As an input device, the keyboard is one of the essential components of the computer. According to the key type, it can be divided into three categories: mechanical keyboard , membrane keyboard, and electrostatic capacitive keyboard. The mechanical keyboard originated in the 1960s. It is different from the membrane keyboard (one layer of circuit + one layer of film + one layer of circuit) design that was born later. Each key on the keyboard corresponds to a switch, and the key is determined by the on/off circuit of the switch. Triggered or not. Each key is composed of an independent micro-movement, so the keys have a strong sense of segmentation, giving users a better tapping experience.
When it comes to mechanical keyboards, CHERRY (cherry) cannot be avoided. Public information shows: This computer input device manufacturer has been established for 69 years and is headquartered in Auerbach, Bavaria, Germany. Mainly engaged in the production of computer peripheral keyboards and Switch (axis), with products covering office, industrial, home, gaming and other fields.
Back in 1953, German-American Walter Cherry founded the Cherry Company in Waukegan, Illinois, and moved to Germany ten years later for development. First in Berneck with Popp & Co, and later in Auerbach building the headquarters building and the first factory. At the inauguration ceremony, Walter Cherry came from the United States to personally plant a cherry tree to symbolize the company's past and promising future.
Cherry Company initially mainly produced switch electronic components. With the arrival of the computer wave, it began to introduce keyboard production lines and built the world's first keyboard factory. In its twentieth year of establishment, the first Cherry keyboard was officially launched.
At the same time, Günter Mermann (who became company president in 2003) joined the R&D department. Under his leadership, Cherry changed the previous cumbersome characteristics of mechanical keyboards, and stood out in the fierce competition with American IBM and Japanese Alps, becoming the final winner. Later, the company began to devote itself to the research, development and production of mechanical keyboard shafts, and successively launched the classic MX black shaft, green shaft and brown shaft keyboards.
However, in the 1990s, the explosive development of the integrated circuit and electronic industries made personal computers rapidly popular. Membrane keyboards, which were much cheaper than mechanical keyboards, emerged and quickly occupied the market. For a long time, mechanical keyboards could only shrink within the professional market of specific industries. Many mechanical keyboard companies were forced to change industries, and even Cherry had to reduce its production lines.
Things turned around in 2006. The "steel factory" SteelSeries purchased Cherry MX switches and built the Steel key 6G. The product was highly sought after by CS players as soon as it was launched. Logitech , Razer, Rowe and other peripheral manufacturers have chosen to cooperate with Cherry after seeing the potential of mechanical keyboards in the gaming market. In 2008, the company also customized MX red switches for Asian consumers.
In recent years, with the rise of the e-sports industry, the size of the mechanical keyboard market has increased rapidly. On the one hand, professional players have higher requirements for keyboard sensitivity and comfort, and customized mechanical keyboards are quite popular. On the other hand, high-traffic online games on PCs are emerging one after another, and game enthusiasts tend to buy game-specific mechanical keyboards to enhance their entertainment experience. A research report predicts that the Chinese mechanical keyboard market will reach 2.48 billion yuan in 2023.
China is naturally a market that CHERRY pays special attention to, and it has opened its first official experience store in Shanghai. In addition to continuing to develop mechanical keyboards, we will also introduce mature office products into the country, so that each product line can seamlessly meet the needs of Chinese users.
written at the end
In the rapidly changing field of digital electronics, it is simply unimaginable for a product to sell well for more than 30 years, but CHERRY’s classic G80-3000 series mechanical keyboard has done it. It was produced in the late 1980s and is still on sale today. . To this day, the MX axis is still the most popular mechanical keyboard axis in the world.
In recent years, CHERRY has developed low profile (LP) and ultra low profile (ULP) technologies, and has cooperated with ALIENWARE, a subsidiary of Dell . However, as more and more switch manufacturers enter the market, continuous innovation is needed to maintain the dominance of mechanical keyboards.
