Filed under: Other Events
Zaprudering the invite: Obsessive fun with TUAW
All the big guys have been receiving their golden tickets this morning. So what can little sites like TUAW do to play along? Why, Zapruder the heck out of the invite of course. Zaprudering, as the SciFicast explains, "is a neologism derived from the Zapruder film, the amateur 8mm film that is the only known visual record of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. It's used here to indicate painstaking analysis of the trailer." Zaprudering refers to a detailed extraction of evidence from a limited set of image data.
Dave Caolo noticed that the Apple logo front-and-center, along with the thin (tablet-shaped?) border pointed to a Macbook-like presentation. It would be awesome if the tablet really could mimic and/or replace many laptop features, although all early Humint rumors point to an iPhoneOS-only system.
So what does the art-styled presentation hint at? To most of the team, this seemed a vote for augmented reality interaction a la Excelitech's Virtual Graffiti app [iTunes link]. Maybe we'll be able to interact in new ways with maps and images through a touch-based interface.
Will the target audience differ from the anticipated Kindle crowd? Maybe this touch-based creation will be aimed more at tangible creative media than at simple video and book display? Maybe the rumors about gestures gone wild with a high-powered CPU we've been reading about give a better sense of who Apple is aiming their "latest creation" at.
What do you think? Let us know in the comments.
Update: Commenters point out that the colors used almost perfectly match the current nano line.
Update: TUAW's Megan Lavey adds "I think Apple is announcing the release of its interactive paintball set. It uses the built-in iSight camera. You mad at someone? Click a button on iChat and the paint color of your choice blasts that person in the eye." *hee*
![TUAW [Cafepress]](http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.tuaw.com/media/tuaw-cafepress-promo.png)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Sebastiaan de With said 1:20PM on 1-18-2010
what I think? I hope it'll help you guys with the design of images like this. Yuck! :D
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BenY said 2:41PM on 1-18-2010
It looks "ugly" because it is a bunch of spray paint that has been "clipped" by the logo, as with a stencil.
Apple has a patent for a display that could do exactly that, a display that could sense a stencil held up to it, (and a whole lot more!):
http://www.patentlens.net/patentlens/patent/US_2006_0007222_A1/en/
If I was Steve Jobs, this is how I might introduce the display: hold up an apple logo to the front of the LCD, then "paint" with the software, and show the logo worked like a stencil.
Then rock everyone's socks by showing it can "see" like a camera.
1984's "TVs with a camera build in them" ... here we come !
BenY said 2:43PM on 1-18-2010
Dear Steve Jobs, if I'm correct, please give me a job.
Hugs,
Unemployed Computer Scientist/Lawyer
Apple ][+ user
(Hey, in this economy, it can't hurt.)
Joachim Bean said 1:22PM on 1-18-2010
It's most of the iPod nano colors (except black).
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Peter S said 1:25PM on 1-18-2010
Exactly the same color scheme as they used with the iPod Nano lineup.
They are coming up with a bunch of colored tablets.
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chaser said 1:31PM on 1-18-2010
Am I the only one who thinks that Apple could have designed a nicer looking invitation than that? It's a little ugly in my opinion.
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james said 1:45PM on 1-18-2010
you're right, they could have, but they intentionally designed it in this way. That leaves one to assume that there is a underlying message. It's beyond me though
BenY said 2:41PM on 1-18-2010
The underlying message must be: THE DISPLAY CAN DETECT THE APPLE LOGO. In other words, the display "sees." It can thus clip the "stencil" you hold up to it.
The message of the invite is: "the display can see."
Take a look at the patent described here:
http://www.patentlens.net/patentlens/patent/US_2006_0007222_A1/en/
Gib said 11:46PM on 1-18-2010
I like it.
kkpro said 1:34PM on 1-18-2010
Seems to me that even putting that thin border in the invite simple suggests a line, rule, or something typical. Along with the colorful, imaginative painting clearly outside that line says to me, paint outside the lines. A clever metaphor for rule breaking and creativity..Apples specialty.
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Bob said 1:41PM on 1-18-2010
Hmm.. Artwork "outside and forward of" the border area. Smells like something 3-D'ish.
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redtim said 1:45PM on 1-18-2010
Looks like graffiti to me, a reference to handwriting recognition of some sort?
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johnmc said 1:51PM on 1-18-2010
Those look more like paint splatters, kind of like the results of flinging paint from a toothbrush or similar stiff bristled brush rather than from a rattle can or airbrush.
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BenY said 3:55PM on 1-18-2010
Great observation.
If the display could detect light across its surface, then it could possibly "see" one's hand above it, flicking paint upon it using gestures.
I think Microsoft's "Surface" product has a similar capability, but I don't believe it's the display that is sensing the shadows.
That would align with the leaks about the tablet having a new input mechanism.
JT said 1:57PM on 1-18-2010
Well, the most striking element is that 'creation' is singular.
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delphinus87 said 4:38PM on 1-18-2010
+1
less striking, more disappointing in my opinion. I was /hoping/ for the following:
Apple Tablet (refuse to say Apple iS-late)
new Macbook Pros
New iPhone w/ verizon
new iLife suite
Mac Pro i7
and less likely:
new iPod touch w/ camera (64GB?)
new MB Air
death of iPod classic
iWork/iTunes cloud
OS X 10.7 "Lolcat" Dev announcement
Large list I know, but thats everything I could think of ^_^
Dean said 1:59PM on 1-18-2010
Perhaps, it represents not "coloring inside the lines" and they are working "outside of the box".
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jay said 2:05PM on 1-18-2010
You are missing the most important part! Look at the map at the bottom.
http://9to5mac.com/apple_event_confirmed
That Moscone Center looks JUST LIKE THE APPLE TABLET!! Next to a building that is OBVIOUSLY a revised iPod Touch!
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Erik said 2:12PM on 1-18-2010
With all of the colors of 'paint', it reminds me of a palette. Could it be that Apple is side-stepping all of the lame attempts to 'steal' the 'tablet' name to make their tablet seem less original, and will instead release the 'Apple Palette'? Not only would it be a more original name, but it would tie in nicely with Apple's presence in the creative arts market. I think that it sounds cool, too.
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theEsco said 2:12PM on 1-18-2010
I've been waiting for apple to make some kind of digital sketchbook since Tablet PCs were first introduced years ago.
I know lots of people are against a Stylus or Pen based input. But it would be a necessity for me to be able to Draw or Sketch with this. Some sort of pressure sensitivity (ie. Wacom, or Apple's own solution) is key.
Hopefully some kind of hybrid that allows basic finger input as well for other tasks.
Im really hoping the paint splatters indicate some sort of Artistic usage. Otherwise Im not sure in makes sense for me.
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