GoKawiilWhen I tested an early version of HP's Eliteboard G1a — a keyboard that has all of the guts of a desktop PC shoved inside of it — I was intrigued. Now, after spending time with a finalized version of the device, I'm convinced it's a sign that computers will become totally unrecognizable in the next few years. But there's a reason HP isn't selling the EliteBoard as a consumer device: In its current form, and with its existing $1,499 starting price, it mainly exists to satisfy a bored IT manager's curiosity. It's not meant for you. But wouldn't it be cool if it was?
Looking at the EliteBoard gave me flashbacks to the early days of PCs, back when the Commodore 64 was essentially just a massive keyboard box you connected to your TV. You'd have to go back to ASUS's Eee Keyboard in 2009 for the latest stab at the keyboard PC concept, just as the smartphone revolution was just beginning. These days, the plethora of inexpensive ultraportable laptops and even lighter tablets on the market makes it tough for mainstream consumers to justify a genuine keyboard desktop.
But put yourself in the shoes of an IT worker who has to manage dozens of computers in a lab, or potentially hundreds or thousands across an entire organization. Really, I'm asking you to put yourself in my shoes twenty years ago, when I spent almost eight years working in IT at my college. I spent more time than I'd like transporting massive Dell desktops across campus with golf carts and hand trucks. Most of those machines were only ever lightly used in labs and offices. And while there are far more compact desktops around these days, they sure can't beat the weight of the 1.5-pound EliteBoard.