A few other characteristics came to mind that also help set it apart: I don't know if it was the first, or not, but something that might not be immediately obvious to some is that the Selectric had ...

The IBM Selectric changed typewriters as we knew them. Their distinctive ball element replaced the clunky row of typebars and made most people faster typists. When [Steve Malikoff] thought about 3D ...

Metal plating doesn't have much strength. If a plastic ball would be flattened, as I expect, a plated plastic ball would collapse just about as fast. Plus, I think you can only plate things that ...