You know, there are a lot of people out there would would say mechanical keyboards are for the hipster whose regular keyboard isn't cutting it anymore. After all, millions of people crank out billions of words a day on membrane keyboards just fine, right?
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I agree up to a point, but computers are perfect distraction machines. Obviously you can shut off your internet and use good old fashioned discipline -- but at the same time I think there is something to the idea of an all-in-one device dedicated to writing and incapable of really being used for anything else. Especially when the screen and keyboard have been optimized for text input. Probably pretty hard to write in screenplay format on it, though, unless you use Fountain script format, I guess.
For the record, I've gone down the road of creating a separate, stripped-down user account for writing only under OS X (though I wouldn't touch Word with a ten-foot pole) and that's definitely a help. I even used the Accessibility settings to make the screen greyscale in that account so it feels different from my main account. It's not bad but if this was cheaper I could see lugging it .
For the hipster part: I very much agree. In fact, I'm shocked that it hasn't already caught on as a hipster thing. I think they just don't know about it. Think about it... it's unique, highly customizable (with colors and everything), vintage/retro, disregards others in public, and pretty expensive. It ticks all the hipster boxes yet none of them seem to have noticed. I think it has to start as a trend before others will take notice and join (like fixed-gear bikes, for example). It'll come, you just wait!
The difference between spending money on mechanical keyboards and this is that people are just enhancing their experience with something, not trying to solve a problem. If you type all day on a keyboard, why not get one that's enjoyable. If you're buying this because you're addicted to Facebook, then you'll still be distracted by Facebook with other means.
My point is simply that even having a computer that only does one function (text input), you'll still be distracted by everything around you (phone, TV, actual computers nearby, etc).
The other major consideration is the extremely narrow workflow that this can work in: namely, creative writing. Nearly everyone writing stuff for school or work requires access to other documents and sources of information to produce their work, which this doesn't allow for. That leaves just writers who are doing creative writing (such as a novel, journal, or screenplay). Those people exist for sure, but it still is an extremely limited device.
I think there are perhaps better options (either cheaper or more effective, or both) worth trying first. For example, taking a normal laptop somewhere with no internet connection (like a park, cottage). There are all kinds of creative ways to go about removing distractions (namely the internet in this case as it's the only distraction this device addresses).
I'm also not crazy about this particular design. Your neck will be broken if you write a book while staring straight down pretty much at your keyboard, there are no dedicated arrow keys or mouse for quickly and easily manipulating text, and I think the screen is too small (although I love the e-ink idea).
It's certainly an interesting idea and makes for an interesting conversation about the way we use modern devices and some of the ways they can be overwhelming.