Komplete Kontrol S series MK1 keyboards End Of Life

While this would be a good option if all we had was one mk1, the impact to other NI hardware in the same setup(s) (that we train youth on), and utilize simultaneously, would become extremely muddy. Especially as additional KK updates and hardware firmware are released with new functionality, compatibility, etc.

There are bound to be problems with unmaintained software. Just a matter of time.

Thank you @Matthew_NI for all your answers. No need to contact you in private since you are already doing a good job answering here, where it is more useful since everybody can see it.

Some of your explanations makes things a little clearer (even if some others are clearly what a company must say…admitting things and saying the whole truth is not part of an economic business, I do understand that).

That said…since you say this is all your decision… do I agree with you? Hell NO! But I don’t even pretend that what you decide in order to sell your new products must coincide with what I think should be done to make things fair. And to give your users something back (the famous “we care about users”), at least by assuring that the ones burned by your decision will be at least provided with something that (even if frozen in time) is perfectly functioning.

Useless to tell you that your decisions will have consequences: you made quite clear in your answers what I already thought with this whole Company rebranding and the news from last months: NI is pointing at making itself a new name and, more precisely, new users, leaving the ones that are with the company from a long time (and therefore know what it means to deal with NI, specially hoping to be listened) behind.

That’s your move. Hope for you it will go well. Surely I would not have abandoned the legacy a good company like NI has (if the people that came before you succeeded in becoming one of the main names in the industry there’s a reason. Let’s see if your policy of upsetting existing users will have the same success).

Just don’t expect that the burned users will just shut up. The internet is already full of people making bad advertising of NI (probably one of the names that get criticized the most…and probably for a reason). Your decisions won’t change this thing. Au contraire: what you are doing is putting new woods on a burning fire.

And the first thing new possible users do nowadays is go in the internet to take informations.

THIS is where I would have put my efforts. But, clearly, we are different

Oh…I forgot…about announcing it just three days before to avoid people updating… It’s not forbidden to announce it with more advance and then repeat the announcement when KK 3.0 comes out.

But this of course would lead to MK1 users maybe not buying new libraries during these months… thing I’m sure you didn’t take in consideration, since you say no “money-grab” is involved in the decisions (quite strange: which company doesn’t work to earn the money they desearve for their work?)

Also the statement “nor was it designed to get MK1 users to upgrade” is quite strange.

Of course you should be trying to make MK1 users upgrade!

One good way to do it is offering new products so valid that users DO WANT to upgrade. I’m sure that people will agree to pay for new products (or even updates) if they see the good work that has been put into it.

The bad way is…well…we know which is the bad way…

Designing things without the intention to seriously improve them and in this way enticing users to want them doesn’t sound like a healthy policy imo…nor a long lasting one

Thank you for the explanation.

Best solution I could see (if you really NEED new functionality) would be the best of both worlds.

Allocate a bank of machines to handle all MK1 duties exclusively to ensure you can get the most mileage from the MK1 investment and another bank to MKII (and up).

There is no point fighting city hall on this one and the sooner you separate KK 2.9.4 from KK 3.x.x - the better off you will be.

If it were me (and my cap-ex budget) I would reconfigure ASAP to ensure best value out of what I already had and worry less about what I do not (KK 3.x and future hardware) but - at least be ready if/when it does matter.

Or - as Matthew has noted - do not worry about anything and keep the classrooms on 2.9.4

And regarding Komplete Kontrol 3 - I seriously doubt there will be a mass-exodus to KK 3.x.x just cause it's there. There may be some small improvements worth considering - but it's already been clearly stated in the AMA Thread from last month that unless you are moving right up to the K-Series MKIII - don't get too excited.

Even us MKII users do not get new firmware or any of the MKIII features. Only whatever incremental fixes and (maybe) small enhancements that come along with the new KK3 software.

VP

I'm in agreement with you.