One-Off Keyboard Prototype Turns iPad Into Typewriter

[MacRumors]

Austin Yang, an industrial designer current living in Edinburgh, Scotland, has created a working iPad typewriter keyboard that uses a hammer with a capacitive touch bumper to touch the iPad's on-screen keyboard.

Oddly, the physical keyboard doesn't map properly to the QWERTY keyboard on the iPad, most likely because of the mechanics of the typewriter that Yang has created. This is the likely reason for the very slow typing speed in the video below.

Article Link: One-Off Keyboard Prototype Turns iPad Into Typewriter

 

[iBreatheApple]

Lol. This is hilarious. I can't see a practical or productive use of it, though.

 

[WatchTheThrone]

Break the screen why don't you lol

 

[nutmac]

Pretty cool stuff. But that portrait YouTube video is unwatchable.

 

[GeekNN]

Wowski

Could you imagine if this was how the iPad was originally though up?

 

[shurcooL]

Break the screen why don't you lol

Judging from the sounds in the video, those rubber hammers are extremely lightweight, so they don't create much force when hitting the screen. It's more like a flick or slap with your finger.

 

[Raftysworld]

Anyone else think Steve Jobs wouldn't have allowed a product like this?

 

[Moccasin]

Cue Murder, She Wrote theme tune...

 

[unsunder]

Kickstarter Campaign!!!

 

[stiligFox]

I imagine with more time and determination, you could actually make the proper qwerty board -- Although you'd have to the rubber on the end of the hammers much smaller so they sit inside the typewriter with less space.

I might have to do this someday -- I love typewriters, and I imagine finding a junker manual won't be hard.

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Anyone else think Steve Jobs wouldn't have allowed a product like this?

Oh you.

 

[slu]

What an incredible waste of time.

 

[urbanlung]

Presumably, if he makes a mistake he would use tippex to correct it.

 

[TMar]

They could have at least got a decent typist for the video

 

[Pakaku]

Finally, all your hipster dreams can come true!

 

[Aidan5806]

Words....I are good with them....so be the man in video.

 

[dweezle3]

I can't be the only one that was waiting for the screen shatter...

 

[seamer]

Could it be using the DVORAK kb? I can't watch video at work.

The wording of the article is a little gut wrenching. I know it's not literal and reflects the original design of an actual typewriter, but should we still call it a hammer and not an arm?

 

[S.B.G]

Where'd they get this person from? I can type on the soft keyboard much faster than that - and I can't type very well either.

The whole video I am waiting for them to really start going to town with it and bang them out but it never happens.

Kind of reminds me of the ending of the movie Contact, what a disappointment!

But aside from the typing, this seems pretty neat - I never would have dreamed up this idea.

 

[Gasu E.]

Steampunk.

 

[wackymacky]

People with too much time on thier hands.

By the way. I didn't watch the video, but in the picture the iPad is set with a QWERTY keyboard layout and the "typewriter" has some form of modified AZERTY French keyboard. What's with that. I can't imagine typing with that would be much fun.

 

[devilbond]

The irony is he can't type.

 

[applesith]

Why the ---- not?

 

[robeddie]

What an incredible waste of time.

Thank you.
A waste of time not only for the typist, but think of all the time he spent making this thing. Does he live off his daddy's trust fund or somthing and can spend his life designing and making useless crap?

 

[Rocketman]

At least they didn't blend it . . . .yet. . . .

BTW all it needs is a custom keyboard layout app or setting. Sadly that means I am talking and thinking about it.

Somewhere in the bowels of Apple there is a room of odd and strange things people do with their Apple products. This is going in.

 

[johncrab]

Hilarious, but let's see some speed. I can break 70wpm on my 1957 Royal Model FP.