IBM Japan 5576-C01 TrackPoint Keyboard and its Unicomp descendants

[sharktastica]

Hello!

New article time. The 5576-C01 is [in my opinion] one of the coolest keyboards IBM fielded in the 1990s - it’s a buckling spring Model M with a TrackPoint pointing stick sporting a JIS layout and many unique design elements. It’s very likely the rarest IBM TrackPoint keyboard as well being a Japanese-exclusive design, but later became the basis of one of the most common Unicomp keyboards after they got their hands on the tooling. But, there aren't many detailed looks at the keyboard available (at least in the west) and even the relationship with Unicomp EnduraPro, SpaceSaver M and Ultra Classic - which some people still attribute to being their original designs and tooling - isn’t universally known. This article addresses that. Included are any photos, comparisons, excessive date digging through the Wayback Machine, and how the designs are now past their prime.

https://sharktastica.co.uk/articles/5576-C01_family

Enjoy!