Just several hundred typewriters, most of which are Arabic language models, remain.
According to the Daily Mail, "Although typewriters became obsolete years ago in the west, they were still common in India - until recently. Demand for the machines has sunk in the last ten years as consumers switch to computers." The devices had been a status symbol in India, notes the Business Standard.
Typewriter sales have plummeted in the past several years: the company sold less than 800 machines in 2010, down from the 50,000 it produced every year in the 1990s.
"From the early 2000s onwards, computers started dominating. All the manufacturers of office typewriters stopped production, except us," general manager Millind Dukle told the Business Standard. "We are not getting many orders now. But this might be the last chance for typewriter lovers. Now, our primary market is among the defence agencies, courts and government offices."
Another one of Godrej and Boyce's typewriter plants in Shirwal was shut down recently and is now used as a refrigerator manufacturing unit.
www.huffingtonpost.com
Chances are you or someone you know has never typed a single word on an actual typewriter. I first typed on my grandmother's manual Royal. In high school I took a typing class using an electric Royal, and who among us hasn't used the good ole IBM Selectric? Please join me as I say goodbye to the antique word machines. How many countless words were hammered out on these devices?
My dad had an old black typewriter in his office when I was a kid. We would go and play in the office on the weekend while he worked. Great memories of that typewriter. It was my favorite toy. Thanks for the memories Dad!
ReplyDelete