iPod mockup...

very nice...like the shape change and the os lite idea...g

You are a great designer. Go work for Apple! Seriously, that is aweasome.

Please...I can not use illustrator...make a mock-up of an iMac with a screen that can come off and become a tablet of some kind.

That would be awesome.

Nice design, especially the 'dock-lite'!

Though with that design you couldn't fit in a 1.8" harddrive..

Reminds a bit of that Nokia phone..

ABBA, Duran Duran? Come on now

N - I - C - E -

Very Cool - I like the design better than the idea, not sure how useful... but very well done !

tom

I like the blue screen.

Personaly I really don't like belt clips. If there was a way to take the clip off and not have any kind of knob that was holding it there left over, that would be great.

I was also thinking... if a belt clip is there, you could rotate it around, have it stick out the top and be the earphone of a cell phone.

That's a great concept there. Just one nitpicky thing: The belt clip/kickstand thing is a clever idea, but the bottom of the stand is angled the wrong way. I'm sure you meant to angle it so that when the stand is flipped out, the angled part is parallel to the surface where you want your iPod to sit. It wouldn't work the way you've got it now.

I really like the white on blue screen, plus the curved design.

Your creation is, as always, masterful. I wish that I can one day be such a great illustrator, or half the designer that you are. Good show.

I don't really agree with where you've taken the iPod, but hey, to each his own. At least you said that it's where your fantasies have taken you, not where Apple would--or should--realistically go with their product.

Hmm...not bad...not bad at all.
Although I'd make it a bit more organic and smoothen out the curve at the bottom.
Or was your thinking that it needed to stand on it's own?

For more mock-ups check out this link:

<a href="http://www.applele.com/" target="_blank">http://www.applele.com/</a>

Believe it or not, designers at Apple actually go here for a good laugh. Sometimes, it's not so funny.

That's really very nice, Scates. Is it a full fledged PDA now? Looks like it. I'm not the biggest fan of PDA's but if it has a voice recorder, a good one, that records hours upon hours directly to MP3 format, I'd bite.

Looking at it from this perspective (1024x768 on a 17" CRT) the size looks just about properly PDAish too.

A couple of nitpickity things though. More screen, PDA wants screen real-estate. Shrink the wheel a touch and give it all a psuedo-tungsten arrangement, only instad of a graphiti area sliding out, more of the screen comes exposed. That means you have to make the pod pretty much rectangular again, but that's OK, More screen is good, yet so is Apple's take on the jog dial, so a lesson from Palm lets you have both, it would also let you effectively fill the iPod's footprint with as much screen as possible while still giving you something to hold on to without putting your fingers on the screen.

For the removable belt clip, just put a threaded tripod mount on it. The belt clip screws in and when you take it off the back end still looks flush.

And make sure it takes AAA batteries. It should ship with a rechargeable, but it ought to be in some sort of standard battery size for easy replacement.

Were I making a PDA, I would consider making the whole thing a touch larger, the same length that it appears on my monitor, but an inch wider. It would still be very small when "closed" (only half the screen visible) but you'd actually get a pretty big screen when fully extended for writing/video viewing. Might as well throw in a 2X optical 2MP swivel camera while you're at it. Sony does. And while I don't suggest that such a camera would be all too great for photogs, it could have a few genuinely useful functions. One, as a web cam: firewire plug to your mac and off you go, doesn't even have to use your macs screen but rather uses its own. Two, since you can make extensive voice notes to MP3 format and append them with some scribbles, sketches etc, why not also have the ability to add a few photos to your research. All-in-one, such a device would be a boon in the lab. Of paramount importance would be a file system/database that lets you effortlessly group photo, voice and text togther in relevant bunches, either by date, or theme, title, etc etc...

[ 01-17-2003: Message edited by: Matsu ]</p>

Well, instead of thinking how it can compare with other devices, or do the jobs of two or three other crappy gadgets, I try to think what would be a valuable application of technology to the people, but while appealing to the more elite edge, those both ease-, fashion-, and specification-conscious. Maybe that was bad grammar.

The iPod is really a great device, but other than the little software additions that have shown us a mere glimpse of the possibilities of such a mobile device, it's pretty much a one-trick pony. The most successful and well-engineered one in the industry, yes. But I think Apple could use the "pod" storage device as a basis for other applications.

The good parts of a PDA are all in software. A PDA itself really is just a frustratingly small computer that wouldn't be much without software. The PDAs we know of yesterday and today interact with their screens, which are often small, and either difficult to use/see, or massively shorten the battery life. And all it's for is reading and interacting with the things on the screen. And maybe a few hardware buttons, if the software isn't well-enough designed. It just has to access information and synchronize. So simple. But not a very good value on it's own, especially when it can't be integrated with related functions like calling those in your address book, downloading your emails, surfing the web to download your company's revenue spreadsheets, or checking your bank account online while you're grocery shopping to see if you should splurge on that bottle of fine wine, or comparison-shopping online.. but I'm getting offtrack here.

