WayTools' TextBlade Keyboard to Start Shipping to Test Group Users Next Week

[jclo]

I want to give everyone an update on MacRumors' position on the TextBlade. We've read through the comments posted here, taken into account emails we've received, and looked through information on the WayTools forums. We've heard what you have to say and we won't be continuing on to do a review or further coverage of the TextBlade.

To set the record straight, I have never had any kind of monetary or personal relationship with the WayTools staff. I've been criticized for the tone of my posts, which I wrote as someone who was just as excited as you were about a unique keyboard on the market that went above and beyond anything else available.

I want to explain something about my early posts that I think gives some insight into why I trusted what WayTools had to say. When I visited WayTools in March, I saw and used a finished TextBlade product. I saw a room full of engineers typing on finished TextBlades.

I saw the components for hundreds of TextBlades and rows and rows of completed TextBlades. Having used one myself, which seemed to function well, I had no reason to think that the TextBlade wouldn't be shipping out soon. I was told about a change to the butterfly, but I was also told an updated version was already in production and would ship soon.

Ahead of my second post in July, I was told a lot of reasonable information about why there had been a delay since March and how those problems had all been fixed. A lot of products can get delayed at the stage from limited production to mass production, so I gave WayTools the benefit of the doubt because the TextBlade finally seemed ready to ship (to Night Spring -- I *did* do research on this).

This time, I saw dozens and dozens of completed TextBlades lined up. I saw people using them. I saw photos of the TextBlade production line in Malaysia and I was told hundreds of TextBlades were being made and were going to be ready to go out in July.

Was I overly optimistic and perhaps too trusting? Yes. Was I out to deceive? Absolutely not. As the months ticked by after July, I decided not to continue on with coverage until the TextBlade started shipping. This time around, I had a TextBlade in my possession at the time of the post, concrete proof that WayTools is finally letting them out into the wild. I wouldn't have done a post at all had I not received multiple requests to do so.

I didn't ignore the production issues and the long delays in this most recent post, but many of you feel that I did not go far enough highlighting the customer service problems. To that end, I would like to say that there are problems that I was not even aware of, such as the canceling of orders.

A lot of the accusations in this thread have been off base and highly stressful for me. I've been struggling figure out how to explain myself in a way that you guys would find satisfactory, and I'm still not sure how to do it. The idea that I would deceive MacRumors readers or write something untruthful for money (or whatever other benefit I'm supposedly getting out of this) is so entirely preposterous to me that I've been at a loss for words.

I've been with MacRumors for 2012 and I love my job. I love the community. I love writing for all of you. I didn't set out to trick, deceive, or disappoint anyone and I apologize if I have unwittingly done so.

 

[Rolanbek]

Ahh there you are.

DBK, explain for me this: If you were actually me, how silly do you think Mark, Richard and Ronny would feel right about now?

Ms Clover, I apologise for any offence I may have inadvertently caused.

R

 

[dabigkahuna]

Yeah. I don't think they set out to intentionally deceive or string people along, but it's obvious they chewed off a lot more than they could handle.

Ah, this is good for my basic position on comments made about WT. Yours in completely rational. Criticism but not assuming it is because of something nefarious.

I think you are likely right though I would add that the "more than they could handle" can also be a temporary problem they learn from for the future. We'll eventually find out.

my point of view, you calling out palmfox for leaving that out is the same as palmfox calling Juli out for

I wouldn't have called him out except for what I see as a double standard.

But if my memory serves, Apple didn't string people along by saying "white iPhone coming next week!" every other week.

True, but not my point - which is that it really isn't hard to believe that they ran into a lot of unexpected problems. Think how easy it would be to say to Apple, "It's just a paint job, how hard can it be?". Well, it turned out it was hard, unexpectedly so and for a long time.

 

[Night Spring]

We've heard what you have to say and we won't be continuing on to do a review or further coverage of the TextBlade

Thank you. I'm glad that MacRumors has made this decision. And I'm sorry this has been a stressful situation for you. This post has clarified why you reported the way you did, and it makes me feel that I can trust MacRumors and its staff, including you, to do the right thing when reporting on products in the future.

 

[Night Spring]

I think you are likely right though I would add that the "more than they could handle" can also be a temporary problem they learn from for the future. We'll eventually find out.

True, but not my point - which is that it really isn't hard to believe that they ran into a lot of unexpected problems. Think how easy it would be to say to Apple, "It's just a paint job, how hard can it be?". Well, it turned out it was hard, unexpectedly so and for a long time.

We all learn from our mistakes. But I fear WayTools isn't learning fast enough to save this product. We'll see.

