ROCKET TALK

IBM's Selectric Typewriter Turns 56

Happy birthday to IBM's Selectric typewriter! The Selectric typewriter was a successful model line of electric typewriters introduced on July 31, 1961. Traditional typewriters have individual typebars that strike the ribbon and page. The Selectric typewriter, on the other hand, had a typeball with letters on it and rotated to the correct position before striking. The type element could be changed out to use different fonts on the same document. IBM's Selectric typewriter replaced the moving carriage of a traditional typewriter with a paper roller that stayed in position while the typeball and ribbon mechanism moved from side to side. The Selectric and its descendants eventually took 75% of the United States market for electric typewriters used in business. A replacement called the Wheelwriter was then introduced in 1984.

IBM_Selectric

Photo by Oliver Kurmis - Self-photographed, CC BY 2.5, Link

Related

The NEWEST Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn Algorithm Changes - Complete Guide

The NEWEST Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn Algorithm Changes - Complete Guide

Looking for the newest algorithm changes for your business's social media accounts? Look no furt...

Read This Article >
Want to Go Viral? Do This!

Want to Go Viral? Do This!

The internet has become a large place filled with so much information that gets posted and shared ev...

Read This Article >
Website Redesign Case Study: New Heights Therapeutic Riding Center

Website Redesign Case Study: New Heights Therapeutic Riding Center

We like to give back to our community in any way we can. When they reached out to us to re-design th...

Read This Article >
Color Tagging Comes to Watson Visual Recognition

Color Tagging Comes to Watson Visual Recognition

While Watson was already able to detect color, it now returns the dominant colors it sees in each im...

Read This Article >
Re-Designing Your Website? Here Are Tips on How to Avoid SEO Disaster

Re-Designing Your Website? Here Are Tips on How to Avoid SEO Disaster

When a website is getting redesigned or migrated, there are a lot of technical things going on, so i...

Read This Article >
Not Rocket Science Sponsors Chef Soiree

Not Rocket Science Sponsors Chef Soiree

This past Sunday, Not Rocket Science attended the 2017 Chef Soiree benefiting the Youth Service Bure...

Read This Article >

Not Rocket Science logo with red swoosh and white text
Not Rocket Science is a full services technology development firm located outside of New Orleans, Louisiana, where we help businesses reach their full potential.