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Author Topic: Unicomp Model M Space Saving Will Never Happen (most likely)  (Read 5089 times)

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Offline diqkiq

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Unicomp Model M Space Saving Will Never Happen (most likely)
« on: Wed, 04 January 2012, 15:36:40 »
I emailed Unicomp regarding a tenkeyless model and the response I got back said- " unfortunately, we do not not have the tooling to build a keybaord which does not have the keypad.  Tooling for such a keyboard would be $100,000 +/- some.  As you might guess, we are not prepared to make that investment at this point."

Too bad
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fossala

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Unicomp Model M Space Saving Will Never Happen (most likely)
« Reply #1 on: Wed, 04 January 2012, 15:50:11 »
That is what I got back from them 2 months ago.
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Offline shrap

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Unicomp Model M Space Saving Will Never Happen (most likely)
« Reply #2 on: Wed, 04 January 2012, 16:11:33 »
Guess they're unwilling / unable to outsource.
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Offline RiGS

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Unicomp Model M Space Saving Will Never Happen (most likely)
« Reply #3 on: Wed, 04 January 2012, 16:38:24 »
Quote from: diqkiq;483326
I emailed Unicomp regarding a tenkeyless model and the response I got back said- " unfortunately, we do not not have the tooling to build a keybaord which does not have the keypad.  Tooling for such a keyboard would be $100,000 +/- some.  As you might guess, we are not prepared to make that investment at this point."

Too bad


LOL. Why not $1M?
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Last edited by RiGS; Jan 2011

Offline NorrisB

  • Posts: 530
Unicomp Model M Space Saving Will Never Happen (most likely)
« Reply #4 on: Wed, 04 January 2012, 16:47:19 »
how the hell would that cost so much, they need to fire someone at the top thats for sure
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Offline f16pilotjumper

  • Posts: 24
Unicomp Model M Space Saving Will Never Happen (most likely)
« Reply #5 on: Wed, 04 January 2012, 16:52:56 »
Injection molding tooling can be quite expensive for the case alone.  I don't know if they make the steel plates and membranes themselves or outsource it.....

That said, with some simple measurements of an IBM SSK case we could do our own estimate of the case cost:
http://www.custompartnet.com/estimate/injection-molding/?low=1
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Offline pitashen

  • Posts: 1200
Unicomp Model M Space Saving Will Never Happen (most likely)
« Reply #6 on: Wed, 04 January 2012, 19:25:40 »
This is a known fact here that unicomp would not repair their broken machine that manufactures the tenkeyless.
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Offline Warduke

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Unicomp Model M Space Saving Will Never Happen (most likely)
« Reply #7 on: Wed, 04 January 2012, 22:33:54 »
While I wasn't expecting them to make one anytime soon, it still sucks when you know they won't.
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Offline iBro

  • Posts: 139
Unicomp Model M Space Saving Will Never Happen (most likely)
« Reply #8 on: Wed, 04 January 2012, 22:39:46 »
Quote from: diqkiq;483326
" unfortunately, we do not not have the tooling to build a keybaord which does not have the keypad.  Tooling for such a keyboard would be $100,000 +/- some.




Does this look like it costs $100,000?
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Unicomp Space Saver (buckling spring) Silicon Graphics (dampened cream alps) KBC Poker (ghetto reds)

Offline BiNiaRiS

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Unicomp Model M Space Saving Will Never Happen (most likely)
« Reply #9 on: Wed, 04 January 2012, 23:02:07 »
i think it is more that they just don't want to. they've made them in the past...i'd really like to know why they destroyed the plastic molds for the cases and everything else they had to make them. it's not like they are much different :\

and they get emails like this all the time so there's enough people that are interested enough to email them, but they just don't care.
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Offline slueth

  • Posts: 577
Unicomp Model M Space Saving Will Never Happen (most likely)
« Reply #10 on: Thu, 05 January 2012, 02:06:47 »
jeez, that is expensive.  Would take them a while to make a profit back after that.
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Offline narlzac85

  • Posts: 29
Unicomp Model M Space Saving Will Never Happen (most likely)
« Reply #11 on: Thu, 05 January 2012, 05:34:42 »
I'm sure the GH community would be in for a few hundred. They must not realize that demand exists. Maybe a few hundred emails will help
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Offline Culinia

  • Posts: 163
Unicomp Model M Space Saving Will Never Happen (most likely)
« Reply #12 on: Thu, 05 January 2012, 06:12:33 »
Quote from: narlzac85;483719
I'm sure the GH community would be in for a few hundred. They must not realize that demand exists. Maybe a few hundred emails will help


If regular keyboards cost $79 -- why don't they make it $99 (or x amount)?

100,000/20 - they would only need to sell 5,000 units to recoup the easy $100,000. If I ever win the lottery, or find a lump of cash on the ground, I now at least know where some of it is going.

Assuming they don't have the capital, then why can't we pre-order them (pay $20 or x amount) and when the minimum quantity is fulfilled, we pay the rest ($79 - the price of a normal SpaceSaver/Ultra Classic).
« Last Edit: Thu, 05 January 2012, 06:19:30 by Culinia »
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Offline ch_123

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Unicomp Model M Space Saving Will Never Happen (most likely)
« Reply #13 on: Fri, 06 January 2012, 06:20:52 »
Quote from: BiNiaRiS;483576
i think it is more that they just don't want to. they've made them in the past...i'd really like to know why they destroyed the plastic molds for the cases and everything else they had to make them. it's not like they are much different :\


If you compare them with the 42H1292-style Model Ms that Unicomp produces, you'd see that they are. At least, it's a bit naive to think that they're just the same thing shrunken down.

