Mad About Retro iPhone & iPad Accessories
April 2, 2012
Celebrate a new season ’60s-set Mad Men in style with retro iPhone & iPad accessories.
Everyone’s favorite TV drama is back on the air, and it’s 1967 setting has got us in the mood to go mod. Maybe you caught the first two episodes of Mad Men’s newest season on AMC, or maybe you just don’t like critically acclaimed and audience-adored shows. No matter; there’s no denying that the show has had a massive affect on current trends in American style since it premiered in 2007. Though a huge portion of Mad Men’s audience (this author included) wasn’t actually alive during the part of the century during which it takes place, the era-accurate costumes, furniture, and props continue to keep mid-century style alive in 2012.
If you’re as drawn in by Mad Men’s look as we are, check out these iPhone & iPad accessories that will bring a bit of that retro flair into your modern life.
Crosley Stereoluxe AM/FM Radio & MP3 Dock ($199) – Remember radios? Those things that pulled “streaming audio” from the air and delivered it straight to our ears? American electronics maker Crosley pulls from their own catalog of historic radio designs that stretches back to the 1920s as inspiration for modern MP3 enabled replicas like this muted mint green edition with analog AM/FM tuner that would fit in perfectly on Don Draper’s desk. Since your phone does just about everything you could ask for except deliver decent amplification, you don’t have to worry about feature-creep making this radio over-complicated. It’s speakers & a radio. It’s a charger. It’s extremely svelte and cool looking. ‘Nuff said.
Native Union POP Phone Handset ($29.90) – Do you yearn for the days of late night chats on giant phones with long, eminently twirlable chords? iPhone & iPad accessories maker Native Union has teamed up with French designer David Turpin to bring back the look of brightly colored bakelite plastic, with a decidedly modern twist. Let your phone or tablet do the dialing while you focus on the task at hand: talking into a huge pink (or yellow, or baby blue…) handset packed with a high quality speaker and microphone. The POP comes with a 3.5mm jack for iPhone and iPad, with a USB adapter available to make it Skype-ready on your Mac or PC as well.
Mitre Box Handmade Wood iPad Dock ($60) – Retro and fanciful have found each other in this handmade iPad dock for sale via unique crafts website Etsy.com. Rather than strive for accuracy, Mitre Box’s offering is a cute take on the visual elements that we associate with vintage TV design, but with a custom, handmade look and feel. Evoking early TV sets through its carved out knobs and border, this simple wooden stand isn’t especially practical or functional, but it sure looks cool. Sometimes that’s all that matters.
Relectronics Repurposed Vintage Radio ($125) – There is unique, and there is truly one-of-a-kind. Etsy designer Relectronics has a number of products made from vintage radios and cameras that you won’t find at the mall; each item has been individually cleaned, gutted, and re-purposed as an iPhone accessory. Sure your device came with a wall plug, but wouldn’t you rather charge your iPhone or iPod on top of an awesome looking 1970 cream-colored Kmart clock radio with upgraded speakers (but sadly no original parts). And if you’re feeling creative, you could always let Relectronics’ other docks inspire you to do-it-yourself by cutting room for some docking gear into your next great flea market find. Either way you’ll come out with a piece of hardware sleek and sexy enough to impress Sterling, Cooper, Draper & Pryce, all at once. Just don’t try and explain to them what an iPhone actually does… they’ve got 40 years to figure that out.
Alexei Bochenek is a lifelong tech nerd & film buff based in Los Angeles. When he’s not playing with his phone, it’s because the movie has started. Shhhhh!
