But the technology was virtually non-existent in the consumer space, other than being on small calculators, and a few early-PDA-like devices. Without the technology and means of production, none of these designs had any chance of being produced, since the flat-panel screen was the most important element of each. An interesting question in association with BookMac: did Apple get its name for its current line of notebook computers from BookMac? BookMac > MacBook…Īt any rate, while the designs for, in particular, the 24HourMac and the BookMac were underway, Jobs was working to make the flat-panel liquid-crystal display (LCD) a practical reality. Inspiration from bashful is seen in both the 24HourMac and the BookMac, in addition to the TelephoneMac, all of which are pictured above. They did, however, lead to more design work on tablet computers. The bashful models, some of the first known Snow White driven designs, were mere concepts. Examples of products that used this new design language were: the Apple IIc, Macintosh II, Macintosh Portable, and more. It was characterized by a subtle off white color or light gray (platinum), minimalistic design elements, among others. The Snow White design language permeated Apple’s products from about 1984 through to the end of the decade. Today, Apple carries the same policy: design leads, engineering follows. But Apple sort of took the approach of putting the cart before the horse. Things are supposed to be big and ugly first, then beautified much later when the underlying parts become miniaturized and simplified. Most all other computer companies were led by the constraints of engineering. But they were top designers in their fields.Īt a time when the personal computer was in its infancy, it was an ambitious approach to operate this way. In fact, many of the designers involved with the designs you are going to see had little-to-no experience designing computers. It was truly design first, worry about the engineering later. It was this new design language at Apple that separated its new products from those products predicated with their old design language.Īpple initiated this new design movement because it wanted to be a world-class computer company with beautiful design. frog design was the primary design firm that was responsible for Apple’s Snow White industrial design language used throughout much of the 1980s. bashful was the start of Apple’s research into ‘true’ tablet computers. It was 1983, and a new firm, frog design, was hired by Apple to come up with designs for many of Apple’s new products, both real and imagined. Software entitled, “Utopia Graphics System”, developed by musician Tod Rundgren, was the paint program that it worked with. The built-in alloy wires localize a stylus on the x, y, and z axis points. It was developed by Summagraphics, and uses magnetostriction. The tablet offers an exciting medium with easy-to-use ”tools” and techniques for creating and displaying pictorial information”. As illustrated in a 1981 Apple Spring Catalogue, “The Apple Graphics Tablet turns your Apple II system into an artist’s canvas. It’s a crude example of a modern Wacom Tablet. The Apple Graphics Tablet (1979) – pictured at left – was the beginning of tablet computers at Apple. A good stock of the following pictures and associated captions/background information are themselves derived from the book, AppleDesign, The Work of the Apple Industrial Design Group, by Paul Kunkel/Photos by Rick English (1997). The focus will be on Apple, and their history with tablet computers.Īpple’s history with tablet computers dates back to at least 1979. ![]() Now that Apple has released the market-leading iPad, with a barrage of other tablet computers and dedicated eReaders flooding the market, it’s worthwhile to look back and see where all of this came from. That is, it was the peak of Apple’s prior research and development on portable, slate-like (tablet) computers. It’s what the Newton exemplifies that is notable. The Newton is an interesting device though, not the least of which because it spawned an entire industry of handheld PDAs. From powerful mobile processors and graphics chips, to high-resolution screens and high speed wireless connectivity, mobile devices today well eclipse not only the Newton, but even the most powerful consumer desktop computers of the time. Today’s technology is quite a bit more advanced than when the Newton had its run. Every time I use one, I immediately think of a tablet computer, both because of its size and functionality: it’s much more than just a small, simple PDA.īut it’s more nostalgia than anything: the Newton was pretty much before my time. ![]() It’s a late model 2100, which was the last iteration Newton MessagePad to ship back in 1998. The Apple Newton MessagePad, Apple’s ‘failed’ PDA, is sitting on my desk.
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