Filed under: Accessories, Cult of Mac
Off the screen and onto your desk: Mac OS X Calculator app done in atoms, not bits
The creative minds at Mintpass have taken applications we're all pretty familiar with and brought us ideas that make the TUAW bloggers drool. Recently, they created Mint Calculator #4; a concept that pulls the calculators from both the Mac OS and Windows out of the screen and places them on your desk -- as real, physical desk accessories.The picture to the right is a mockup of the Mac OS calculator application, made into a real life calculator with mashable buttons and the typical aluminum style of Apple products.
The creator says that the Apple product would cost more to manufacture than its Windows counterpart because of the aluminum it would need. I'm tempted to reference the "Apple tax" (which I truly believe doesn't exist, so I'll just leave it alone). The Mac OS calculator definitely looks nicer than the Windows version -- which looks more like a toy than a usable product -- but from a design standpoint that shouldn't come as a surprise. In fairness, the Windows calculator is based on the XP version and not the snazzier Windows 7 accessory.
Get a WordPress.com Blog
![TUAW [Cafepress]](http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.tuaw.com/media/tuaw-cafepress-promo.png)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Chas said 4:53PM on 11-12-2009
I would buy it if it could double as a Bluetooth numeric keypad for my Mac.
Reply
Jordan said 6:29PM on 11-12-2009
You mean because Apple fails to realize they need to make a wireless keyboard WITH a numeric keypad?
Ryan Trevisol said 9:17AM on 11-13-2009
I would too, and not only because of the wireless keyboard lacking it, but because I use my Macbook as my primary computer two days a week.
BonoBob said 3:51PM on 11-12-2009
Nice, but are there options to switch to Scientific and Programmer's calculators? What about switching to RPN mode?
Reply
chrism238 said 5:53PM on 11-12-2009
Let's hope that the green zoom button does the shape-shifting!
rgldrslv said 3:56PM on 11-12-2009
@BonoBob They have accelerometers so they switch when you turn them sideways.
Reply
Shunnabunich said 4:01PM on 11-12-2009
It's too bad they decided to emulate Tiger's now-dated brushed metal window style instead of the current look used in 10.5 and 10.6. In fact, it probably could've been achieved using a grey plastic shell, likely making it as inexpensive to produce as the Windows calculator. Otherwise, good GOD that's cool.
Reply
Steven said 4:11PM on 11-12-2009
In Mintpass's defense, making a Windows Vista/7 calculator would require invisible circuitry, because of the transparency effects...
Reply
Opeye said 4:14PM on 11-12-2009
I hope you can change it to scientific view and that it's got the RPN thing down. Otherwise it's a $1 calculator.
Reply
emil said 4:18PM on 11-12-2009
The Mac one is based on a software design that looks like a tangible object, so the "Aha!" factor isn't as immediate as it is with the Windows one.
Reply
cecil said 4:24PM on 11-12-2009
I'm sure it will not have a "Percent" key, same as the software one.
Totally useless!
I even use a $.99 third party calc on my iphone simply because Apple's built in calc doesn't have a percent key.
Reply
colouroflight said 4:31PM on 11-12-2009
$.99? You mean 99% of a dollar? 99 out of 100 cents?
The percent key is completely unnecessary.
Mike said 4:41PM on 11-12-2009
Yea percent is useless, if u want 80% multiply by .8 WTF is so hard that's it's worth a whole new app or button. Sounds kinda dumb to me.
BonoBob said 8:41PM on 11-12-2009
The iPhone calculator does have a percent key if you turn it sideways. And PCalc Lite has a percent key for free, also only when held sideways. Not that you really need one.
Jordan said 6:32PM on 11-12-2009
Maybe you need to open the calculator app on your phone and turn your phone sideways....
JKT said 9:44PM on 11-12-2009
I have never in my life used the % key on a calculator. I always regarded it as a "WTF is that?" obstruction.
Peter Ent said 6:41PM on 11-12-2009
I like the idea of having a bluetooth keyboard and I like Apple's keyboards, but the bluetooth one without a keypad just doesn't cut it for me. Having a keypad that is also a calculator would be cool, especially if it were bluetooth. But who wants to pay $100 for a keypad/calculator?
Reply
Dave said 4:42PM on 11-12-2009
Does the XP one come with a BSOD?
Reply
Jordan said 6:33PM on 11-12-2009
Does this one come with a spinning beach ball and vanish without a trace?
Reply
cecil said 6:53PM on 11-12-2009
colouroflight and mike I guess you don't have to deal with a lot of percentage add ons to decimal numbers in the 4th and 5th place multiplied by many thousands. Jordan, thanks for the responsible tip about the sideways calc, but it works differently than the vertical model you buy everywhere in that to add percentages you must also press the = key to get the results. And the buttons are too small.
Reply