When will the Topre Patent expire?

[ebonydax]

As I said the doomsday scenarios are silly. The fact IBM opened the PC technology and form factor to the world did make a few shitty PCs that exist to this day. But that never excluded the possibility of good PCs.

You're basically searching deep in your mind to find the worst example, grab it and then present it here as some kind of 'only' scenario. The world is not as simple.

Notice I do not grab the ideal scenario, I'm just saying, yes the world sucks and some products will suck, but some products will be great.

That will be better than a secluded IP.

[Muirium]

Better for who? Topre?

The PC didn't work out so well for IBM in the end, either. They quit. I'd hate to see Topre or Cherry do that.

[ebonydax]

I don't care about Topre to be honest. I care about good keyboards. And the arguments about shitty keyboards with open IP collapse with that reasoning.

Now, if you want to talk about Topre's profits, I'm not sure what they are doing now is even ideally profitable. Notice only 1 or 2 other makers even dare to make a single model with their technology. That might mean their switches 'must' be expensive, but It's more likely that they treat it as a luxury product.

[longweight]

I think Topre are probably happy with the commercial market in Asia, keyboard sales to enthusiasts must be a drop in the ocean.

[phetto]

either way it fuckin' sucks and HHKB should use metal.

No!

[002]

No!

Haha! Come on though, why couldn't they just use a metal plate? Maybe it was a weight thing, or maybe it was to keep the cost down - although they're not exactly passing the savings on if that's the case, are they? It's obviously a respected keyboard and I'm sure if I wasn't such a meathead and could use the layout, I could look past the issue I have with the plastic plate.

[ebonydax]

Metal plates are awesome. They create better sounds. Is that why Leopold's Topre sounds the best in all youtube videos I've noticed?

[ne0phyte]

I didn't try a (metal) plate mounted Topre keyboard yet but I love the sound of the HHKB
https://soundcloud.com/ne0phyte/happy-h ... oard-pro-2

[Muirium]

Meh. White one sounds better.

[ne0phyte]

Meh. White one sounds better.

Recording of a white one please.

[Muirium]

Kidding, obviously. But here you go.

[/url]
Can't you hear it?

[ne0phyte]

Yeah, I can absolutely hear it. If I had more than a 6 euro microphone you could hear it in my recording as well