What am I missing here, with pretty switches?

[jamster]

So I just came across this today:

https://drop.com/buy/domikey-x-kailh-cyberpunk-tactile-mechanical-switch

And also noticed that specific colour combinations on switches is a bit of a 'thing'.

Why is this a thing? I can't see any of the switches under my keycaps, and even on cases where the side of the keys are more exposed (can't remember the term), can barely see the switch housing. Especially when the keyboard is in front of me.

[Faceman76]

Same could almost be said about plate color. 

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

[MIGHTY CHICKEN]

They look pretty in storage jars, some people like matching colors for everything, and also gives a better reason to re-release a switch with very small technical changes. "It's the thought that counts blah blah they all say"

I don't buy into it, but that's what the market wants.

[suicidal_orange]

As with anything pretty it's form over function.  I will often pay the premium for something that is visible in the hope it somehow expresses a little of my personality but as you say switches are all but hidden so it does seem pointless in this case.  Unless you are planning to put a capless board on the wall as a piece of art, and given the number of boards some people have this is a real possibilty as they can't use them all.

Same could almost be said about plate color.

True - silver or white to best reflect LEDs or matte black for the dark look, anything else isn't really noticeable once the caps are on.

[Kavik]

I wondered this when they started to become a thing a little while back. For me, it was actually an annoying feature because color is how we have always identified different models of switch, so now there's an extra layer of confusion because the color may mean the actual color of the plastic or the kind of switch (No, it's a "red blue", not a "blue red"). Maybe it's not as much of an issue going forward since new switches' names seem to be diverging from that convention (Holy Panda, Halos, etc.).

[Indigu]

Seems like a marketing thing to add more uniqueness to their product and make it stand out amongst the rest imo, you don't commonly see switches like this every day which leads to you checking the switch out, and that's what they want you to do.

[TheWonderBubble]

Probably just a marketing gimmick, but I could see it mattering to some people that have a "low profile" (idk what the proper term is) board where the plate is the highest part and the switches are actually barely visible between the plate and keycaps. Something like the Drop Alt (for lack of knowing a better example):