iWalk

[MacRumors]

A site has posted what appears to be the fabled iWalk movie. My god---if this thing is real... Rebirth of the Newton. Take a look!! (View it now--not on spymac.com yet, apparently!)

Note from moderator: The links in this thread to the iWalk movie and its site no longer work and have been removed. For more information about the iWalk movie, see this thread and this thread.

[elgruga]

I would walk 500 miles for one of these.

Could this be real?

[AudiA4]

I cannot believe what I'm seeing. I don't believe there's any way that could be a fake.

I'm currently a Newton Messagepad 2000 user, and I was about to buy a Pocket PC (w/ PocketMac sync software) and thought I ought to wait for MWSF just in case. The Newton is by far the best PDA ever made, and I'd been hopelessly dreaming that Steve would ressurect it.

Well folks, it appears that my dreams have come true. And for all of you dorks who think Apple shouldn't design a PDA as a part of a digital hub are clueless. There's no other device that typifies a component of a digital hub better than a PDA. And who better to deliver the goods than Apple.

[MacUser1]

I've been waiting to purchase a new PDA and I was unsure what to get. If this is real, I'll be the first in line to purchase it.

[i_should_register]

All I can say is WOW! That would be REALLY hard to fake. I'm glad I didn't buy a PDA, but I may begin to regret buying my pen-tablet pc (at least I don't use windows on it).

[kishba]

it certainly looks real... but what is that odd "scroll?" thing at the bottom w/apple logo....

i cant believe it

[arn]

this is insane...

I would order this right now...

It looks clearly like and updated Newton OS!

mod edit: the link that was here is no longer available

arn

[elgruga]

I have been examining this for the last 10 minutes - it looks real!

Its got to have some music capacity, its beautiful too!

The top line looks like my old Newton though......the all notes bit is exactly Newton.
Then again, they still have the Newton software - it never did get sold or anything......

Hmmm. This is turning into an insane week of speculation. The guys at my grocery store here in Vancouver were all coming up with their guesses for MWSF. All grinning and saying, hey isnt it fun, and getting excited!

Only Apple can do this. I love it!

[rekras]

definately fake...
spymac is the same place that put out those fake ipod pictures right before it's release as well. although they obviously put extensive time and effort into this (job well done) there's no way apple could have let pictures, let alone movies escape their top secret grip. but this is a testimate to how devoted we are to our great computer company, apple. not only do we speculate and anticipate like crazy we make fake commercials, mock product renderings, and now we even build mock products themselves.
I can't think of any other computer company that has fans like us, let alone any other company at all. Apple is a rock band and we're the groupies.

-on second thought after watching the video a few times that thing may really be real, what the hell is going on. god this is an exciting time to be a mac user!!!

[Edited by rekras on 01-03-2002 at 12:07 AM]

[AudiA4]

1 - It's not color (apparently)
2 - It's not all that small, which was one detriment of the Newton. Of course, the large screen was also it's genius, so we'll see.

Regardless, if it's from Apple, it will be exceptional. I'll place my order Monday.

p.s. Anyone notice how fast it recognized the handwriting? Certainly faster than my current Newton Messagepad 2000 (of course, this is adjustable).

[kishba]

how is it fake?

[arn]

it looks color to me.... there's a blue sidebar and battery level in the thumbs (see link above)

arn

[elgruga]

Check out the thumbnails - this is wild!

If this is a fake - I dont want real!

Yeah - they've bought Palm and built this with Newton software, and and and...........amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And there's still 5 days to go!

[MacUser1]

the battery indicator is blue... i think and hope!

[AudiA4]

...for the still images.

[razoné]

check still 4 & 5....mirror...a face!

[ThomasB]

http://www.spymac.com/test/Test.html

It has a web browser too, check still #5, its viewing the URL http://www.spymac.com/test/Test.html .

Well if this is it, Jobs is gunna be pisst when he finds out someone leaked.

[kishba]

the browser test page exists... http://spymac.com/test/test.html

[kirknord]

I really hope that there is a way to sync all the info from my Handspring Visor!

[razoné]

if they bring an iwalk, wouldn't they show of with an lcd iwalk....

[i_should_register]

They are uploading a 2nd movie right now (510k so far)

mod edit: the link that was here is no longer available

[AudiA4]

As much as I'm tickled to death with this new device (and will order one promptly), you guys all know that Steve cannot depend on delivering another simple, albeit elegant PDA. We should probably expect "always on" internet - combining the best of a PDA (the best PDA) with the always on messaging of a RIM Blackberry.

EVERYONE would have to have it then.

[Ive]

It is almost impossible to render the details of the hand reflection on the Apple logo with an average desktop computer nor have the time to do it.

This is just great, I'm gonna be in debt this year. Thanks Apple!

[Antoine]

Watch the quicktime movie carefully.

mod edit: the link that was here is no longer available

The recognized text is not stable on the screen. It sorts of jump around, as if it were edited/added after the movie shot of a fake-plastic Apple pda mockup. (great mockup though!)

Don't get me wrong. I'd love to see Apple come up with a PDA. I just don't want to get my hopes too high and then be disapointed... Please tell me I am wrong!

[AudiA4]

That movie is for real - sound and all. The guy picks it up, turns it over and shows you the manufacturing stamp, UL listing, etc. There's even a "thunk" as it sits down. I never believed Steve would resurrect the Newton, but it's obvious he has. Halleluha bretheren!

[rekras]

Originally posted by i_should_register
They are uploading a 2nd movie right now (510k so far)

-the guys voice in the backround sounds german

this is great and all but this kinda spoils the surprise. i bet steve is cursing his ass off right now.

also wouldnt this contradict the point of having a portable lcd monitor on the imac?

[Edited by rekras on 01-03-2002 at 12:35 AM]

[ThomasB]

I can tell that it has a firewire port, headphone jack and mic jack, but what is the forth port? From the second video it looks like a ADC port, but I'm not sure.

If they combine this with the 5 GB HD of the iPod, for $399, im sold!

Again, Steve is gunna be pissed.

I wonder what tommorows Apple homepage will say. Damn those rummors sites got it.

[chicken soop]

yup, he's right - the hand bumps the unit, and you can see the text is not stable.

hate to say 'yeah i thought so', but did the design of that scroll wheel seem a little clumsy from the get-go?

[rekras]

Originally posted by ThomasB
I can tell that it has a firewire port, headphone jack and mic jack, but what is the forth port? From the second video it looks like a ADC port, but I'm not sure.

If they combine this with the 5 GB HD of the iPod, for $399, im sold!

Again, Steve is gunna be pissed.

I wonder what tommorows Apple homepage will say. Damn those rummors sites got it.

lol

[Beej]

Antoine is right. Watch the text in the sayhello movie - it does jump around. Apart from that, this baby looks real to me. If it wasn't for that text jumping, I'd have no doubts...

New guess for tomorrow's headline at apple.com:

"Ah, crap! Who ever that was, I'm gunna hunt you down! Love, Steve."

[kirknord]

If you watch that movie, the text is staying in ine place and the iWalk is moving about a little bit.

Darn it all to heck!

[guest]

yeah, that text was added after the fact.
it stays put, even when MrThumbs is
slightly moving the iWalk as he writes...

it's doctored... damn...


good eye . . .

[TSEliotLives]

I would love for this to be real. I would love for it to be real so much, that at first, I convinced myself that it was indeed real. However, it seems as though it is an extremely well-made hoax, and nothing more. In light of the previous post regarding the text not staying steady, it is clear that as the PDA moves under the shifting weight of the user's hand, the text stays in the same spot on the "screen," while the rest of the screen moves with the PDA, suggesting the text was superimposed onto the mock-up. Likewise, in the additional videos on SpyMac, the Apple logo in the jog wheel is in a different orientation...why? Curiously, the user's hand is always RIGHT OVER where the stylus makes contact with the screen, hiding the writing as it is captured. I'm afraid that right now, at least to me, this doesn't seem too convincing. Nice try, though.

[arn]

what are you talking about? The device does not appear to be moving...

besides...

look at the other movie

arn

[razoné]

if apple dares to challenge the rumor sites, it only proves that apple on purpose delivered info as this, i think it just fits in their marketing....from now on they controll these rumors...

but result will still be way beyond....

[Doubter]

Don't forget the compression of the QT format leaves pixels on the screen and does not redraw them every frame when there is little or no movement in the actual video. This could account for why the text appears jumpy.

Also, it seems the jog dial has something to do with switching the orientation of the display. A little like the Linux distros on the iPaqs.

[iapplemac]

Did you notice:

the apple logo dial spins
the date on was 12/26/01
the battery meter is blue
you can write any where on the screen
how fast it was at handwriting
the handwriting was cursive
gui is an aqua/quicktime theme

[Gus]

Look, I am not a rumor-monger, but in video 1 it sounds like the voice says "Applisches bitte" which would be "thank you Apple" in German. Am I wrong?

Gus

[udannlin]

Antoine, I just looked at the footage again. you are right. the handwriting is definitely fake. LCD screens would not jump around on video like that. It looks as though they tried to hold the camera and the mockup device as still as they could but they couldnt make it perfect. I dont think the device is real. Doesnt make sense that apple would go this far to create all the metallic outer shells of the newer products such as the TiBook and iPod and just to come out with a pda the size of a USB floppy drive and the plastic shell of the cube. I think I better stop looking at these sites and wait to be awed come next monday. This is really spoiling the potential fun for me.

[Zaren]

These are the same guys that posted that funky PDA mockup just before the last keynote...

I'm trying to get a viewable copy of the movie right now, but it sounds like the tide of popular opinion is already turning against it...

I can't wait to see tomorrow's update on Apple's site -

"Hah! Fooled ya again!"

[liven2]

When I download the movie and watch it enlarged you can clearly see the text not move when the machine moves from the hand writing motion. Watch closely everyone.. it is not really doing what we see but it was clearly added in later.

