Tag Archives: apple future

5 Gadgets Apple Should Make Next

Posted on by
Apple WWDC

As Apple gears up to release the Apple Watch, we look at some of the other gadgets that the electronics maker could release onto the market.

Worth over $600 billion dollars, Apple is the most valuable company in the world. Best known for its iPhones, iPods, iPads and Mac computers, Apple makes most of its money from the same, familiar product lines. For a bit of perspective, the upcoming Apple Watch (due out in early 2015) is the first new product line that Apple has come up with since the very first iPad was released all the way back in 2010.

Five years is a very long time to to work on a product (even if you are debuting it in three different versions) and it’s led us to ask ‘what gadgets could Apple make if they put their minds to it?’ With that much money and that much technical talent at their disposal the possibilities are virtually endless so read on to see what gadgets we think Apple should make next.

1. iShoe

For a company that makes gadgets that encourage us to sit on our behinds and waste the day away, Apple is surprisingly devoted to fitness. Take iOS 8 for example which included Healthbook, an app that would collect all of the health and fitness related data from third-party apps and send them to your doctor so that you can figure out when everything is going fine or when you should go in for a check up.

It’s for that reason that the iShoe would be a great addition to Apple’s existing range of products. The company is already partnered up with Nike to allow their Nike trainers to to sync data about your run to your phone but that requires you to get a separate sensor and put it in the sole of the shoe. What if Apple had their own futuristic line that synced the data automatically and recommended run techniques or apps to download and could even be paired with fun apps to make you run, sweat and work out a bit harder?

2. iPoo

While it may seem like a joke, an Apple toilet would actually be a fantastic idea. Just like the iShoe, we envision it as the ultimate gadget for the health focused.

We all use toilets every single day of our lives (apart from babies in nappies, obviously) and each day our toilet bowl learns more about us than a routine check up could tell our doctors. In that gleaming white porcelain we reveal what we’ve eaten, how much we’ve eaten, if we’re healthy and if we’re not. If there was a toilet that could analyse this data and tell us exactly what’s going on within our bodies (and offer more in-depth info than your basic health app or running shoe) it would be incredibly valuable.

And if it seems unlikely, consider that there’s already a smart toilet…for cats.

3. iGame

When the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus were announced back in September, one of the biggest features that Apple was shouting about (other than the size of the screen or the improved battery life) was Metal. No not metal like the bendy aluminium that the iPhone 6 Plus is made of (har har) but Metal as in the technology used to make the iPhone a better device for gaming.

Apple clearly has the chops to make devices for gaming then, so why not make a games console? There are so many great and fun games already available on iOS such as Angry Birds, Cut The Rope and Kim Kardashian: Hollywood (we really mean it about that last one) and with these games being available so cheaply, it would be an affordable alternative to the PS4 or the Xbox One and players would have access to more games too.

And not only this but Apple could continuously release the game box in different designs and each one could come packaged with the latest iOS and on top of that Apple could make users who already own the iGame console pay to get the next update. It means that Apple still makes its money and we still get access to great games without having to pay hundreds of dollars each year.

4. iCar

An iCar is another possible Apple gadget that just makes ‘sense’. According to Apple over 90% of new cars sold in the United States have iPod/iPhone connectivity, making it easier than ever before to plug your USB cable into your device and blast your favourite music through the speakers of the vehicle. But what if Apple went one step further? What if they made cars of their own that not just let you play music from your mobile devices but let you control the cars too?

Google is already working on driverless cars and has plans to get them to market by 2020 and as Apple has more resources (they are worth twice as much as Google) they could potentially do the same. On your iPhone you could fire up maps and type in a destination and the car would automatically take you there, informing you of gas stations, sights that you might want to see and other important locations (e.g restaurants or stores) along the way.

5. iEye

Admittedly this one is mostly featured in order for us to make a terrible ‘iEye captain!’ joke but on the serious side of things, Apple could really work on hi-tech eyes and eyewear.

In July last year Google signed a deal with pharmaceutical company Novartis to develop a smart contact lens that would help those with diabetes monitor their glucose levels. While that’s certainly a useful product, what Apple’s contact lenses could go one further offering more health data (which it could cross-reference with the iPoo and the iShoe, of course) as well as extra insights on our world.

It doesn’t necessarily have to offer a Google Glass (Google’s hi-0tech glasses wearable) like heads-up display but it could come up with pop ups of interesting information or even tag a location/bit of info and save it to our iPhones for us. That would truly be an innovative gadget.

Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories, Diamond Encrusted Apple Watch Now Available for Pre-Order, Apple Watch Could Launch on Valentine’s, Cost as Much as $5000

5 Revolutionary Projects We’d Like Apple to Work On Next

Posted on by
Apple WWDC

After Apple’s annual WWDC 2014 event left some people feeling disappointed we look at which exciting new projects we’d like the electronics company to work on.

