The History of Mechanical Keyboards: From Typewriters to Endgame

By MechKeyReview Team • Published on June 14, 2026 • Blog

The mechanical keyboard you type on today is the direct descendant of a machine invented in 1868. Every decision made along the way — which key size, which switch mechanism, which layout — carries the accumulated weight of 150 years of engineering, commerce, and coincidence.

This is the full story: how keyboards evolved from mechanical typewriters to IBM's legendary Model M, through a 15-year dark age of membrane dominance, and into the modern enthusiast era where a single keyboard can cost more than a laptop.

The Origin: Typewriters (1868–1960)

The ancestor of the keyboard is the typewriter. The first commercially successful model was the Sholes & Glidden Type-Writer, patented in 1868 and sold by Remington starting in 1873. It introduced the QWERTY layout — a letter arrangement designed around the mechanical constraints of typewriter typebars, not around typing speed or ergonomics.

Typewriter keys were mechanical in every sense: pressing a key caused a physical lever (typebar) to strike a ribbon and imprint ink on paper. Each key had a definitive, tactile endpoint. Typists from the era describe a clear satisfaction in the mechanism — the kind of feedback that modern keyboard enthusiasts are still chasing.

The QWERTY layout survived the transition from typewriters to computers almost entirely intact. Alternative layouts like Dvorak (1932) and Colemak (2006) have never achieved significant adoption despite research suggesting they can be more efficient.

IBM and the Birth of the Computer Keyboard (1961–1981)

In 1961, IBM released the Selectric typewriter — a revolutionary machine that replaced individual typebars with a single rotating "typeball." It was not a keyboard, but it established IBM's design language for key feel and layout that would define computer keyboards for decades.

Early computer terminals in the 1960s and 1970s used full mechanical key mechanisms because it was the only reliable technology available. The IBM 3270 (1971) and similar terminals used individual switches per key, giving typists consistent, tactile feedback with every press.

In 1981, IBM released the Model F keyboard alongside the IBM PC XT. The Model F used a capacitive buckling spring mechanism — a design considered by many keyboard historians to be the peak of switch engineering. Each spring buckled under pressure, creating an audible click and a tactile snap simultaneously. Model F keyboards are still in active daily use today and routinely sell for $200+ on the used market.

The IBM Model M: The Benchmark (1984)

In 1984, IBM introduced the Model M. It used a slightly simplified version of the buckling spring mechanism — a membrane beneath the spring rather than the Model F's capacitive design — which allowed for mass production at a lower cost without dramatically compromising feel.

The Model M became the standard keyboard for IBM PCs and compatibles throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s. Tens of millions were manufactured. Its characteristics — heavy steel backplate, 2.2 kg total weight, loud click, strong tactile response — became the template for what "a good keyboard" meant for a generation of typists.

Model M production passed to Lexmark (a former IBM division) in 1991, then to Unicomp in 1996. Unicomp still manufactures new buckling spring keyboards today in Lexington, Kentucky, using original tooling.

Cherry MX: The Switch That Defined an Era (1983)

While IBM was building the Model M, a German company named ZF Electronics (operating as Cherry Corporation) was developing a different approach to switch design. In 1983–1984, Cherry introduced the MX series: modular mechanical switches using a stem-and-housing architecture that became the industry standard for decades.

The Cherry MX design was elegant in its simplicity: a color-coded stem determined the switch type (Red = linear, Brown = tactile, Blue = clicky), and the housing was standardized so keycaps from any manufacturer would fit any MX switch. This modularity — which seemed unremarkable at the time — would later make Cherry MX the foundation of the enthusiast keyboard market.

Cherry MX switches were used in professional and industrial keyboards throughout the 1980s and 1990s. They remained a niche professional product through the membrane era, and became the catalyst for the enthusiast revival in the 2000s.

The Membrane Dark Age (1994–2007)

By the mid-1990s, the personal computer had gone mainstream. Cost pressure became the dominant force in keyboard design. Membrane keyboards — which replaced individual switches with a continuous sheet of plastic and conductive traces — could be manufactured for a fraction of the cost of mechanical keyboards. By 2000, virtually all consumer keyboards sold were membrane.

The quality difference was dramatic. Membrane keyboards offered mushy, imprecise key feel with no tactile feedback at the actuation point. Bottom-out was the only signal that a key had been pressed. Noise was reduced, but at the expense of everything that made typing feel deliberate.

For approximately 13 years (roughly 1994–2007), high-quality mechanical keyboards were nearly impossible to buy new. Professional users kept their Model M keyboards alive through decades of use. A small number of boutique manufacturers (Filco, Leopold, HHKB) continued building mechanical keyboards for niche professional markets in Japan and Europe.

The Enthusiast Revival (2007–2015)

Contrasting vintage IBM keyboard and modern custom keyboard

The modern mechanical keyboard renaissance has a clear starting point: 2007, when Das Keyboard introduced the first "enthusiast" mechanical keyboard marketed specifically to gamers and power typists. It used Cherry MX switches and was sold in a deliberately provocative blank (unlabeled) configuration that sent a strong message about its target audience.

Online communities formed rapidly around this new market. GeekHack (2008) became the central forum for keyboard enthusiasts, followed by Reddit's r/MechanicalKeyboards (2012). These communities created the vocabulary still in use today: endgame, thock, clack, GMK, SA profile, group buy.

Between 2008 and 2014, the market expanded rapidly. Filco, Ducky, Leopold, WASD, Vortex, and Cooler Master all entered with quality products. Asian manufacturers (particularly from South Korea and China) began producing custom parts: artisan keycaps, custom cases, aftermarket switches. The hobby took shape.

The Modern Era (2015–Present)

The period from 2015 to the present is characterized by the explosion of the custom keyboard market and the mainstreaming of the hobby. Platforms like Massdrop (now Drop), KBDfans, and NovelKeys made custom keyboard components accessible to a global audience. Group buys — pre-order campaigns for custom keycap sets and keyboard kits — became the primary distribution model for premium products.

Key developments of the modern era include: QMK open-source firmware (2013, programmable to any key layout), hot-swap PCBs (2016 onwards, allow switch changes without soldering), gasket mounting (decouples the typing surface from the case for a more flexible, "bouncy" feel), wireless mechanical keyboards (Keychron popularized this from 2019), and the rise of south Korean custom keyboard culture.

Today, the mechanical keyboard market spans $30 budget boards and $700+ custom builds. The community includes millions of participants across dozens of countries. What began as a preference among IBM typists who refused to give up their Model Ms has become one of the fastest-growing hardware niches in consumer electronics.

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