Online Petition to Unicomp: Please build the Mini.

[wellington1869]

This is an online petition for the Unicomp Corporation.  It will be submitted to Jim Owens (or any and all management big wigs at Unicomp) soon as we have enough signatures.




"We, the undersigned, hereby beg and implore the mighty Unicomp company, the only existent and viable manufacturer of buckling spring keyboards, to immediately put into production a Unicomp version of the Model M "mini" (aka spacesaver, aka tenkeyless), pictured below.

As loyal fans of the Unicomp corporation, we are asking for very little. You can accomplish the Mini by simply cutting the numpad off Unicomp's current "Customizer 104" model and thereby getting it into production as quickly as possible. "







The world will be a better place if Unicomp builds this:



We, the undersigned, also respectfully submit that the following "tenkeyless" keyboards are entirely within the realm of Unicomp's ability to quickly produce, and are exceedingly drool-worthy.

A tenkeyless Unicomp spacesaver:





A tenkeyless Unicomp Endurapro:

[wellington1869]

wellington1869

[chimera15]

I think there's a site that you can make petitions like this on and open it to the net isn't there?  I know there's one for," bring back the Trackball Explorer". lol  You can count me in though, especially if they make a black version. lol

[watduzhkstand4]

watduzhkstand4

Count me in please, Thanks!

[o2dazone]

I think in situations like this, it would require much more than just the "will" to want one. A lot of flaky internet buyers out there, that might agree to wanting something, but end up not buying one in the end. Money talks.

With that said, I think this is a good way to open a communication with Unicomp and secure a mass group buy order. Unicomp would have to retool quite a bit to make smaller versions, and it would require someone collecting confirmed payments, to ensure that x many units are being bought when developed. It would increase your chances of this actually happening.

[o2dazone]

I could use some affordable Datahands, maybe I should outsource a company in China to make some for $100

webwit hulking out in 3...2...

[wellington1869]

This is an evil petition signed by evil people who cannot let the classics remain classics. They go to lousy remakes of movies, they buy the new Mini car too, and it is all Wrong. It is not like the Mini keyboards are not available or something. :lalala:

This is of course a completely objective opinion.

the classic will still remain a classic, we're not asking them to stop production of the originals!

With that said, I think this is a good way to open a communication with Unicomp

if we do that much, this petition will be a success.


I think also unicomp should produce 'mini' (numpad-less) versions of the endurapro.

[Rajagra]

I want a buckling spring, tenkeyless keyboard.
And a flying car. And a Star Wars sequel that doesn't suck.
Is that too much to ask?
Is it? IS IT?

[wellington1869]

I want a buckling spring, tenkeyless keyboard.

not much to ask AT ALL.

And a flying car.

Not much to ask:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHXnLCIgNug

 And a Star Wars sequel that doesn't suck.

too much to ask.

[itlnstln]

*Must derail thread*
 
Hey, wanna see some pictures of my gf?

*Only because I want to help*
 
Sure.

[o2dazone]

*only because I'm a pervert"

let's see em

[bigpook]

count me in. they both look nice, especially the tenless version.

[itlnstln]

I have a great POV picture!

Sounds good as long as we don't see much of you.

[o2dazone]

7/10

[wellington1869]

Thanks to Hamp and Rajagra for the *awesome* tenkeyless mockups of the spacesaver and endurapro!  

http://geekhack.org/showthread.php?p=95774#post95774

[cchan]

CChan.
The world needs this for people like me who want tenkeyless BS boards but $150 and up is way over budget.

[CrapTypist]

CrapTypist

(typed on an '89 space saver, which has become my daily driver lately)

[Manyak]

Count me in for the petition, especially for the endurapro tenkeyless!

[Idiot_Hacker]

Idiot_Hacker

Count me in on this deal.  I want a new one and not willing to pay ebay prices to get one!!!!!

[wheel83]

even tho my petition went no where fast. I FULLY SUPPORT a unicmp spacesaver with or whitout tackpoint,... preferably without.

[bigpook]

I don't get the attraction of a bunch of chubby ladies swimming about. I find it telling how the guy in the red outfit is um, grasping the pole, so to speak.

Nice model m mini, btw. But I notice it has a blue label. Everyone knows the black label is far superior : )

[huha]

Count me in, too. Getting a decent tenkeyless board is so expensive here anyway, I might as well just go for a Unicomp model.

-huha

[bigpook]

Actually, this one is much nicer.

