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3D Illustrations by Adam Benton.
Apple doesn’t develop category-creating products. Instead, it enters categories that already exist, deconstructs the competition, burrows deep into R&D mode, and returns with gear so dominant, you’d think Apple invented the category in the first place. This approach doesn’t require rocket science. It only requires a commitment to push the boundaries of what’s possible--and not release a product until it offers enough innovative new features and clever design to make people switch away from the competition.
Consider: The iPod has become a synonym for any portable music player. The iPhone has redefined what a smartphone can be. The MacBook enjoys near complete control of the $1,000-plus notebook market. And iTunes? It’s the world’s largest music retailer.
Apple watchers are well aware that the company is planning to release some sort of tablet computer, and given Apple’s recent history of making surprise announcements, that could very well happen between the day we put this issue to bed and the day you read this article. But what if the tablet rumors are bunkum? And even if the tablet is announced, what comes next? Jaw-dropping products can take years to develop, and Apple surely has tablet-eclipsing wonders brewing in its labs.
For answers, we turned to five tech journalists, people who follow Apple every day and are straight-A students of its products. Each expert was asked to fill out the same worksheet, wherein we requested details on the features, specs, wow elements, and essential “Appleness” of the gear they envision Apple making. We then took their worksheets and turned their ideas into the fully rendered fauxtotypes you see on the following pages. We did our best to stay faithful to our experts’ visions, but sometimes we did add elements of our own. But, of course, this entire little game is an exercise in interpretation: We asked our experts to interpret Apple’s magic mojo, and then we interpreted what our experts gave us. We hope we served our experts well.
Want to play too? You can enter our "Apple Fauxtotype Challenge" in January. But for now, please begin your tour of Apple’s future vision.
The Internet's everywhere-at-once tech reporter envisions the first mainstream application of full-color electronic paper.
Omnipresent Video Host & Blogger
Bona Fides: Belmont was a producer/reporter for CNET and now hosts Sony's Qore video magazine and cohosts the Tekzilla video podcast. She is also a columnist for MaximumPC.com, regularly updates her own tech blog (veronicabelmont.com), and has 1,442,554 Twitter followers as of this writing--making her Twitter's most-followed tech journalist.
With its Kindle device, Amazon proved that e-readers aren’t lame pieces of junk. You just have to use eye-soothing “electronic paper” (aka e-paper) instead of not-so-reading-friendly LCD displays. And just this October, Barnes & Noble released the nook, an e-reader with two screens: a grayscale e-paper screen for reading and a smaller color LCD screen for navigation.
Yes, e-books are hot, and its against this backdrop that Belmont conceived the iRead--because you didn’t think Apple would pin all its e-book aspirations on the upcoming tablet, did you?
Click to embiggen for more details.
Belmont’s iRead concept uses two screens, but they’re nearly identical in their generous specs: 8 inches high, multitouch-enabled, and full-color-capable. That’s right: full color. The left-side reading screen uses e-paper, but it’s color e-paper--the first available in a consumer device. The right-hand screen, meanwhile, uses a regular LCD to display movies, games, and other traditional digital content. Belmont explains: “You can hold it open like a book to view rich media alongside corresponding text, or you can place it like an easel on your table top to watch videos or read hands-free.”
Click to embiggen for more details.
E-reader on one side, full-featured media player on the other. Sounds like the iRead could boost sales on iTunes, right? Indeed, Belmont envisions downloadable e-books that complement text with video snippets, author interviews, and other treats that only digital technology can provide. For example, “premium edition” e-books could have an audiobook component that syncs automatically to your text--so you could segue from reading a novel in a café to listening to that same novel in your car, all without missing a word.
Click to embiggen for more details.
Think your iTunes bills are getting expensive? Just wait until the iRead arrives, and you begin downloading e-books with abandon. It’s a pricey proposition, but if it reverses our descent into illiteracy, it’s a price worth paying.
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December 05, 2009 at 5:17pm
First of all. Congratulations on Mac Life for again coming up with such a beautiful piece of technology reporting. Its a pleasure to read your articles adn I find myself amazed at how dialed in you guys are to Apple. I also love your feedback.
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sari
December 04, 2009 at 5:15am
Thank you, Veronica & MacLife, for imagining an IRead device. Years ago I wrote a letter to Apple asking for something like this. Your design is more elegant! but, it, too, had two screens and a vertical orientation that readers prefer -- and that Apple seems to dislike ... moving us into a wide-screen, horizontal orientation. While that is lovely for movies, etc., I find it really disorienting when I want to focus on text for text's sake. In the version I'd like to see, we could highlight text and then take notes on the right-hand screen. For those of us who are middle-aged, the tiny devices are not easy or ergonomic. You might check out the PBS program Frontline; their digital section has good commentary on brain development, learning, and critical thinking with the use of digital technology. I think Veronica's device would help us go deeper into subjects rather than just broader. Thank you for this vision that really could help us move toward that.
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I just finished the iRead part of the article (moving on to the rest after this).I think the iRead is a great idea! I refuse to buy an eReader gadget just because I like regular books, but this is one I would definitely buy and use. The fauxtotype is beautiful. I hope apple makes something like this... and soon!
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November 20, 2009 at 12:59am
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