This is 95% perfect, but I can't bring myself to buy it if it uses mini-USB. It really needs to be USB-C and Bluetooth would be great too. I think micro-USB at a minimum, as I don't want to carry around a mini cable just for this. I really want an ergo 60%, but for now I guess I'll stick with my Anne Pro. Hoping the next iteration they update the connectors!
Mechmind"You seem like an idiot." Wow such a well thought out and compelling argument, I'm not sure how I can counter it. Well, I'll try...
I can't think of any serious devices that have used mini-USB in years. I don't think I own any such devices anymore and have long ago gotten rid of those cables. Whereas I have a crapton of mini-USB cables and have started getting USB-C now as well due to my phone. Either of those cables are plentiful for myself and I'd assume most users. I don't want to have to carry a single-use cable for a kb and if something happened to it or was lost/forgotten, I doubt I would even be able to borrow one from a friend nowadays. Really any devices I purchase going forward I'd rather have future proof and come with USB-C as that is the way both the PC and Mac ecosystems are going. Unfortunately there are very slim pickings when it comes to ergo MK, even more so at 60%.
As someone who recently got into MK, the standardization on mini-USB baffles me. Is there even a good reason they have refused to adopt micro-USB? At least the Poker's newest iteration uses a USB-C cable now. Bad example I know, the Poker is barely used in the MK community and not well-respected or frequently recommended or anything. But hey, what can I say.
Bluetooth would be even better, but I realize that comes with additional complexity as well as having to have a battery pack, but the Anne Pro has done it pretty well and cheaply I think. And they even managed to use a micro-USB port for charging and corded use. Heretics!
How about you "please elaborate" on how micro-USB is superior other than nostalgia and some elitist MK bullsh!t.
deusxanimeIn the context of a keyboard cable, mini USB is just as good as micro and USB C. How can you get so hung up about a cable lol. It's not like you have to plug the mini side into your computer, just carry around the cables with the keyboard.
The standardisation on mini usb is because connector type has no effect on 99% of people. It's like refusing to buy a house because the the doors use the wrong variety of wood, despite being painted over.
KatamaraType-C is reversible, more durable, increasingly abundant, and future proof; particularly in terms of connectivity to newer tech. No one is demanding a hub with gen 2 protocols, just connectors, which are pennies, plus the cost of tooling, which should be seen as an investment. The K-Type managed 2 of them.
You make a lot of valid points, and I don't know if its absence necessarily justifies rejecting a keyboard, but i can understand it, more so than the decision to include mini in a 2017 premium product, which is mystifying.
iSaffHow do any of these points make a significant impact on a keyboard's primary use...
Look at the pinout of C vs mini, C is more expensive and complex. The primary benefits of USB C are its increased data transfer and power, none of which apply any benefit to this keyboard.
KatamaraThe primary benefit of C right now is being omnidirectional and future proofing. I wonder if they even make a C to mini cable that you'd be able to use in a new MacBook, since that is the only port they come with now. It wouldn't surprise me to see others following suit soon. So instead you'll have to have a USB hub with you as well to connect your kb.
A keyboard, especially one this expensive, better last for years and years and I don't want to be stuck carrying a mini USB cable around all that time, thanks. Bringing up cost of C versus mini when the board costs $180 is just silly too. I doubt it would add more than a dollar or so to the cost. I don't remember it significantly increasing the cost of the new Poker, yet it managed to include C.
deusxanimeI've had many lightning and micro-USB cables fail. I've been using mini-USB cables for about twice as long, and never had one go bad. I understand all of your arguments, but IMHO, there's nothing wrong with mini-USB, and plenty of good reason to stick with the standard for keyboards. I actually have some keyboards with micro-USB, and I'm annoyed when I decide to use them, as I have to go find a different cable, rather than just unplugging the current board, and plugging in the new one, leaving the perfectly sized and routed cable where it is. That's probably my biggest reason for hoping keyboards stick with mini-USB. Maybe it's the same with keyboard makers.
captainAnecdotally, I've never had a micro-USB cable fail on me and I have been using them for years too. Not sure what the official numbers are for micro vs mini reliability, but I'd rather have C anyway which specifically had durability as part of the design requirements due to the shortcomings of mini and micro ports.
Your argument boils down to "get off my lawn"/"it's inconvenient for me" which, IMO, aren't terribly good reasons to continue sticking with an old, out-dated standard. Perhaps these should come with PS/2, serial, or even good ol' AT connectors instead? =)
deusxanimeWouldn't a mini USB be more sturdy than a micro-USB? I find micro-USB ports tend to go out quicker. I cannot think of a reason to go mini-USB over type C though.
switchbizzleThe reason would probably be that over 95% of consumers don't even have a type c port? New computers do, and it's fairly inevitable, but almost no one has it yet.
TelFiREThat doesn't make any sense. Not all cables are type-c to type-c. My phone has type-C and I just use a type-c to type-A cable to hook it up to my motherboard. I'm pretty sure you can get type-C to pretty much anything, even a lightning cable.
deusxanimeRemember this is a mechanical keyboard, its pretty darn unavoidable and highly likely that you are going to need to get an adapter or two; maybe even chained together over its lifetime in order to get it work on the latest stuff at the time, its the nature of the business, even if it shipped with USB-C today.
deusxanimeActually, my primary argument is that nearly all USB keyboards that aren't hardwired have had a USB-mini port, and as I have seen no compelling argument for using any other USB port on a keyboard, and many people have specially routed cables extant, the most readonable port for new keyboards being marketed to keyboard enthusiasts would stick with the same port: USB-mini.