This article is misleading. The Matias Tactile Pro has simplified ALPS, not the same type as the Apple Extended Keyboard which has real-complicated.
The Tactile Pro Keyboard had been out for only a short while when Alps, the makers of the mechanical keyswitches, announced that they were going to stop making these particular keyswitches altogether.
SKCM and SKCL switches were available from Alps Japan until 2001. The Matias Tactile Pro was available from 2003.
Luckily, Edgar was able to convince the Alps factory in Taiwan to keep the tooling active for him by committing to buy a million keyswitches.
Alps joint venture with Forward Electronics (Alps factory in Taiwan) ended in 2000. Forward were still selling simplified switches in 2004.
Edgar Matias told me that although the Alps keyswitches generally last for many years, if one is going to fail, it will fail almost immediately (which is why Matias offers a 5-year "few questions asked" warranty).
Real-complicated are rated at 20 million operations. Simplified are rated up to half that.
