The is a story about a device that wasn’t released at Macworld Expo 2005. In fact, this device doesn’t even exist. It has not been discussed on any of the Mac news sites. No one has ever seen this device function. This is a device in someone’s mind’s eye. Any similarity between this story and reality is purely coincidence. hiPhone R6 image courtesy of Applele.com.
Instead of discussing what was revealed at MWSF05 I want to discuss something that wasn’t revealed.
This handheld device might have started out as an “Apple looking PDA” on some Apple engineer’s bicycle handlebars three years ago, only then to become the original iPod. When the success of that device reached its peak, the manufacturer came up with a new model that fulfilled the lowest common denominator’s next most wanted thing. Read more…
The is a story about a device that wasn’t released at Macworld Expo 2005. In fact, this device doesn’t even exist. It has not been discussed on any of the Mac news sites. No one has ever seen this device function. This is a device in someone’s mind’s eye. Any similarity between this story and reality is purely coincidence. hiPhone R6 image courtesy of Applele.com.
Instead of discussing what was revealed at MWSF05 I want to discuss something that wasn’t revealed.
This handheld device might have started out as an “Apple looking PDA” on some Apple engineer’s bicycle handlebars three years ago, only then to become the original iPod. When the success of that device reached its peak, the manufacturer came up with a new model that fulfilled the lowest common denominator’s next most wanted thing.
The marketing department thought it would be a good idea to implement the changes over time, instead of all at once. This way they could maximize the revenue, given the dollar amount of R&D required to complete the job in the end.
The next digital device coming out of Apple needs to be a handheld personal communicator. This device is nearly the same size as the original iPod. The case is of similar polycarbonate construction as the iBook. There is a shiny new Apple logo (using the letter A) swooshed through the center of the back of the device.
The engineers finally agreed on the antenna placement thanks to help from the crew at Scaled Composites (a company that builds composite aircraft, and more…). This communication device also has the ability to connect with other devices via three or four protocols.
The device can connect to any WiFi node (there is even a signal strength meter built into the top of the device for “war Walking,” and easy connections on the street, or wherever. It also can connect via Bluetooth and via cellular telephone connection.
The camera on the top front panel is a much newer generation than the camera in the small Sony portable machine, with even better micro optics, and a small mechanical micro zoom. Audio is played through the stereo headphone jack on the top left side of the machine. The real mind blower is just how sharp the video images are on the screen.
The new iChat system works brilliantly and flawlessly by using a combination of the Hi-Def specification and Micro Pixelation (a new standard that Apple will be releasing shortly). The camera uses a very few milliamps, and the organic miniature screen (OLED) uses very very little power as well.
I connected in seconds with people on my buddy list, and if they did not have a camera, the connection was handled like a cell phone call, and the connection was quick and clear. In one trial, I had a beautifully clear iChat video conversation with my friends on another continent on their PowerBook via satellite uplink.
A great feature of this new technology is the fact that all PowerBook power adapters from the titanium PowerBooks are compatible with this new communication device. You don’t have to carry a different AC adapter.
The good news is that the new device also plays video that you can upload from your PC, and it has both a USB and a Firewire 800 port on the side under a small rubber cover. You can actually connect a digital camera to it, download your images directly to the device then output the images to a printer, a projector, or any to any other video display device. Really cool.
Although the device is designed as a “Personal Communicator” of the future, it still has the standard cell phone electronic screen, with touch sensitive keys so that you can make an “old days style” of cell phone connection if needed.
