IBM ThinkPad 701
Before Apple smeared the name, a butterfly keyboard was synonymous with the IBM ThinkPad 701, a subcompact laptop with a sliding keyboard. As you lifted its lid, the keyboard would separate at a diagonal angle then the right half would lower, revealing additional rows of keys, before reattaching to create a full-size mechanical keyboard. You can see in this video the unbelievably satisfying mechanical movements where each opening and closing of the lid is like placing the final piece of a jigsaw.
Sliding keyboards wouldn’t be practical today. Our laptops are now ultra-thin and we’ve grown accustomed to slamming our fingers down on stiff, shallow keys. As badly as I wish this still existed, the ingenious ThinkPad 701 was discontinued at the end of 1995 after enjoying a brief stint of commercial success.
