IBM Enhanced Keyboards are turning 40!
Posted: 18 Jun 2025, 13:12
Right now is the season that one of the most iconic keyboards of all is having its 40th birthday. The IBM Enhanced Keyboard is of course known for nailing the ANSI and ISO physical layouts sans super keys and the modern full-size keyboard, pretty much becoming an keyboard. The story is spread across a few dates, but today is 40 years since the IBM 3161 and 3163 ASCII Display Stations were announced. Terminals with built-in IBM 3101 emulation but also capable of emulating various third-party terminals from ADDS, DEC, Hazeltine, Lear Siegler and TeleVideo (depending on 3161 or 3163 and installed cartridge.) This was the first IBM terminal to ship with an IBM Enhanced Keyboard.
Last month, on the 21st May, it was the 40th anniversary of the IBM 7531 and 7532 Industrial Computers' announcements. Whilst 753X was announced ahead of 316X, 316X beat 753X to market as they started shipping in July 1985 whilst 753X started shipping in Q4 1985. The 753X's Enhanced Keyboard was the first industrial-grey and PC-compatible variant, whilst the 316X's was the first pearl-white and terminal-compatible variant. Neither are the absolute first Model Ms/membrane buckling spring keyboards to enter production (that honour falls to the IBM Wheelwriter 3 and 5 and Quietwriter 7 keyboards, which I celebrated last year), these were the collectively the first Model Ms outside typewriters and became the default Model M in I'm sure most of our minds nonetheless.
On 21st May 2025, I wrote entirely on that afternoon an article as a sort of 'high-levelish' crash-course on the IBM Enhanced Keyboard. If you fancy a read, here you go: https://sharktastica.co.uk/articles/enhanced_40 (I may have forgetten to post that here on the day (doh), I was pretty tired trying to get that done before the end of the day...)
Here is some further reading if you fancy, as well:
* My Model M Enhanced Keyboard page
* IBM 7531 announcement letter
* IBM 7532 announcement letter
* IBM 7531/7532 Technical Reference (chapter 4-1 for the keyboard)
* IBM 3161 & 3163 announcement letter
* Lexington Today - Tuesday, June 18, 1985
Last month, on the 21st May, it was the 40th anniversary of the IBM 7531 and 7532 Industrial Computers' announcements. Whilst 753X was announced ahead of 316X, 316X beat 753X to market as they started shipping in July 1985 whilst 753X started shipping in Q4 1985. The 753X's Enhanced Keyboard was the first industrial-grey and PC-compatible variant, whilst the 316X's was the first pearl-white and terminal-compatible variant. Neither are the absolute first Model Ms/membrane buckling spring keyboards to enter production (that honour falls to the IBM Wheelwriter 3 and 5 and Quietwriter 7 keyboards, which I celebrated last year), these were the collectively the first Model Ms outside typewriters and became the default Model M in I'm sure most of our minds nonetheless.
On 21st May 2025, I wrote entirely on that afternoon an article as a sort of 'high-levelish' crash-course on the IBM Enhanced Keyboard. If you fancy a read, here you go: https://sharktastica.co.uk/articles/enhanced_40 (I may have forgetten to post that here on the day (doh), I was pretty tired trying to get that done before the end of the day...)
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Here is some further reading if you fancy, as well:
* My Model M Enhanced Keyboard page
* IBM 7531 announcement letter
* IBM 7532 announcement letter
* IBM 7531/7532 Technical Reference (chapter 4-1 for the keyboard)
* IBM 3161 & 3163 announcement letter
* Lexington Today - Tuesday, June 18, 1985