Steampunk by its very essence is meant to be quirky and odd paced with the modern time. Yet we never cease to get amazed by the creative and crazy modifications artists insinuate gadgets with. Take the laptop, for example; there are hoards of them that been re-modelled by intertwining Victorian era designs, industrial technology and modern know how. Not only are they unique looking, they are indeed functional and practical. Check out the following list of the most stunning laptops that have steampunk’s finest modifications.
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1. Sony VAIO F Series Laptop gets steampunked
Sony’s love to explore how technology would fit into the Victorian subculture is prominent in their F Series steampunked laptop. For this glorious creation Sony invited John Wilhem Dunn, an aerospace engineer by profession, also considered one the most skilled steampunk designer. He totally rebuilt the laptop using various types of wood, brass and copper. The laptop can be folded down up and down using a sleek metallic hinge. The starkest feature of the laptop is its typewriter keyboard with rounded buttons for each key, in place of the square keys we generally have.
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2. Steampunk laptop by Matthew W. Dollinger
Matthew W. Dollinger has been a professional computer geek for over 20 years and he holds a keen passion for design, creation and the knowledge for how things work. His expertise in digital media creation and industrial design helped him build this steampunk laptop using a dose of gears, cogs and wheels, to which he gave a smooth finish in walnut, cherry and mahogany. It is somewhat bulkier than a conventional laptop, but the bulk gives it more poise. It’s like something that a film studio would make for a Harry Potter magic box and who knows it might be used for fantasy cinema sometime soon.
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3. Toshiba Satellite 1100 turned steampunk
Toshiba Satellite 1100 is the world’s first mass market laptop that was introduce in 1985. Although they are not so useful for today’s computing demands, repurposing it as a piece of art seems a wise decision. To make the one in the pictures, Admiral Aaron Ravensdale used a bif wooden ginger bread box, profiles timber, plywood, knobs, red velvet, hinges and joints for the lid, some wooden satin and wooden wax. Artfully assembling this diverse range of parts into steampunk design is not a child’s play and therefore, Aaron’s art must be well appreciated.
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4. Steampunk XO OLPC laptop
Although this laptop is no longer available for public sale, it does hold a special place among steampunk laptop designs. Wendykit has given this laptop a wooden finish, with some copper panelling on the top as well as the bottom. It had these wood grained edges, which contrast well with the overalls. The laptop is aptly a reincarnation of the otherwise green and white plastic XO OLPC.
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5. Wood veneer laptop
This one, is a regular laptop that has been steampunk with the simplest possible technique that of wood veneering it. Subtly built from adhesive backed wood veneer, has been accented with brass wire edging and some miscellaneous ornamental jewellery. Its application is simple and you can transform any of your new cult branded laptops to give them some steam punk.
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6. Steampunk MacBook Pro
Is it always necessary to play with cogs and wheels to make steampunk go alive? I did give this a thought and realised it not necessarily. Look at the Gela Skin that has customised a MacBook Pro into a steampunk laptop without the addition of bulky screws and metallic accents. It’s just a laptop skin with 3M technology for easy application. It is scratch proof and doesn’t interfere with laptop cases or covers, etc. Also it is removable and available in many designs to choose from.
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7. Laptop converted into a typewriting machine and adding machine
Writer Mary Robinette Kowal has re designed her laptop and though not completely steampunked, its inclination is greater toward this Victorian concept. Unlike other steampunk freaks, she has not gone over the top to create a catalog with everything to the minimalist details; she has kept it simple and sweet.
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8. Steampunk laptop mod
This one comes with a fully fledged docking station that has been steampunked. Various materials like copper pipes, metal plates have been used to create a steampunk design, inside which one can place their laptops. Wood and cooper plates have been used for decorating the laptop across the display. Also, it provides for a small vgibom, motherboard, vaccum tube for ventilation, etc.
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9. Datamancer Steampunk
If you have $5500 to spare for a steampunk laptop, this one is for you. An aesthetic mix of Victorian designs and anachronistic technology, it’s a perfect delight for steampunk fans. This elaborate 17 inch laptop is handcrafted by Datamancer and comes with some intricate clockwork, rexessed gold foil maps, a kep shaped USB flash drive, and some engraved designs all over.
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10. Japanese steampunk laptop
The pictures may tell you that this laptop does not work, but surprisingly, it does work with a complete typewriter style keyboard and Morse key trackball. It looks bulky, but he handle in the front makes it portable enough. Equipped with a USB port, it also features some surprisingly good quality sound speakers.
