might also be disappointed to notice that Clicks lacks a key for emojis, which have become so prominent in today’s culture that some mechanical keyboards and mice have started including integrated emoji buttons. Clicks says the keyboard doesn’t have an emoji button because iOS external keyboards do not currently support the feature. But there are still ways for Clicks users to bring up the emoji menu, including by pressing multiple keys that the keyboard does have. 

Clicks is a $139 iPhone case for people who hate touchscreen typing Read More »

discontinued-and-unreleased-microsoft-peripherals-revived-by-licensing-deal

Discontinued and unreleased Microsoft peripherals revived by licensing deal

Keyboards, Mice, microsoft, Tech / /

Sorry, no Intellimouse —

Classics like the Ergonomic Keyboard should be available again this year.

–

Microsoft Ergonomic Keyboard

Enlarge / The Microsoft Ergonomic Keyboard is making a comeback.

Microsoft

In April, Microsoft announced that it would stop selling Microsoft-branded computer peripherals. Today, Onward Brands announced that it’s giving those discarded Microsoft-stamped gadgets a second life under new branding. Products like the Microsoft Ergonomic Keyboard will become Incase products with “Designed by Microsoft” branding.

Beyond the computer accessories saying “Designed by Microsoft,” they should be the same keyboards, mice, webcams, headsets, and speakers, Onward, Incase’s parent company, said, per The Verge. Onward said its Incase brand will bring back 23 Microsoft-designed products in 2024 and hopes for availability to start in Q2.

Some of the Microsoft-designed gear that Incase is relaunching.

Enlarge / Some of the Microsoft-designed gear that Incase is relaunching.

Incase also plans to launch an ergonomic keyboard that Microsoft designed but never released. Onward CEO Charlie Tebele told The Verge that there’s “potential” for Incase to release even more designs Microsoft never let us see.

Licensing deal

The return of Microsoft peripheral designs resurrects (albeit in a new form) a line of computer gear started in 1983 when Microsoft released its first mouse, the Microsoft Mouse.

Neither Onward nor Microsoft shared the full terms of their licensing agreement, but Onward claims that Incase will leverage the same supply chain and manufacturing components that Microsoft did, The Verge noted.

“Microsoft will still retain ownership of its designs, so it could potentially bring back classic mice or keyboards itself in the future or continue to renew its license to Incase,” The Verge reported, pointing out that Onward isn’t licensing every single one of Microsoft’s computer peripherals. Some classics, like the Intellimouse or its modern iterations, for example, don’t make the Incase reboot list.

For its part, Microsoft is still “convicted on going under one single” Surface brand, Nancie Gaskill, general manager of Surface, told The Verge.

That said, in Microsoft’s old designs, Incase, whose website is currently filled with backpacks, bags, and laptop and AirPod cases, suddenly finds itself selling keyboards, mice, and other peripherals. Onward’s other brands, Griffin, Incipio, and Survivor, also don’t sell the types of products that Incase is licensing here. If all goes well, Incase could build its own computer accessories portfolio.

Microsoft’s initial departure from Microsoft-brand peripherals meant it would only focus on more expensive, higher-end designs worthy of Surface branding. But that left a gap for the numerous users who felt satisfied with Microsoft’s various designs that were simpler and more affordable. Incase’s venture could help serve those customers, while Microsoft’s legacy with such products can continue without major investment from the tech giant.

Here’s a full list of the Microsoft-designed peripherals that Incase plans to bring back in 2024:

Keyboards

  • Bluetooth Keyboard
  • Bluetooth Number Pad
  • Designer Compact Keyboard
  • Ergonomic Keyboard
  • Sculpt Comfort Desktop
  • Sculpt Ergonomic Desktop
  • Sculpt Ergonomic Keyboard
  • Wired Desktop 600
  • Wired Keyboard 600
  • Wireless Comfort Desktop 5050 AES
  • Wireless Desktop 850
  • Wireless Desktop 900

Mice

  • Bluetooth Ergonomic Mouse
  • Bluetooth Mouse
  • Mobile Mouse 1850
  • Modern Mobile Mouse
  • Sculpt Ergonomic Mouse

Audio

  • Audio Dock
  • Modern USB Headset
  • Modern USB-C Headset
  • Modern USB-C Speaker
  • Modern Webcam
  • Modern Wireless Headset

Discontinued and unreleased Microsoft peripherals revived by licensing deal Read More »