I am not saying this is not a real product but do not get hopes to high as this could be a very good mock up as I have seen mock up like this done before as hoaxes... So beware!!! BUT.. Be Hopeful and most of all be Realistic.. PLEASE.. So you will Not to be let down.....

OVerall,, Things do look promising and if you got even a few dollars buy Apple stock now!! Apple stock went up $1.40 just today!.... It will continue to rise.. I promise this!!!.. :)

[chicken soop]

arn, keep your eyes locked on the typewritten text as he is writing the word 'iwalk' - you'll see some very subtle funkyness going on (that's the technical term for it, I believe), in relation to the edges of the screen. in visual effects terms, it's bad tracking. absolutely 100% fake (though VERY well done)

also, the other videos show the device, but this is the only one that shows the user interfacing with the OS.

[TylerL]

Sorenson's motion compensation didn't make that text stay still.
Look at other static parts of the screen.
They jitter along with the rest of the iWalk.
...also, look at the line on the table when the guy moves his hand out of the way. Parallel to the iWalk.
...if that video was 320x240, that, along with the other two videos would have me throughly convinced the iWalk was real.
...now, I'm a little less certain of its authenticity.

[Edited by TylerL on 01-03-2002 at 01:26 AM]

[mpiontek]

the spymac.com website points out that "The SpyMac staff have finished verifying the authenticity of the iWalk video and have decided that the source of the footage is sufficiently unidentifiable."

yet, the web page being browsed on this iWalk is AT the spymac.com web site?

seems like either this is a nicely done fake, or spymac.com is doing a bad job of hiding the fact that they actually have their hands on one of these.

the former seems far, far more likely...

[i_should_register]

If you have wget installed, you can use
wget -r --level=2 (put URL here)

to mirror the site on your own mac.

You can get wget at http://scweb.sandiego.edu/osxgnu/Source_Distributions/Package_layouts/wget-1.6_2.sit but you have to compile it yourself. It's pretty easy, but not point-and-click.

mod edit: the link that was here is no longer available

[AudiA4]

It only comes up as a blank movie for me.

[dricci]

They did a good job at this one, but some blue-wall type effects can only go so far. This just proves SpyMac has some extra plastic and stickers and they are good at Final Cut Pro. You can see things like text staying still when it moves. And why would it boot up to a notepad? Nice try, spymac, but you're not fooling me :)

[QT Man]

If you have problems with bootup.mov, save it to disk, then it will ask you for the location of one of more of the others, give them to QT and it will play.

[Backtothemac]

Fake, Fake, Fake!

Not only does the text not move, but near the beginning the battery bar looses its color. Also, notice how the iWalk flexes due to the pressure from the writing. It seems that it and the desk moves. Also, the other ones are convincing except why would it boot to notepad? Also, I just don't like the Apple iWalk in the bootup, would it not just be iWalk.

This can be faked, but you have to know what you are doing. The reflections are the only thing that make me hope that it is real. Any ideas on the bending of the desk at the end of the first movie?

[Crotalus]

Nice Freakin Work!

That's a beautiful model of what the "iWalk" would look like. We're talkin 20-30 hours JUST building the model. Then all the photoshop and Final Cut Pro work would make this a mammoth hoax. If it's fake then I'm impressed with the rat-b@$t@rd$.

[Mike Zornek]

I posted that movie before SpyMac released thiers .. so now that I have agreed to thier bogus agreement thing I am forced to take it off.... sorry (guess you should update your front page)

Mike

[5]

the design is just not clean enough for apple . . .

the huge apple icon in the "scroll wheel" ??
the lame "palm-ish" icons along the bottom of the screen ?? . . . it's just not beautiful enough for steve . . . and apple . . . nice try though . . .

[iapplemac]

I was just thinking Spy mac has one of these? they went to their test site to test the web browser so they must have one or know someone who does. Moby and Seal had an iPod before it came out so it is possable for some people to have one. Just how long has this spymac.com been around? If apple makes them take this down it might lend more credit or they might just say apple told them to take it down. As far as the handwriting the iPaq and HP have the same abilities just you cannot write anywhere on the screen like you can on this one.



I want to believe.

[elgruga]

The guy doing the writing in the "say hello" movie is also doing the filming - thats why the thing moves at the end.

Strangely the boot up movie looks totally fake......

But the back of the thing in the other movie, and the FCC and the port symbols, and the ports.....
It looks real.

if it is real, Spymac will be feeling the weight of a lawsuit within the next 12 hours.

The "turnaround " movie is so real, though.
Size is about 7 inches by 4.5, a bit bigger than the average palm. Screen is 5 inches by 4.

So some clues for real and some against.

There are some other PDA's that look a bit like this - with some effort, they could be made to look like an Apple. Firewire symbols etc are easy to fake, and the screen seems a bit odd in all pics.

Damn this is fun! We are just a bunch of crazed Apple groupie-fans turned loony Sherlock Holmes's!

It could be a firewire drive, like an MCE product, with some bits pasted on........Its almost exactly like my buddy's sony external floppy for his Vaio.......

[pixelpete]

Take a look at the digital hub / Rio now i-pod ! This i-walk could be anything that was lying aroudn @ apple. But I'm very suprised no one has taken a closer look to http://www.ipoding.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=56&mode=thread&order=0
The article in your earlier report!!!!

[GigaWire]

its a newton with a pretty shell on it. Same size.

[burger011]

has an elarging desk. it looks cool but seeing desk getting bigger because you put down the iWalk or lift your hand from the iWalk leads me to believe its a fake.

What a waste.

[davester]

Wouldn't you think if the iWalk was an authentic Apple product that Apple Legal wouldn't have already intercepted the site with a cease and decist?

[Adolfo]

The text is completely stationary in reference to the frame, but the "iWalk" and the desk move ever so slightly especially at the end of the movie. Also, the pixel response of an LCD screen is much slower than the instantaneous response in the movies. When videotaping a palm or any similar device you can see the latency as the pixels change...obviously a fake...I'd like to see the iWalk in motion when it is turned ON instead of just stationary on the desk...an obvious sign of a fake because it makes it much easier to fake. Nice work...an improvement from the iWalk 1.0 we saw months ago. Next time I just might believe it. I hear ILM is hiring. ;)

[mpiontek]

i'm fairly certain the "enlarging desk" is actually the "iWalk" slip case getting pushed aside as he supposedly writes...

assuming this is faked, i'm sure the only thing composited digitally was the screen display.

[donshank]

There's a lot of work in that iWalk if it's a fake.

What if Apple was behind it just to throw everyone off?

If I was Steve I would to it just to screw with everyone.

Personally I think it's pretty cool. I would buy it.

[latalian]

Take a close look at the movie "bootup" when the guy moves the wheel, it doesn't seem to move with his hand and then it jumps. Watch it slowly and you will see what Im talking about

[Steve_Jobs]

Trust me, it's fake. Wjy would I come up with a dopey name like iWalk? You people are so gullible.

Your pal,
Steve

[BeoLab8000]

This looks way too convincing to be a fake. What an awesome little unit.

Why I believe this would succeed:
- Apple has so many ex-Newton users to which this unit would appeal; for years now they have been forced to migrate to the inferior but more popular Palm/PocketPC lineups.
- The "i" generation brought on by Steve Jobs has attracted MANY other curious and impressed computer users AND novices. He has established that powerful, effective technology need not be complicated and boring; I'm sure the iWalk would follow suit.

I'll be damned if that movie and those photos were a hoax. Apple should definitely hire them

[Sayer]

Is this iWalk technically possible? Yes. From Apple? Oh hell yes.

Is it real or fake?

60% lean to fake, 40% to real.

Why?

The biggest fake-ness is the startup screen where it says "Apple iWalk" which is completely and utterly unlike other Apple products. The iPod doesn't say "Apple iPod" when it boots up. There is no "Apple" next to iMac or PowerBook or iBook. Why start with this thing? The Apple logo is one of the most recognized brand symbols ever.

That big knob thing is just not right for a portable handheld device. Its too "big" and lumpy compared to the rest of the device.

The GUI seems too perfect for an Apple product. Mac OS X is nice and all, but its kinda clunky compared to Classic despite Mac OS X having the function-confused Dock and central command-nexus Apple Menu.

Frankly it looks neat and all, but I'd say fake before I'd consider it a real device. Steve Jobs can prove me wrong next monday if he wants.

I'd like a new PDA, but I fear the cost of this thing to be prohibitive unless you wanted a companion portable Mac or have lots of tax refund coming your way. Based on the iPod I'd venture a price tag of $599 to $799 (knowing Apple).

Whomever made this video did a good job of it. If it were real I'd buy one probably (depending on how it syncs with a Mac and the kind of app support it will have). Didn't see an IrDA port, kinda neat to beam small bits around with Palm devices. I still have the MacWorld Expo SF guide on mine that was beamed in.

A few days and counting and we will definately know what the big deal is no matter what.

[whalebone66]

I still cannot get the bootup.mov to work - keep getting a blank screen ... what am I doing wrong....I've been jumping around like an N'Sync groupie all day...now I'm starting to think "FAKE" ...but I still want to believe.. thanks for any help!!!

[burger011]

about the sayhello.mov It seems like the blackness is actually the case for the iwalk.

But look at the turnaround.mov. The desk at the end gets bigger after het sets the iWalk down

[jonjett]

We make prototypes like these for our industrial design classes all the time.

With a little bit of programming and static screen shots, it is conceivable to pass this off. All we need is standard software (ok, don't shoot me - I'm sure it's more technical than that - I'm not a techie) to display graphics, possibly a web browser. Use animated gifs for movies.

Great job! You got to admit, even if it is a hoax (god, say it aint so), it is a damn good one and it's been tons of fun! Only MacHeads would go to such lengths.

In Jobs we trust!

