The patent for the Cherry MX design finally expired in 2014. Since then, more and more Chinese companies have been producing switches that are also of comparable quality to Cherry’s.
Cherry is lagging behind its Far Eastern competitors in so-called Hall effect switches with magnetic fields.
Cherry benefited from high demand during the coronavirus pandemic, which has since subsided.
So it goes.
Let me guess, R&D wasn’t top priority.
Yup. I’ve had many mech boards since 2011 and have watched Chinese manufacturers go from producing okay alternatives to surpassing Cherry in quality.
And quality is a small piece of the puzzle: experimentation, choice and fun factor are the bread and butter of this hobby.