I've always believed that due to the SSK being not much smaller than the Spacesaver/Ultra Classic (the SSK is almost as wide as a modern rubber dome keyboard), it probably wouldn't make a whole lot of sense of them to remake the old SSK design. There's also the fact that Unicomp's main customers for quite some time have been businesses, who love numpads (that's also the reason there's a gazillion fullsize Ms and relatively few SSKs)

There was some talk of them making a buckling spring version of the M4-1, but I'd imagine that would require some pretty extensive resizing of the M4-1 case.
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Offline mharrison

  • Posts: 11
Unicomp Model M Space Saving Will Never Happen (most likely)
« Reply #14 on: Fri, 06 January 2012, 10:26:12 »
Too bad, I was crossing my fingers for next gen m-15. Split, matrix, buckling spring....
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Offline Deverica Wolf

  • Posts: 185
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Unicomp Model M Space Saving Will Never Happen (most likely)
« Reply #15 on: Fri, 06 January 2012, 13:44:09 »
I've cried my tears and have moved on to Blues/Clears TKL. :Cry:
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Offline czarek

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Unicomp Model M Space Saving Will Never Happen (most likely)
« Reply #16 on: Mon, 09 January 2012, 07:18:39 »
Check this out - my ticket:

Quote from: czarek

Hey there, I've asked about this before and you said it's impossible, but there is a really high demand for those so maybe you'd consider making such keyboard? Best would be basically your SpaceSaver form factor but without ten key block. Option for pointing stick (like the EnduraPro) would also be welcome. Oh and the Mac key mapping wouldn't hurt, especially if it was just one board switchable between PC and Mac modes with some kind of DIP switch.


and their reply:

Quote from: pckeyboards

Thank you for your request; we have taken your request and working hard to fulfill your request!
Keep an eye on our site and the forums for updates!

-Zach

Best regards,

Zach Menchhofer
PC Keyboard
http://www.pckeyboard.com
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Offline Parabellum

  • Posts: 47
  • Location: Sweden
Unicomp Model M Space Saving Will Never Happen (most likely)
« Reply #17 on: Mon, 09 January 2012, 07:40:17 »
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Offline keyboardlover

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Unicomp Model M Space Saving Will Never Happen (most likely)
« Reply #18 on: Mon, 09 January 2012, 08:57:12 »
I got the same response.

As always, ripster's predictions suck.
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Offline Deverica Wolf

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Unicomp Model M Space Saving Will Never Happen (most likely)
« Reply #19 on: Mon, 16 January 2012, 18:03:35 »
Quote

Message:

Hi. I purchased a Ultra Classic under it's old name back in the Summer. Since then, I've replaced it with a Filco Blue-Switch Tenkeyless as my main desktop typing keyboard due to the smaller size helping my comfort and having more usability with my mouse. I still use my Unicomp for typing long articles when my mouse is not in use.

I agree with the many people requesting a smaller Model M. The use of it is so much better for many reasons. Tenkeylesses are the future IMO. If you can do it, it is the way to go. And it would get more use from me and others.

...DW
 
Date:    2012-01-16 09:39:09
Name:    Don Bowman

Message:

Deverica, thanks for your intest in our keyboards. We have had many requests for a tenkeyless, buckling spring keyboard and it is on our development wish list. But at this point we have not committed to releasing such a keyboard.

regards,

Don

Best regards,

Don Bowman
PC Keyboard
http://www.pckeyboard.com


Maybe in the future, *****.
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Offline NorrisB

  • Posts: 530
Unicomp Model M Space Saving Will Never Happen (most likely)
« Reply #20 on: Mon, 16 January 2012, 20:52:06 »
IMO theres not enough demand for Model M Space Saving models, vote in this poll

http://geekhack.org/showthread.php?26127-If-Unicomp-released-a-IBM-Bucking-Spring-TKL-how-many-would-sell
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Offline Dox

  • Posts: 312
Unicomp Model M Space Saving Will Never Happen (most likely)
« Reply #21 on: Mon, 16 January 2012, 21:20:41 »
Do you work for Unicomp?
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Offline Zevus

  • Posts: 14
    • Nogleg
Unicomp Model M Space Saving Will Never Happen (most likely)
« Reply #22 on: Tue, 17 January 2012, 02:21:44 »
Hmmm.

I stocked up on a whole bunch of keyboards back in the late 90's and early 00's.  Probably have some of these in the storage shed, too.  I know there are several new Model M2's that were just as clicky as the regular M1, but much smaller and less bulky..
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Offline DesktopJinx

  • Posts: 98
Unicomp Model M Space Saving Will Never Happen (most likely)
« Reply #23 on: Wed, 18 January 2012, 22:04:26 »
Of course it will never happen. It's a niche of a niche of a niche. It would have to compete with every other mechanical keyboard and every other mini keyboard on the market today, not to mention the second-hand IBM SSK market, and... oy. Lots of ways it can fail, few ways it can succeed, no chance of a runaway hit.
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