[MacAztec]

Steve, is that you?? Nah. The Apple logo does move on the product during frames, without being touched. I am positive it is a fake

[elgruga]

I think its real. Thats my opinion.

What I want to know is who are http://www.spymac.com?
I have never seen 'em before? Is this some kind of an Apple trick? First we get the "way beyond the rumor sites" text on Apple.com, and then this.
We are being suckered big time here.

This is the whois on these guys:

admin-c-title: Herr
admin-c-firstname: Bengy
admin-c-lastname: April
admin-c-street: 292 7th Avenve South
admin-c-pcode: T1J1H7
admin-c-city: Lethbridge, Alberta
admin-c-ccode: CA
admin-c-phone: +1 4033173141
admin-c-fax: +1 5092776070
admin-c-email: bengy@mac.com

Domain Name: SPYMAC.COM
Registrar: SCHLUND+PARTNER AG
Whois Server: whois.schlund.de
Referral URL: http://www.schlund.de
Name Server: NS3.KUNDENSERVER.DE
Name Server: NS4.KUNDENSERVER.DE
Updated Date: 24-dec-2001

The admin is a Canadian! The site is owned by a German corporation - what gives?

Why updated on the 24th december? And the admins name: Benjy April? really? !!!!!!!


[Edited by elgruga on 01-03-2002 at 01:39 AM]

[byerskc]

When has apple.com been updating their main page these past few days?

[Synotic]

I had someone reupload a hacked version of "bootup.mov" for me. Because the one Spymac had was.. I dunno.. "messed up" you could only get 600 K. Ours has all 2.6 MB of it though.

mod edit: the link that was here is no longer available

enjoy

[latalian]

If you tried to download the bootup movie to quickly (before the 3rd movie was uploaded) you may have to download it again. (if it is blank and asks for the 3rd movie when opened in QT). If your browser refuses to refresh the movie, you can close your browser and delete all of the cache files in order to erase the bad data.

[AppleJunkie]

when is Apple gonna update their front page? Anyone?

[cruchible]

oooh... too many little bizzaro thingys that make it seem fake...

btw, it does have an IrDA port, at the bottom (you can see the label when you see the back of the unit... and in the first few frames of turnaround you can see the IrDA port...

[Timothy]

I've watched the movies over and over. I set the "say hello" movie to loop and watched it for about 5 minutes.

I think it's real. This looks very similar to how my Newton looked when it recognized text...a bit smoother, as I would expect 5 years later.

When the unit moves, the text moves along with it. I don't see the "stationary" text that others claim to see.

There is nothing that I can see that is an obvious fake...and I am well versed in Final Cut Pro and Photoshop use. I'm not saying it's impossible, but this looks pretty good to me.

[macdop]

•Look at the shadows in still 4, they don't match up with what that hand is doing.
•There appears to be the reflection of a face, (outline of chin, hair etc.) but I don't see the outline of a camera.
•In still 10, the angle of the reflection does not appear to be accurate with respect to the orientation of the device (nor does it match the orientation of shadows in other images).
•In the bootup movie, as others have said, the dial turning does not look natural.
•The dial does not look like it would fit correctly in the case.
•I would expect apple to use the more elegant iPod style dial.
•They never show it moving while it is on

While I would LOVE for this movie to be real, and this is exactly what I want (Im sick of my palm, and their joke of mac support), I still love my Newtons (all four: MP, 110, 130 and 2100), I just don't think this is real
-Paul MacDougall
pmacd [at] ix [dot] netcom [dot] com

[Zeus]

If this is a fake, then whoever made it did a good job of thinking through the materials for the mockup and the way things worked.

Notice in the boot up video, he pushs the white button on the base under the wheel to turn it on, then after it boots he spins the job wheel to change orientation, tapping that white button again to make it take effect. So the jog wheel alone does not seem to spin it, but rather a jog and tap - makes sense so you do not accidently spin directions.

Also in several shots the hand reflection on the jog wheel materials is well done if fake - they it reflects like the steel used on the back of the iPod.

[chewbaccapits]

Damn germans!!!!

[evildead]

If its a fake... cheers to the creator... not a bad pice of work. If its real... I WANT ONE!!

[latalian]

Apple may not update their page until afternoon tomarow. The Image that is there now reads a 2:42 creation date. It's possible that apple may not change the message anyway.

[macfreek57]

notice how in the already-controversial sayhello movie, the entire screen is made up of lines. all of the changes that actually take place "on-screen", take place above a certain line. all of the reflections that are still convincing you that this is not a fake, appear below this line. an easy one to doctor.

not saying whether or not I believe it...

also, someone posted a link to a mock apple iWalk ad. I opened the link in a new window and then closed it. when I reloaded the post page 30-mis later, the post was gone. what happened?

[burger011]

the desk gets bigger just before he puts it down. Look at the bottom right corner and you will see the desk shift before the object is placed down.

[MattB]

why hasn't Apple requested them to be taken offline like they do with everyother mock-up that is too close to the real deal!?!??!

[strngwys]

check out the hand writing recognition video closely. the iwalk moves but the text does not. it's composited on. a different layer. and the thumbnail with a screenshot of the browser the url is spymac.com thats just lame. come on people if your gonna pull the wool over our eyes at least don't insult our intelligence!

[Hecubus79]

Granted, the videos are lacking a sort of quality we've come to expect when we see our bright, shiny new Apple products, but does anyone recall the cries of "fake" when the Quicksilver G4 case was revealed in those spy photos that were all discolored? A few days later and it turned out to be truth. I don't need an all white background to see the quality of work that's gone into this product, fake or not. If it's the real deal, I think the videos speak for themselves, if it's fake, good on whomever did it.
I don't knw which way to lean on this one, but having done a sufficient amount of work with video and motion compression in the past, I'm thinking real.
Anyone else notice that most of the "definitely fake" people are also first time posters and guests? Of course the same could be said for me, I suppose, but I prefer to sit back and read rather than enter the fray. I'm thinking Herr Jobs has some folks working late at Cupertino tonight while he fumes and considers what else he might offer as his "one more thing" next Monday.

[byerskc]

Ok... that was a wierd one...

[Timothy]

The "desk" does not get bigger...that is the case for the unit sliding slightly to the right as it gets bumped.

[Timothy]

Hmmm...I don't think even apple could respond at 10 p.m. at night to a company that is likely "closed" and not answering their phones. Now, if it is removed tomorrow, then that might tell us something...

[latalian]

This is good example of why you shouldn't smoke crack just before designing a webpage. Similar to http://www.hell.com.

[burger011]

oookaaayyy...that WAS wierd.

[arn]

A few things to note... I've read comments on this as well as other messageboards...

Apple doesn't own iwalk.com - but Apple also didn't own ipod.com until the day of the announcement of the ipod

iWalk may not be the name despite it being on the back of the unit.

The original Newton Messagepad was actually dubbed the Newton Notepad originally... and was even printed on the prototypes - and was eventually changed to Message pad.

http://www.normalkid.com/collector/images/100/notepad.jpg

prototype Newton Notepad

arn

[burger011]

look at the turnaround video. look at the bottom right side and look at the area that borders the desk 9the black area) it clearly moves before putting down the iWalk.

[Timothy]

that "black" area is the "case" as seen in other movies. You can clearly see his hand bumps it, causing it to move. It looks like a part of the desk at first glance, but it's clearly the case upon further reflection.

[Timothy]

Again...I think the text on the say hello movie moves in perfect sync with the slight movements of the unit. I don't see any separation between the two as others are reporting.

[SleepisBad]

Another fake hint is that the screen prior to being turned on is grey. It would be black on a TFT screen, not grey.

[barracuda]

I say it's a fake. For this simple reason: the typography on the back of the depicted unit is all in BLACK. All of Apple's recent hardware has had much more subtle colored typography denoting the ports, and other misc. info about the hardware itself. I also doubt we will see anything called the iWalk...eventually a PowerPod makes sense...but a PowerWalk?!

[macfreek57]

all those little abreviations and patent number-type things like FCC that you can pretty clearly see on the back, is there any way we can check with the FCC to see if apple has had any devices tested by them for compliance recently?


and:
why does the movie get darker when the thing is brought up closer to the camera lense in the turnaround.mov?
is that from refocusing or something?

[Timothy]

are you sure? the iPod screen is grey before it is turned on...

[Ash]

We should get a new message on Apple.com at midnight pacific time. I was online last night at 2:00am central and the new message appeared like clockwork. This is being extremely well-orchestrated.

- Ash

[burger011]

I think your right...that might just be a case. My bad.

maybe you can help with this ?. The bootup.mov shows his hand turn the dial to flip the screen and then his hand goes off screen then it comes bakc on to press a button. Doesn't that seem wierd to you? i would think after turning the dial the hand would just go down and press the button. Not go off screen and come back to press it. Unless he simply forgot to push it.

[i_should_register]

Originally posted by AppleJunkie
when is Apple gonna update their front page? Anyone?


Apple has been updating the graphics at 3:00AM Eastern time.

[arn]

One thing that makes the Bootup video seem authentic is that the toolbar takes a second to move to the proper orientation.

arn

[samy85114]

Originally posted by i_should_register
Originally posted by AppleJunkie
when is Apple gonna update their front page? Anyone?


Apple has been updating the graphics at 3:00AM Eastern time.

Exactly, midnight pacific time ... or midnight in Cupertino!!!! if you prefer! :-)

[Timothy]

On the bootup screen...a small detail that I think supports "real" is that the "buttons" show up after a slight delay...this, too, was what my Newton did. I could "rearrange" my buttons, and this caused it to appear slightly later.

A small detail, but if they faked this, kudos to looking to small details. Most people would have been happy to composite the buttons and the button strip at the same time...

regarding the hand leaving the frame...doesn't bother me. I think it could be that he is new with the unit, and forgot that to get the orientation to switch, you have to push the button after you turn the dial.

[Timothy]

we double posted the same thought!

