From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
A chiclet keyboard is a computer keyboard built with an array of small, flat rectangular or lozenge-shaped rubber or plastic keys that look like pieces of chewing gum. Chiclets is the brand name of a variety of chewing gum that inspired the term, which was most notably used to describe the original IBM PCjr keyboard.
Vendors unanimously liked the chiclet keyboard because it was cheap to produce, and many early home, portable, and laptop computers were launched with it. Customers rejected the idea with almost equal unanimity, and after 1985, chiclet keyboards were not often seen other than on some digital watches, small handheld calculators, and cheap nonexpandable PDAs.
Aside from the ill-fated PCjr, the following home computers were equipped with chiclet keyboards:
- Commodore PET model 2001 (the original 1977 PET)
- Sinclair ZX Spectrum 16/48K (later models had improved keyboards)
- Jupiter Cantab Jupiter ACE
- Mattel Aquarius
- Texas Instruments TI-99/4
External links
- Adams' ChicletsŪ – The Original Candy Coated GumŪ & Canadian website (more informative) - Chiclets chewing gum
