Look Back in QWERTY
Reaction to the big keynote in Paris this morning seems to be somewhat varied, but I for one was very interested to see the new wireless keyboard. Not so much because of the Bluetooth integration (although that’s nice), but rather because it brings back pleasant memories of the Apple industrial design of yore. To be more specific, it strikes me that the new design, with its practically non-existent bezel, bears more than a passing resemblance to the “Cassie” keyboard conceived by frogdesign for Apple in 1982.
As the AppleFritter page above points out, the design of this prototype was eventually incorporated into a shipping unit (the Apple IIgs keyboard), but it was given a small bezel since the completely “frameless” version seemed too insubstantial to consumers. It looks like Apple’s new take on this classic design strikes a clever compromise: the keyboard has a thin bezel, but it is made of clear plastic.
I personally think it would be fun if Apple took this retro idea and ran with it. There is a a rich vein of nostalgia to be mined from people like me: techies who spent elementary school hacking Logo code and playing Robot Odyssey (greatest educational game ever, by the way) on the venerable Apple II. And the Mac’s 20th birthday is right around the corner…