OLPC ... from 2010

[SpamSandwich]

http://gizmodo.com/392060/olpc-xo-laptop-20-has-dual-touchscreens-looks-amazing-and-future+y

Could this be the shape of Macs portables to come as well?

http://gizmodo.com/assets/resources/2008/05/xolaptop20.jpg

[Hiro]

No, the cool factor completely ignores human factors design and also probably ignores basic reliability with a far easier breakable keyboard.

[Nordstrodamus]

This jives with Apple's design aesthetics exactly. And frankly, if Apple is really going to embrace multitouch this is the way to go.

The form, function, and familiarity of a book.
The capabilities of a computer.
The appeal of a canvas.
The beautiful simplicity of it all.

[FuturePastNow]

That is a very sweet design. I'll be shocked if they can actually produce it, though.

[SpamSandwich]

I think they are relying on the wider availability in the future of multi-touch surfaces to bring costs down. It would also require a far more efficient battery.

Frankly, I could imagine the keyboard being some kind of e-ink + multi-touch combination. That would drastically reduce battery drain.

[Marvin]

When people say 2010, I often forget that's just 1.5 years away. So I'd say this concept is being optimistic.

Not completely though because if you take two iphones and put a hinge between them then this is essentially what you'd get. As touch develops and the screens can become larger reliably then it's possible.

What I fail to see is why this design should really deserve any credit though. It's like the designs for a touch slate. What's really being designed here? A display panel with some generic interface on it.

The innovators are the people who put these products in our hands. Plenty of people can make pretty pictures but to actually build a product that works well and looks cool takes talent.

[SpamSandwich]

To his credit, they are making the OLPC now. This is a future iteration. Whether or not it's realistic by 2010, time will tell.

[Nordstrodamus]

Since OLPC has apparently joined the Borg, I wonder if Apple will be any more likely to jump in. They definitely have the lead on multi-touch with the iphone, but they have never desired to join the "race to the bottom" in making cheap hardware.

I know I'd personally spend $500 on one of these if it was made by Apple, so I can't imagine they are too compelled to try and hit the $100 mark. Can't really think of what features they could add/subtract to create a consumer and pro model other than more memory.