Yes, Apple ran into problems with the paint job, but they handled it in a manner that didn't increase customer frustration. And most importantly, they didn't take people's money until the white iPhone was actually ready to ship.

I wonder what happened to the rows of TextBlades Juli saw?

 

[Rolanbek]

I wonder what happened to the rows of TextBlades Juli saw?

Shield problems? Butterflys? old firmware? a mixture of prototypes and empty shells? Actually working?

Who knows?

R

 

[KaliYoni]

Juli, thank you for your post. It is precisely the kind of insight I hoped MacRumors would provide to its users. I, for one, feel what you wrote is sincere and I take you at your word. As well, please accept my apologies if I have caused you any personal distress.

I look forward to continuing to read MacRumors and dreaming about what Apple is going to do next,

KALIYONI

 

[Night Spring]

So, we have day after day of insinuations or even accusations on various forums - and now lose a good source of information. I'm sure some of the critics will consider this a great accomplishment.

Idiots.

Various forums? Was this being discussed anywhere else other than here and WayTools forum?

The real significsnce here is not that we, the customers, have lost a source of information, but that
MacRumors has decided to withdraw support from WayTools. You do realize that, right?

 

[dabigkahuna]

We all learn from our mistakes. But I fear WayTools isn't learning fast enough to save this product. We'll see.

Considering they sent one to MR, I'm not worried about saving the product. And any low level of concern I may have will be lessened further if we get the test units soon. Of course, regular shipping is the big one, but the others matter.

Not having Juli able to give further reports on her experiences really hurt though. That would give us a much better idea of how well it might do.

Of course, even with regular shipping, it doesn't mean the product will work out. I think it has good potential. And I think it could be superior to regular keyboards. But these things are very personal and it could be that, for all the advantages, in normal use most customers decide they don't like the feel and people stop buying. But that kind of "failure" applies to all products.
[doublepost=1456185827][/doublepost]

Various forums? Was this being discussed anywhere else other than here and WayTools forum?

The real significsnce here is not that we, the customers, have lost a source of information, but that
MacRumors has decided to withdraw support from WayTools. You do realize that, right?

Well, there is this forum. And the WT ones (more than one there). I wouldn't be surprised if this isn't being discussed elsewhere or on twitter, Facebook, etc. Some may only see stuff on one. But it is likely Juli and MR sees far more of them.

The significance is not that MR withdrew support from WT. Because I never saw it as being about "support". I wanted to know as much as I could about their experience with the product. Now I lose all of that. Which is darn significant to me and others who also wanted more information on experiences.

Just as people want me to report my experiences when my device comes in.

 

[Ggggg2]

Juli sure put the kiebash on WT fast when people started noticing how pro-waytools her "blogs" cough advertisements were.

 

[Night Spring]

Considering they sent one to MR, I'm not worried about saving the product. And any low level of concern I may have will be lessened further if we get the test units soon. Of course, regular shipping is the big one, but the others matter.

I disagree. Regular shipping is the only thing that matters. Just because they were able to send one to Juli, doesn't mean they'd ever manage to ship thousands or tens of thousands to regular customers.

The significance is not that MR withdrew support from WT. Because I never saw it as being about "support". I wanted to know as much as I could about their experience with the product. Now I lose all of that. Which is darn significant to me and others who also wanted more information on experiences.

So your only concern is yourself? You don't care how damaging this is to WayTools?

 

[Rolanbek]

Good thing it was generic then, rather than "direct personal"!

Not an apology then? Ok that's strange because, its definitely a name, and you called a whole group of people it.

R

 

[Ggggg2]

Too

Aloha Gggg, I was just Explaining to DBK that name calling means a ban here.

R

Is there a way to filter out DBKs posts on this site as well?

 

[Rolanbek]

Juli sure put the kiebash on WT fast when people started noticing how pro-waytools her "blogs" cough advertisements were.

This is Juli's house show some respect please.

R

 

[Ggggg2]

Sure thing!

 

[Rolanbek]

Too


Is there a way to filter out DBKs posts on this site as well?

Yes it's much easier here. Click his profile and then click ignore. Hey presto.

R

 

[dabigkahuna]

I disagree. Regular shipping is the only thing that matters. Just because they were able to send one to Juli, doesn't mean they'd ever manage to ship thousands or tens of thousands to regular customers.

Oh no, just because regular shipping is MOST important does not make it the only thing that matters - especially before it has started. That would be like saying, in the middle of a football game, the only thing that matters is the final score. Well, not a that point! Things like blocking, tackling, tactics, etc, all matter a lot to get to that final score.