[julzmon]

1. Doesn't move when it's on. You can see the screen only when it's stationary.

2. After ipod Apple would never use such a monster of a scroll wheel. That is a dead give away to me.

3. Apple has a few times flatly denied any pda coming out.

I must admit I did get exited at first and started to think where the hell am i going to get the $ to get one.
After reading peoples views.

It's definetly a fake.

[latalian]

After about twenty minutes of studying the pixel distance between the handwritting and the edge of the unit I have found that the "iwalk" handwritting doesn't move. It only moves slightly with the unit. Optical illusion. Nothing more.

[westerby]

ok I'm betting it's a fake...

but how about this:

the flat panel imac will have a 17" screen.
(you heard it here first...)

[burger011]

says anything about walking then I'm convinced. I think the video is shaky, but I'm starting to believe a little more this might be real.

i saw jacks for a mic and a headset. if this has the ability to understand speech and play music off your ipod that would be very cool.

[Timothy]

Julz...

If you watch the "say hello" movie, you'll see that the screen elements do move slightly when the unit is shifted. The screen elements, to my eye, move in perfect unison with the unit.

Regarding the "dial"...of course, this would have to have been in development and production prior to the release of the iPod...not much time to make changes based on iPod feedback.

[eyelikeart]

Those pics are pretty real looking I must say. The videos do leave a bit to the imagination I suppose. In the sayhello movie, the desk does move unaturally. It's too bad nobody can read what the FCC information says on the back of the unit in the turnaround movie. And the dial has a delayed movement to the guy's thumb in the bootup movie. If it weren't for those few flaws, I would be completely sold. Still, funny how the pics are still up on the site....u know Apple has got to have people around the clock watching out for stuff just like this!

[TheHandlessKing]

Whoever did this, did it real well. My palms were sweaty and all sorts of stuff but then I started reading the posts about jumpy text and such so i decided to put the movie "sayhello" in full screen mode and guess what? It looks like they put a green screen or something in the iWalk "screen" and pasted the movie on later. Sorry but it's fake.

[latalian]

Apple is planning to release a PDA. But I was told it would be around third quarter 2004. A G5 and a mega-wide screen iMac are probably the only new products here. Plus iPicture, which is either an internet service or a digital photo viewer capable of holding data the way iPod does. By the way, Steve Jobs did buy several patents for one of those gyro-scooters (Segway) about 1 year ago.

[barracuda]

That's what I mean..."all those little abbreviations and patent number-type things that you can see pretty clearly on the back"....they appear to be printed in black and not molded or etched into the unit itself, which leads me to believe this thing can't be for real (besides all the other stuff pointed out). The black is aesthetically un-Apple like especially when paired white the quicksilver/clear/snow enclosures. Plus it would eventually flake off, unless it is protected by a layer of polymer or whatever. Still, it's a pretty awesome, and very thought provoking mock-up. Showing off little details like the patent numbers etc. gives it more believability, but Spymac didn't quite pull that one off in my eyes. Also, I don't know why the older circular power brick is figured so prominently in the stills and the movies...surely the so-called "iWalk" would have an iPod like one. Just by visually associating the mock-up with a real Apple product is another ploy. If it were real, it would stand by itself on it's own without that type of visual cue.

[arn]

Can the "stillness" not be compresion artifact?

arn

[Timothy]

by the way, I now think the "camera" is moving, and not the iWalk in the "say hello" movie.

I still think there is nothing to show a "fake" that you can gather from this movie.

[i_should_register]

Originally posted by latalian
Apple is planning to release a PDA. But I was told it would be around third quarter 2004. A G5 and a mega-wide screen iMac are probably the only new products here. Plus iPicture, which is either an internet service or a digital photo viewer capable of holding data the way iPod does. By the way, Steve Jobs did buy several patents for one of those gyro-scooters (Segway) about 1 year ago.

There is no way in hell that Motorolla has the G5 ready yet. Thir most optimistic estimate was Feb. 2002. Knowing that mot is almost always late, how could a G5 be ready any time soon? Expect faster G4s, probably just under 1ghz.

[2]

that's a lame application of a motion tracker, probably after effects....

sorry....

[byerskc]

Isn't this their second version of this product?

http://www.theapplecollection.com/design/macproto/iWalk.html

[arn]

Here's the big question...

They view a webpage on the iWalk.... however - there is no modem or ethernet port....

Therefore the only way would be if there was an airport built in...

arn

[j763]

I am completely convinced that this is a fake. Here's why:

- Apple does not overbrand its products. The "iWalk" is labeled iWalk on the back, there's an Apple logo here there and everywhere, when the iWalk "boots up" it has the apple logo then underneath it says "Apple iWalk" AGAIN! Since when have you seen an Apple product with the Apple logo (one of the most recognisable logos around) and then the word "Apple" written underneath?

- The OS is very non-apple looking. After Apple's revolutionary Aqua interface, why would they take a step back towards the ugly OS featured in the videos??

- Why would you need a wheel with an apple logo to rotate the display 90 degrees. Apple has always been famous for good design - that wheel thing with the apple logo on it is ugly. There is no way that we'd see that ugly wheel thing at MWSF

- The iWalk - why? If apple was to make a PDA, I'm sure they'd incorporate "Newton" into the naming. Why the iWalk? Apple's marketing team would certaintly not come up with a name so stupid

- Apple legal would have seen this and killed spymac.com - Spymac.com have been talking about this mysterious iWalk device for a long time now, just look at their archives. I'm sure there's someone at apple trying to prevent leaks and keeping a *very* close eye on product rumors. spymac.com would be down today if the iWalk was true

- The video evidence is a load of $#!+. Why have *just* video + some additional bad quality photos? If this was real, they would have got a state-of-the-art digital camera and loads of pictures of it from different angles. All the videos and photos are shot with a really bad camera in really bad light. If this device was genuine, there'd be better evidence.

My 2cents,

j763

[Edited by j763 on 01-03-2002 at 08:49 AM]

[Yuk-Monkey]

Man This is Fun! Anyone else hanging around waiting 'til 2 PT? I know I am!

[byerskc]

When is @:00 apple time? In 10 mins or in 1:10 ?

[Timothy]

OK...I have no life, and my kid and wife think I'm nuts...

They've hit a button here with me ;-)

[byerskc]

When is 2:00 apple time? In 10 mins or in 1:10 ?

[barracuda]

That's what I mean..."all those little abbreviations and patent number-type things that you can see pretty clearly on the back"....they appear to be printed in black and not molded or etched into the unit itself, which leads me to believe this thing can't be for real (besides all the other stuff pointed out). The black is aesthetically un-Apple like especially when paired white the quicksilver/clear/snow enclosures. Plus it would eventually flake off, unless it is protected by a layer of polymer or whatever. Still, it's a pretty awesome, and very thought provoking mock-up. Showing off little details like the patent numbers etc. gives it more believability, but Spymac didn't quite pull that one off in my eyes. Also, I don't know why the older circular power brick is figured so prominently in the stills and the movies...surely the so-called "iWalk" would have an iPod like one. Just by visually associating the mock-up with a real Apple product is another ploy. If it were real, it would stand by itself on it's own without that type of visual cue.

[i_should_register]

The iWalk is plugged into a TiBook using firewire. Why is it so odd that the TiBook is plugged into the wall? It might be fake, but pointing to the power cable as proof makes no sense.

Originally posted by barracuda
Also, I don't know why the older circular power brick is figured so prominently in the stills and the movies...surely the so-called "iWalk" would have an iPod like one. Just by visually associating the mock-up with a real Apple product is another ploy. If it were real, it would stand by itself on it's own without that type of visual cue.

[Yuk-Monkey]

5 min and counting???

[eyelikeart]

I have 3 minutes and counting... :D

[Smelt]

I wish I had this much enthusiasm in the rest of my life...

Steve...you're a tricky bastard.

iWait...

[markseaton]

I too have studied the footage and i think its real i know how to make some good fakes but there is a limit to reality it's REAL.

the unknow port on the top is soo easy, its a hardware port for all the extra's digital camera, wireless airport, GPS, why the hell would they put gigawire on a PDA!.


WOW i just finished this post and the link to the iwalk is GONE and its not at macspy.com

Well the count down is going :)

[Yuk-Monkey]

Okay well I have 1min 30 sec now :D!

The Anticipation is killing me!

[Yuk-Monkey]

TIME IS UP!!!! What does eveyone see???

[burger011]

GONE....

[eyelikeart]

It's like a backstage pass to the future!

[Yuk-Monkey]

IT'S LIKE A BACKSTAGE PASS TO THE FUTURE!!!!!!!! YEEEAAAAHH BOYEEEEE!!

[macdop]

After detailed per-pixel grid analysis, I have come to the conclusion that the text is moving in perfect sync with the device, the only time the text moves, the unit itself moves the same number of pixels in the same direction, this leads me to believe that if this is a fake, it is one of the best fakes I have ever seen, I doubt even hollywood fx ppl would go to the lengths necessary to make those kinds of details. However I still have other issues with it (the turning of the wheel, etc.)

[byerskc]

that's because it's spymac...

[markseaton]

OK i was expecting something cooler

"it's like a backstage pass to the future"

[Smelt]

Backstage pass to the future?

Tease me you bastard!

[eyelikeart]

and to think we all sat here salivating....

to see new text appear on the Apple homepage...

he he he...

[Yuk-Monkey]

So what does everyone make of the new slogan? Again, pretty vague, but pretty bold too.

[i_should_register]

Originally posted by burger011
GONE....


Errrr... It's http://www.spymac.com not macspy.com

[eyelikeart]

I'm going to sleep....

[markseaton]

I think that they could of come up with a better one, like...

"it's all in your pocket'

or

"Only 45oz's"

or

"MY GOD!"

hehe

[markseaton]

missed that macspy = spymac

i have a bit of dislexia..

:)

sorry

but the iwalk is still gone.

