This is incredible.
So incredible, I was afraid it was a hoax!
This video talks about the emergence of tablet computing, describing contemporary tablets spot-on.
The focus of the piece is on the transformation of newspapers, segueing from the printed form to tablet form. An incredible video, especially when you consider when this was produced.
It’s 13-minutes in length, but you’ll watch the whole thing. Remember, this video was done 17-years ago.
I love the part when the narrator says that, unlike television, you can watch it as many times as you like and you can even slow the video down. Even back then, they could see this tech out performing television, not just newspapers.
Another thing I notice, was they really pointed out that you could use tablets “without using a manual” to operate it. As we’ve seen, devices like the iPad are very intuitive. No manual needed. This was really a big thing back in the 90’s, since such technological devices were not mainstream and still only used by “computer geeks.” Even the home computer hadn’t reached its full potential.
We’ve come a long way!
I found the “information kiosks” kind of funny, since they didn’t foresee 3G networks, let alone 2G.
It’s interesting that some of the concepts they described, as with advertising and consumer behavior, are fundamentals to effective web design and marketing, today. I guess that no matter what piece of technology we hold in our hands, a tablet or a newspaper, we are still human.
We can learn a lot from our past. In this age of technology, we spend so much time looking at what’s new or coming out in the next quarter, we don’t spend any time looking back and reflecting on the past. You can learn a lot about where you’re headed by looking behind. Perhaps we should do that more often?
Agile Scout says
http://www.issurvivor.com/
Or the tablet view of what’s wrong with america…
Eric Dye says
Excellent link. Great read!