Great updates. I really appreciate the photos and the full story. Although so many products are brought to market every day - *this* product is being made and mass produced for the very first time. It is always difficult (and rewarding) to do something that has never been done before. Looking forward to seeing the product and your success unfold.

You guys rock. I'm getting a Touchfire AND a fascinating insight into the world of startups and the process of designing and manufacturing a new product. Take the time to do it right, and give the whiners a slap in the face on my behalf.

Thanks for the update and the good news. I'd rather have it "right" than "quick"...

Great work, guys! Let's get'er done!

Even though this is going to ship a little late for a Christmas 2011 gift, I showed my dad (receiver of said gift) and he was REALLY excited and can't wait to get it!

Can I also have my order changed to a 3rd gen iPad? Thanks! And keep working hard! I know it will pay off soon!!!

My case color has been changed to black. Still the smart cover for iPad 2. So everything in black please:) thanks!

I think I've said this before: Designing and manufacturing physical products is hard. Very hard. Anyone with the urge to post a negative comment should first attempt to make something akin to the many projects in KS first. Only then will you have the perspective from which to voice an opinion that has any value.

As someone who has been doing this my entire life I come from the vantage point of knowing, in no uncertain terms, just how tough it can be. And, I have the scars to prove it.

I don't care if TouchFire takes another six months. It'll be ready when it is ready. You should be glad that Steve and Brad are choosing to take the time to do a good job rather than ship everyone crap and move on. Their communication on the project has been exemplary. If you pay attention there's lots to learn. Rather than complain, ask good questions as this is a good opportunity to learn a lot about how products are engineered and manufactured in the real world.

@Neil Bunn, well said. It is a lottery but Steve and Brad have taken a risk to produce something we all want and they have kept us in the loop all the way. Let's wish them a speedy production cycle..I can't wait!

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/mobile-gadgeteer/kickstarter-projects-are-exciting-but-be-prepared-to-wait-months-for-a-product/5734…

It's been more than a couple of weeks since the last update - please let us know where it is at...

So, just had to comment. I've backed a pile of projects now, and the number that have shipped on their estimated shipping date is zero. What does this tell us? Well, that this situation here for Touchfire isn't unique, and that it is a heck of a lot harder to bring a good quality product to market than it appears. It also doesn't help that some of these projects become far more successful than even intended, so scale becomes a problem, not just a blessing.

I've been lucky in that *every* single project I've funded has eventually completed, (one was a year late) and has provided good value and a fun time for me, some in practice have turned out a little different from what I originally envisioned, but that's the nature of this process -- you are funding a concept, an idea, that often needs to be adjusted or tweaked both for practicality, or volume production, or just because things change over time (in this case like iPad 3 announcement!) This should be viewed by everyone as a fun adventure, with a "fund at your own risk" mentality, nothing more. It is up to funders to do their due diligence both in terms of the feasibility of the project (some of these clearly will never happen) and also in terms of what it means if your funding just plain disappears. For me, the fun is in having something new, unique, and that no one else may ever have -- or, in the best possible case that everyone else will have, but much later than I will. Plus, it is great to support entreprenurship and business building. Half of us go out and buy meaningless lottery tickets that will almost never pay off, or gamble, or buy all sorts of silly products we don't need or could live without -- in this case it is a bet on innovation, ingenuity and participation as an observer in the creation of a product.

Steve and Brad have been good about posting updates of the successes and failures, would I love more? Sure, because I'm a data geek -- but have they abandoned the project or done anything that isn't entirely above board? It doesn't appear that way when you see tables and tables of injection moulded parts and a lot of micrometers out! :) For me, I still love it, and the kickstarter experience. If my order turns into a silicon keyboard for an iPad 4, so be it... still interesting to watch and support. :)

@KC Bitterman I'd change your last name. The irony is killing me.

@ J Newell. Totally agree. Some people need to take a Good look at what Kickstarter is really about and then take a good look at themselves and ask what they want from KS?

These guys on average have given an update every 2 weeks with a lot of detail. I think this is fantastic and more than I expect IMHO. Keep it up guys!

Having backed 30+ Projects, these guys are well ahead of others. Many projects are between 6 months to 1 year late than what they originally quoted. If you can't handle it, this is not the place for you.

I'd like a black keyboard for iPad 2 please:) Thanks:) I'm so excited to get your product! :D

*sigh*. That's all. Just... *sigh*. Wish these guys would give more frequent updates. But then, there is much I wish for in life.