[byerskc]

They should / could have played the rumor angle again...

[byerskc]

I can still pull up the iWalk pics etc

mod edit: the link that was here is no longer available

[Timothy]

but I still think the video has nothing that shows it to be a fake. This doesn't mean its real, but I think most of the "objections" raised thus far are without merit...

I'll tell you one thing, it looks a lot better than the recent Osama Video released by the Bush administration ;-)

[barracuda]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by i_should_register
[B]The iWalk is plugged into a TiBook using firewire. Why is it so odd that the TiBook is plugged into the wall? It might be fake, but pointing to the power cable as proof makes no sense.

I could have more carefully studied the "iWalk" being hooked up to the TiBook, as you basically pointed out. Still, I'm not convinced at all that this thing is a real Apple product. I'm surprised no one has concurred with me on the typographical cues that I referred to. Even the GUI is not Aqua-fied enough...it looks funky. And the enclosure around the screen on the close-ups looks warped. I have a very artistic eye for these sort of things. Trust me...this thing is not being unveiled in Jan. 7th.

[blackrazor]

Watch this video again and make sure you look up in the top left hand corner of the QT player as he is writing on the screen. You will see a blinking horizontal line that has the same blinking consistency as the caret on the iWalk screen. It also moves down and to the right as he writes on the iWalk.

[MacAztec]

Why would apple make a PDA? They have already said they dont think they will make one. I am thinking something REVOLUTIONARY, and a PDA is not that. Maybe a new chip, or something. I truley think apple is going to have some sort of computer that you wear, like glasses. That is WAY more futuristic than an iWalk. C'mon guys, think "the future"...

[latalian]

1 Apple's marketing is way to good to release something with as dumb a name as "iWalk"
2 If Apple did make such a product, they wouldn't give it to Macspy.
3 If these videos were made by apple they would be in better quality and wouldn't feature a page off Macspy's server.

Apple is going to do something even greater than a PDA. First their going to shoot Steve out of a cannon, then they'll announce that they've captured Bin Laden. Then, if there's time, they may present a colony of Bill Gates clones living on Mars.

What's with you people. Not enough sleep could be the problem. I think all you're going to see is an extremely fast G5.

[max power]

NOT TO SOUND LIKE A KNOW IT ALL, BUT IT'S GOT TO BE FAKE!!

Sure the QT movie is real, but the product probably isn't...

1) For starters, the iPod design is much cooler and slicker. Sure, it's minimal, but this "iWalk" thing doesn't even come close to the beauty that Apple's industrial design team has been creating lately.

2) The Apple LOGO on that thing is HUGE. GIGANTIC even. Since when did Apple start branding their products so garishly?

3) It blatantly says "iWalk" on the back. I mean, c'mon! Does the iPod say "iPod" on it's back? Has ANY Apple product in recent memory worn a "nametag" like this alleged product?

4) The presence of the TiBook and the power supply all seem to try to make the movie appear more authentic. PLUS, it's the OLD, ROUND POWER SUPPLY, NOT THE NEW SQUARE ONE!!!!!

Maybe I'm wrong, but I think it's fake. An interesting decoy.

Still, all this is pretty exciting!

[latalian]

There's a little talk going on about Apple buying Avid, the manufaturer of Softimage which is responsible for some of the most revolutionary special effects content in the movie making business. If Apple bought Avid, nothing could stop them.

[arn]

The ipod DOES say "ipod" on the back...

And all the Newtons said Newton on their back

arn

[TheHandlessking]

I'm sorry but some of you people are so blinded by hopefulness that you can't see this is a fake. Just look at the screen while he/she is writing on it. While the "iWalk" is moving around the screen stays still, I sure wouldn't want a pda that does that. And a few other things: when the screen boots up I do believe some of the "screen" overlaps the case, and if it doesn't, it still looks fake. And didn't spymac release an "iWalk" before when all the hoopla surrounding the iPod was going on? Why would Apple bust out something with the same name? Sorry, I had to get this off my chest; however I do give credit to the hoaxers, they had me fooled for a while.

[j763]

I am completely convinced that this is a fake. Here's why:

- Apple does not overbrand its products. The "iWalk" is labeled iWalk on the back, there's an Apple logo here there and everywhere, when the iWalk "boots up" it has the apple logo then underneath it says "Apple iWalk" AGAIN! Since when have you seen an Apple product with the Apple logo (one of the most recognisable logos around) and then the word "Apple" written underneath?

- The OS is very non-apple looking. After Apple's revolutionary Aqua interface, why would they take a step back towards the ugly OS featured in the videos??

- Why would you need a wheel with an apple logo to rotate the display 90 degrees. Apple has always been famous for good design - that wheel thing with the apple logo on it is ugly. There is no way that we'd see that ugly wheel thing at MWSF

- The iWalk - why? If apple was to make a PDA, I'm sure they'd incorporate "Newton" into the naming. Why the iWalk? Apple's marketing team would certaintly not come up with a name so stupid

- Apple legal would have seen this and killed spymac.com - Spymac.com have been talking about this mysterious iWalk device for a long time now, just look at their archives. I'm sure there's someone at apple trying to prevent leaks and keeping a *very* close eye on product rumors. spymac.com would be down today if the iWalk was true

- The video evidence is a load of $#!+. Why have *just* video + some additional bad quality photos? If this was real, they would have got a state-of-the-art digital camera and loads of pictures of it from different angles. All the videos and photos are shot with a really bad camera in really bad light. If this device was genuine, there'd be better evidence.

My 2cents,

j763

[Edited by j763 on 01-03-2002 at 08:55 AM]

[gottfrid]

It´s so hard to believe so I search for fault in the movies from Spymac. In sayhello.mov there is different times in the app "Notebook" and the system-clock up in the right corner.

What do you think? A sign of fake?

[j763]

sry

[Edited by j763 on 01-03-2002 at 08:57 AM]

[Traeglmorf]

People keep saying Apple won't release a PDA because it is a bad market to be in, isn't revolutionary, etc. But think about the iPod- it has given Apple a HUGE amount of positive publicity and helped round out Apple as the 'digital hub' they want to be, in the low margin, crowded MP3 market. It wasn't a breakthrough, however, because it's just music oriented. My Clie plays music as well, but i listen to that about 1/100th the time I spend looking up data, making notes, etc on it. A PDA that has Apple's ease of use with wireless capability *would* be a breakthrough- look at the competition. And there's still a large following of Newton devotees (myself included) who would JUMP at a chance for another similar PDA- so *there's* a guaranteed market. I say if it isn't real for MWSF, then it will be soon, regardless of what Apple says. You can't be the hub of someone's digital world without helping them take their information with them (and my Newton in my pocket scares off the chicks;)

[GeeYouEye]

It's REALLY GOOD fake. The only thing that bothers me is the scroll wheel jumping. But I don't see the text problem. anyway, consider that on, say, the eMate, the writing was one pixel thick. Maybe they overlayed the writing with a thicker line, for effect. That wouldn't be hard, and 1 pixel thick writing makes FAR more sense than the writing demonstrated. Also, is it possible 1. that the grey screen before start-up was the result of it NOT being a TFT, or at least not a backlit one? In fact, a GameBoy Color looks that way when it is off. or 2. They got their hands on a prototype rather than a shipping model? That would explain the black on the back instead of etched in, as well as the enormous scroll wheel

[mrPotatohead]

Another Spymac fake job. Those people have no credibility left. For one thing, Apple knows that if they wanted to get back into the PDA market they'd have to have something MUCH smaller than the size of this "iWalk." And for another thing the "scroll wheel" on this "iWalk" would not be that ugly. A very nice example of what can be done with some fine construction and video work but it's simply not a real prototype. That's another thing...an Apple employee might be able to leak WORD of a new product but there's no chance in a frozen hell that they'd ever be able to organize a "secret meeting" to deliever a working prototype.

[Traeglmorf]

For those saying it doesn't look quite right or the jog wheel is clunky, which would you think would be easier to get your hands on for some illicit footage, an earlier prototype version or the latest from the factory that Steve is reviewing his speech on in bed right now? I'm just wondering why the heck you would need/want a microphone jack?!? How about putting the IR where it would be useful, like on top?

And I bet the other port on top is just for a docking station- so you can use a keyboard/mouse/etc like the Newton's have.

My Newton is whimpering and my Clie is sobbing uncontrollably right now... PLEASE BE TRUE!!!!

[2]

anyway i believe the 7th will bring a surprise for all of us...

[macboy]

I do remember a friend telling me that he saw an apple guy writing notes on a PDA type of a thing with the Apple Logo on it and when he asked what that was, the guy responded with, "you're going to have to wait to find out."

I heard this report form many people who went to the same conference.

I will call up my friend and tell him to have a look to see if it is the same thing...

[Mr.Likeable]

Lots of good speculation here.

What are the chances it's an internal Apple item in development; everything is roughly right, but it's not finished yet. We've seen another iWalk previously that didn't hit the streets; this could be another version; working on technologies through to a prototype, just to keep everything moving forwards. It sure looks real, but as a few have noted, it doesn't seem quite right for an Apple release.

Such a "work in progress" would make an ideal decoy, as suggested previously, to keep us all busy and avoid a genuine spill.

[bertakamous]

Apple has been centering their logo on products for quite some time now. What product in recent times has the Apple logo in the corner position? Not since the Snow White design language.

That does it for me. It's a fake.

Bertakamous

[ThorPrime]

But it is still a fake. Yes, almost seems real but two things keep me from saying it's real.
1: Apple would use such a crappy name. iPad, Newton2, iNewton, not iWalk. Sound like a sony Walkman.

2: It's from spymac. They have not been too reputable.

Kudos to the creators though. It's an awesome feat.

[juniormaj]

Someone mentioned hearing Deutcsh (sp?) (German, they said) in the background of one video.
Has anyone else noticed the European A/C outlet on the desk?
It does seem odd that there would be one of these things in Germany, I guess.

