AN era of clattering keys and inky ribbons is coming to an end, as the worlds last mechanical typewriter manufacturer has revealed it has only 500 left in stock. Godrej and Boyce, of India, ceased production in 2009 and has now almost cleared its remaining inventory, according to the Business Standard. The firms typewriter business peaked at 50,000 per year as the Indian economy took off in the 1990s, but tailed off as computers quickly took over. From the early 2000 onwards, computers started dominating. All the manufacturers of office typewriters stopped production, except us, said general manager Milind Dukle. Till 2009, we used to produce 10,000 to 12,000 machines a year, he added. Godrej and Boyce still sells a few of its remaining mechanical typewriters to defence agencies, courts and government offices in India, for around 165 each, but the factory in Pune has since been converted to produce refrigerators for the burgeoning middle class. Godrej and Boyce manufactured mechanical typewriters for around 60 years, but the first successful production typewriter was invented in 1867 and went into production in 1873. Hundreds of millions of office workers live with that machines legacy in the form of the QWERTY keyboard, which has endured despite the development of more efficient layouts. Telegraph