Today at the WWDC, Steve Jobs announced the latest innovation from Apple: the untethered video Pod (vPod). Even as the iPod turned the world of MP3 players on its head, and the iPhone reshaped the cellular landscape, the vPod is poised to be a disruptive force for the entire cable industry.
This revolutionary new idea takes streaming video to a whole new level. The video display device receives video real-time and displays it smoothly, entirely without wires or any kind of physical connection. Though Jobs did not confirm some of the sexier rumors surrounding the device, a knowledgable source from inside Apple suggests that the vPod will require no monthly subscription, and will be able to receive its videos directly, for free, from transmitting stations at key locations in major urban areas.
Google CEO Eric Schmidt enthusiastically showed Google’s commitment to the idea of untethered access, with the introduction of Multi-Access Portraits, a version of Google Maps that operates without the need for an internet connection. “We take not only the streets you’re interested in, but also all surrounding streets and display them on a single large sheet of pressed cellulose pulp,” Schmidt explained. “You can take the M.A.P. with you anywhere, even when internet connectivity is unavailable. By visually inspecting the M.A.P., you can determine the sequence of right and left turns needed to travel between two points without the aid of a trillion-dollar network and multi-million dollar physical infrastructure.” Showing their commitment to providing users with a comprehensive selection of choices, the M.A.P. can be folder up to 16,000 different ways to fit neatly into a rear pant pocket.
When asked for their opinion of the new technology, Microsoft commented, “We are listening to our customers. They say they want a product with fewer bugs that’s easier to use.” Their competing product is projected to be released within a mere sixteen months of Apple’s product. It is a cable-tethered television system, but, as they are quick to point out, with a cable that is .001% narrower than before. “This system is virtually cable-less. It represents a revolutionary new diameter, heralding the coming of a whole new age of technology,” proclaimed Steve Balmer, Microsoft CEO, “People want the same thing as ever, only better.”
A new entrant into the PDA market, a U.K.-based company that processes trees, is entering the PDA market with their own liberating device. “Our PDA requires neither batteries nor an A/C adapter,” they explained. “It has perfect handwriting recognition, infinite resolution, millions of colors, can mix text and graphics trivially, and is easily carried in a pocket.” The product, code-named Moleskin, is due out in Q3 2011.