Keyboard

2023: Global Keyboard Market Size Exceeded $6.3 Billion for the Year

At the end of 2023, the global market for computer keyboards of all types amounted to $6.34 billion. Sales of such devices are steadily growing, which is due to changing user needs and technological advances. This is stated in a study by Future Market Insights, the results of which TAdviser got acquainted with at the end of December 2024.

One of the drivers of the industry in question, analysts call the increasing demand for ergonomic data entry devices. The continued development of remote and hybrid work models, as well as distance learning, leads to the fact that users around the world spend many hours at the computer, as a result of which there is an increase in the need for the most convenient keyboards that minimize fatigue. The special design of ergonomic devices provides a natural position of the body, which can help reduce the risk of developing ailments associated with overvoltage and increase overall comfort. In addition, there is a growing awareness among consumers of the health problems associated with misplaced typing. This trend reflects wider changes in workplace culture, with employee health and well-being as the focus.

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Фото: Freepik

The development of games and esports also has a stimulating impact on the market. Professional users and amateurs spend more money on specialized equipment that helps increase the comfort of gameplay and provides advantages over rivals. Technological advances also have an impact on the industry. Consumers choose devices with advanced features and flexible customization. When buying gaming devices, parameters such as response time, service life, key stroke length, built-in memory, wireless support, hand rest, etc. are taken into account. In addition, game lovers are increasingly looking for products with personalization capabilities, in particular, with multi-color illumination.

Models for office work dominate the overall mass of sales, but gaming solutions are rapidly gaining popularity. The observed trends indicate an ongoing shift towards customizable and technologically advanced keyboards with improved performance. In terms of connectivity, wired devices lead the way because of their reliability and simplicity, making them the preferred choice for the professional environment and gaming. But against the background of the rapid development of the concept of a smart home, the demand for Bluetooth products is increasing. In addition, wireless keyboards are in demand among users who often have to move from place to place, for example, when working at home and on business trips.

In general, as the authors of the study note, changing consumer preferences and technological advances open up significant opportunities for manufacturers of data entry devices. Significant market players are named:

• Logitech;
• Microsoft;
• Lenovo;
• Chicony Global;
• Dell;
• HP;
• Liteon;
• Corsair;
• Cherry;
• Razer;
• Huawei;
• Asus;
• Delux Technology;
• Matias;
• DuckyChannel International;
• Metadot;
• Amkette;
• Zebronics;
• Galaxy Microsystems;
• Intex;
• Redragon.

At the end of 2024, revenue in the keyboard segment is estimated at $6.56 billion. Future Market Insights analysts believe that in the future, the CAGR will be 3.6%. As a result, by 2034, costs on a global scale could increase to $9.36 billion.^[1]

2018: Why we've been using an uncomfortable keyboard for 150 years

On October 13, 2018, a publication appeared on the MIT Technology Review website dedicated to the fact that humanity has continued to use keyboards for almost 150 years, despite the fact that they cannot be considered truly convenient. At the same time, many noteworthy developments have been created for more convenient text input and computer management.

Experts consider the force of inertia to be one of the main reasons that prevent the replacement of traditional QWERTY keyboards with more modern and convenient solutions. Parents, grandmothers and even great-grandmothers learned to type on such keyboards.

Keyboard for Mac computers

We're fixated, "says Frank Jones, associate professor of computer science at Brigham Young University. - We teach children how to use the QWERTY keyboard, because it is everywhere. Why everywhere? Because we teach children to use it.

Clinical professor of physical therapy at New York University Kevin Weaver agrees that people are comfortable now: they do not need to create new keyboards that can add ergonomics problems.

The classic version of the history of the appearance of the QWERTY keyboard layout is quite widely known. It states that one of the inventors of the typewriter, Christopher Latham Scholes, encountered  a technical problem when designing his mechanisms. Professional typists developed such a printing speed during work that when several letters were quickly pressed in a row, the levers with letters did not have time to move away from the roll with paper and jammed. In response to constant complaints, Scholes solved this problem by placing letters on the keyboard so as to slow down the printing speed as much as possible: the letters often used in combinations were located far from each other.

Nobody tried to challenge the use of the QWERTY layout as a standard, but many devices were created that could theoretically replace keyboards.

The promising device is being developed by Israeli startup Tap Systems. We are talking about a wearable Bluetooth controller made in the form of Tap Strap brass knuckles. It "translates" finger taps into letters, numbers and symbols and allows "writing" on any surface. 

Tap Strap

The $180 Tap Strap is a plastic belt with holes for each finger. The device can be worn on both right and left hands. It recognizes 31 finger movements and "translates" them into letters, numbers and characters, which are then transmitted via Bluetooth to a smartphone or tablet. For example, vowel sounds can be "written" with a single tap of each finger.

The Tap approach has great potential for virtual reality (VR), because  unlike a tablet or PC, the user of a VR headset more often moves and does not sit still  during sessions in virtual space. Standard input devices limit freedom. At the same time , virtual reality will simply not see a standard keyboard in glasses, so  there will be no sense from it without blind printing skills. Therefore , Tap believes that the "keyboard on the fingers" will be a good alternative.

Google in 2015 demonstrated the Project Soli mini-radar, which changes the principle of human interaction with an electronic device. The gadget allows you to simply place your hand above the sensor and move your fingers to enter text.

widdler

Promising was the development of a Twiddler device that combines keyboard and mouse functions. At the same time, the gadget works as a remote control and can be held with one hand. It is used as a peripheral for work and play. Twiddler is used with laptops, desktops and smartphones based on Android.^[2]

1978: Prototype keyboard at Apple

Apple founders Steve Jobs and Stephen Wozniak with a prototype keyboard, 1978.

See also

• Ergonomics and hygiene of the workplace at the computer

Notes