[BurntCalc]

Here's the true test of whether it's a fake or not:

If this site and Spymac are presented with cease and desist orders from Apple to take down the QT's and pics, then we know that there is some merit to these rumors. Otherwise, we're still waaaay off.

[benmac]

We all know Steve Jobs is vegetarian, and we all know Steve Jobs has a lot of influence at Apple. But then why would the iWalk come with a leather case? Doesn't sound logical to me...

For loads of great mock-ups go to http://homepage.mac.com/benvp/

[Ensign Paris]

The only think that makes me this its a fake is that it has that large 'Apple' at the bottom. I also don't think you could get such a product out of Apple.

[Pauldunlop]

Soz guys, i really thought at first glance it was real, but watch carefully the text in the movie during the hand writing recognition. The whole unit moves very very slightly, while the text stays exactly in the same place. Really looks like it was super imposed !

And the whole product does have a somewhat flimsey look about it....i think this is probably a fake ! :-(

[Tofeu]

First, some weeks ago, Steve told to some Journalists that he did not want to release a PDA, because it was something outdated.
And am I the only one that thinks that instead of all those stuff, Apple should deliver better hardware with decent performance and prices?
Come on guys, everybody complains about how expensive the Powermac line is, and the G4 is not something that everyboy is happy about.
Instead of a PDA even the coolest on earth, I believe that they'd better improve essential things such as the motherboard!
The Powermac runs at 867 vs 2Ghtz for the pc side, we are still using 133 bus, and now we ave a PDA (if it is not a fake), wouah!!!!

[gandalf55]

if fake, i will not be disappointed but angry :)

this thing supposedly has audio in/out. firewire. probably 64M RAM. probably 2 Gig FW drive. Probably 20 hour battery life. Is color. Has a browser. Has multimedia. how much would this thing cost? $699? It would HAVE to be expensive. but this thing, if true, looks amazing as HELL to me. I still have my trusty Newton (which eats about 4 batteries a day) - but i will throw my Visor Platinum in the OCEAN if this device hits the streets!!

[@le]

iwalk looks pretty real to me.....

[iJed]

If this is real then my Palm is going straight in the bin. I'm sure there are many Mac users who would pay anything for something like this... And with FireWire it would truly rule!

[JOHNGAETANO]

For me the greatest release of all time was the Newton 2000. I will never forget that feeling the day it arrived. Nothing has touched it since. I can't help but get that same excited feeling when I see the iWalk. I would walk 1000 miles for this. It looks great.

JOHN

[whalebone66]

I've been watching the bootup.mov loop over and over - if you watch the bottom edge of the "iWalk" just before the "startup" screen appears - the entire unit moves up ever so slightly - could be that the image was "still" image then the video starts running or could be that the image is superimposed? Am I the only one seeing this ? I'm still keeping my hopes up for some type of subportable "Mac"

[C4!™]

<EDIT></EDIT>

[whalebone66]

Has anyone tried logging into http://www.spymac.com this morning - for some odd reason the website appears to have been removed or is down...could this be as a result of Apple's legal team??? Maybe just maybe -- this thing is for real & what SpyMac posted is a development unit and not the final release...they could have added some of the slick "on-screen" animations just to make it look better.....who knows???

[grouse]

Okay, apple would have definitely asked for it to have been removed by now.

The screen shots of the iWalk viewing a sample html page (don't forget it doesn't have to be viewing it "live") are well dodge. The curvature of the screen for a start is totally inconsitent with a LCD screen and doesn't even look the same as the movie screens which are a lot flatter.

And why on earth would the "wheel" that changes the position of the screen be a wheel? You wouldn't want to view the screen at any other angle than on multiples of 90 degree? It would be a switch not a very prominant unifunctional dial. Apple's design team wouldn't be so foolish, certainly not Mr Ive.

And if the screen really is that reflective, someone's done a poor job. (see image 04).

One final thing, in the third movie, turning on the iWalk seems to take very little pressure, imagine putting the thing away in the "sleeve" either way round and the slightest brush would turn it on or off and lose precious battery life.

Shame, but it doesn't add up.

Here's to the 7th.

[JOHNGAETANO]

I have watched the "say Hello" portion of the video, and it looks real to me. I mean, his hand is reflected on the iWalks job wheel. If it's a fake, it's a darn good one.

LOOK CLOSE at the font of the text, it's a Newton Font!!

Could it be real??

JOHN

[whalebone66]

Sorry about my last post - I'm not quite awake yet and was about halfway paying attention to the address I was typing & looking out my window @ all the snow that fell overnight - I was typing wwww.spymac.com - one extra "w" is all that it needs to not work...sadly the SpyMac sight is still up and the images are still there - this is one time that I wish Apple would step in and have the images removed....I think that we've all been duped .... oh well; theres always the 7th!!!

[JOHNGAETANO]

Well, now that I have seen all the video's I must say this must be a fake. It's a well done fake, but a fake none the less.

I think the turnaround video does it in. The Apple Logo appears and disappears every so often, as does the copyright label, like they are superimpossed.

The way the guy turns the unit on without the unit moving is impossible. Unless the on-off button is so sensitive the wind blowing would turn it on.

The job shuttle is an odd design, and an it looks just like the bottom round button thing on the Ti Book power adapter in the photo.

In any of the still photos, the Apple Logo is always the last to load, hinting of a superimposed picture. :(

It's too bad, but it's fake.

Very Sad

JOHN



JOHN

[JOHNGAETANO]

Also, while I don't always agree with Jobs, I would have to agree that a plain PDA is old news, and would fail. If Apple is to introduce a PDA it needs to be something new, and something creative. PDA/PHONE/MP3

[Timothy]

I still don't think that you can call this unit a fake due to any "evidence" within the pics or the videos.

For one thing...the unit is a real physical unit. The "logo" and text on the back are physical, not superimposed.

I don't agree that the text on the "sayhello" movie is out of sync with the movement of the unit. I think, in fact that the screen elements move very slightly, in perfect unison with the entire physical unit. This, to me, is a strength of the videos, not a fault.

The "jog" wheel will certainly have multiple functions, not just rotating the screen.

To say that apple has never released a product with an overbearing apple logo is ridiculous. Original Blue G3 tower? How about my powerbook g3 with an upside down backlit logo? Or, how about the huge logo on the powersupply pictured right next to iWalk?

And, there is no way Steve Jobs would ressurect the Newton name. He never liked the Newton. And, iWalk is no dumber a name than iPod. Either way, this could have been a prototype, and the name could be different, but none of this is a reason to call this a "fake."

There are some other things which point to the "completeness" of the unit pictured. For example, look at the turnaround movie on full screen. Look at where the pen sits in the bottom of the unit. The unit is "flanged" beautifully, slightly, where the end of the pen rests. These little things are quality design, not a quick fake prototype.

I just don't think that any of the "reasons" that are being listed as "obvious" are in fact obvious. Again, this does not mean that this is an actual product that Apple will release next tuesday. But to say that this is an obvious fake is unmerited.

[eyelikeart]

Originally posted by JOHNGAETANO
Also, while I don't always agree with Jobs, I would have to agree that a plain PDA is old news, and would fail. If Apple is to introduce a PDA it needs to be something new, and something creative. PDA/PHONE/MP3

which is why I posted this yesterday....but no one seemed interested...

http://www.macrumors.com/forums/showthread.php3?threadid=929

[atlascott]

Did anyone notice that in the still pictures, the spymac logo was on the screen? Doctored photos, buncha crap. PLUS Apple would not release a B&W screened PDA, or one that looks even bigger than the Compaq Pocket PC's...

[maceye]

I think it's a very finest FAKE!!!!

I dont know what to think about iWalk, i mean, a PDA? no matter if it is firewire with Gb HD, or a lot of memory
or maybe million collors; there's a lot of fine PDA's in market, unless it is at least a G3 - 5 Gb - 128 Ram or whatever; The best PDA in the market that is not revolucionary to me... I think there's something more for all the things Apple is saying...

Maybe I'm Right, maybe i'm wrong... just a thought...

[x29]

Another comment about the bootup movie:
Apple would never write "Starting up" with a capital "U" in the word "up", at least from what I've seen they've never done such linguistic mistakes before.

[Timothy]

As a former Newton fan...I'll tell you what I will NOT buy...

A PDA with a tiny screen. Most of the PDA screens out now are too small to be really useable as a notepad. This is what I loved about my Newton. I could actually use it. I could browse actual web pages. I could write "at length" on the thing. It was a viable, useable product.

Those of you who argue for small screens must not actually use your PDA for anything too complex. For example, what if you wanted to take notes in a class or a meeting? My visor is totally useless for this. The "big" screen on this pictured unit would be perfect for such an application.

PDA screens are currently too small. This unit has what I would consider to be just about the perfect size of screen. I consider its "largeness" a strong plus, not a negative.

[evanmarx]

Originally posted by x29
Another comment about the bootup movie:
Apple would never write "Starting up" with a capital "U" in the word "up", at least from what I've seen they've never done such linguistic mistakes before.


ya right ..man

http://www.spyman.com is a german website ... hence the german talking on the iwalk-movies ... hence the mistake in "Starting Up" ... so? ... it's a FAKE ... devised by "dschörmans" ...

[evanmarx]

dammit .... http://www.spymac.com it is ... not spyman .. tsts

[gottfrid]

Originally posted by evanmarx
[QUOTE]Originally posted by x29
[B]Another comment about the bootup movie:
Apple would never write "Starting up" with a capital "U" in the word "up", at least from what I've seen they've never done such linguistic mistakes before.


just checked under the apple (on X of course). It says "Shut Down"

I´m from Sweden so I might not be the right guy to comment, but isn´t it kinda the same thing?

