Ryan Seacrest-backed Typo has recently begun shipping a new keyboard case for the iPhone 6 that the company says is designed to avoid the legal pitfalls of its first foray into the iOS keyboard market, reports Re/code.
BlackBerry’s lawsuit against the original Typo iPhone Keyboard Case hit a week before the case was publicly unveiled at CES this past January, claiming the Typo keyboard was nearly identical the iconic BlackBerry keyboard. The lawsuit remains pending, but in the interim, BlackBerry was granted an injunction to block sales of the original Typo keyboard.
Typo2 for iPhone 6 functions similarly to its predecessor in that it acts as a tangible keyboard alternative for users not comfortable with Apple’s touch-screen QWERTY keys, and Typo notes the new keyboard is modeled after the iPhone’s own software keyboard.
One major drawback, however, is that it blocks the iPhone 6’s Touch ID capabilities. CEO Laurence Hallier (who co-created the Typo keyboard with Ryan Seacrest) didn’t express worry over the issue, claiming that most of Typo’s core fanbase wouldn’t mind omitting Touch ID in favor of using a physical keyboard.
Hallier also told Re/code that the company is working on “a completely different take on a keyboard for the iPad.” Hoping to launch sometime next year, the company has reportedly been working on the product for over two years and invested over $2 million on its design. An iPhone 6 Plus keyboard appears to be out of the question, with Hallier lamenting, “We designed one, but the phone is so big, it makes it top heavy.”
The Typo2 for iPhone 6 can be purchased from Typo’s official website for $99, with an iPhone 5/5s version also available for $79. Initial pre-orders of the iPhone 6 version sold out quickly, but the company promises new pre-orders will ship by December 15.
