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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: Kagusaki Wolf on Fri, 22 January 2016, 22:31:23

Title: Anyone knows when the first IBM Model M was manufactured?
Post by: Kagusaki Wolf on Fri, 22 January 2016, 22:31:23

I've been doing some researching and I couldn't find the exact date when the very first Model M was made.  I only found the year 1985 but that's about it.  Any ideas? 

Title: Re: Anyone knows when the first IBM Model M was manufactured?
Post by: Oxid on Fri, 22 January 2016, 23:00:01

Probably a prototype sitting somewhere, is my guess. Or do you mean first released for consumers?

Title: Re: Anyone knows when the first IBM Model M was manufactured?
Post by: fanpeople on Fri, 22 January 2016, 23:45:37

Clicky keyboards used to maintain this database of Model Ms, obviously this is not going to give you the earliest but it will be in the ballpark

http://www.clickykeyboards.com/index.cfm/fa/pages.main/pageID/3

Title: Re: Anyone knows when the first IBM Model M was manufactured?
Post by: Leslieann on Sat, 23 January 2016, 16:16:39

May not be 100% accurate, but it's close.
Manufacturing supposedly started in late 1984, but it wasn't until 1986 when they were generally available to the public. 1986 is generally considered the earliest you will generally find. I believe prototypes have been found dating back to 1983.

Title: Re: Anyone knows when the first IBM Model M was manufactured?
Post by: rowdy on Sun, 24 January 2016, 00:54:15

http://www.theverge.com/2014/10/7/6882427/king-of-keys

"The very first Model M that Ermita can verify — a terminal version — was produced on June 10th, 1985."