You need to take another look at Kickstarter as a whole and evaluate whether your expectations are realistic in this context. You've backed a single project, this one. I've backed nine to date. TouchFire is way out at the head of the pack in terms of communications with backers and progress to delivery of the product. If you need to live in a world of impatient, instant gratification, Kickstarter is not the place for you.

"Well, this is one "investor" that is just absolutely disgusted by this project. When you originally pitched this, you claimed to have designed this product and that it was ready for production. Clearly, my investment has gone toward you two yutzes learning how to actually do what you said you had already done. While it has been interesting two watch you two piss away the cash that regular folks like me put up for a non-existent product, it has also been painful and a good learning opportunity. Touchfire, you taught me that Kickstarter is the land of bullshit, smoke and mirrors."

Well, this is one "investor" that is just absolutely disgusted by this project. When you originally pitched this, you claimed to have designed this product and that it was ready for production. Clearly, my investment has gone toward you two yutzes learning how to actually do what you said you had already done. While it has been interesting two watch you two piss away the cash that regular folks like me put up for a non-existent product, it has also been painful and a good learning opportunity. Touchfire, you taught me that Kickstarter is the land of bullshit, smoke and mirrors.

I would like to point out that we are "investors" not "customers". It is always encouraging to have perfect time frame, but we are investing in a project, something that does not exist in this world, yet. If this thing is going to have a problem, I want to see that problem solved before it hits the shelves. In that sense, I am OK with what is going on with the project. Thanks to Steve & Brad, TouchFIre will "just work" (like Jobs used say) on iPad. But again, we would love to know more details of shipping time, and, if there is any, issues.

can i have my order switched to an iPad 3, which I recently purchased?

Lots of discussion about Kickstarter these days, as an alternative to venture capital funding, and whether many developers are really blurring the original lines that Kickstarter was designed around. We're rolling the dice here. If you want an alternative you'll either pay more or get something that may or may not suit your needs. Logitech has some new offerings, but these go beyond what many of us want or need or are willing to pay for.

@David W. Thanks for posting that. It was a great article that offer a different perspective. If we all bought the Touchfire at Bestbuy, we would not no knowledge (or concern) for what went into it-but we didn't. We invested in a product that did not exist and are given the chance to be a part of it's development. Had apple allowed us to preorder at the state of the iPad's infancy, I imagine it would have been a lot longer than 6 months before we had it in hand. Thanks again for posting.

How do I update my backer request/order? I now have an iPad3 and it is in white.

We all need to remember what Kickstarter is. The following post is a good read:

http://gigaom.com/2012/05/01/with-200m-raised-kickstarter-is-becoming-two-businesses/

But he said that investors need to be aware of the limitations of using Kickstarter as a retail store. Pledging money down doesn’t necessarily mean that users are guaranteed to get a product.

“My concern is they’re buying something that doesn’t exist yet,” Strickler said. “It’s not like the Pebble guy has a warehouse in Ohio. He has to make these things.”

Contingencies. If I can find fault in your process so far, it's that contingencies are not planned for. It's one thing to design a product with the the kind of tolerances you guys are, but you have to understand the tolerances of the materials that you're working with and plan for things to go wrong. Sometimes it's wise to follow multiple paths with different specs that allow for the unknown.

Wow. This is disappointing. The only way this wont be a complete disaster is if you ship everyone both a black and white keyboard. This is just frustrating.

Hi Steve and Brad, Thanks for the update! I pledged $45 to you last year because I wanted to support a really good commercial idea. By now I feel that I have already received $45 dollars worth of value just getting an inside look at your process these past six months. The realities of developing and manufacturing a product are sometimes painful. I am sorry about the recent set-backs, and hope that you are not too stressed. Looking forward to receiving the keyboard when it is ready!

If I may post a suggestion: There are many of us who committed our $45 in December, believing that TouchFire would be shipped in December as you led us to believe. This was "many moons" ago, before any thoughts on an iPad 3 were real.

Now we're in May, and if past experience proves correct, we're probably going to see another several weeks/month of delay. I am glad that you want to "get it right" and ship a perfect product, but you need to understand your customer world is changing.

Every day the delay continues, more and more people get an iPad3. You've said that one TouchFire isn't compatible with both (as originally thought). You need to order the right one. Many people are not going to do that - and you are going to deal with even more frustrated backers and return shipments to swap it out. Not a good thing.

To my suggestion: to everyone who backed at $45+, give 'em one of both. You will immediately get some AMAZING, positive word of mouth, turn detractors into promoters, mitigate return issues and provide backers with one to use on both their iPad1/2 and iPad3 (or EVEN BETTER give it to a friend as a "product seeding" exercise - grabbing you more positive buzz!). The more people who see your first units on the street, the better your long-term sales prospects.

