The Programma 101 design

Everything in the Programma 101 clearly show the very high standards of design and engineering that were adopted in its construction.

The case, for example, is about the size of a large, old desktop PC (a little bit larger, in effects). It is not build like today's PC by folding a sheet of metal, but to avoid interferences is cast in alluminium, about three millimeters thick and alone it contributes to the machine's weight of about 35 kilograms.

The exterior was designed by Mario Bellini, a young architect of the Sottsass' team, soon to become one of the top industrial designers of the following years. The Programma 101 earned its place in several museums for its design, and Bellini kept working for many more years for Olivetti and was responsible for some of the other visually wonderful machines (calculators and typewriters) of the following years.

 
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