These wonderful whimsies come from Mintpass, a design company “founded to create the future”. And in that future, we will delve into our computer screens and fish out an actual, working version of the picture on-screen. Think of it as scanning in reverse.

These “OS Calculators” could also be called “physicalcs”, but we don’t recommend it. Modeled on the software calculators the come with Windows and OS X, they appear as fully functioning (prototype) pocket calculators. Here’s what the designer has to say: “It will produce a big empathy and therefore inducing smiles and laughter.” I love them, and I did indeed feel laughter and smiles induced when I first saw them.

The folks at Mintpass are looking for a manufacturer (and hopefully and IP lawyer). They may already have been waiting a while: the brushed aluminum calculator was dropped from OS X a few years ago, and that Windows calc looks distinctly XP to me.

Product page [Mintpass via BBG via Raw Feed]

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