Why are PC keyboards numbers ordered differently to phone keypads?

Question

On most telephones, mobiles and landlines, the numbers are 1 - 0 with the 123 on the top row moving down to the 9 and zero at the bottom. However, it seems that most computer keyboards use Keypads in the opposite way with the high numbers at the top, does anyone know the reason why?

Answer 1

First to dispell the myths:

The whole thumb theory for the phone due to 'ergonomic design', way off. Not even close.

And that the phone company intentionally reversed the calculator configuration so that people who were already fast at operating calculators would slow down enough to allow the signals of the phone to register. It's a neat theory, but it isn't true. Even today, fast punchers can render a touch-tone phone worthless.

And the real reason PC numpads are different from phone keypads?

Independent evolution.

The phones evolved from a dial where you pushed it so many notches and it fell back and send a fixed number of pulses down the line moving a stepper motor to change where the next wire was. It made sense to put the one first. When they went to a keypad it made sense to put the one first because it was first on the dial.

The computer keypad came from adding machines so that people in the 60s could use the keypad just like adding machines. Adding machines evolved from old mechanical adding machines where you set the numbers with levers and then pulled a large handle down and towards you. Every position past the lever cleared advanced the gear one spot. 9 was therefore at the top so that as you passed everything. Since 9 was at the top for the old style adding machine it was kept at the top of the newer ones to keep things simple.

Both the touch-tone key pad and the all-transistor calculator were made available to the general public in the 1960s.
Calculators were arranged from the beginning so that the lowest digits were on bottom. Telephone keypads put the 1-2-3 on the top row.

Both configurations descended directly from earlier prototypes.

Answer 2

I don't know exactly why, but it seems that if you use any device thats a dedicated calculator, the numbers are on the bottom. I have a calculator with the paper that prints out and the numbers are on the bottom. I've seen accountants use the paper calculators and can add pages of numbers and never look at the display.

Answer 3

distinctive strategies with the aid of distinctive designers. own possibilities. Who is familiar with? Typewriter keyboards have been initially made with the letters in all sorts of distinctive layouts. some had the alphabet in its primary order. The "QWERTY" affiliation grew to grow to be sufficiently wide-unfold to grow to be standardized, even though it makes little or no experience from a logical attitude. telephones choose the * and # buttons for particular purposes, so as they had to be placed someplace. >> some touchtone keypads have a fourth column, with the two A, B, C, and D or FO, F, I, and P on the buttons. See the Wikipedia article "twin-tone multi-frequency signaling".

Answer 4

The reason for this is ergonomic design. A computer keyboard is designed for stationary wrists, and fingertip key presses. A phone is designed to be held in the palm of your hand, and keys are pressed with your thumb.

Answer 5

The reason why, in the early years of telephone dialing, the computer systems couldn't process the pushes fast as some of the data entry ppl could punch them in, so they reversed the order to slow them down. and it just stuck.
-Duo

Answer 6

Because the PC keyboard is set up like the old adding machines used to be set up...

Answer 7

I don't know but I have wondered the same thing for years!

Answer 8

They call it the QWERTY system as used on typewriters

Answer 9

Thats IBM for ya!!