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Apple 'Pal'?
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pcp_ip
macrumors regular
Steamboatwillie
macrumors regular
Up up and away...
Come on gang, it's obvious that this is a small helium air balloon that floats your desktop/laptop around your living room for a true roaming desktop. It would be nice if you could get helium refills through the iTunes music store. One click floatation...
Come on gang, it's obvious that this is a small helium air balloon that floats your desktop/laptop around your living room for a true roaming desktop. It would be nice if you could get helium refills through the iTunes music store. One click floatation...
what is interesting is that the "pal" is written so big... if you look at all the other mac boxes, the title is small.....
How long does it usually take Apple to do the cease-and-desist thing? Is it meaningful that the pictures appear to still be up? (At least when you can squeak through the heavy site traffic.)
http://www.studio2f.com/dispatch/pal_3.jpg
Notice how left of center the pal type is to the logo? Doesn't look very professional.
Notice how left of center the pal type is to the logo? Doesn't look very professional.
I have no doubt that the box exists. Sure, it might have been additionally tweaked in Photoshop, but I'm betting that the tweaks were small.
However, I'm betting that the copy on the box isn't anything you'll see either on any Apple web site, or on any box in a store. My guess: it's a prop some marketing guy (who has no masters, believe me) had put together for a demo.
I've done it dozens of times. You stand in front of management (or worse, the board of directors), and try to convince them to pony up the dineiro for a new project. So you make it seem as alluring and interesting as possible. It's all smoke and mirrors, sure, but everyone sitting around the table knows that it's just an empty idea. If they like it, you'll find a hundred grand in your budget and you'll get started.
By the time the product actually hits the shelves, you've had to confront that awful beast -- reality -- and your final product bears sometimes little resemblance to your original demo. Sometimes you have to take out nifty little dream features, like, say, the video capabilities of the iPod. Or the slot that spit out twenty dollar bills.
I'm not holding my breath. There's no proof that this was a demo that even came from inside Apple. It might be a graphic designer showing a client the kinds of things he's capable of. Even worse, it might be a STUDENT designer, building his portfolio with dummy products. Haven't you ever seen all the fake products that student designers create packaging for?
However, I'm betting that the copy on the box isn't anything you'll see either on any Apple web site, or on any box in a store. My guess: it's a prop some marketing guy (who has no masters, believe me) had put together for a demo.
I've done it dozens of times. You stand in front of management (or worse, the board of directors), and try to convince them to pony up the dineiro for a new project. So you make it seem as alluring and interesting as possible. It's all smoke and mirrors, sure, but everyone sitting around the table knows that it's just an empty idea. If they like it, you'll find a hundred grand in your budget and you'll get started.
By the time the product actually hits the shelves, you've had to confront that awful beast -- reality -- and your final product bears sometimes little resemblance to your original demo. Sometimes you have to take out nifty little dream features, like, say, the video capabilities of the iPod. Or the slot that spit out twenty dollar bills.
I'm not holding my breath. There's no proof that this was a demo that even came from inside Apple. It might be a graphic designer showing a client the kinds of things he's capable of. Even worse, it might be a STUDENT designer, building his portfolio with dummy products. Haven't you ever seen all the fake products that student designers create packaging for?
jayscheuerle
macrumors 68020
I vote fake
If this was a printed box, you'd see the dot print at this magnification if not a moire effect. It wouldn't have this beautiful photoshop continuous tone.
- j
If this was a printed box, you'd see the dot print at this magnification if not a moire effect. It wouldn't have this beautiful photoshop continuous tone.
- j
Mudbug
Administrator emeritus
Re: I vote fake
Do you have some sort of hi-res version of these that I don't have? The 72 dpi resolution of these photos and their small size to boot would keep anyone from being able to see a dot pattern. The artifacts in the shots are too big to get any kind of definition...
Do you have some sort of hi-res version of these that I don't have? The 72 dpi resolution of these photos and their small size to boot would keep anyone from being able to see a dot pattern. The artifacts in the shots are too big to get any kind of definition...
Foocha
macrumors 6502a
What Pal really is!
Pal is a small wireless device with a touch sensitive screen, which can remotely login to your desktop Mac. It is suitable for surfing the web on the move. When your Mac is out of range, Pal logs in to your .Mac account, to provide limited functionality - hence "forget syncing".
It has a pen based input method, using Inkwell, but it is not positioned as a Tablet PC since it does not have an internal hard drive. It's not a Mac replacement, it's a Mac companion. It's not a personal organiser, it's a handy means of accessing your desktop and the Internet wherever you are.
It puts your desktop at your fingertips literally because you can see your desktop form a handy hand-held device.
The reason they called it Pal rather than iPal is because it's a whole new product category (think Newton, Pipin etc) which is designed to work with both the consumer and pro range. This also explains why the logo and type size are a little different.
This is not a box, and this is not the Pal packaging - it's instore POS
Don't ask me how I know all this - I just know 😉
Pal is a small wireless device with a touch sensitive screen, which can remotely login to your desktop Mac. It is suitable for surfing the web on the move. When your Mac is out of range, Pal logs in to your .Mac account, to provide limited functionality - hence "forget syncing".
It has a pen based input method, using Inkwell, but it is not positioned as a Tablet PC since it does not have an internal hard drive. It's not a Mac replacement, it's a Mac companion. It's not a personal organiser, it's a handy means of accessing your desktop and the Internet wherever you are.
