IBM Model M 1990
How does a 31-year-old keyboard hold up in 2021?
THE IBM MODEL M is a classic. First introduced in 1985, it is the successor to the Model F, which is an equally soughtafter vintage keyboard, if not more so. The Model F had a more difficult layout, but the Model M changed this and became more user-friendly. The Model M helped to create the modernday layout—apart from the lack of Windows keys, it’s the same layout as any other full-size keyboard. It is one of the very first keyboards, if not the first, to include dual Ctrl and Alt keys, function keys, alphanumeric keys, navigation keys, numeric keys, and indicator lights, just like we see today.
The switches on the Model M make a keyboard enthusiast weak at the knees. They're so satisfying to press, and although they are obnoxiously loud, they're very fun to type on, at least for the person doing the typing. The switches are technically "memchanical," but are seen as mechanical by many due to the way they work. Unlike the capacitive buckling springs of the Model F, these are a buckling spring over a membrane. The switch is pressed, the spring buckles, and this action makes a pivoting hammer contact the membrane sheet and actuate. For those who love clicky, tactile switches, the buckling springs are your endgame. They start off at a somewhat low weight, and increase in intensity until the spring buckles with a satisfying "twhunk" and the switch actuates, all in an instant. For typing, they’re really on another level compared to popular mechanical switches.
Gaming on the Model M isn’t fantastic. For most games it is perfectly fine, but there are a few major drawbacks. The Model M has 2KRO (key roll-over), just like most membrane boards. This means that you can often only press two keys at a time, so if you want to press W, A, and Ctrl at the same time, the keyboard may detect the keypress as something different, or not at detect them at all. Most modern mechanical keyboards have NKRO, which means that all keys will be detected regardless of how many you are pressing. The Model M wasn’t designed for gaming, and as such it isn’t going to compete in this category. The Model F has NKRO due to it being a capacitive board, and despite the strange layout it is often seen as superior due to this. We’re hopefully going to get our hands on a Model F over the coming months/years, so we will see how relevant it is in the modern world too.
RETRO RELEVANCE
The build quality of the Model M is astounding. 30 years later and it looks and works like it just came from the factory. The hard beige/gray plastic of the case is indicative of the style of PCs back in the 80s. The plastic surrounds a large metal plate, and this plate houses the PCB and gives the keyboard a crazy weight. If you want a keyboard to double up as a bludgeon, this is for you. The keycaps are PBT and have a nice grayscale theme. They’re rather good quality for a set of original keycaps, but there are burs from the manufacturing process.
Overall the keyboard is a fond memory for office workers from 1985 up until the new millennium. Membrane keyboards then became the cheaper alternative, and although Model M boards are still being produced by Unicomp, they’re using old tooling and are just not quite the same. This keyboard is a part of history, but it still holds its own in many aspects. Is the Model M still relevant in 2021? If you’re a typist, you will struggle to find better. If you’re in your mid-30s or older, you'll relive your nostalgia. If you’re due a zombie apocalypse, you have a weapon. Is it still relevant? Yes—unless you’re a pro gamer of course.