[wcharles]

One thing you're all missing is that the device is ugly. The human interface is clunky and complicated, and the whole thing is very un-Apple-like. I'm looking at my PBG4 as I write this, and I simply can't believe the same people designed both things. Anyway, I hope not.

[grouse]

my dear holmes!

As far as I'm concerned that clinches it. (the capital 'U')
Together with a selection of the other real evidence (the greyness of the screen, the fuzziness of some of the screen shots and the wheel) and, more to the point, the weakness in strategy of such a device being released.

and would the screen shot of the browser say 'web' on it, together with a ms IE 5 like "go" button, top left also appears to say variously 'iWalk' and other things.

Also the track record of spymac.com is more to do with a jokey how about this type history rather than here's a real exclusive, I can't remember them being right before about anything.

(or mabe I'm being a little unfair!)

[spuncan]

Spymac must of released another say hello movie cuz in the version i have the iWalk is never picked up so you cant tell if its fake or not

[oskay]

This is a rumor site.... so whatever apple has got is "way beyond" anything here.
Right? Right?

I'm not sure whether I should be more impressed if those videos are fake or not!

[eric_n_dfw]

... the similarities between the "dial" and the round Apple power supply on the desk?

FWIW - I think it's a week doctored fake.

[Gus]

I just wanted to mention something to all the PDA hopefuls (of which I belong). Just because Steve said that Apple will not make a PDA does NOT mean that Apple won't make a PDA-thay'll just call it something new or different. He may never use the term PDA or Personal Digital Assistant, but he sure as heck could call it whatever he liked as long it functioned like an über-PDA.

Gus

[evildead]

Originally posted by Gus
I just wanted to mention something to all the PDA hopefuls (of which I belong). Just because Steve said that Apple will not make a PDA does NOT mean that Apple won't make a PDA-thay'll just call it something new or different. He may never use the term PDA or Personal Digital Assistant, but he sure as heck could call it whatever he liked as long it functioned like an über-PDA.

Gus

very true ....

[Gus]

One last comment, and I'm done here. Look at the lettering for iWalk in the turnaround movie. the type has not been set properly. the "i" "W" and "a" are not all on the same line (horizontal along the bottom of each letter). They are, in fact, quite a bit off. I wasn't convinced before, but I'm starting to doubt...

Gus

[gandalf55]

i think it's real.

but no one is talkng about the:

iDie
=====
- Titanium casing, with acrylic facing on top for ease of viewing during the funeral
- bullet proof, water tight
- 15" LCD screen for memorial messages
- 64Megs RAM to serve for the electronic time capsule
- IRDA so you can sync the deceased information to older pdas
- firewire video camera w/bluetooth - pretty disgusting if you ask me
- lacks a reset button but does come with a single port... to release built-up pressure from within

[nubneck]

I don't know what to believe anymore!!!
After looking at the screen shots, I'd say it looks completely real, but after hearing all of those comments about the videos (I can't view them on Solaris at work...), most people seem convinced that the video is faked. At this point, it looks like the following are possible:


1. Product Exists and video is real
(irregularities are due to video compression)

2. Product Exists, but video was doctored
(perhaps the "real" iWalk looks different,
or perhaps the video only shows a prototype
model of some sort)


3. Product doesn't exist, but video was
based on a real prototype developed at Apple


4. Product doesn't exist, and the screenshots
and videos are completely faked, perhaps
the most convincing forgery we've ever seen.

From what I'm hearing from everyone, I think
I'm leaning more toward #'s 2 or 3 here.
Although the screenshots/video might not show
the final product, it doesn't mean that a
real final product doesn't exist.

[macrules929]

take a moment and look at what Apple.com says, "It's like a backstage pass to the future." Look at it this way, the Newton, is in the past (backstage). And now it's being passed into the future with iwalk. Just speculation, but it still could be right...

hope that something BIG is releaced!!

[Klark]

macrules929, that seems like a big stretch to me.

One thing is clear: Jobs clearly learned from the hype surrounding Ginger/IT.

[samy85114]

All of your comments seem to me true. Then if it's not the real IWalk that we expect to see on Monday, the only thing is that it could be an old or new prototype developped by Apple, However, it,s surely not a computer-made movie. And again, if it is, It's gonna be the most realistic movie we've ever seen!!!! I never see something with so much quality before! Then 3D programmer..... congratulation!!!!

[GTSparks]

Do you hear the German guy speak on the turnaround video?

It isn't fake - but you won't see it Monday.

[5]

why else would apple taunt the rumor sites yesterday - and then the iWalk shows up last night . . . and not get pulled by legal . . .i think steve's f'n w/ everyone . . . and if so . . . brilliant.

i think it may be "in the realm" of what we may get . . .

this was probably an old iWhatever prototype . . . why not throw it on the web for a little fun . . . we are all completely freakin' for this show now . . .

[C4!™]

More like #4 Nubneck

[icinder]

i also believe this is a plant. but whether it is or not i think i am having more fun now than i will on the 7th!!

[5]

actually . . . i'm starting to get nervous . . . i just started reading and replying to this stuff last night . . . and now i have been doing it all morning . . . how am i going to make it till monday??!!!?? . . .

maybe steve's got osama and omar !!

[agentfive]

http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2607921,00.html

[C4!™]

Look, I don't understand what all the fuss is about. It's obvious that the videos have been faked period. The iWalk itself is not consistent with other apple designs either, it's ugly. Something may exist SIMILAR to the iWalk, but the iWalk is not what we will see on the 7th...I'd bet my left testicle. For those that think the videos are real, size them up full screen and see for yourself that the text was comped in After Effects...sure the turnaround movie looks great, and no it's not CG/3D rendered...it's just a mock up. Notice that the iWalk never moves when the screen is on or that it's always conveniently locked down so as to make the effect easier to pull off? I just can't believe people don't see this...come on!

I'll go now and slip into my comfy flame retardant boxers. :)

[pkradd]

If this is real, the logo on the jog dial is there so you can decide whether to boot in vertical or horizontal modes perhaps. (turn it 45 degrees for horizontal).

[Durandal7]

Though im not saying it was a bad fake, it is still a fake. They took the iPod and Apple power supply, made a 3d model of it and edited it in to a guy at a desk with a Visor Edge stylus. Apple Industrial design would never do something as stupid as to put the power switch on the bottom of the PDA. The way they had the "iWalk" set up it would come on in your pocket every 2 minutes. Even more damning is the fact that if this truly was an Apple PDA then Apple legal would have made Spymac pull it yesterday when they posted the thumbnail.

[Timothy]

I don't think it is even remotely "obvious" that these are fakes....

And yes...I've looked at the quicktime movies hundreds of times...blown up to full screen...small....medium...upside down...etc.

On the copy of "sayhello.mov'" that I have, the text and other screen elements move slightly in PERFECT unison with the unit. I just don't see the floating text that others claim to see.

I'll agree that the jog wheel seems a bit large, but I think the rest of the machine looks great. Clean. Simple. Functional.

And, it's not like Apple has never released a product that many of us didn't like...can you say hockey puck mouse?

To conclude that these are obvious fakes is quite a stretch. If they are, indeed, fakes...they are by FAR the best fakes we've ever seen in the mac community. Nothing else even comes close to the level of detail that would have to have been pulled off to produce these videos.

[stupidpersonwatcher]

First of all, look at the size of it, its way to big. It looks like a shell has been built over another pda, I am not sure which on, but if you look at the turnaraound movie, look at the firewire port, inside it looks like a place for a stylus, not a firewire cable. ALSO, apple would never make a dial like the one on this unit. it looks awful, plus it does nothing. If you notice, the hand turns the dial, then hits the bottom button and then the screen switches orientation. On the back of the unit, the name iWalk and apple logo aren't even centered on the panel. If it is a prototype, no codes would be on it. You are all falling for a big hoax...

[SPG]

Ignoring the video (which unfortunately I can't watch right now), the product shown has a couple of drawbacks as a PDA, the biggest one is size and the second is that the market itself is moving away from strict PDA's into convergent devices that are phones as much as they are PDA's.
_________________
Anyone seen the "Danger"?

[macrules929]

Am I the only person that is having trouble getting to the web page. I'm getting a access denied error. Maby Apple finally got on the ball and realized that there is a leak out there. So removed the web page.

So I guess we can just go on speculating, but at least appearently one of our questions have been answered. That is, if this is true, why hasn't apple removed the web page??? While I guess that they have

[macrules929]

Am I the only person that is having trouble getting to the web page. I'm getting a access denied error. Maby Apple finally got on the ball and realized that there is a leak out there. So removed the web page.

So I guess we can just go on speculating, but at least appearently one of our questions have been answered. That is, if this is true, why hasn't apple removed the web page??? While I guess that they have...

[SPG]

BTW, does anyone remember that Spymac also posted another iWalk right before MWNY and the iPod announcement?
I hope it is real, or that Apple has something even better, it's just that I'm not sure I can put much faith in the messenger.

[h8teiris]

its all a fake

[Tob]

I cannot access anymore the thumbs. What happened?
If Apple has stopped the page, the videos could be real...?!

[ShaolinMiddleFinger]

it is a fake. just look at the pen recognition, when it converts it to text, the lines above and below it move but the text doesn't. such a let down

[eyelikeart]

so now the page has become "member's only"....

did anyone else notice the German text that comes up with it says "forbidden?"

[macblue]

It's real, and anyone saying otherwise works for apple. The only thing that would make it way beyond the rumor sites would be a $199 price tag. Also, notice "iTunes" under the multimedia section in one of the stills. I'm guesssing a 10gb hard drive. Absolutely beautiful. I just can't believe it didn't leak sooner.

[Gelfin]

iWalk is a stupid, stupid, stupid name. It's a bad internet fanfic version of a real Apple product name.

