Kensington Marks 40 Years of Innovation | Kensington (2024)

Kensington credits success to making computing easier, safer and more secure for consumers and businesses as devices, technologies and work environments continue to Evolve.

London, November 8 2021 – Kensington^®, the worldwide leader of desktop computing and mobility solutions for IT, business, and home office professionals and The Professionals’ Choice, today marks the 40-year anniversary of its founding.

Right from its founding, Kensington has continued to bring to market innovative products and solutions designed to increase productivity and make computers, laptops and mobile devices easier and more secure to use whether in the office, at home or everywhere in between.

Launched in 1982, Kensington’s first popular product was System Saver™, a cooling and surge protection solution for the then-fanless Apple Macintosh computers. In the nearly 40 years since the launch of their first product, Kensington has been dedicated to developing products that address the challenges presented by ever-evolving technology and the constantly-changing computing needs of consumers and business users. The company’s comprehensive portfolio of innovative, award-winning products showcases its ongoing efforts to develop accessories that make computer and device usage easier, more productive, more comfortable, and more secure.

Introduced the Trackball to Early Home Computer Adopters

As one of the world’s top manufacturers of computer input devices, one of Kensington’s most enduring legacies is the trackball mouse, which the company introduced to early home computer adopters with the launch of Turbo Mouse^® for Macintosh in 1986 and Expert Mouse^® for PC in 1989. Since then, Kensington has led the industry in the evolution of trackball and mouse technology and form factors that meet the changing needs of consumer and business users.

Kensington’s award-winning ergonomic vertical trackballs and mice are more natural and comfortable to use, and reduce wrist movements that can cause repetitive motion injuries. Known for accuracy and ease-of-use, the space-saving Kensington thumb trackballs are popular among recording studios, video editors, architects, and graphic designers.

Today, the Kensington brand remains a market leader by innovating with new trackball designs, as well as wired and wireless keyboards and mice in both traditional and ergonomic form factors.

Securing Devices and Data for Nearly 30 years

Kensington’s road to selling more than 38 million security locks began in 1992 with the introduction of the industry’s first laptop lock, the original MicroSaver^® lock, which quickly became the company’s flagship security product. The company initiated a campaign to have the “slot” incorporated into all major laptop computer lines and today Kensington Security Slots™ are built into most laptops, projectors, monitors, and printers sold worldwide.

Launched in 2017, the first-of-its-kind VeriMark™ Fingerprint Key combined superior biometric performance and 360-degree readability with anti-spoofing technologies to provide a more secure login for laptops, desktops and applications such as Windows Hello. A CES Innovations 2018 honoree, the innovative VeriMark Fingerprint Key added biometric authentication capabilities for Windows computers, integrating the smallest-size touch sensor available in a compact design.

Innovative Products That Enhance Functionality, Increase Productivity

Since introducing its first docking station to market in 1996, Kensington has built a broad portfolio of docks that have advanced with the rapid evolution in connectivity technologies to provide future-proof solutions that enhance the functionality of laptops and mobile devices, and increase productivity for their users.

Designed in partnership with Microsoft, Kensington launched the SD7000 Surface Pro Docking Station in 2018, a first-of-its-kind solution that turns the Surface Pro into a Mini Surface Studio. Created to provide users with a truly unique desktop experience, the SD7000 enables the Surface Pro to be used at eye-level in desktop display mode or in “studio mode” which positions the table for use of the Surface Pen for applications such as drawing and photo editing. The award-winning SD7000 continues to receive praise for its innovative and functional design.

To enhance the functionality and usability of another of the industry’s leading tablet computers, Kensington developed StudioDock iPad Docking Station, a 2021 CES Innovation Award Honoree and recipient of eight Best of CES 2021 awards. StudioDock™ incorporates docking functionality, enables the addition of an external monitor, and provides wireless charging for the entire Apple ecosystem to turn the iPad into a desktop workstation.

In partnership with Intel, which launched the next generation of their ground-breaking Thunderbolt™ technology in 2020, Kensington launched SD5700T Thunderbolt 4 Dual 4K Docking Station, the industry’s first fully-powered Thunderbolt 4 laptop docking station. The Thunderbolt-certified SD5700T was the first Thunderbolt 4 docking station that enabled users to experience the full performance and connectivity capabilities delivered through Intel’s new connectivity technology.

Developing Solutions to Improve Workplace Wellness in the Office and at Home

Kensington’s portfolio of ergonomic desk products, including monitor stands, monitor arms, and ergonomic keyboards, mice, and trackballs, makes it easy to be healthy and comfortable whether working at the office or working from home. As the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to drive the shift for many organisations to hybrid work, making long hours of computer work at home and in the office safer and more comfortable is more important than ever.

Addressing the concerns caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Kensington recently announced UVStand™ Monitor Stand with UVC Sanitisation Compartment, a CES 2021 Innovation Award Honoree. UVStand combines the ergonomic benefits of a monitor or laptop stand with a large Sanitisation compartment to eliminate viruses and bacteria from devices such as keyboards, mice, trackballs, and mobile phones.

“In the early 1980's IBM PCs and Apple computers began a trend of individuals using computers at home and in business,” explained Ben Thacker, Senior Vice President and General Manager at Kensington. “Technology has rapidly advanced, not only in the capabilities of devices, but in the ways in which they are used. Kensington has stayed focused on creating products and solutions that meet the needs of an ever-changing world. That focus continues today not only on addressing the emerging needs of consumers and business users, but reimagining the workplace to develop accessories that make laptops, tablets and other mobile devices easier to use, more secure and more productive.”

To learn more about Kensington’s comprehensive portfolio of products and solutions for consumers and businesses, visit www.kensington.com/en-gb/