There isn’t a whole lot of things one can customize on a keyboard, and vendors catering to the segment have thus far stuck to offering rows of macro keys, LCD panels and backlit options as points of differentiation. Massdrop is taking a uniquely different approach with its first offering, the Infinity Keyboard.
Massdrop’s keyboard is unlike any other in that it features a barebones chassis with only 63 keys. There are no key labels by default, and features like backlit rows are missing, as are function keys, document navigation buttons, and a number pad. What do you get is a highly customizable keyboard that offers a very basic 63-key configuration and a host of customizability.
You can configure the Infinity Keyboard with Cherry MX switches, or the more recent Matias switches. The Cherry MX switch options include Blue, Brown, Red, Black, or Clear, while Matias switches are available in clicky or quiet variants. Massdrop is catering to the DIY crowd by offering the keyboard unassembled. You get the keys, a circuit board and a metal plate case, and have to solder the switches onto the board by following the assembly instructions.
One good thing about a highly configurable keyboard is that you can customize the Infinity Keyboard to work with any configuration through the vendor’s online utility. Also different is how you buy the keyboard: you can’t just head over to Massdrop’s website and place an order, as the vendor follows a group buy policy. What this means is that a minimum number of people need to commit to buying the keyboard before Massdrop commences a manufacturing run.
The price of the keyboard is $100 not including the keycaps, which cost an additional $35 to $45 based on the switches, and a further $12 for taxes and delivery charges. For the $150 segment the Infinity Keyboard is targeting, there are similar alternatives that offer much more, like the CODE keyboard that comes with backlighting and a row of function keys. At the end, it’s down to the exclusivity, as the Infinity Keyboard will be manufactured in limited runs.
