We've launched an exciting new project of our own! Introducing the Kickstarter app for iPhone!

Funded! This project successfully raised its funding goal on December 13, 2011.

On Track to Ship by the End of June

Update #22 · Jun 16, 2012 · 11 comments

We are still on track to ship out Touchfires by the end of this month; just a couple weeks to go. As we said in our last update, the biggest issue we faced was replacing all of our magnets. Well, the new magnets arrived yesterday; hooray!

Our factory is now running 24/7 making Touchfire keyboards. First they will make all of the white Touchfires for the Variety Packs, and then switch over to making blacks. Here’s a picture of the clean room; notice that there are now large volume production tanks of liquid silicone attached to the injection molding machine instead of the small prototyping canisters seen in previous updates.

You can also see Touchfire storage cases being made on the other side of the room.

Now that the magnets have arrived, our factory can set up the assembly line to install the magnets and magnet labels into the keyboards. We’ve been busy working with them over the last few weeks building assembly and test jigs, developing quality assurance protocols, pack out procedures, etc, etc. This coming week will be devoted to getting everything set up and running smoothly. We should be running in high gear the week of June 25th, and expect to be shipping out Touchfires to you at the end of that week.

International Shipping

We have gotten a lot of feedback from our international customers about the high import duties that they have to pay when FedEx or UPS deliver a package. We have looked into this, and found an interesting shipping option from UPS called Mail Innovations. Under this program, UPS flies packages overseas using their normal cargo fleet, but they then hand the packages over to the local postal service for final mile delivery. The delivery times are similar to normal shipments, but the import duties are often significantly lower and less of a hassle, since they are charged at local postal service import rates and are collected by your local postal service.

So, we will be using this service for most of our International customers. There are a few countries where the local postal service can be a little slow; we will ship using standard UPS service to those countries.

In Summary...

Thank you for sticking with us over the last few months. It has been quite a journey, and we are incredibly excited that we will be getting Touchfire into your hands shortly.

Steve and Brad

Comments

    1. Missing_small

      Creator Tobster on June 28, 2012

      Thanks for the update guys. We're almost there!!

    2. Fb_profile_picture.small

      Creator Bob Yuri on June 23, 2012

      Hey, I am from Singapore and have fully paid the products and shipping fees. But I will be in the US during July and August visiting my relatives. I was wondering whether you could ship the touchfire to their US address? I hope this is possible!

      Thanks! Bob See

    3. Missing_small

      Creator Craig cumberland on June 18, 2012

      hi,

      I will also be moving by next monday and have 2 touchfires on order. can I provide a new address (still in the states) for this to be sent to??

      thanks

      Craig

    4. Missing_small

      Creator laura on June 18, 2012

      Thanks for the exciting news. I'm really looking forward to getting my TouchFire!

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      Creator Joseph Turner on June 18, 2012

      Needless to say, lying about the value of an item on an official government customs declaration is not a smart move. As the producer you could wind up liable for fines and even having all shipments to that country impounded if you're caught.

    6. Missing_small

      Creator Ariana Bavarian on June 18, 2012

      I need to change my mailing address as I have moved since confirming this information. How can I do this?

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      Creator Andreas Michalski on June 17, 2012

      for international shipment it is IMPORTANT that you attach an invoice outside of the pack !!!!!
      and the invoice must show a zero value or something like "free of charge".

      can you do this ?

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      Creator Randy Lofficier on June 17, 2012

      Is there anyway for shipping to be JUST USPS for my order? I'm willing to wait the extra time and take my chances, as I've never had anything lost in shipping that way. The problem is not duty, as most things do not have duty charged; it's the fees that courier services charge for clearing customs. Those have nothing to do with whether something has duty on it or not, and can be very expensive.

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      Creator Frank Miller on June 16, 2012

      I love the updates and pictures. Again, this has been quite a vicarious adventure to participate in this. I am one of the backwards investors; I was so attracted by the process and prospect of participating in the development and being an amateur 'venture capitalist' that I forked over my dough to the development project and only after receiving my keyboard will I then buy the iPad! Keep it up fellas, this is just great.
      Frank B. Miller MD

    10. Fb_profile_picture.small

      Creator Darren Abrahams on June 16, 2012

      Great news Guys! Can't wait to get my Touchfire!!

    11. Fb_profile_picture.small

      Creator Leah Hemeon on June 16, 2012

      What's with all the upside down pics? Is it just me?

      I'm so excited to finally hear how close shipping is! Congrats guys and thanks for the update.

3,146
Backers
$201,400
pledged of $10,000 goal
0
seconds to go

Funding period
Oct 20, 2011 - Dec 13, 2011

  • Pledge $1 or more

    83 backers

    THANK YOU! Pledging any amount you feel comfortable with will help turn this project into reality. You will be listed as a contributor on the TouchFire Web site.

    Estimated delivery: Dec 2011
  • Pledge $45 or more

    2096 backers

    Congratulations, you've just pre-ordered the TouchFire Standard Pack! It contains a keyboard, a storage case and a pair of cover clips, all in black. Shipping is free in the U.S. Please add $10 to your pledge for shipping to Canada, $25 for International shipping.

    Estimated delivery: Dec 2011
  • Pledge $80 or more

    877 backers

    KICKSTARTER SPECIAL! We created the TouchFire Variety Pack exclusively for Kickstarter - 2 keyboards in black and white, 2 storage cases and 5 pairs of cover clips in colors that complement the iPad Smart Covers. This is a $100 value. Free U.S. shipping, please add $10 for Canada, $25 for International.

    Estimated delivery: Dec 2011
  • Pledge $200 or more

    59 backers

    Five TouchFire Standard Packs. Outfit your friends, co-workers and clients with TouchFire! Plus save $25 over the single unit price. Free U.S. shipping, please add $10 for Canada, $25 for International.

    Estimated delivery: Dec 2011
  • Pledge $350 or more

    16 backers

    KICKSTARTER UBER-SPECIAL! Five TouchFire Variety Packs - 10 keyboards in total! The perfect gift for your group of iPad toting compadres. This is a $50 savings over the single unit price. Free U.S. shipping, please add $10 for Canada, $25 for International.

    Estimated delivery: Dec 2011
  • Pledge $1,000 or more

    6 backers

    Customize TouchFire! Add a graphic (your logo, your signature, or whatever you'd like) to the bottom of the TouchFire keyboard and choose your keyboard and cover clip colors. 20 custom units are included in this reward, and you will be able to order more of your customized TouchFires at volume prices. Free shipping anywhere in the world.

    Estimated delivery: Jan 2012