Unboxing
The time has finally come! The second attempt begins, because the package with the Unicomp Model M has arrived. After completing my usual squat routine to lug the roughly 2.5 kilogram package up the 5 flights of stairs, I’m ready to finally unbox the legendary keyboard. For many, unboxing modern technology is a journey into the future – for me, it’s a trip back to the 80s. Unpack the shoulder pads and neon leggings, because it’s going retro!
The packaging pays homage to old-school mail order, even if it wasn’t a book this time. Even the first glance at the packaging brings back memories of the good old days, when parcels still looked as if they had really traveled through the entire postal service. The plain brown cardboard box, decorated only with a “Unicomp” sticker, exudes the charm of “I’m here to work, not to shine”. No elaborate color scheme, no unnecessary design elements – just the down-to-earth, rustic style that you would expect from a descendant of the IBM Model M.
I open the box and am greeted by an impressive sea of foam and bubble wrap that envelops the Unicomp Model M like a precious treasure. You can almost hear it calling out from the box, “I’m not fragile, but thanks for the effort!”. I lift the keyboard out of the box and I know immediately: this keyboard means business. With a weight more reminiscent of a barbell than a modern plastic keyboard, it lies on the table and doesn’t move an inch.
The Model M isn’t just a keyboard, it’s a statement: “I’ll stay where I am – and you type properly.” In the end, unboxing is less of an unboxing and more of an uncovering of a massive “shrink-wrapped being” made of foil, which emits a satisfying rustling sound with every cut into the layer, which is almost as loud as the key clicks that will follow. Oh, how poetic something as banal as unpacking can be…
Look and feel: click, clack, poetry
It’s time to press the buttons. The first keystroke is like a step back to an era when computers looked like furniture and you could smash your desk with the keyboard if you wanted to. The “buckling spring” switches produce a click that is more like a “KA-CHUNK” – loud enough to ensure that everyone in the room knows that something significant is being written. Anyone who complains about the volume simply has no respect for traditional writing culture!
The keyboard has the iconic, robust layout of the IBM Model M, but Unicomp has added a Windows key so you don’t feel like you’re programming a DOS command line. The keys are arranged in a way that makes you wonder if this is the time machine that brought Marty McFly back. Typing on the Model M is not easy work – it’s a workout for the fingers, but well-sorted with usable key spacing and well-contoured keycaps.
The Unicomp Model M is not a simple piece of peripheral equipment that you just buy and use. It is a kind of time capsule, reminiscent of the golden age of computer technology, when men still wore moustaches and women jumped around in aerobics videos. The Model M may not be for everyone, as it is loud, heavy and large. But for those who crave the satisfying feeling that every keystroke is a small event, it’s simply the ideal main cast. Click and go!
At the end of the unboxing, I know one thing for sure: the Unicomp Model M is here to stay – and it’s ready to mercilessly sweep any modern plastic keyboard competitor off the table, literally if necessary. Otherwise: wrong weight class!
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