3 ms·

It's amazing how they had a whole stamped metal frame in there to stiffen it up. Like what was the design criteria that made them think they needed all that ste

• Wohlf 2y ago
  They may have expected typists coming over from typewriters to hammer on it for 8 hours a day, or to give them a similar feel to ease the transition and limit complaints.
  • justsomehnguy 2y ago
    This one. You could hear a former typist from the other side of the building even on a rubber dome keyboard.
• gosub100 2y ago
  Perhaps injection molding and plastics in general weren't as advanced at the time?
• shiroiushi 2y ago
  It wasn't a "frame" really, it was just a single sheet of stamped steel in a curved shape. The Model M wasn't nearly as impressive, or durable, as the Model F that preceded it and which was included with the IBM PC. Those keyboards had metal housings, unlike the plastic housings of the Model M.
• bombcar 2y ago
  IBM was a typewriter company and their keyboards reflected that for quite awhile - keys you could “tell” you pressed, machines that could take a beating. Also most keyboards from the era were “similar” since the switches were somewhat of a standard. It wasn’t until the PC market took off and went nuts that cost cutting and other developments began - especially in the portable/laptop area.