8BitDo is releasing an IBM-inspired look for its $100 wireless mechanical keyboard. Keyboard enthusiasts love regaling normies with tales of IBM’s buckling spring keyboards and the precedent they set for today's mechanical keyboards. But 8BitDo's Retro Mechanical Keyboard M Edition doesn't adopt very much from IBM's iconic designs.
8BitDo’s Retro mechanical keyboards come in different looks that each pay tribute to classic tech. The tributes are subtle enough to avoid copyright issues. Similar to 8BitDo's ‘80s Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) and Commodore 64 designs, the M Edition doesn’t have any official IBM logos. However, the M Edition's color scheme, chunkier build, and typeface selection, including on the Tab key with arrows and elsewhere, are nods to IBM’s Model M, which first succeeded the Model F in 1985.
Of course, the keyboard’s naming, and the IBM behemoth and floppy disks strategically placed in marketing images, are notes of that, too:
Despite its IBM-blue striped B and A buttons, the M Edition won't be sufficient for retro keyboard fans seeking the distinct, buckling-spring experience of a true Model M.
As mentioned, the M Edition is basically a new color scheme for 8BitDo's wireless mechanical keyboard offering. The peripheral connects to Windows 10 and Android 9.0 and newer devices via a USB-A cable, its wireless USB-A 2.4 Ghz dongle, or Bluetooth 5.0. 8BitDo claims it can endure up to 200 hours of use before needing a recharge. The M Edition also comes with the detachable A and B “Super Buttons" that connect to the keyboard via a 3.5 mm jack and are programmable without software.
Differing from the Model M’s buckling spring switches, the M Edition has Kailh Box White V2 mechanical switches, which typically feel clicky and light to press. With crisp clicks and noticeable, but not slowing, feedback, they're good for a modern mechanical switch for frequent typing.