There was a transitional period. In about 1988, there was a machine that looked like a small portable typewriter, complete with platen and spooled ribbon, which would save your text in a little window, which the user could review, and then instruct the machine to print it. It was, in effect, a word processor, but mechanically worked like a typewriter.
When my mother retired from her office job she brought the electric typewriter home. She still has it. My kids think it’s a great novelty. They could type like gangbusters by age 7 or so, thanks to growing up with keyboards…but were confused on how to make it “print”.
2001-2003 was when all this happened.
I prefer not to give any more clues. However there was a VP we did retain because he had excellent connections in state and local government. We were very wary of pissing him off. Until 2006 I kept a supply of their old budget forms (four carbonless copies) for him to submit his budget request on. His admin would type it with a typewriter. Then an analyst in Finance woul log into the web based budgeting system and try to figure out how to enter it. Then the CFO would sign a copy of the paper form and send it back to him as evidence. He once was livid because he put in $10,000.00 for six conferences, and the analyst entered $1,666.67 six times. Which caused the system to budget $10,000.02. He said we didn’t have problems doing math with the old system.
He went on to become a consultant. If you needed the rules bent a bit on zoning, health etc., he was the go-to guy. Or if you wanted to make sure your competitors projects got delayed and had cost overruns. We basically paid him for four years just so he wouldn’t screw us.
The unions loved this guy. Every time we negotiated a contract he would say we don’t have to control costs, we can just raise prices and use our clout to keep out the competition. Competing on price and quality was for suckers.
I had an IBM Selectric at my old job, which I left in 2009. A co-worker’s 4 year old daughter once asked me, in all seriousness “Is that a typewriter?” Her mother was amazed she knew the word. A 14 year old told me “That’s really cool. You can see what you’re printing as you’re printing it.”
I was still using a typewriter for schoolwork as late as 1999, but my family has always been a bit behind the times.
I first started using word processors in the early 80s, about 82/83. It was a friends Radio Shack TRS-DOS with a daisy wheel printer. I knew then and there that typewriters were done for. I got my own word processing set up by summer 1984 for law school, an Atari 800XL with daisy wheel printer. I have a Herb Caen Loyal Royal for the zombie apocalypse.
I exchanged my typewriter for a computer just before writing my Ph.D. dissertation in 1984. It was a KayPro4, very clunky, all commands had to be embedded in the text, so you didn’t know what your document would look like until you printed it, and the huge printer was dot-matrix, and getting a foreign language printwheel was a PITA. But it was still way easier than trying to typing that d****d dissertation without errors.
I still have an antique German keyboard typewriter that I picked up at a flea market in Switzerland in 1982. I’d like a more usable one now, just for nostalgia’s sake.
My freshman roommate in college had one of those - this would have been 1995. I think it was a high school graduation gift from an aunt. She used it for one paper and from then on just started going to the dorm’s computer lab to use MS Word. I don’t think I saw anyone use a typewriter or word processor again for the rest of my time at college.
Mine had Gs with descenders (the part below the line) that did not descend.
The last time I used one was in high school in the late 1980’s. My mom bought it for college classes that she was taking at the time. I loved it as I have lousy handwriting. It’s still in my attic. I don’t think my eleven year old would recognize it if I showed it to her. My little one uses her ipod with terrifying ease.
Typewriters are still the best option for filling out forms.
I’m seeing a new Doctor and they sent me medical history forms to fill out. I much rather type it then fill out by hand.
I can address an envelope much quicker on a typewriter. Takes more time to boot the pc, start ms word, and load envelopes in a printer tray.
I do use Word for letters and memos.
You turn your computer off? I haven’t done that in years.