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from www.wired.com
1949: Western Electric 500 Telephone
Once upon a time, whenever someone referred to "the telephone," theymeant the Western Electric 500. Debuting in 1949, this simple, sturdyrotary-dial desktop phone became the iconic image for all telephones,and rightly so. Like Ford's Model T, it was wildly popular. Five yearspassed before the model saw its first innovation: five additionalcolors. Not until touchtone was introduced in 1963 did the 500 evenbegin to seem outdated. Though the original Western Electric is longgone, the 500 was produced until a year ago, and most automated voicesystems still support its rotaryness. |
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