Besides which, the name iWalk has already been applied to those obviously rendered shots of an extremely poor palmtop design, supposedly in a bathroom, before MWNY. We already know Apple's legal team watches the rumor sites like they've got nothing better to do, so they would NEVER have allowed the company to actually give that name to a product (even if it wasn't STUPID). The reason for this is that the guy who faked the pictures of the "bathroom" device could come back and say Apple had ripped off the name from him and that they owed him money, and he'd have the pictures from months and months ago to back him up.

This new supposed device is better designed (although that big knob on the front would be a horrible decision), but only because they took the form factor of an original Newton and gave it an iPod-like design. The mockup device itself is very well done, a sign of somebody with way too much time on his hands, but the image displayed on the device is too obviously simulated.

And did I mention that "iWalk" is a stupid name? I mean, that makes "Attack of the Clones" look like an absolutely brilliant title by comparison.

Feel free to print out a copy of this post. If this device shows up at MWSF, I will happily eat the printout on request, right before spending a buttload of money to buy one.

[SPG]

The site is hosted in Germany, some freebie deal I guess. doesn't seem like the most professional outfit.
I give him credit for being able to provoke a ten page thread though! Nice work!

[manfrotto]

I feel pretty confident that this is a fake. Mainly because the only time the "iWalk" is being moved around is when it is off. When the system is finally turned on (right after a cut scene I might add) it is SOLIDLY placed on the desk and the hands that are using it seem to be acting VERY careful not to bump or move the unit while it is "on". This would make for a much easier mock up of a fake OS using some fairly basic video technics, maybe even as simple as a blue screen were the "real screen" is supposed to be. Also, during the sayhello.mov the hand is positioned so that you can't see the actual tip of the pen touching the screen, again this would make it much easier to mock up since keeping the pen tip and the drawing on the screen in sync with eachother would be a bit more difficult then just completly hiding it from the viewer. Now if that unit was getting picked up and moved around while on and the sayhello.mov showed the actual tip of the pen writing on the screen it would make for a much more convincing video. That's not to say it wouldn't be possible to mock up a video with it doing those things but it would take a considerable amount of time and know how of some higher end video editing software to do (something most hoaxers don't bother with). I would estimate a hoax like this one wouldn't take no more then a half hour to do with some basic video equipment and skills. Also it was pointed out to me that on the bootup.mov at 7 secs 8 frames in there is a jump cut edit - you can tell because the jog-wheel in a single frame is in an entirely new position while rotating and the person's finger jumps from below the dial to above the dial (or jog wheel).

[AppleJunkie]

I think it's real! (iWalk)

1. I dont see any thing wrong with the videos or pictures whatsoever (Any thing that moves is bumped by his hand). The text does not move at all, everything is to scale.

2. When you go to http://www.iwalk.com there is a weird cover up site there. But if you do a WHOIS it will show someone else (not Apple). But thats exactly what they did with the ipod, the day they released the ipod the WHOIS results changed and http://www.ipod.com now takes you to http://www.apple.com .

3. When the pictures and video were posted, the site was soon shut down. They still remain on the http://www.macspy.com because they have a disclaimer and login that protects them. mod edit: the link that was here is no longer available

my 2ghz lcd imac should be coming too = )

[nerveosu]

that looks very refined.. if this is a fake, it must be some design students industrial design semester project - lol.(or stolen from apple r&d at gun point) This took sometime to do... and if it was a fake they don't seem to making any money of this because there are no ads on spymac.com.

May I please have my iWalk now.

[manfrotto]

One of my collegues who works in a post production house noticed a couple other things as well. here are his comments which after rewatching the footage I agree completly with

Here's another observation - on the sayhello.mov if you look at the top of the quicktime movie you'll see a whiteish line, very typical of untouched up video, at the point that the hand writing turns into text the whiteline disappears and doesn't reappear until the hand stops writing on the screen. Another indication of a touch-up job.
The white line is a cut at the beginning of the movie and is a dissolve at the end of the movie.... video glitches NEVER dissolve themselves onto the screen. It's fake. Also in the upper left of the quicktime movie you can see a black underscore mark blinking on and off throughout the movie - in fact it changes position over the course of the movie. The underscore perfectly matches the cursor on the iWalk screen. Whoever SFX this did a poor job of masking the cursor layer and left a little bit of it floating outside of the unit on the upper portion of the screen - everytime the cursor moves the phantom underscore moves.

[spuncan]

have does anyone remembre if we have had a longer thread. Anyways this probably is fake or real but doctered to make it look better but Apple will probably release something like this.

[DannyZR2]

i say all these newbies who think this jiz is real are from spymac trying to get people to believe. you people suck


nice of you all to comment..

[JOHNGAETANO]

It's too bad, but all the points made about the funny video are true.

Who in the heck has this much time on their hands to pull off a stunt like this??

I'm truly sad, as I really wanted one of these.

[blackpeter]

See the power socket on the desk (upper right hand corner of the still showing iWalk's backside).

Anyone know what country those fittings are for. They look European...?

[blackpeter]

Give these guys the credit they deserve. They've sparked our interest - started one of the longest threads I've seen here - and this video is good enough to fool me (not that it's all that hard anyway).

Can anyone else link me to any Apple spy videos that are as good as these? Can anyone even link me to ANY Apple spy videos?

Plus, notice how no one is complaining about iWalk's design? (one of the first things faked products get blasted for) If this isn't real, then this/these fakers should be applauded for their imagination and time spent.

...and for once Spy Mac delivers ;)

Thanks Guys

[AppleJunkie]

Originally posted by AppleJunkie
I think it's real! (iWalk)

1. I dont see any thing wrong with the videos or pictures whatsoever (Any thing that moves is bumped by his hand). The text does not move at all, everything is to scale.

2. When you go to http://www.iwalk.com there is a weird cover up site there. But if you do a WHOIS it will show someone else (not Apple). But thats exactly what they did with the ipod, the day they released the ipod the WHOIS results changed and http://www.ipod.com now takes you to http://www.apple.com .

3. When the pictures and video were posted, the site was soon shut down. They still remain on the http://www.macspy.com because they have a disclaimer and login that protects them.



http://www.newton.com goes to http://www.apple.com too!



[Edited by AppleJunkie on 01-03-2002 at 04:43 PM]

[Gelfin]

You would have to be an idiot, or you would have to be a certain German designer with a hobby of designing theoretical Mac products, who is said to have done the "bathroom" pictures, and who now owns and runs a Mac rumors site called... SpyMac.com.

There are no ads there, but ego often drives people as hard as money does. The bathroom pictures were obvious fakes, but the guy is hung up on this name he came up with (which, I might point out, is STUPID), and he thought (quite correctly) that he could make a more convincing video by actually manufacturing a device. It wouldn't be as difficult a task as you might think to make a shell like that for someone with the right skills, especially when it's only got to be good enough for a small quicktime movie.

So the guy gets gobs of new traffic and registrations to his site, which feeds his ego, and also gives him personally more exposure, which could actually lead to lucrative jobs down the road. Even if (when) the "iWalk" is exposed as a fake, it will exist as a demonstration of the guy's design skills.

If you want a conspiracy theory, I'd be much more likely to believe that Apple gives this guy a few little perks to push out very distracting disinformation to keep folks from peeking under the sheet at the REAL surprise before Steve's keynote.

[UrbanLegend]

I also strongly caution those who would believe this thing is totally for real. The concept is great, the quality of the video is not.
There are way too many glitches and intentioanlly blurry bits. In the clip where the 'knob' is rotated to adjust the screen, there is a mising reflection/shadow of the hand which appears later as the hand pulls away.
If look closely at the type 'recognised' by the device, it is remaining lined up with the device's screen in every frame - it's been added after the fact.
This is an exceptionally well done model/comp of what this device ought to look like.

[AppleJunkie]

Originally posted by UrbanLegend
I also strongly caution those who would believe this thing is totally for real. The concept is great, the quality of the video is not.
There are way too many glitches and intentioanlly blurry bits. In the clip where the 'knob' is rotated to adjust the screen, there is a mising reflection/shadow of the hand which appears later as the hand pulls away.
If look closely at the type 'recognised' by the device, it is remaining lined up with the device's screen in every frame - it's been added after the fact.
This is an exceptionally well done model/comp of what this device ought to look like.



Of course there are going to be glitches and blurry bits. We are not watching DVD's these are web enhanced movies made to skip and be blurry a bit so the size will be small. As for the shadow from the hand. His head or some one else could be standing in a the way of light and then move and there is a shadow. I know I took lights in audio/visual, we had to remove shadows all the time.

Just Speculation Yet though.

[Classic]

Check out http://www.appleturns.com

They have quite an interesting little article explaining why they think it's a fake. I agree - it's fake, albeight an excellent one.

[Thunder]

Ummmmm....... Apple?? are we all being led down the Looooooong garden path (10 pages worth of garden path, not to mention the threads on other sites...) Wouldn't it be a perfect distraction from other stuff? and who else would have the time, the access to stuff that looked as genuine as that or the need to actually do it??? It was Apple THEMSELVES that drew attention to the rumor sites... (just my two €0.02)

[h8teiris]

this is dumb, the say hello to iwalk vid , is so badd , the type as ic comes up on the screen , is added after the movie is made, you can see it move , pure crap!

[skyhawk]

It seems to me that the ones who want to believe that this device exist, refuse to see the obvious flaws in the video. Move over Big Foot and Loch Ness Monster, here comes iWalk!

[AppleJunkie]

from http://www.news.com ...

"At the same time that CES is unfolding in Las Vegas, Apple Computer fans will be congregating in San Francisco for the Macworld Expo. Apple CEO Steve Jobs is expected to deliver a similar message to Gates', touting the convergence of electronic devices around the computer. Apple is already helping the cause. Last year, the company delivered a wide range of digital products, including the iPod digital music player and software for recording digital music, making movies, and authoring DVDs.

Despite such efforts from Apple and Microsoft, Baker noted that the consumer adoption of digital devices that attach to PCs is still "taking longer than us IT guys would like." "