It puts your desktop at your fingertips literally because you can see your desktop form a handy hand-held device.
The reason they called it Pal rather than iPal is because it's a whole new product category (think Newton, Pipin etc) which is designed to work with both the consumer and pro range. This also explains why the logo and type size are a little different.
This is not a box, and this is not the Pal packaging - it's instore POS
Don't ask me how I know all this - I just know 😉
tweedy7736
macrumors member
Perhaps it's software for the iPod (?)
Think about it. You could set your iPod (or perhaps a similar storage device) down next to any Mac, and you have access to all your files. But then, how would the wireless part work.
Oh well. I'm thinking that these pictures are fake as well, but hopefully Apple will take a hint and produce something with a similar function.
One question...what's the difference between the suggested function of the "Pal" service and a machine cluster?
--TF
Think about it. You could set your iPod (or perhaps a similar storage device) down next to any Mac, and you have access to all your files. But then, how would the wireless part work.
Oh well. I'm thinking that these pictures are fake as well, but hopefully Apple will take a hint and produce something with a similar function.
One question...what's the difference between the suggested function of the "Pal" service and a machine cluster?
--TF
I don't really care if it's fake or not, but I'd like to see some sort of DiskOnKey product that had my preferences stored in it and I could just plug that into the back and voila - it's like being home again. Why not firewire?
Think of it like a bluetooth dongle with a male/female firewire port at either end. It'd be small like disk-on-key and you could take it anywhere... like a buddy or pal.
Alternatively you could have a bluetooth version of the same thing. You could wear it around your neck and any mac you get close to - is your mac! Of course, you'd have to configure your computer appropriately though.
Think of it like a bluetooth dongle with a male/female firewire port at either end. It'd be small like disk-on-key and you could take it anywhere... like a buddy or pal.
Alternatively you could have a bluetooth version of the same thing. You could wear it around your neck and any mac you get close to - is your mac! Of course, you'd have to configure your computer appropriately though.
Re: What Pal really is!
So how do you know? 😛
No, really...this thread is in a state of confusion whether this is real or not...so how do you know?
So how do you know? 😛
No, really...this thread is in a state of confusion whether this is real or not...so how do you know?
Wait a minute...
TopTechTips.net said they had screenshots of Pal, as well as the box shots they posted.
Where are those?
TopTechTips.net said they had screenshots of Pal, as well as the box shots they posted.
Where are those?
Re: What Pal really is!
Interesting. Not sure if I buy it, but it's an interesting concept. sort of like a souped up version of SmartDisplays on the PC side. Cool product, but I'm not sure how much use it would have for me. I don't know about you all, but my pad isn't exactly big enough to warrant remote terminals to my Mac. I can just walk over to it, instead. Also, how would the thing connect to the Internet away from the Mac and/or an airport base station?
Interesting. Not sure if I buy it, but it's an interesting concept. sort of like a souped up version of SmartDisplays on the PC side. Cool product, but I'm not sure how much use it would have for me. I don't know about you all, but my pad isn't exactly big enough to warrant remote terminals to my Mac. I can just walk over to it, instead. Also, how would the thing connect to the Internet away from the Mac and/or an airport base station?
theFly
macrumors member
You can take these photos I created into consideration:
And
This second one is basically the first one with a 50% transparancy set on it.
The .mac box was taken from Apple's tiff as posted to their media area, which I think is not an actual graphic on the box. If you try to line the text Internet Service Suite along the bottom edge of the box, it doesn't match up like I'd think it would (the left bottom doesn't touch the bottom of the box when the right does).
The only thing that doesn't line up between the two photos (hard to see on the overlay) is the Apple logo on the edge of the box, it shifts a pixel or two between the two photos.
What's this prove? Nothing. But I was bored for 30 or so minutes before heading off to the gym. 🙂
The shading on the Pal box has to be Photoshopped, but why would it need to be?
theFly
www.flyonthemac.com
And
This second one is basically the first one with a 50% transparancy set on it.
The .mac box was taken from Apple's tiff as posted to their media area, which I think is not an actual graphic on the box. If you try to line the text Internet Service Suite along the bottom edge of the box, it doesn't match up like I'd think it would (the left bottom doesn't touch the bottom of the box when the right does).
The only thing that doesn't line up between the two photos (hard to see on the overlay) is the Apple logo on the edge of the box, it shifts a pixel or two between the two photos.
What's this prove? Nothing. But I was bored for 30 or so minutes before heading off to the gym. 🙂
The shading on the Pal box has to be Photoshopped, but why would it need to be?
theFly
www.flyonthemac.com
Hmmmmm...they're still not down? This is really suspicious indeed. Apple would have shut this down already.
jayscheuerle
macrumors 68020
Re: Re: I vote fake
72dpi? That would matter if some of these images weren't 400% of size (assuming they came from a box). You'd easily see the dot pattern in the lighter areas unless these came from something larger, like a poster.
The image on the top of page 4 is too clean to have come from a box and it doesn't look like it's been despeckled.
72dpi? That would matter if some of these images weren't 400% of size (assuming they came from a box). You'd easily see the dot pattern in the lighter areas unless these came from something larger, like a poster.
The image on the top of page 4 is too clean to have come from a box and it doesn't look like it's been despeckled.