Then we've got mobile phones and other wireless internet service devices, which people mostly associate with telephony but that's just scratching the surface. Text messages, which haven't caught on in the U.S. due to the latent adoption by providers of inter-carrier SMS support, and lack of useful features being integrated. Some networks have been pretty great about it, international, inter-carrier SMS, integration with services like AOL Instant Messenger, with direct interoperability with email, the carrier's website, and technologies such as EMS and MMS for sending music, pictures, movies, games, files, ringtones, even extra long texts. There are even a lot of third party websites with cool services like text message services one can subscribe to, just as numerous as there are email lists and discussion groups one could subscribe to. But there's more than SMS. There's the ability to have an always-on, quite fast internet connection (broadband, as far as most are concerned), for webbrowsing, email, Sherlock-like services (imagine having such a tool anywhere you go!), other .Mac services, even more cool things like games, online even, interacting with your home computer (i.e. Remote Desktop?), and services such as AT&T's Friend Finder, which allows you to find your friends in your close geographical area and meet up with them or contact them. You could also use the parts of the mobile phone as a speaker, for hands-free speakerphone. Or as a microphone, for voice recognition, dictation, even recording messages for yourself or others.

Anyway, we've already got a good start on the functions that most people use their devices for in the form of iApps, there's the handwriting recognition, we've got the synchronization software, the synchronization methods (Bluetooth, USB, FireWire(2)), tiny HDs, batteries to match. Apple's got voice recognition and speech technology. The killer addition could be video out a la iBook for sharing those iMovies, iPhoto galleries, music, visuals, Keynote presentations, and so forth, on large screens like TVs. A standalone device for carrying around photo galleries is so stupid and PC world-like because most cameras can do this inherently, and no better than the devices which have been released to do the same thing for a ridiculous price.

I don't think an Apple device/PDA/mobile phone/wireless communicator/audio player/pod would look exactly like an iPod, I think it would need to be somewhat larger and different, maybe there would need to be more than one form factor for different usage. But either way, it would be exceptionally well designed. I think it would have a color screen, at more than 256, probably 4,096-65,000 colors. At least 4-6" diagonal, with ambient light sensors for the backlight, including a reflective background to minimize the issues with sunlight. No hardware buttons, maybe not even an off switch. I think an all on-screen approach, including for the wheel, text input, navigation, and phone keypad, would be best. That way it could be smarter, evolving/upgradable, multipurpose, hide-able, and of course solid state. Very finger-friendly in the main modes, so that one could use it with just their finger and their voice, if need be, but it could come with a snazzy platinum stylus or whatever as well. Running OS X Express, of course. You're right on the dot, though I'd hope it stayed truer to OS X than your mockup, it looks more like Win XP. It would be austere, white, Lucite, chrome Apple, nice glassy-feeling display.. no mirrored back, though, that would just be masochistic. Maybe if they expanded it, they could even make it thinner.

Anyway, enough of my ramblings. I'm starting to space out.

pscates, you can make the screen larger up and down if you put "iPod" on the wheel....not on the button as it may rub off...maybe above the center button with iPod written to go with the curve, not straight across like now....that would add another 15 to 20% in height....i do like the mini dock idea and how you scroll from app to app...give me an iPod with address book, iTunes lite, iCal, voice recording and iPhoto lite (and video!?!?! damn what won't this thing do??) and i would snatch one up in a heartbeat....truthfully, it could be made to do all those things...shit, 20 gigs is huge....my kids have an iMac with a 10 gig hd and they use iTunes and iMovie and all that shit....g

pscates: That is one fine mock-up!

One thing though is the belt-clip. I've broken every belt-clip I've touched and that one wouldn't last a day. Leave beltclips for the leather accessory that you make available on-line.

I like the ergonomic styling. I like the iPod's current square shape too, but it is actually made to stay in a pocket more time than in a hand, so that makes sense. A cellphone has to be much more rounded and suitable for the hand. A super iPod or pda would be somewhere in between which in a way is what you've aimed for. Though somehow a square pda looks more "capable."

I actually like your simple icons. And it would be nice if all the future iDevices that are monochrome at least take the Indiglo route.

MacGregor makes a good point about ergonomics. I like the idea of a rounded square and simple, clean lines, but curviness can be just as austere and minimal, I suppose. But I don't know.

The biggest problem, I think is balancing the screen size, the device size, the thickness, and the length. Because audio players like to be as small as possible, PDAs as thin as possible, display-based devices as large as possible, mobile phones candy-bar-like, texting devices easy to hold.. I just don't know.

Tough questions. I don't know what Apple would do.

There are things I'd like to see that don't have to come from Apple, and likely wouldn't. New form factors. I'd like to see a smartphone that didn't need a screen to communicate, could just use voice recognition and speech technology, and could light up different colors, and the whole thing could turn different colors (dynamic enclosure, hehe). about 6-8" long, 0.75" wide, 0.75" thick. A little square rod thing. Speaker in one end, mic in the other. Perhaps extendable. Maybe it could hold AAs or AAAs, or of course a special, elongated rechargeable. It would double as like a really big antenna. It may have one touch-sensitive side. Anyhow, it could be an audio player too, just speak to it what you want to hear, stick your headphones in one end. Of course, you'll have the little doohicky remote control on those, since the device will only have one button, for turning it on/off, or disconnecting a call. I'm just tired of phones going towards candybars and flips or honking PDAs and everybody wanting internal and external screens that are huge and immensely backlit and 65,000 colors and gawdy interfaces and ugly buttons for every imaginable use. It's just too much.

