The stand that made Das keyboards
Das Keyboards is a fairly small brand that makes top of the line computer keyboards that don’t grab any attention (google: what is the best keyboard for work?). If you saw one of their keyboards and didn’t know the brand you would think it’s a quick, fairly inexpensive buy off Amazon.
What makes them great?
They know what you want in a keyboard, they make it as easy and efficient as possible, and they have the experience of doing it for over a decade.
Currently, I think the new 16’’ MacBook pros keyboard is what most people are after. It has clicky keys that travel, quick-access USB ports and the flexibility of the touch-bar, put together they make most people’s use of a computer as easy as possible. But if you really want to improve efficiency Das sets the standard. Their keyboards have the clickiest keys that travel, USB ports built-in and a ruler for a stand, potentially the most versatile of stationary equipment. No mac has that.
But how do they beat the touch-bar? If you have the new MacBook Pro you likely use the touch-bar for a few things; changing the volume and brightness, playing, pausing and skipping media, and sleeping your laptop. The Das keyboard has all of these built-in and does them better. You adjust volume with a satisfyingly click infinitely spinning nob, and the rest of the buttons are clicky and tactile and always available, unlike the touch bar.
All of these things make Das keyboards great, but none of them make Das special.
The stand Das Keyboards took
Before any company takes a stand, it needs to know who it’s for. It needs to know who its audience is. If you couldn’t guess from their product its people who want the most efficient and effective keyboard on the market, but with a catch, they don’t want the keyboard to draw attention, it’s not about that. Efficiency obsessed professionals.
So, Das knows what it does, does it to the highest of standards and knows who wants it. But what exemplifies them? What appeals to their audience? What can they do that their competitors wouldn’t? What can they do to stand out?
Boom!
See it? The keys are blank. I know, brilliant. But just in case you don’t agree, let me explain. Das is a brand that does one thing, keyboards; for one group of people, efficiency-obsessed professionals. What positions a brand more effectively for people who need to do things as fast as possible than producing a product that can only be used by these people? Nothing. And none of Das’s competitors will do it because it doesn’t appeal to their customers.
With this one product, Das changed from a brand that helps people to type on a computer to a brand that helps people become more efficient at whatever they are doing on a computer. Now their entire line-up of keyboards is seen as a stepping stop to becoming a more efficient professional.
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