Apple iPocket: The Second Coming (Part 2)

Daily Newsletters

Sign up to ZDNet UK's daily newsletter.

NEWS
What about a phone? The British are obsessed with frying their brain cells with mobile phones, and Apple fans demanded some nifty way of combining a mobile's capability into the iPocket. Surprisingly, cost didn't seem to put people off... "This should include a GSM phone with a cordless hands-free solution. It would beat everything in the market," says one reader. Another reader was even more distraught at the thought of there being no mobile phone included. He says: "It must have a usable cell phone, i.e., speaker at the top and mic at the bottom." Jay Arcos, editor of Macdirectory.com, agrees a phone would be a surefire hit with Apple's loyal customers. "Handwriting/voice and phone are becoming essential features, and since everyone has a mobile phone right now, this would be a big hit." Realistically, of course, a mobile solution would be a nightmare for Apple to execute because of the different connectivity standards in the US and Europe. Cute, but it needs a case... So, we agree a phone would be a good idea, but where would it live? The solution came from another bright idea, compliments of a ZDNet reader. "It has to have padding and protection as well as style and statement. Perhaps even a choice of leathers, or canvas and aluminium." Leather indeed! Eye eye... we're watching you. So, readers want a phone embedded into the casing with some soft suede ear muffs to protect those delicate lobes. But what about video conferencing? The case could be designed to house a conferencing unit and, not surprisingly, the readers requested, quite vigorously, that we include it in our next design. "Since Steve Jobs wants Apple to be the Sony of consumer computing, the inclusion of a small scale video must be a possibility," says one hopeful reader. "The price of eyeball cameras is an indication that this could be very simple and economical." What's in a name? We reckon iPocket was a fairly nifty name for an Apple PDA, but there a number of budding Steve Jobses with suggestions for renaming our little device. Some of the suggestions we can print include: "The iPad", "The Apple Pi" and even the "iNewton". We stick by our guns and reckon iPocket is best... Awright, wassa damage gov? As for the question of cost, money didn't seem to be a concern for our readers, who are undeniably desperate to get their paws on an Apple PDA. "Great, I suppose I'd pay around $350 (£217), okay maybe $450 tops," says one enthusiastic contributor. Another reader even offers to top that with a bid with a cool $700. We'd like to sincerely thank all of you who took the time to criticise our initial design, cheers folks. MkII, hopefully, is a bit closer to what you've really all been waiting for: Check out the Apple iPocket MkII here.

Post your comment

In order to post a comment you need to be registered and logged in.

You can also log in with Facebook. Log in or create your ZDNet UK account below

  • Login

Will not be displayed with your comment

By signing up for this service, you indicate that you agree to our Terms and Conditions and have read and understood our Privacy Policy. Questions about membership? Find the answers in the Community FAQ

Get ZDNet UK's daily newsletter

Enter your email address to sign up

ZDNet UK Live

Jack Schofield

@openhgs Windows users have had multiple desktops since Linus started writing Linux. They just haven't shipped as standard because not enough...

2 hours ago by Jack Schofield on Windows 8 could speed multi-monitor uptake
Jack Schofield

@Phil at Cloud4 What, Microsoft gets £1,200 per PC and £1,622 per server? Gosh, I'm amazed....

2 hours ago by Jack Schofield on 6 million wasted licences and £1,200 PCs: welcome to government IT
craigsc

You guys have no idea what is going on at Autonomy. Autonomy could have been a much more profitable organization. The sales operations at Autonomy...

4 hours ago by craigsc on HP cuts 27,000 staff as Autonomy chief Lynch leaves
Moley

How does this impact on dual or multi booting? Seems to me to more or less prohibit this, from Windows 8 anyway. Will Grub 2 recognise Windows 8,...

4 hours ago by Moley on Windows 8 start-up speed forces USB boot workaround
apexwm

I don't understand why there cannot be a slight pause during the boot process so the user can press a key. Many operating systems do this, even if...

5 hours ago by apexwm on Windows 8 start-up speed forces USB boot workaround
Gavin Goodman

You can now buy the Xi3 modular computer in the UK at http://www.ocdistribution.com . This can be bought with the Tand3m software, pricing and...

6 hours ago by Gavin Goodman on CES 2012: Xi3 microSERV3R
Phil at Cloud4

I agree: Mike Lynch can clearly build a business and manage strategy. I suspect the exit of Mike is more likely the end of a planned handover...

9 hours ago by Phil at Cloud4 on HP cuts 27,000 staff as Autonomy chief Lynch leaves
Phil at Cloud4

This is unbeleivable government wastage with only one winner... Microsoft 1 - Tax payer Nil!

9 hours ago by Phil at Cloud4 on 6 million wasted licences and £1,200 PCs: welcome to government IT
Mispam

So what do you do when you can't boot into windows? Why can't I just hold Shift while I power up instead of having to boot into windows and click a...

10 hours ago by Mispam on Windows 8 start-up speed forces USB boot workaround
apexwm

I've also seen that Mac OS X for Intel machines is supposed to run in VirtualBox, which would also be a nice solution. I've never tried it though.

11 hours ago by apexwm on xTreme Triple Booting: Linux, Mac & Windows
dave heasman

What I wonder is why when companies are caught bang to rights in not providing contracted services, people bend over to smear the customers? Surely...

12 hours ago by dave heasman on Virgin throttles broadband for high-speed customers
pjc158

Strange statement from HP regarding Mike Lynch and not capable of scaling a company. Autonomy was a $7bn purchase which started as a small company...

12 hours ago by pjc158 on HP cuts 27,000 staff as Autonomy chief Lynch leaves
lojolondon

Or - possibly, they will destroy business by ensuring people do not invest where there is no return. Another socialist idea, well beyond it's...

15 hours ago by lojolondon on Open Data Institute will act as biz incubator
J.A. Watson

Good stuff Jake, very interesting. Thanks. jw

16 hours ago by J.A. Watson on xTreme Triple Booting: Linux, Mac & Windows
openhgs

"the cost of a second LCD screen is about the same as one day of an office worker's time, so this should soon be recouped in extra productivity."...

17 hours ago by openhgs on Windows 8 could speed multi-monitor uptake
Thomas Gellhaus

I also installed the KDE version; I also will probably try out razorqt since I really haven't had a chance to before. I'm looking forward to the...

1 day ago by Thomas Gellhaus via Facebook on Mageia 2 Released
francisabigail

Acquiring when reinvention/cannibalization is too challenging for a large organization can be an excellent strategy- still, so many mergers stumble...

1 day ago by francisabigail on Ariba buy parks SAP on Oracle's cloud turf
apexwm

All of the feedback regarding using a touch monitor for a desktop PC is right on. Several months ago, we installed a "demo" multitouch all-in-one...

1 day ago by apexwm on Windows 8 could speed multi-monitor uptake
191706

anyone wanting to triple boot *their* own Mac

2 days ago by 191706 on xTreme Triple Booting: Linux, Mac & Windows
SoapyTablet

Cont.. Biggest Bugbear: Win7's stop-animate-go approach to work, you develop a staggered (not in the above alchohol sense of the word) approach to...

2 days ago by SoapyTablet on Windows 8 could speed multi-monitor uptake