So your only concern is yourself? You don't care how damaging this is to WayTools?

I come to MR for information. I and everyone else just lost the only non-WT source of information. This has nothing to do with damaging WT because I don't see any problem with the story to begin with. Most of the people making a big deal about this would do the same no matter what. Because some are just looking for an excuse to vent frustration.

Heck, when I offered to ask questions of WT on that other forum, I got attacked for not agreeing to ask every question requested! You simply can't please some people.

Wait and see, assuming it reaches general release, if any problem, no matter how tiny, is found, we'll have posts about, "They took over a year to ship and it still doesn't work". Never mind that all complicated products have some issues.

 

[ericpeets]

I want to give everyone an update on MacRumors' position on the TextBlade. We've read through the comments posted here, taken into account emails we've received, and looked through information on the WayTools forums. We've heard what you have to say and we won't be continuing on to do a review or further coverage of the TextBlade.

Hi Juli,

I humbly request you rethink your decision. There are many us who appreciate your coverage on this subject, probably more so than all the detractors combined. We're just not as vocal as the ones bent on the negatives. In fact, I think we outnumber them by a huge margin from seeing (from waytools forum) the influence you had in people's buying decision after your original article.

I'm sorry you had to endure people wrongly accusing you of collusion, that your writing is advertising, all that nonsense. But you're always going to have complainers, conspiracy theorists in all things. Personally, I love your writings, following you for years, and looked forward to your final review of the Textblade. I think it would be a great way to get a closure on the matter.

I apologize for starting any negative vibes, but I feel it had to be said. But please please please rethink your decision. Thank you.

 

[Night Spring]

Oh no, just because regular shipping is MOST important does not make it the only thing that matters - especially before it has started. That would be like saying, in the middle of a football game, the only thing that matters is the final score. Well, not a that point! Things like blocking, tackling, tactics, etc, all matter a lot to get to that final score.

I come to MR for information. I and everyone else just lost the only non-WT source of information. This has nothing to do with damaging WT because I don't see any problem with the story to begin with. Most of the people making a big deal about this would do the same no matter what. Because some are just looking for an excuse to vent frustration.

As far as football goes, yes, the final score is the only thing that matters. I'm a NY Giants fan, and this season, they had several close games that they lost in the final minutes, and as a result, they didn't make the playoffs. Did it matter that they lost those games by a single score? No, it didn't.

And you are right that the stories Juli has posted were not damaging to WT. But now that MacRumors has said they will no longer cover TextBlade? WT has lost a significant venue for publicity.

And of course, people will complain about any faults that are found once it ships. I'm not sure how that relates to the current discussion.

 

[dabigkahuna]

Even after the game, coaches don't look at the final score as most important, they look at the steps along the way that led to it.

Heck, the best coaches don't even think the final score is most important after the game! If they win and they see a lot of bad plays and execution out there, that is what they will care about more. Because they know that it is just one game when it comes to scoring. It is a whole season (or more) when it comes to basic skills.

So, if they see their quarterback starting to make better decisions, but they lose the game, they may very well see the improved decisions being more important to the season than that one game.

Well, with TREG we get to find out from people outside of WT how well (or not) this thing works. If there were reports of, say, having trouble switching to different layers from them (or Juli if she was still covering the story) then that is important for people to know. And if people report that things aren't showing problems - or even if it is an odd, rare, problem, they probably would want to know that too.

But in the end, no matter how one looks at it, we lost someone who would have had at least a 1 week start on evaluating this thing. That's a net loss.

 

[Night Spring]

Even after the game, coaches don't look at the final score as most important, they look at the steps along the way that led to it.

In terms of building and maintaining the team, sure. But in terms of making the playoffs, sorry, the final score is all that matters.

The TextBlade could be the best keyboard ever designed, but if it doesn't make it to the end users, it won't matter.

Juli may have had a one week start in evaluating TextBlade, but if it doesn't ship, what does it matter?

And if it does ship, then hopefully some other blog or publication will review it. Hey, the users can post here to spread word of mouth. I think this thread will still be here, if anyone is inclined to post.

 

[Rolanbek]

Why are we in yet another sports analogy?

@jclo Part of the reason for increasing negative vibe here is the constant needling by one particular user. There is much to be gained from a little time to pause and reflect.

I for one would not like to see you cease coverage of the textblade. Many of us were pleased that it and Waytools activities could be discussed away from their oppressive moderation, disinterest in communication and tacit acceptance that jam was always tomorrow.

