Are you interested in buying a luxury, vintage mechanical keyboard? Look no further, you can fund the Azio Retro Classic keyboard on Indiegogo (it has reached 90 percent of its goal so far).
Azio Corporation, the company behind the Azio Retro Classic, have previously released another mechanical keyboard named the Azio MK Retro Mechanical Keyboard (it is available for $99.99 on the B&H Photo-Video-Audio website).
“This year, we took the basics of our original MK Retro and set out to make a mechanical keyboard that truly excited us and hopefully you as well. We took feedback from customers and created one of the most luxurious mechanical keyboards available. Introducing the Azio Retro Classic,” it said in the Azio Retro Classic Indiegogo campaign.
The look of the keyboard is that of a typewriter, and uses leather as its back plate and either black chrome, rose gold or regular gold for the frame and plating around each of the keys (named the Retro Classic Onyx, the Retro Classic Posh and the Retro Classic Artisan). The frame will weather over time, but it “adds character to the product and is where we truly see the beauty of using genuine materials.”
“We wanted to incorporate natural materials that not only translates into higher quality build but also bring back the nostalgia of vintage goods that are personable to the physical touch and senses,” it said in the Azio Retro Classic Indiegogo campaign. “This keyboard is not just about technical specifications but a certain tangibility that one can feel and connect with.”
The keyboard continues its typewriter aesthetic to the point that the keys click when you use them. Also, each keyboard will also feature a plaque that has the “Retro Classic” name, The name of Azio (the company), the year the company was established (2009) and the slogan, “elegantly fierce” to give off the feel that this keyboard is a one of a kind keyboard to its users. On the less retro side of things, the keyboard has LED backlights so that it can still be used in the dark.
People interested in buying the keyboard can either by a wired version or a wireless version. The wired version features only a USB port and cable and matches with a Windows keyboard, while the wireless version can switch between a Windows keyboard and a Mac keyboard, and has Bluetooth connectivity and a USB port and cable. The wireless version is more expensive than the wired version.
The Indiegogo campaign’s goal is $10,000, and currently has $8,985 of that funded from 71 backers. If you’re interested in purchasing the keyboard, the early backers edition is still available. The early backers edition costs $95 that includes one wired version of the Retro Classic keyboard in the color of your choice, while the $110 perk includes one wireless version of the Retro Classic Keyboard in the color of your choice. As of writing, the early backer versions are still available for purchase.
The most expensive perks, which cost $550 and $620, include either five of the wired keyboards or five of the wireless keyboards respectively geared towards offices.
This swanky keyboard has me interested in buying one, even with the seemingly hipster look and feel of the keyboard. This could be a collector item for those interested, too, due to the plaque available with every keyboard. You don’t need to be a hipster to be interested in buying one of these keyboards. If the Retro Classic keyboard is successfully backed, they will cost $190 for the wired version and $220 for the wireless version, so grab yours while the discount lasts!
Featured image via the Retro Classic Indiegogo campaign.
