NetBorn NetBlog

I’ve been listening for some time to others postulating what the new Apple device may be. I am at once saddened and excited to say that you are all wrong. Saddened for how silly you feel once you see how obvious this is and excited because the new device will be AWESOME.

I’ll start by naming it. It will be called the iPad.

So what is it?
The iPad will be a multifunction, location, attitude and proximity aware device and will possess the following functions/attributes. It will be a pad-like device about the size of a kindle. Few, if any physical buttons. It will bear a similarity to the latest iPods but will not be exactly like them. it will contain no moving platter storage. It will have a huge battery and will connect via WiFi, WiMax and 3G/4G Cellular Data services. It will have one SD card slot, stereo mics and at least one (maybe two) cameras. The device will not be a processing powerhouse but will focus a great deal of power on graphics display.

Drawing Tablet
The iPad will function as a drawing tablet as it sits docked to your Mac. You will be able to use your finger or styli to control your mouse pointer on the screen.

Alternate Display
The iPad will be used as an alternate display… a second monitor of  sorts. A place for property panes or meta data… or just a second monitor.

Alternate Input Device
In order to fulfill the requirements of a portable computing/communications device ( see below) the iPad will need to be able to create and accept text and gesture input. For this reason, you will be able to use the iPad’s on-screen keyboard and multi-touch capabilities as input options for your conventional laptop or desktop. What the iPad also allows is the creation of application specific control and input/output devices. Imagine an audio mixer or video mixer. Maybe even a jog wheel. If you can draw a picture of it, you can pretty much turn it into a control.

Remote Control
Why doesn’t Back to my Mac work? Why haven’t they fixed it? Because they will be bringing it out in the latest version of Leopard to work with the iPad. It will turn the iPad into the ultimate remote for AppleTV and the other network-connected Apple devices (iMacs, MacBooks, iPods, iPhones) in your life. This is why they haven’t already killed the AppleTV. It and the iPad become the media output devices in your home.

Portable Computing Device
No, they won’t make a netbook. They will make the netbook look ridiculous by comparison. The iPad will leverage MobileMe and Back to my Mac to replicate your desktop/laptop functionality. Simply connect to a network then to your desktop and you have access to your work, your media, your digital world… all integrated. Just like Apple likes it. And Gaming!!! Imagine the impact of a larger display and control surface on the already wildly successful Apple AppStore gaming industry.

Portable Communications Device
It seems silly to call it a phone anymore, but you will be able to place calls with it. You will also be able to make video calls, making it the first truly pervasive video phone. I suspect that Apple will make the video call protocol available to other platforms to ensure that Mac users can call the rest of the world (to tell them to buy an iPad).

Where do I get my hair-brained ideas?
The explosion of the netbooks tells us that people want an easily portable computing/communication experience. The popularity of the iPhone as a mobile computing platform is, in itself, a milestone in computing history. What stops it short of being the iPad is simply its size. You really can’t comfortably read or write on the iPhone for very long. We’ve also heard from several sources that Apple has purchased 10-inch touch screens. We know that they wouldn’t make an also-ran netbook with them. We also know that SnowLeopard is more about security and code efficiency than new OS features. These efforts would also support design and delivery of a small, network connected device.

Maybe I’m completely nuts, but I’ve always believed that Apple isnt about sacrifice, its about innovation, simplicity, elegance, integration and connectivity.  So, when we heard about the touch screen displays, and you apply those principles, you must come to the conclusion that the device cannot simply be another netbook. Apple dreams big, and like its sibling Pixar, it makes game-changing products that redefine, even create markets.

What’s next?
I suspect that the next hardware rollout (probably next year) will be the Apple Core. A server based on the Mac Mini hardware platform that provides a NAS-like gateway to your media and other files, manages DRM and controls access. If you need additional processing, simply add another Mini and mesh computing will distribute the tasks. It may also manage backups in the same way that Time Capsule does today. It will feature Drobo-like redundancy and ease of use. Drives will look like Mac Minis. Simply attach them via firewire or what have you. If they fail, unplug and insert a new one. I predict Core will also be Steve’s last project and mark the fulfillment of his vision when he rejoined Apple.

Comments welcome as always.