Technology advances rapidly, new products are introduced, and designs are constantly changing with the times, but sometimes for one reason or another, certain gadgets stand the test of time and remain basically the same as when they were first launched. User praise. So, what are some familiar design layouts? These products are in our daily lives and can be seen everywhere.
5 product designs that haven’t changed in decades
keyboard layout
Everyone is already familiar with the QWERTY layout of the keyboard when using it on computers, mobile phones, and tablets. This layout has been the core foundation of modern keyboards from the 1870s to the present. If you sit down in front of an original IBM PC from the 1980s today, you’re more or less familiar with its keyboard, and even the virtual keyboard on the touch screen follows this layout.
Extended reading: Gadget University asks, why does the keyboard use QWERTY configuration?
Ethernet port
The Ethernet connector as we know and use it today started in the telephone world, which is why it looks so similar to the connection hole for a phone line. The phone connector is called an RJ and the Ethernet jack is called an RJ45, but it turns out that it’s not technically a true RJ45. While advances in Ethernet speeds have repeatedly doubled bandwidth in subsequent generations, the actual connection holes themselves have remained largely unchanged and (in most cases) backwards compatible. That means you can find RJ45 Ethernet connectors on everything from 10Mbps 10BASE-T cables from the early 90s to modern 40Gbps Ethernet cables that are 4,000 times faster than their rated speeds, which is like a modern supercar. It’s really remarkable that the sports car still uses Ford Model-T tires.
Apple’s white brick charger
If you own an Apple laptop, you can take a look at the charger; if you are a long-term user of Apple laptops, you will find that the chargers of each generation basically look the same. In terms of design, this is what happened more than 20 years ago. Creative. Until the late 1990s, the only difference between Apple’s laptop chargers and those from other manufacturers was a groove to wrap the wire. From 1999 to 2001, the company conducted a brief experiment with a hockey puck or yo-yo. It’s an instantly recognizable round shape, unfixed due to durability concerns.
The next design was much more successful. In January 2001, the PowerBook G4 first launched a white brick charger, which at the time featured a non-detachable power cord with a barrel connector. The second-generation iBook G3, launched in May of the same year, used the same charger, and the iPod launched in October included a white brick with FireWire attached. Since then, at least a dozen different models have been released, and all of them have one thing in common: They’re compatible with the plug that’s also used in AirPort Express routers, and you can grab a socket from a 2001 PowerBook G4 cable, plug it into the charger of the M3 MacBook Pro and it will work.
DualShock / DualSense Controller
While the original controller that shipped with the PlayStation in the mid-90s lacked the dual analog sticks we know and love today, it wasn’t long before Sony established their now iconic design with the dual analog and later DualShock controller designs. Since then, aside from the never-released Boomerang controller, the gaming giant hasn’t reinvented the wheel. The PlayStation 5’s DualSense controller and the original PlayStation’s Dual Analog clearly share the same DNA, and you could even argue that Dual Analog is the template for all modern controllers, even ones like the Xbox controller, which have offset sticks , but otherwise uses the same controls and function keys.
ThinkPad tracking points
TrackPoint is one of the ThinkPad’s most iconic features, dating back to the first model in 1992. That little red circle between the G, H, and B keys: TrackPoint. ThinkPad was originally manufactured by IBM, which sold its consumer hardware division to Lenovo in 2005. To this day, the product line is still well received, and people may also regard it as the “Porsche 911” of notebook computers. Over the years, ThinkPads have gathered a loyal following of fans who appreciate the device’s reliability, sturdiness, keyboard quality, and TrackPoint.
That’s not to say laptops don’t have trackpads, most of them do. However, for many loyal ThinkPad users, that lovely piece of (necessarily red) rubber near the bottom of the keyboard is much better. Even if some people who buy ThinkPads never actually use TrackPoint, the feature is unlikely to disappear as long as the ThinkPad brand exists.
If the design of the wheel works, why bother inventing a new wheel?
A good design is one that seamlessly combines form and function. You don’t need to create a charger or gamepad from scratch for every new product, but something as small as a rubber pad in the middle of the keyboard might be enough to differentiate a manufacturer’s computers from competitors.
However, things aren’t always smooth sailing when it comes to creating new devices, after all, Apple has its fair share of design failures to explain. In the history of technology design, there are many case studies depicting huge design risks that ended in failure. Take Nokia’s move to Windows Phone, Amazon’s Fire Phone, or HP’s approach to WebOS, there’s no shortage of designs that barely made it out of the gate, let alone stood the test of time.
