COMMENT
ARY
APPLE, ITS GLORIOUS PAST WORDS BY MATTHEW SCHILDROTH
, AND THE FUTURE
Recognized by many as one of the most innovative companies in the technology realm, Apple has been introducing groundbreaking products since its early days. Various computers from the Apple II to the Lisa to the Performa to the PowerMac G3 to the Mac Pro we know and love today have evolved the original vision for Apple seen by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak to new heights.
Particularly since Jobs returned as CEO of Apple, the company has exploded into not only an incredibly successful business, but has also become a cultural icon. Through careful guidance of Jobs and his close-knit staff, including top-notch visionary designer Jonathan Ive, Apple has introduced multiple revolutionary products including the iMac, iPod, iPhone, MacBook Air, iPad, and the current refined versions of all of the other products that might have otherwise been much less beautifully stunning.
Forgive me if I sound like too much of an Apple fanboy, but I never cease to be impressed by where they are now based on where they have come from. While I don't know about you, I personally can't see the future as much as it would come in handy sometimes. Obviously Apple isn't slowing down — anyone can see that. Considering Jobs's recent Cupertino, Calif., city council meeting in which he introduced his plans for a new headquarters on the old 93-acre HP campus that is designed to hold more than 12,000 people, it is actually quite clear that they are growing rapidly and
need more space to do so. Their expansion has been steady, but I think it is what those nearing 12,000 workers are doing that we all want to know about, so let's take a peek.
In the next couple of years, there are a few things you can likely expect. Looking at what Apple has been patenting, a realm dominated by , has revealed several potential products including a secondary display unit integrated into the bezel of the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad that would be a dynamic interface based on the devices specific application.
Another inventive, and quite plausible, near-future release would be an AppleTV that would be initially Internet-based through special widgets that would allow interaction with the shows you are watching. Not only would this make "dumb" TV smarter, it would be a good option for those who like their cable, but also want more out of it. Implementation of this type of technology would allow viewers of shows such as NBC's "The Voice" and Fox's "American Idol" to vote for their favorite performers directly through their AppleTVs instead of calling an 866 number, for example. Perhaps with this methodology, William Hung might stand a chance.
Stepping a little more into the distant realm of possibilities would be advancement of location technologies. It only takes a few minutes of looking at some of Apple's patent applications to see
the general way they are moving as a company. Apple is becoming more and more diverse. It started as a company appealing to small business and education and has become a company that caters to everyone in some way. It is expanding its devices to fit as many different customers as possible without changing their devices or designing business and personal models separately. Between vicinity sensors based on current wireless technologies and docks that automatically adjust the computer to a specific profile for interoperability, even Apple's current lines are taking on additional functionality and will easily frustrate the competition.
What might be the most intriguing of all, however, is where Apple ultimately desires to be: the cloud. Apple has already released iCloud, but this is just the beginning of what Apple really has planned. While most companies see the cloud as a convenient place to store files safely, Apple sees it as a convenient place to exist. I wouldn't be at all surprised if future versions of the Mac OS were completely dependent on an internet connection. While this will not happen any time in the near future, it is the direction Apple is headed considering the design of the current MacBook Air and the fact that Mac OS X Lion is only available via download from the Mac App Store. I suppose that what I am trying to say is that you had better get a faster Internet connection, because you're going to need the bandwidth, unless Apple reinvents that too.
28 MacDirectory
