Unicomp needs a new logo.
They need to actually try.
It saddens me that what started as a project by enthusiasts has been left to crumble so quickly. They don't really seem to care anymore. The potential is there if they would capitalize on it.
It'd be more accurate to say, "They could capitalize on it if they had the capital."
When that group of employees bought Lexmark's keyboard plant rather than seeing it shuttered, it wasn't to make big profits. If new Model M's were still profitable, Lexmark would've stayed where they were.
By then, the flood of $5 Asian-made membrane boards had "washed away" virtually all interest in BS boards—not just because they were vastly cheaper, but because their quietness made them so much more suitable for business environments.
PC makers were also competing to make everything lighter, sleeker, more compact. Heavy, full-size M's were considered relics.
Unicomp has landed a few OEM contracts as they've chugged along, but they've mostly been quite small. The only one of significant size I know of was making the boards for the Maquette (subsequently GE/Marquette) cardiac test units used at hospitals. But I doubt more than a couple thousand of those were produced due to their specialization and cost.
Otherwise, the only remaining market for BS boards has been the occasional request to replace a IBM/Lexmark Model M that'd stopped working (as it takes a lot of typing to make that happen), and the occasional hobbyist or nostalgic home user.
I don't know what Unicomp's actual production is these days, but I'd be surprised if they sold more than a few dozen boards each week. (You can usually find nearly-new Unicomp M's on eBay, too, when people buy them without realizing they're too noisy to use at work—or even at home, if they live with others [LOL]. That must cut into new sales, too.)
With that kind of volume, Unicomp doesn't have the kind of dough it takes to design and tool up for new products, or even to refine their existing products. (I doubt they could borrow it or interest investors, either.)
Although I'm happy that Unicomp exists, and that I can get a keyboard from them anytime, there are so many things I would want to change or do if I was in charge (in the approximate order of priority):
- Redesign the controller boards so that the membrane actually slots into something rather than just allowing the board to rest on top of the membrane. This is the biggest weakness of current Unicomp boards, as keys stop registering when the components slide out of position.
- Bring back the SSK, and/or create a new 60% layout.
- Redesign the membrane so that rollover is improved - it's not terrible but there are plenty of optimizations that could be made, especially around the WASD cluster. And especially for the PC 122s, which have one of the worst matrices I've ever seen in a keyboard.
- Bring back the old IBM keycap font, and fix the alignment issues.
- Provide an Industrial Gray case option.
- Better lock light sticker options: simple text labels are the best way to go.
Gearing up to manufacture any new product—even something as simple as new plastic labels—is a lot more expensive than you realize. The sales potential must be there to justify it, and there isn't nearly enough interest.
I've been happy with the Unicomps I've used, but there is so much more they can do if they take a harder look at the growing enthusiast market.
With the tiny remaining BS market, the Unicomp guys knew that to keep the factory going, they'd need to make M's drastically cheaper. Maybe you don't realize it, but IBM- and Lexmark-made M's cost several hundred bucks each—in 1980s–'90s dollars! To have any hope of continuing to sell Model M's, Unicomp knew they'd need to redesign them to sell for under $100.
IMHO, they pulled off something of a miracle. I enjoy cycling my Unicomp M's with my IBM/Lexmark-made ones. No, the build and print quality isn't impressive. (The cheaper build was necessary, as I've described. And it beats me why they switched to a crappier text font–but I
do know it isn't cheap to keep dye-sublimation printing equipment in perfect repair and calibration.) But they're still delightful to type on. They have their own sound and feel. And maybe I've just been lucky, but none of my Unicomps have stopped working (and they're used ones I restored, not new).
To us, the idea of new 'n' improved Model M's and accessories is exciting, and it's easy for us to imagine crowds of people lined up to buy them. If only that were the case.
