Braun ET66 Calculator

The Braun ET66 was collaboratively designed by the legendary industrial designer Dieter Rams and his colleague Dietrich Lubs in 1987. Their strict adherence to the "less is better" philosophy of minimalist design resulted in an incredibly clean, uncluttered user interface. It is widely considered a masterpiece of modern industrial design.

No, Braun discontinued the original ET66 calculator decades ago, making vintage units highly sought after by collectors of retro technology. However, the famous design firm Vitra currently manufactures an officially licensed, non-functioning miniature replica of the ET66. This desktop object allows design enthusiasts to own the physical piece without the original electronics.

The calculator is famous for its distinct, color-coded circular buttons—specifically the brown, green, and red hues—which provided excellent visual separation of functions. Combined with its matte black casing and convex keys, it was highly tactile and visually pleasing. This layout stood in stark contrast to the chaotic, button-heavy calculators of its era.

The minimalist aesthetic and circular button layout of the Braun ET66 reportedly served as a massive inspiration for Apple's first iPhone software design. Jonathan Ive, Apple's former design chief, frequently cited Dieter Rams' work as a profound influence. The ET66's clean, graphical interface heavily foreshadowed the future of digital UI design.