[D-EJ915]

get rid of the trackpoint logo and it would be cool, the lock logos are ugly though

[wellington1869]

Everyone knows the black label is far superior : )

qft.

[wellington1869]

Actually, this one is much nicer.

[/IMG]

sweetness! Is that a photoshop job?  Man I gotta learn to photoshop.

[xsphat]

xsphat

Life would be better if Unicomp would make a tenkeyless BS keyboard.

[chimera15]

If I'd work for Unicomp and read this, I'd say f*ck you all. You want them to invest in expensive stuff and take a big risk close to retirement, all for people who do not want to invest and pay the price for a quality keyboard on ebay? But talk about keyboards all day anyway? Or for people who get disgusted by vintage and only want "new"? But also don't want to pay the price? That's like telling a car manufacturer to recreate a vintage car because the ones for sale have full asstrays. Please invest a lot of money so I can be cheap. Naaaah.. I'm sure Unicomp will do the right thing.

Why are they making model m's still at all? The market is flooded with used 1391401's, most going commonly for less than what they're selling their new ones for, while the market is starving for new mechanicals in full compact or mini versions..  What they're doing currently doesn't make any sense for a business trying to make a profit.

 Model m mini's aren't going for the price they are because they're vintage, and people are collecting them, they're going for that price because they're a rare compact mechanical keyboard that people plan to use because there are no others like them on the market.  It's not a fair comparison between an old car, where the older car is sucky in comparison with a new car, and people are collecting the older car for nostalgia.  Model M mini's are one of the best keyboards ever made, and after 99% of  keyboards went to rubber dome, and they suck.

 Currently there are no new mini clicky mechanicals being produced anywhere, the closest being dsi's smk88,  but that has huge ass sides on it that don't make any sense, and made for macs, or the tenkeyless, which can be difficult and expensive to get from Japan, and cherry's mini mechanicals are all linear.  If they could put one out as a buckling spring it would be popular, simply because it is the only one, let alone an original based on one that was sold years ago.

  Most people don't even know that clicky mini mechanicals exist other than the ibm version, which is why their price is so high. It took a lucky find of a siig minitouch on ebay for me to realize it, and finding Northgate repair which had a small cache of them, and  is running out quickly.  When those are gone I've scoured the net clean for any clicky mini mechanicals, there won't be any readily available from anywhere.  They simply would be the only real source for a clicky mechanical keyboard.

Model m mini's are about the most common mechanical clicky keyboard that exists, and they go for insane prices.  The other mini clicky boards that were made don't have the demand because noone knows about them, but they're even rarer.  The world needs a producer of a clicky mini, and Unicomp would have the easiest time of making one, especially if like I think, they're bloody sitting on the molds they have the right to use already.  If they are, they suck, and I hate them. lol

[iggysaps]

Count me in.  I would buy the mini the moment is comes out.

[IBI]

Why are they making model m's still at all? The market is flooded with used 1391401's, most going commonly for less than what they're selling their new ones for, while the market is starving for new mechanicals in full compact or mini versions..  What they're doing currently doesn't make any sense for a business trying to make a profit.

Because they've got the equipment and designs already and they know people will buy them.

With Elitekeyboards already selling nice to type on mini keyboards of the same format in what many would consider a nicer design is there any room in the market for them? Maybe most of the people who want a Model M Spacesaver are willing to pay ebay prices, and there's certainly no shortage of them.

Europe is obviously an untapped market with no minitouch or filco and M minis being unheard of, but would the shipping and customs costs be too high for individual buyers? Could they afford the costs of setting up their own store over here? Are there that many buckling spring buyers in Europe?

[huha]

And the shipping and custom costs and (double) VAT costs are something only a deranged collector will put up with.

I don't know about you, since you'll most likely be using your Datahand as the only input device, but I for one would buy a BS Tenkeyless more or less straight away, even if it's relatively expensive to get it delivered to Europe. There are people who want to use these things and finding a 102-key Model M Mini is nigh impossible--if you do, it will cost you an arm and a leg. Also, I really need the Windows keys, so a 105-key model is what I'd be looking for (but I'd also buy a 102-key model if only that was available).
So, there are people who use these things for typing and not just for collecting. A new buckling spring tenkeyless with USB and Windows keys would be quite the rage. I think I'd even buy two of them, as shipping cost is already high.

-huha

[Rajagra]

And the shipping and custom costs and (double) VAT costs are something only a deranged collector will put up with.

