Tuesday 22 October 2013

Apple iPad5 feature brainstorm

New (new (new)) iPad launched today but will it have a Wow feature?


We never got 3D, haptic display, keyboard cover or a bezel-less screen that pundits have previously predicted. Maybe this time. But what about some really radical advances?

Here's my brain storm.
Vote at the top right of this page.
PS the Widescreen option is there for laughs and is Not Going To Happen.

Folds in half

Not a half-assed effort like the Sony tablet P (right) where you still have a bezel and an air gap between the two
LCDs. Can Apple get the LCD to to right to the edge of a case and but up against a mirror half? 

No connector - wireless charging & video

The change from the old iPhone connector to Thunderbolt caused plenty of anguish. What if there was no connector at all? Nokia and Google mobiles already have optional contactless charging. Samsung offers wireless video streaming.

Micro airbags for drop protection

Built into the corners. Imagine how much Apple stores would charge to replace them!

Shaped like Steve Jobs' head

The ultimate memorial and tribute to The Creator.

Eye-tracking cursor

Gaze-tracking is a hot research area. Samsung's partial effort on the Galaxy 4 hasn't been a hit. Pin-point accuracy probably isn't achievable yet.

16x zoom camera

It is very difficult to get the folded optical path needed for such a large zoom into a 9mm case. When will we be released from the horror of digital-zoom?

Transparent

The battery is the obstacle here. The electronics could already hide behind the current thick bezel.

AC pins for direct mains charging

Spring-loaded US-style AC pins could mechanically fit in the case. There may be regulatory/safety reasons to prevent this. Hanging your iPad from a mains socket with non-latching pins would not be a winner with the cack-handed either.

Full screen solar panel

Can be done as an MIT project has demonstrated. Ingeniously they avoid the problem of impeding screen brightness by capturing only non-visible photons.

Hybrid always-on e-ink/LCD display

Apple are already thinking about this.