Published 12 th August 2026

Updated 13 th August 2026

Est. Reading Time: ~20-24 minutes

45 years ago today, on 12 th August 1981, the computing landscape changed forever. IBM launched the 5150 Personal Computer, which kickstarted a series of events that defined what most people today think a PC is, even if it was not the first computer to be called "personal". It was the vessel that kickstarted x86's popularity in computing at offices and homes alike. To be fair, the PC's long-term staying power was not a feat IBM achieved alone - the IBM-compatible "clone" market is what helped sustain the ecosystem's prominence. I like to think a big part of the PC's initial success was its keyboard. Not the perfect layout as most may agree, but certainly a competent, well-built keyboard - the Model F/XT. Thus to celebrate, in the most appropriate way for Admiral Shark's Keyboards, we will look at this keyboard, where it came from, and what it became.…