Tell me about it. I don't know why it cost £25 to get a keyboard shipped from the U.S. to the U.K., yet it only costs £5 from China. And that's before Customs roll the dice to decide if they will stick the boot in.

But having said that, if you know what you want and it's only available from one place, that's where you will buy.

[chimera15]

Europe.. when I show one of my boards to someone here, the typical reaction is how much they love the flat keyboard with laptop style keys they have.
The USA are a slightly better market, for example it took a couple of days for that '87 Model M Mini at $90 to sell. Based on that I'd say most here are full or words but not of action when it comes to buying, and I estimate that if Unicomp invest, say $40,000 to make reproduction possible, they will end up selling 1 a week after the initial wave of 20 people buying them has passed.

I would have bought both those space savers the instant I saw them, just to resell later if nothing else, if I hadn't just maxed my card buying another minitouch. lol

[chimera15]

Because they've got the equipment and designs already and they know people will buy them.

With Elitekeyboards already selling nice to type on mini keyboards of the same format in what many would consider a nicer design is there any room in the market for them? Maybe most of the people who want a Model M Spacesaver are willing to pay ebay prices, and there's certainly no shortage of them.

Europe is obviously an untapped market with no minitouch or filco and M minis being unheard of, but would the shipping and customs costs be too high for individual buyers? Could they afford the costs of setting up their own store over here? Are there that many buckling spring buyers in Europe?

I just took another look at elitekeyboards, they changed their website from the last time I looked.  Pretty impressive, even their hhk boards have the lowest price I've ever seen.  I guess if they don't charge huge for shipping, they're not bad deals.  It looks like the Zero is even a fairly cheap white alps board? Pretty surprising, still, no true compacts unfortunately, only tenkeyless, which you're right would compete with the model m, but they do have completely different feels to them, I think there'd still be a place for them.  I think that Zero board will be my next keyboard though if I buy another.  Pretty happy with the siigs I have now.

[chimera15]

I like a man with a taste in the siig minitouch, not following the masses!

Minitouch's are the best keyboard ever made imo, right down to the little blank key I can assign to be a Japanese henkan key. lol  They fit perfectly in my lap, and you can change the switches to be real alps in a couple hours.

[chimera15]

I got a new one, but it's still in transport. Maybe you should start a wiki about the different versions I have one (other) fake alps board, and I'm among those that might prefer them. The key-press is a little more "clean". YMMV.

I have 4 of them now, a brand spanking new kb1948, which was what really started my keyboard buying fetish, finding this forum, and shopping spree. Before I happened upon it by complete chance on ebay, it was the only one, I thought my at F was about as good as it got as far as compact keyboards went, and then the Model M mini which was always hopelessly out of my price-range.

  The kb1948  has the crispest keys I've ever felt, it feels like you're pressing on cornflakes as you type or something, same as the smk-85 I have.  Then I got 3 used kb1903's from Northgate Keyboard Repair.  2 of them had a lot of problems with their switches, they were really stiff, and uneven, they really needed replacing, which I finally did, one with white dampers from an apple board, which is what I'm typing on now.  I fly on this thing, the keys are so light and nice, the tactile bump is perfect, and the other with real complicated alps, which really feels nice, even and more solid now as well.

I was surprised to read in your signature that you have a plus with alps keys? The  "*Siig MiniTouch PS/2 Plus JK-APS311-S1 White Alps*"?  I thought all the plus versions, and that one especially was rubber dome....  I thought only the jk-a10032 was the alps board...

 As far as I knew, all the other versions were junk.  Siig is and was a repackager of Japanese boards I believe.  Right now, BTC also has the exact same version of the siig minitouch plus with rubber domes.  The 5100c. The original siig minitouch's were either Filco, or Ortek boards, as I found evidence of Japanese versions, and a siig minitouch with a Filco lettering.  I have a compact keyboard thread that I started about this...

http://geekhack.org/showthread.php?t=5998

The good kb1903/kb1948 Siig minitouch is a.k.a. the Filco DFK-81E2

[chimera15]

I'll let you know what I got, seller specified mechanical/clicky switches but didn't name 'em.

Ahh, I bet the seller was wrong...I'll be very surprised if it's a mechanical, either that or he got the part number wrong and it's not the plus.  He might have seen the siig minitouch on the board, or something, looked up the number and posted that.  If it's black, as that number should be, I think it's going to have the membrane switch over circuit board.  Technically not rubber dome..  It's actually conductive rubber membrane, which is different from normal rubber dome boards, but I tried that version, I have the btc board, and it's extremely heavy keys, hurt my hands when I typed on it.

