I'm incredibly happy to say that all Altar I pre-orders have now been fulfilled.

Aside from that, firmware version 2.0.1 for Altar I has been released. It includes lots of fixes and quality of life improvements based on customer feedback. And reviews for Altar I have started to trickle out, including from Forbes and Eurogamer. Altar I is completely sold out for the time being.

Things have come a long way over the last two-or-so years: from a bunch of renders on Hacker News to real, mass produced hardware on people's desks. I myself cannot quite believe it. I want to give a heartfelt thanks to everyone that pre-ordered an Altar I — without you taking a risk none of this would have been possible.

All Altar I pre-orders fulfilled

All Altar I pre-orders are now fulfilled, which it is amazing to finally say. It was tricky to get everything assembled, shipped out and delivered but it all came together in the end. Altar I is finally in your hands, and it's amazing to see.

Firmware v2.0.1 released

A new firmware update is now available for all Altar I owners. It contains many fixes and quality of life improvements based on everyone's feedback, including:

• Pairing mode now activated by a long press on the PAIR button, avoiding accidental presses
• Sensitivity of rotary encoder knob has been halved
• PAIR button disabled when Altar I is set to USB mode
• FN + DEL now sends FORWARD DELETE key, making various shortcuts possible
• Pressing FN + ↑ (UP ARROW) and FN + ↓ (DOWN ARROW) now sends PAGE UP and PAGE DOWN key strokes
• Improved Bluetooth compatibility with some Intel Bluetooth adapters and drivers
• Improved overall Bluetooth stability

Download and installation instructions can be found on the firmware section of the website.

Your Altar I setups, reviews, unboxings

There are now Altar I owners all over the world — and they've been unboxing their new keyboards and showing off their desk setups. A few highlights below:

Make sure to tag Electronic Materials Office on X or Instagram with your setup.

Reviews and press

Press has started to drop for Altar I:

Forbes did a deep dive on Altar I and some of the background of how it came to be, saying "overall, the Altar 1 feels sleek and looks stylish... Altar 1 certainly stands out from the crowd as a statement keyboard."

Read the full Forbes piece here.

Eurogamer said Altar I is "a love letter to old Mac computers... build quality is superb... [it is] sure to attract attention.”

Read the full Eurogamer piece here.

More press will be dropping over the coming weeks.

A personal note

Things have come a long way since Altar I topped Hacker News way back in August 2022. Back then Altar I was just a render and a prototype. To see a real, polished, mass produced version sitting on everyone's desk is a surreal feeling. I still can't quite believe it to be honest. I catch myself watching and rewatching videos of people showing off their Altar I, or if I see one on someone's desk in person, simply staring.

One of the reasons I can't believe it is I have no idea what I'm doing. Another is I've made many, many mistakes along the way. But the biggest reason is that Altar I came from a very selfish place initially. I designed it because I, personally, was frustrated with the keyboard landscape. And somehow, almost inconceivably to me, it turned out many others felt the same way I did. And here we are.

It's been an amazing journey to birth Altar I out into the world, although it has been a rollercoaster of emotion at every turn. But I wanted to give a sincere, heartfelt thank you to everyone that pre-ordered one. You took a risk on me. And for that I will be eternally grateful.

What's next

Stay tuned for news and information about future batches of Altar I. And make sure to sign up to the waitlist to stay in the loop.