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There has been innovations. Model M used a buckling spring[1] (which some people claim is unmatched) while Cherry MX uses a mechanism[2] (which some people claim is superior).

There are a wide variety of Cherry MX switches and, yes, one that has a good tactile response but is also relatively quiet: Cherry MX Clear.

[1]: http://deskthority.net/wiki/File:Origbuck1.jpg [2]: http://deskthority.net/wiki/File:Mx_clear_illustration.gif

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I'm not saying there were no innovation at all. But 30 years have passed since Model M release, you would expect keybs to change much, much more.

Also, Cherry is the only major manufacturer of mechanical switches in mass produced keyboards.

Razer now produces their own switches. Admittedly they are incredibly Cherry-like, so that doesn't address your point about "innovation", which I assume here to mean "variation" or simply product diversity?

For that, take a look at the switches produced by Topre Corp: http://deskthority.net/wiki/Topre_switch

30 years may have passed since the Model M was released, but typewriters have been in use for much longer. The fundamental structure of a keyboard is not new at all, and as such the mechanisms underlying the highest-quality keyboards can't have changed too much either.

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