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Thursday, 19 August 2021

Beyond the Typewriter: Smith-Corona and the Wolff on 47th Street (1986)


In its March 10, 1986, edition, New York magazine’s technology columnist Phoebe Hoban devoted her Star Tech article to what she described as “Retro Tech”. This was in response to customers asking salespeople at the Wolff Typewriter-Computer Company on Broadway and 47th Street Photo for something that provided “the pleasure of word processing without the pain. An electronic typewriter doesn’t quite fit the bill, but neither, regrettably, does a full-fledged computer.” Hoban went on to describe “a curious hybrid from Smith-Corona” – the PWP, or Personal Word Processor System 12. It was labelled a “lobotomised computer” and “idiotproof”, aimed at people terrified of technology.

The PWP Systems 12 and 14 were conversion kits, transforming a computer-compatible Smith-Corona typewriter into a computerised word processor. The typewriter and the kit were usually sold separately.

Ted Munk's machine?
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1 comment:

  1. Carriage of No Return31 May 2022 at 17:21

    I have several Smith Corona PWP typewriters of various models, and still use them all regularly - they are super machines, and very useful for all sorts of things. I use mine to keep my filofax updated (another throw-back to a simpler time?), and for filling in forms and envelopes; but it's most useful for 'disctraction free' typing.

    My favourite is my PWP900 - a laptop version. It can connect to its own daisy-wheel printer or to a HP Laserjet 4L, which brings the benefit not having to hand-feed it with paper.

    The in-built card file system allows the easy keeping of a simple database of addresses, and there is a superbly intuitive mailmerge facillity - much much easier to use than anything dreamt up by Microsoft Word!

    I cam across your blog searching for information on PWPs, and shall now spend the rest of my idle moments catching up on your other articles. Thank you.

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