Sonder Design
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Computer hardware, Design |
| Headquarters | Sydney , Australia |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | Sonder keyboard |
| Parent | Foxconn International Holdings |
| Website | www |
Sonder Design is a design firm based in Australia, with its main office located within the Australian Technology Park in Sydney. The company created the Sonder keyboard, an innovative device that incorporates a patented transparent mechanism positioned above an E Ink screen, allowing the keyboard layout and key functions to be visually modified in real-time.
The firm maintains offices in Sydney, Shenzhen, and Taipei. Their production model features a single E Ink display supplied by E Ink Holdings. The Sonder keyboard attracted significant media coverage, including a feature on technology platforms such as Wired in July 2015.
This keyboard improves user experience by dynamically presenting key functions—for example, it displays uppercase characters when the Shift key is engaged. It enables seamless toggling between various layouts like English and Cyrillic, and accommodates alternative configurations such as the Dvorak without needing to physically alter the keys.
Apple acquisition rumors
According to reports from The Guardian and The Wall Street Journal, Apple explored acquiring Sonder with assistance from Foxconn. However, Sonder refuted claims that co-founder Francisco Serra-Martins met with Apple CEO Tim Cook in Shenzhen on October 26, 2016. Notably, several individuals from Sonder’s sales and MacBook architecture teams previously worked at Apple.
Production schedule
Early announcements indicated that shipments of the keyboards were planned to commence in 2017. Manufacturing responsibilities are managed by Foxconn.
Acquisition by Foxconn
In late 2019, Sonder was reportedly purchased by its strategic partner, Foxconn International Holdings.
Similar keyboards
The patent covering this "Display Keyboard" (U.S. Patent 5,818,361) has expired. Prior to this, the first programmable LCD keyboard marketed in the U.S. as LCBoard until 1999 incorporated many features akin to the Optimus keyboard, such as monochrome graphic icons on keys, macro programming capabilities, and context-sensitive function switching. Related innovations appeared in an IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin (1978) by S. Bigbie et al., and in U.S. Patent 4,078,257 filed by Alan Bagley of Hewlett-Packard.
In 2013, Maxim Mezentsev and Aleksander Suhih developed a concept design utilizing E Ink technology.
Additionally, a patent application submitted in March 2007 indicates that Apple Inc. might be working on an OLED keyboard with dynamically changeable keys.
External links
- Sonder Design - official website