It’s another gorgeous day in San Francisco, Macworld is in full swing, and Steve Jobs’ keynote address has sent fans everywhere raving. Both the iPhone and Apple TV, whose development has been rumored for months, were announced this morning.
I’m less moved by the prospect of my cell phone and iPod being combined than by the exciting potential of the iPhone’s multi-touch technology. I’m curious to see how Apple might implement this into future products, as it radically changes the way people interact with data, media and the web through breakthroughs in interface design and intuitive technology. It also reminds me of other recent advances, including Jeff Han’s presentation at TED.
These new directions signal Apple’s move away from the once defining “Computer” in its name — it’s now going for Apple, Incorporated — and its rapid conquest of the digital media market. Macworld always brings me back to my first introduction to computing, the 512K (“Fat Mac”, pictured above). Lightning fast at 128KB with a whopping 8MHz processor, it came with not one but *two* 400K floppy disk drives (the family splurged) and a black and white screen sporting 512 x 384 pixels for then-advanced graphics and gaming. All for $4000. Guess it’s never too late to start becoming nostalgic…
