Petitions do help...some. But to really get things done, you need to show companies that there's a potential PROFIT in making these things. My suggestion is that if you have a good working relationship with a music retailer that's sizable in its field (like Perfect Circuit or Schneider's for modular, or Thomann or Sweetwater in general), get THEM to bug the manufacturers. Signatures are signatures, and work if a company pays grassroots attention. But RETAILERS making noise = $$$$ in their mindset.
Frankly, I'd like to see Moog get the Spectravox flying in a retail version. It make sense; Moog was a pioneer here as well, with the assistance of Harald Bode, and having one of their vocoders in an AFFORDABLE (ie: not $5,000) version would be very cool.