GADGET UPDATE: From the Department of Bad Ideas, it's the Smith Corona PWP 5000 Word Processor . . . Like the post a few weeks ago, it's another look back. The picture is scanned from a 1990 Writer's Digest--

In the ad, the clunky-looking machine was billed as "the word processor for people who are convinced they need a computer." It continued:

     So, you're absolutely certain you need a computer. The odds are very good you absolutely don't.
     The fact is, over 70% of the people who go to all the expense of buying computers and all the aggravation of trying to figure them out end up using their computers mainly for word processing and spreadsheets. . . .
     Just look at the features the PWP 5000 puts at your fingertips--50,000 characters of editable memory, 100,000 character DataDisks, our exclusive Smith Corona Grammar-Right System, a 24 line by 80 character screen, a detachable keyboard, even CoronaCalc Spreadsheet program and Sheet Feeder options.

With or without "Sheet Feeder options," history belonged to those aggravating computers, not stand-alone word processors.

Comments

[Marie]

I worked on too many stand alone word processors to count. The IBM mag card put all the others to shame, though. It was nice.

The lawyer I worked for in 1984 called me into the office to hear the pitch from someone at Royal. It went: If you buy this word processor, you'll never need a personal computer. And buy it we did. For about $4,000+.

[Tommaso Petrella]

I just purchased a PWP 5000 Personal Word Processor from Value Village Thrift Shop. I got it for $6.00 and thought it would be a great addition to my peronal computer collection. I also have a very old personal word processor called a Apha 12 by AEC. The belt is gone in it, but other than that it works great. This desk dinosaur is about 100 pounds and has a monochrome screen. Unfortunately I can't find any information on the internet about it. I believe it's from about 1980 or so. I guess it was quite rare. Anyone with info I would greatly appreciate to hear from you.

Tommaso Petrella
-Computer Collector

[antnoob]

Ya I have one too. It was my mothers until I found it in our basement went I bored. I made a YouTube video of it. If you want to see it:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiHMHPPczq8&feature=youtu.be
I find it fun to play around with and it still works well but I'm not sure how to totally use it.

[kennyk]

In 1990 I was attending the now Penn Tech in Williamsport PA and was tired of sitting for hours upon hours in the PC lab to type papers on. I was pecking with my index fingers only, so to type a few pages took literally hours for me.

Like an idiot I'd write my papers by hand, having tutors correct grammar and spelling, etc, etc, then I'd spend 3 days typing a 3 page paper.

There was no spell checking on the IBM word program and we used to sit and dream about the soon promised spell checking features to come with the new apps and progz.

Some people said, "they won't ever be fool proof though, spell checking might be harder to imagine than you think and forget about grammar checking".

I used the lab for maybe a month, then talked my grand mother into buying me a PWP5000 from the typewriter shop down the street from the college.

I remember going in and seeing all these cool typewriters and there she was, the PWP5000 and the salesman said "now here's a dream machine, all in one portable, with spell checking and you can swap out from dozens of fonts, and it takes discs to save all your work on".

I was in love with writing due to a professor loving everything I wrote and most students also loved to read my papers, etc.

I took a summer typing class as soon as I took the PWP5000 home, it was 800 bucks, which was half the price of a PC from the school.

I really wanted a pc, but I was more interested at the time in just writing non stop and having everything corrected, which a pc would not cut that, to which the pwp5000 did just fine.

I still remember the vibe I'd have when looking at the various pc's the school had as demos, I wanted one bad, but the PWP5000 was my constant companion. I lugged it literally everywhere with me.

It was rather heavy, but not so heavy I couldn't lug it everywhere. I had a gear bag fulla discs, ribbons and wheels and I'd constantly be typing for people.

I loved this machine and went through several thousand print ribbons. I had around 500 discs full.

I let a friend borrow it, and he took the gear bag and by the time I realized he had taken the gear bag, he had lent the thing to his niece in school and I'd imagine everything I wrote was lost.

I'd love to have what I wrote, from 1990 to 1993,, I never used the labs, so no 5inch floppies of work, it was all on those sweet little discs.

I never was able to get a clear answer from anyone about where the discs went or what.

My professors at the time kept copies of everything I wrote and I'd love to aljfaljfa;lj whooooops, sorry, I seem to have gotten way off topic.

Anyways, within a few years I'd have a PC and be hooked on Windows, etc.

The greatest thing about the PWP5000 was its portability.

And now I am hooked on laptops.

I have a laptop for any and all occasions, from 7inch to 16inch, and they are the dream machines I don't think any of us writers back in 1990 ever dreamed of having.

A research lab, library, you name it, it's all in one, with a laptop!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I do miss my PWP though, we called it the pup 5000 back then.

I still remember my pup, it was always ready to roll,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,