Even now they are witch-hunting their forums for a huge conspiracy of accounts posting negative comments about them. It seem that they fail to take into account that it is the quantity negative experiences they have meted out that creates the ill feeling. They would rather continue to ban critical commentary from real people and pretend it is from a shadowy puppet master than address their own shortcomings.

It suits Waytools more if stop if you your coverage, as otherwise their sins would be laid bare.

R

 

[TommyCR]

I want to give everyone an update on MacRumors' position on the TextBlade. We've read through the comments posted here, taken into account emails we've received, and looked through information on the WayTools forums. We've heard what you have to say and we won't be continuing on to do a review or further coverage of the TextBlade.

To set the record straight, I have never had any kind of monetary or personal relationship with the WayTools staff. I've been criticized for the tone of my posts, which I wrote as someone who was just as excited as you were about a unique keyboard on the market that went above and beyond anything else available.

I want to explain something about my early posts that I think gives some insight into why I trusted what WayTools had to say. When I visited WayTools in March, I saw and used a finished TextBlade product. I saw a room full of engineers typing on finished TextBlades.

I saw the components for hundreds of TextBlades and rows and rows of completed TextBlades. Having used one myself, which seemed to function well, I had no reason to think that the TextBlade wouldn't be shipping out soon. I was told about a change to the butterfly, but I was also told an updated version was already in production and would ship soon.

Ahead of my second post in July, I was told a lot of reasonable information about why there had been a delay since March and how those problems had all been fixed. A lot of products can get delayed at the stage from limited production to mass production, so I gave WayTools the benefit of the doubt because the TextBlade finally seemed ready to ship (to Night Spring -- I *did* do research on this).

This time, I saw dozens and dozens of completed TextBlades lined up. I saw people using them. I saw photos of the TextBlade production line in Malaysia and I was told hundreds of TextBlades were being made and were going to be ready to go out in July.

Was I overly optimistic and perhaps too trusting? Yes. Was I out to deceive? Absolutely not. As the months ticked by after July, I decided not to continue on with coverage until the TextBlade started shipping. This time around, I had a TextBlade in my possession at the time of the post, concrete proof that WayTools is finally letting them out into the wild. I wouldn't have done a post at all had I not received multiple requests to do so.

I didn't ignore the production issues and the long delays in this most recent post, but many of you feel that I did not go far enough highlighting the customer service problems. To that end, I would like to say that there are problems that I was not even aware of, such as the canceling of orders.

A lot of the accusations in this thread have been off base and highly stressful for me. I've been struggling figure out how to explain myself in a way that you guys would find satisfactory, and I'm still not sure how to do it. The idea that I would deceive MacRumors readers or write something untruthful for money (or whatever other benefit I'm supposedly getting out of this) is so entirely preposterous to me that I've been at a loss for words.

I've been with MacRumors for 2012 and I love my job. I love the community. I love writing for all of you. I didn't set out to trick, deceive, or disappoint anyone and I apologize if I have unwittingly done so.

Juli:

I certainly understand your decision, in light of the boneheaded posts that have been leveled at you. Let me say that I remain a solid fan of your outstanding work, and I deplore the pointless invective that you've had to suffer just because of a flock of negative babies wallowing in their own misery. The anonymity of electronic communications seems to trigger this kind of cowardly attack. The adults in the room would like to apologize for the kids' tantrums, their despicable behavior and for any discomfort they've caused you. I will miss your cancelled perceptions of TextBlade and NEVER doubted your integrity for a minute.

 

[Night Spring]

Even now they are witch-hunting their forums for a huge conspiracy of accounts posting negative comments about them.

You post this, and in the same breath ask MacRumors to continue to cover this company?

We can continue discussions in already existing threads on TextBlade. I don't think new articles by MacRumors are needed for that.

 

[Rolanbek]

But Tom you have been complaining about the complaining since August 2015.

You might be happy with the service, and that is fine, but others wanted the thing they paid for when Waytools said it was coming.

Don't you see that the people you labelled "spoiled children" in August have still not had their product, or an indication of when they might actually get it? Half a year has passed with each month bringing a ship date of next month.

Something is wrong somewhere.
[doublepost=1456199007][/doublepost]

You post this, and in the same breath ask MacRumors to continue to cover this company?

We can continue discussions in already existing threads on TextBlade. I don't think new articles by MacRumors are needed for that.

Is balanced coverage something to be feared? I think not.

Neither am I looking for a hatchet job, just balanced coverage away from servers controlled by the vendor.

The comments threads here are worthless as long as they are full of people endlessly covering the same ground.

If you want to say what you like there is a Sub. There it will do no harm.