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Technology evolves quickly, but sometimes, for some reason, certain gadgets have stood the test of time and are essentially the same today as they were from the very beginning. So, here are some of the most timeless classics we know.
There are two types of layouts for keyboards: functional keyboards and physical keyboards. A functional layout is how the keys of a typing platform are arranged, such as the Qwerty keyboard layout. The physical layout is the overall layout of the keyboard as a whole. This includes not only alphanumeric keys, but also caps lock, shift, and more.
In the world of personal computers, the core of the modern keyboard essentially remains the same. If you sit in front of the original IBM PC from the 80s today, you are more or less familiar with its keyboard. Even the virtual keyboard on the touchscreen has adopted a design queue that predates the computing itself.
The Ethernet connector we know and love today started in the world, which is why it looks so similar to a wire connector. **The connectors are called RJ11 connectors and the Ethernet connectors are called RJ45 connectors, although they have proven to be not technically "real" RJ45s.
While advances in Ethernet speed have doubled the bandwidth in subsequent generations, the actual connector itself has remained largely unchanged and is (mostly) backwards compatible. This means you can find RJ45 Ethernet connectors on any device, from 10Mbps 10Base-T cables in the early 90's to modern Category 40 Ethernet cables rated at 40Gbps (4,000 times faster)!
If you own an Apple laptop, check out its charging module. Does it look outdated from a design standpoint? Well, it was created more than 20 years ago!
Until the end of the 20th century, Apple's laptop chargers differed only from those from other manufacturers in that there was a groove to wrap around the wires. From 1999 to 2001, the company conducted a brief experiment with "ice hockey" or "yo-yo." It's a round power brick that is instantly recognizable, but it didn't stay due to durability issues.
The following design is even more successful. In January 2001, the PowerBook G4 first introduced a "white brick" charger with a non-detachable power cord with a barrel connector. The second-generation iBook G3, released in May of the same year, features the same charger. In October, the first generation of iPods was released, including white bricks with FireWire ports.
Since then, at least a dozen other models have been manufactured: with USB-A ports for iPods, iPhones, and iPads; MagSafe 1 line for Macbooks between 2006 and 2012; MagSafe 2 (2013 to 2015); This has been followed by USB-C. There's even a product with two USB-C ports and 35W of power, available in the market with the 15-inch M2 MacBook Air.
While the original controller that came with the PlayStation in the mid-90s lacked the dual analog sticks we know and love today, it didn't take long for Sony to establish their now-iconic design with Dual Analog and later the DualShock controller design.
The PlayStation 5's DualSense controller and the original PlayStation's Dual Analog obviously share the same DNA, and you could even say that the Dual Analog is a template for all modern controllers, even those with offset sticks like the Xbox controller, but all otherwise use the same set of controls and features.
TrackPoint is one of the ThinkPad's most iconic features, dating back to the first model in 1992. The little red circle between the G, H, and B keys is TrackPoint!
The ThinkPad was originally manufactured by IBM, which gave its consumer hardware division** to Lenovo in 2005. To this day, the line is still so well received that one might think of it as the "Porsche 911 of laptops". Over the years, ThinkPad has amassed a legion of die-hard fans who are convinced of the device's reliability, ruggedness, keyboard quality, as well as TrackPoint.
That's not to say that laptops don't have touchpads – most laptops do. But for many loyal ThinkPad users, that cute (necessarily red) piece of rubber near the bottom of the keyboard is much better. Even if some people who buy a ThinkPad never actually use TrackPoint, it's unlikely that the feature will disappear as long as the ThinkPad brand exists.