I'd like an un-phone.

[quote]Originally posted by pscates:
<strong>
I love the iPod, but I like smooth, rounded and "grabby" things (especially when they're INTENDED to be held or toted around). The current iPod is cool...I was just imagining something that might cradle in the hand a bit nicer and more comfortably.
</strong><hr></blockquote>

I've thought in the same lines that perhaps Apple produce a second "Sports iPod". Not unlike Nike's PSA but of course much better interface and using the 5 gig drive. Of course they'd have to ensure that it can be used pretty vigorously without hanging (my 5 gig is okay for jogging but others have not been as lucky).

Keep the existing or improve the current line with many of the features discussed before, i.e. recording, mic, fm tuner etc..
But this sports version would be much more rugged in that you wouldn't be so concerned about scratching it.

You know, if Apple wanted to go absurdly small with the iPod, I believe IBM is set to release a 4GB microdrive. Pretty heady stuff.

Anyway, where's my tungsten style mock-up update? Don't try and tell me you have better things to do, your adoring public demands more Mr Scates, let's have it!

If this device were to use airport one of two things would have to change. 1) the Airport card would have to be shrunk/shape changed. The current Airport cards are barely smaller than an iPod itself. or 2) the curvey stuff would have to go. Also, where would the antenna go?

I like the idea of the dock, but how would one go about switching applications? If one application has control of the screen, must you *quit* it to switch to another, or something else. I'm thinking a *quit* approch because of the limited resources on a handheld. Or maybe using a menu button to switch to the dock.

One thing to think about with "grabby" things are the natural differences in people. Some people's hands are larger, smaller, or shaped differently than others. You have to figure out a design that would feel comfortable to people with these differences. Thats why I would stay with the deck of cards design.

For a OS design like this, everything would have to be mighty quick for this to catch on. Just look at how some people (not myself ) complain about OS X's speed on the current hardware. The transparency effects and such would have to be dropped, or extreamly optimized.

Over all though, I'll take two.

[quote]Originally posted by bradbower:
<strong>...6-8" long
...Perhaps extendable
...special, elongated rechargeable. It would double as like a really big antenna. It may have one touch-sensitive side.</strong><hr></blockquote>

Sounds like the iBrator to me...

I really like the hour glass shape. Other than making you not making the belt clip thingy removable it looks perfect to me...how bout designing a pair of bluetooth ear buds too? That would be so cool.

damn you Flash...you beat me to the punch...I was going to suggest a Bluetooth headset

pscates your design is quite cool indeed, and frankly much nicer than the current iPod.

If Apple sold this sort of design I would indeed buy one. [Even though I promised I would not purchase any Apple/Computer product till 2004]

Hmm. I love the idea a lot. I personally would prefer a "normal" (rectangle) iPod, unless of course this were smaller. With a larger, color screen. But, still, this is very sweet and would not mind at all if they took this direction with it. Good work!

[quote]Originally posted by thegelding:
<strong>pscates, you can make the screen larger up and down if you put "iPod" on the wheel....not on the button as it may rub off...maybe above the center button with iPod written to go with the curve, not straight across like now....that would add another 15 to 20% in height....i do like the mini dock idea and how you scroll from app to app...give me an iPod with address book, iTunes lite, iCal, voice recording and iPhoto lite (and video!?!?! damn what won't this thing do??) and i would snatch one up in a heartbeat....truthfully, it could be made to do all those things...shit, 20 gigs is huge....my kids have an iMac with a 10 gig hd and they use iTunes and iMovie and all that shit....g</strong><hr></blockquote>

The iPod currently does not have "iPod" on the front at all...it is only visible that the device is an Apple iPod when you look on the shiny metal back.

I like it. It's been a while since I've seen any mock ups here.

Good job.

Having a blue screen iPod would be really cool. It goes along with the current trend to add blue highlights to products. It would also make the iPod easier to read.

Great concept man!

It would be a killer feature and it would hardly take up any HD space.

very nice...but still, lose the iPod logo or move it to the scroll wheel and you can make the screen that much taller.....g

[quote]Originally posted by thegelding:
<strong>very nice...but still, lose the iPod logo or move it to the scroll wheel and you can make the screen that much taller.....g</strong><hr></blockquote>

If he must have it to fit his image of a perfect ideal iPod..move it to the very bottom, underneath the scroll wheel.

under the scroll wheel wouldn't work well with the shape...the scroll wheel needs to be within the rounded part of paul's iPod to "work" aesthetically.... either loss the word or place it on the scroll wheel itself...but for god's sake, stretch that screen as large as it will go if you want to do photos or video or both....g