The Essay

Christine Finn reviews 'retro tech' as a form of aesthetic, asking whether the many designers and consumers who use old forms of technology are being ironic, or do these products have a function which allows a slower and more considered interaction? Do the young Japanese clutching early 90s mobiles really find them easier to use? Are writers who use typewriters simply afraid of change, or are they making a statement about working with what works for them, and not adopting new technology simply because it is there.