While we (and IBM) have moved far beyond typewriters, I am always surprised at how many of their legacy machines I see, often in the strangest places. In the early days of my career (pre-computers, even), IBM introduced a series of electric typewriters that were revolutionary. Of course, I had to have one. I started off with an IBM Selectric; it had that fantastic type of ball that flew across the machine; it was loud, kinda’ heavy, expensive, and a must-have item for any progressive office.
At one point, Pan American World Airways even used a Selectric as part of its earth-shaking, industry-leading, innovative reservations system, called “Panamac.” Boy, were they ahead of the times. In every PanAm office and check-in counter, you could hear the machine clattering away in the background. This marked serious progress.
I once worked in an office where I supervised office equipment purchases; it was there that I managed to buy and install the most fantastic IBM typewriter of all, the Mag Card II. This baby had a built-in memory that would hold a gigantic pile of 8,000 characters. Man, letters were pouring out of this machine. Gee, I wish I’d been able to keep that phenomenal Mag Card model.
