Logitech’s Pop Keys keyboard has one foot in the past and the other in the future.
The mechanical keys that are the big feature of Logitech’s new series of wireless keyboards mirror the look and feel of a typewriter, with its rounded, raised keys, and the click-click-clacking of a 1960s secretary’s office.
On the other hand (or foot), the inclusion of emoji keys, Bluetooth connectivity, and even an app to expand the available features, makes this one of the most modern keyboards available on the market.
This deliberate disconnect is an attempt to bring some old-world charm into the social media churn of the 21st century, but is there an audience for it?
Make no mistake, this feels a lot like typing on an old Olivetti – which only is to say, it will slow down your keystroke pace, and you’ll find yourself reverting to hunt-and-peck typing after the tenth mis-hit or accidental erasure of an entire sentence. No doubt, you’ll get use it if you stick it out, but will you stick it out?
The mechanical spring and the tactile feel and sound of the Pop Keys are strangely satisfying, but I’m hard pressed to think of a logical reason why anyone would persist past the novelty factor of testing one of these out and going “that’s cool”, to the stage where this becomes their actual keyboard. Mechanical keys existed, after all, to physically punch an ink ribbon with such force that it marks a letter onto a piece of paper. Function came well before form. Now we have robots that can explain NASA satellite imagery – albeit, incorrectly so.
I could mount a reasonable use-case for those luddite writers stuck in the sepia era who refuse to move past a typewriter to a computer – then, I get to the cry-face emoji key, and the USB connector, and my case is shot.
It’s a fun toy and looks and feels beautiful – but make no mistake, this is a toy. Logitech have released various fun colourways, furthering the notion this is a novelty product aimed at a younger audience who have only seen typewriters in Mad Men, and the additional, clip-on emoji keys only skew this closer to Lego than a serious tech product.
Like a musical keyboard with weighted keys, it might bring the physical feeling closer to that of playing a piano, but you’re still bashing plastic, not tickling ivory.
RATING: 8/10
PROS:
It looks great, feels satisfying, and has novelty factor.
The batteries (two AAAs) will last for months.
Easy to connect.
CONS:
Very limited target market
