The most convincing peek at the new Apple tablet doesn't even come from Infinite Loop: Sports Illustrated posted a great demo video depicting a multi-media version of their magazine, in December, which has largely flown under the radar of Mac rumor hype, until recently leaked photos confirmed the "giant iPhone" form-factor of Apple's new device.The Sports Illustrated proof-of-concept video clearly depicts an iPhone type device, responding to the same orientation changes and finger gestures employed on the iPhone. The size of the mocked up tablet also coincides with the 10" 16:9 screen that is widely believed to be used in the new Apple tablet.
Obviously a Kindle killer (despite Amazon's frantic attempt to get apps on the Kindle), this hypothetical application of the new Apple tablet also fits with Apple's strategy of creating new media markets, as they did with the iPod, iTunes and iPhone. Paper media is quickly going extinct, but the engine behind print media may find a new rebirth, thanks to Apple. Reducing eye strain with e-ink, a la Kindle, is a great idea, but static, monochorme pages are no where near as exciting as full-color, animated, content with embedded video (nevermind Amazon's disappearing e-books).
It's clear that we are now an internet-centric society and, as cool as the Kindle may be, it's poor web browsing capabilities are a severe limitation. The type of speech recognition and synthesis capability, featured on the iPhone 3GS, could also go a long way toward enabling the new Apple tablet for use by blind users as well - further stranding the Kindle, even as Amazon scrambles to add accessibility to their e-book reader. Add to the list, all of the best features of the iPod, iPhone and MacBook, and you can see that Apple is likely ushering in a new era of computing, once again. One way or another, we'll know next Wednesday! Labels: Amazon, Apple, demo, e-book, e-reader, e-zine, iPad, iPhone, iSlate, Kindle, magazine, Slate, Sports Illustrated, tablet
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