[xsphat]

*Must derail thread*

Hey, wanna see some pictures of my gf?

Where are those pics, weby? I'm interested to see what he looks like ...

[xsphat]

*Must derail webwit*

[o2dazone]

and I estimate that if Unicomp invest, say $40,000 to make reproduction possible, they will end up selling 1 a week after the initial wave of 20 people buying them has passed.

This is what I was getting at in my post. While it's nice to want one...and possible. I wouldn't imagine Unicomp would want the additional workload unless there was some profit involved. Something like retooling to make some keyboards that won't sell enough to make up costs, sounds like a risky investment. I know I know... there's a lot of here that would like one. Maybe two or three, and some in Asia. But is it guaranteed that they'll make at least all their money back from retooling? It's a question most businesses have to ask themselves before spending money on something other than manufacturing.

[wellington1869]

where are those pics, weby? I'm interested to see what he looks like ...

rofl!

[wellington1869]

is it guaranteed that they'll make at least all their money back from retooling? It's a question most businesses have to ask themselves before spending money on something other than manufacturing.

This is exactly my point - i'd like to know if they've even asked it.  If they're selling the regular models well enough, it stands to reason they'd be able to sell tenkeyless versions too. Nearly all their competitors have tenkeyless versions (some of them have tenkeyless exclusively). DSI, kinesis, filco, realforce, matias, etc etc. We know the list. I merely want unicomp to succeed in competing with them,and they wont do that with a product line from the 1980's.

As for gaurantees - in business? They dont have a guarantee now either. Its about risk/reward, not guarantees. And if their competitors are surviving, even thriving, with new product lines, it stands to reason the ONE way unicomp will fail, IS IF IT STANDS STILL.

[wellington1869]

We don't know their business model. For all we know, they might never have anticipated live beyond the end of protection from the buckling spring patent, and what we're seeing is just extras, like actors of a play who return in front of the drawn curtain, to sell remaining stock and wear out the machinery, riding on the wave of publicity from a few months back.

agreed, and this is my point too. At the very least I want to petition them to have a conversation with some of their biggest fans, and give us some indication of their keyboard plans. They dont have to tell us they're going to shut down the plant when the current owners retire (for all we know thats what they're going to do) but they can at least tell us there WONT be any new models and put us out of our misery.  All i'm asking for ultimately is a conversation with a representative of Unicomp.

Because the only thing more annoying than their lack of creativity, is their absolute SILENCE.  

[xsphat]

Why, your wish is my demand, sir.

Show Image

:love:

[o2dazone]

bonus points because his name is "****"

[chimera15]

agreed, and this is my point too. At the very least I want to petition them to have a conversation with some of their biggest fans, and give us some indication of their keyboard plans. They dont have to tell us they're going to shut down the plant when the current owners retire (for all we know thats what they're going to do) but they can at least tell us there WONT be any new models and put us out of our misery.  All i'm asking for ultimately is a conversation with a representative of Unicomp.

Because the only thing more annoying than their lack of creativity, is their absolute SILENCE.  

Have you tried emailing them?

[wellington1869]

Have you tried emailing them?

I have. I've emailed relevant urls' from geekhack to them before (jim and others); and even this current thread I emailed to jim yesterday. The response was what it has been so far: silence.

Its that silence I'm trying to press. Why? Because I love the product; I love buckling springs; they're the only viable producer left; I love the legacy of the M like a lot of you and like those who responded nationwide to the NPR interview with them; i'd like to see them continue succesfully in business; and I think they should listen (and at least respond) to their consumers if they want to do well in business; let alone actually freshen their product line if they want to compete (and let alone thrive) in this niche marketplace.

[wellington1869]

Welly, you coulda edited this thread a bit before sending it.  Critique Sandwich!!

lol. hey, they've had their fill of soft bread from us for the last two years. Time for the meat!

[bigpook]

Hey man, thats just a box. Like any other box. You need to open it! and post pictures of course.

[wellington1869]

Hey man, thats just a box. Like any other box. You need to open it! and post pictures of course.

I think i'm starting to understand webwit's militant (and utterly irrational opposition here - it has to do with the thousands of dollars he's spent investing in NIB ibm keyboards whose value would plummet if anything came of this petition.

So its all about the money, eh webwit?