Reward your backers. Recognize their patience. Create some positive buzz. Yeah, it will short-term hit your margin, but it's the right thing to do long-term.

Adam

I am baffled at this point. I reached out in February for an update and received a fairly snide response to my "absurd" question.
Now here we going in to May and there are still excuses of why we still do not have a product ready to ship.
I ordered one for my husband who is deploying in May. It never crossed my mind he still would not have it before he left. I guess mine will get posted to Craigslist when I eventually get it. I cannot even express how excited I was when I saw this product last year and now how disappointed I am.

Before I ask my question: Please know that I am not criticizing you and I am not even bothered by the delays. I have designed and manufactured enough products with a variety of technologies to know that, well, making things is hard sometimes very hard.

I'd like to understand why the tolerances for the magnet pocket are so tight as to not being able to tolerate a 0.006in dimensional change. Surely manufacturing tolerances of the magnets themselves had to require being tolerant of changes. Plastic, well, it's plastic so you have to assume the worst when designing. I learned a long time ago to not call for tight tolerances anywhere unless there was absolutely no way to avoid it.

Couldn't you have designed that hole to have compliant "fingers" to capture the magnet and, therefore, provide for variations in both process and magnet dimensions?

Again, no issues with the delays. You guys seem to be chasing it all down systematically and this is a process. If anything it is a really good education for KS supporters who don't have any experience in manufacturing goods. To repeat myself, it isn't easy.

The other comment I'd like to offer for those bothered by the delays is that tooling isn't printed at the push of a button like a document coming out of your printer. Having tooling manufactured can take weeks. Good tooling providers are busy. They can't shove work out of the way to focus on just one project. This means that your project has to fit within their production schedule like anything else they are doing. Tooling can take four to six weeks per iteration. This doesn't mean that it takes four weeks to machine, it means that it can take that long for time to be available for the order to get to the shop floor and the tooling fabrication to begin.

I realize that many want their keyboard (me too!). Patience is probably the best position to take. Steve and Brad seem to be working hard at this and will eventually get it all figured out. I, for one, am enjoying the process and the updates. Lots to learn if you really pay attention.

For the record, I am in no way related to these guys and don't know them other than through my pledge on their project.

How is it possible to recieve over $191,400 (over 2000% of goal) over your goal amount to create, refine, and distribute your product and not have realistic timelines in order to deliever to your 3,000 backers?! Everyone look at that estimated delievery of December 2011 on the right hand side and then look at your current calendar, either I'm crazy or that meant to read "December 2012".

Excuse the "woodworker" in me, but would it be possible to simply "drill out" the magnet receptacles after the silicon molding process is completed? Setting a standard depth and width could address any variances during the molding process.

Caution from one manufacturer to another: I don't know if your magnet source is imported or US, but if the strength of the pull is critical, then you want that tested also. And anytime you have metal meeting plastic temperature can make a good fit suddenly not work. Since two mediums "come and go" at different temperatures, they can contract or expand and create a nightmare. I am supprised the tollerance was that tight to begin with but maybe it has to be. If not, sometimes "slop" is not a bad thing.

When I first pledged I had a iPad2 as the release date continued to backup I now have upgraded to an iPad3 how do I change my order to that version?

Eager for the update, guys. Truly hope it is not an update of yet another delay. Original delivery was December. It is now end of April. If there is another delay, please let us know how we can get a refund. Obviously, this is a great idea or we would not have backed it but it seems like it is not going to get delivered anytime soon.

Hey guys? 15 days since last communication of any kind. Blew right by the April 23 date. C'mon, speak!

I'm just trying to understand: Touchfire is only compatible with iPad 2 or iPad 3, depending on what version we order. But, the Apple's Smart Cover I bought with my iPad 2 is working with my iPad 3 too.... Isn't there anyway to use one Touchfire for both iPad 2 and 3???

This reminds me of a lesson I learned in B school...making stuff is actually hard! Its one of the reasons so many of my classmates went into finance (not me)

I currently have an IPad2 and I know in about 6 months I'll be getting a 3. Will the ipad3 keyboard work with the ipad2?

Just read update #18. Thanks for the thorough walkthrough of the timeline thus far. Helps greatly in understanding the delays. Crossing my fingers everything is go. Looking forward to future updates, good or bad.

Thanks!

Guys...disregard my email. I was wondering and will give it another month. Lets hope for everyone that this is it!

Thanks