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. |
Click on image for larger view |