First, the iPod touch is a revolutionary product because it brings the Internet to your pocket. No other non-subscription device has done this before. The effects of an iPod with Wi-Fi will be especially apparent in 5 years when VoIP is everywhere.
But what surprised me is the features Apple didn't include. Like a Mail application. A camera. Easy video-out. It's like they are purposely leaving stuff for later updates, as if they're looking 5 years out and thinking, "Damn, we're running out of new features, we better hold back."
But new technology comes out every day. Sharp (the current iPhone display manufacturer) announced on August 31 that they have embedded optical sensors into LCD screens. In addition to the red, green, and blue color centers, a fourth cell (photosensor) is added to each pixel. When the user touches the screen, light reflects off the finger and is detected by these photosensors, and the position of your fingers can be tracked. Not only can it be used as a touch-sensitive device, it also works for black & white scanning and finger-print reading! In the future, your screen may double as a camera, and video conferencing as simple as staring at your iPod. If that's not enough, the new screen is 1mm thick, versus the current iPhone screen at 2mm.
My question is this: 5, 10 years from now, what features do you see in the iPod package? What technologies is Jobs going to surprise us with at the next few years of press releases? And (most urgently) why can't my iPod touch have a Mail app today?
But what surprised me is the features Apple didn't include. Like a Mail application. A camera. Easy video-out. It's like they are purposely leaving stuff for later updates, as if they're looking 5 years out and thinking, "Damn, we're running out of new features, we better hold back."
But new technology comes out every day. Sharp (the current iPhone display manufacturer) announced on August 31 that they have embedded optical sensors into LCD screens. In addition to the red, green, and blue color centers, a fourth cell (photosensor) is added to each pixel. When the user touches the screen, light reflects off the finger and is detected by these photosensors, and the position of your fingers can be tracked. Not only can it be used as a touch-sensitive device, it also works for black & white scanning and finger-print reading! In the future, your screen may double as a camera, and video conferencing as simple as staring at your iPod. If that's not enough, the new screen is 1mm thick, versus the current iPhone screen at 2mm.
My question is this: 5, 10 years from now, what features do you see in the iPod package? What technologies is Jobs going to surprise us with at the next few years of press releases? And (most urgently) why can't my iPod touch have a Mail app today?