You don’t get to Apple’s level of meteoric success by doing things willy nilly. There are probably more spreadsheets than you can shake a Microsoft Excel backlog at and more charts than the Billboard website spread across Apple executives’ offices and for good reason too: the things they work on are calculated and frankly, Apple’s strategy of simply releasing what they’ve already released except slightly better has yet to fail for them. But it’s not exciting for you is it? It’s not particularly enthralling for me either. We can’t really show off iOS 8 to our friends and no one but the nuttiest of fitness nuts are impressed by HealthKit and the other health-focused software offerings that the operating system brings. Instead what we do like are new projects and devices that really wow and captivate us so here is our top five list of what we’d like to see from Apple next.

1. A Real Budget iPhone

The iPhone 5C anyone? No, me either. It’s not worth the hundreds of dollars to shell out for the iPhone 5C when the full price iPhone 5S is a much flashier, trendier and frankly more worthy option. It seemed as though Apple initially released the iPhone 5C to compete with Android and the plethora of cheaper, really budget handsets that Google’s open source operating system has offered, but to say that their plan has monumentally backfired would be an understatement.

Plenty of people have called the iPhone 5C ‘a disaster’ pointing towards it poor sales (Apple were even quick to omit the iPhone 5C’s sales from recent keynotes) which is why I think that Apple’s next move – before they even think about their next big budget, flagship iPhone – should be to release an actual budget iPhone. Most people who want iPhones don’t really want them for the very best specs and a simple offering with half decent graphics and access to all of the latest apps would go down a treat. And for a low price? It would go down like treats at a savoury buffet; that is to say, people would eat it up.

2. iPhone 6 With NFC

NFC or near field communication; it doesn’t sound very attractive does it? Ok, I’ll give you that but think about its uses, its real, actual, practical uses. NFC capabilities have made themselves into quite a few Android handsets already (the Samsung Galaxy S5 is a good example of this) and so the next iPhone 6 would probably need to keep up in terms of its technological offerings.

For us consumers though, an iPhone 6 with NFC would make our lives just that much easier. Got no pockets in your trousers? Just carry your phone into the store and swipe that instead! Or maybe carrying a whole chunk of change isn’t something that you’d like to do to do your grocery shopping and really, that’s ok too. But NFC makes that so much easier as you’re able to pay for things using just your phone and its NFC capabilities, without a card, coin or cash bill in sight and I think that’s pretty revolutionary indeed.

3. The iWatch

It’s talked about so much that it’s hard to ignore. So unavoidable is the talk of an Apple iWatch that it’s a surprise that it hasn’t been announced already, especially when Samsung and LG have already worked quite a bit on their own smartwatch offerings. No one is suggesting that Apple and Samsung and LG turn this into a playground style affair (though if you don’t think the electronics game is like that already then you probably haven’t been paying attention) and that Apple just reveals the iWatch to show off, but in reality, an Apple branded smartwatch could actually be very good.

For one, that aforementioned iOS 8 release suggests that Apple are very much looking to go in the health device direction, which is something that the iWatch could do. Want to check your calories on the go? Or maybe use a hi-tech pedometer? The iWatch could offer both of those things and create some real market competition, which is important for good gadgets.

4. iCamera

Do you know how many times I saw the iPhone camera advert on TV last week? 752 times. An over exaggeration? (Probably not, I watch a lot of TV, sue me). But really, iPhones are in many ways known for their cameras. From the snap and delete it photos of Snapchat to the many filters of Instagram, iPhones’ photography uses are incredibly high profile.

So popular are they that there are plenty of Instagram accounts that pride themselves on uploading high quality photos that have been taken with iPhones. It makes perfect sense then for Apple to release a specific iPhone with boosted camera capabilities under the iPhone umbrella, akin to the Samsung Galaxy Zoom line which has photo snapping and connectivity features by the bucketload.

5. Multiplayer Gaming

The typical way to play a multiplayer mobile game is the following: I record a score, you attempt to beat it and the game crowns a winner. Or, I record a score, you attempt to beat it and we both laugh (in person) at how God awful my mobile gaming skills are. That’s a complete 180 degree spin away from the gaming days of old though and it’s something that I think Apple should address.

Instead what I’d like Apple to do is to use some sort of username (perhaps even their Apple IDs) to allow four or more people to play a game simultaneously. No waiting or loading times, just four or so people connected via the Internet and playing the game in the same arena. For example, a racing game in which you all race in real time on the same track, You could have Mario Kart style antics as you stick your opponent with a banana skin and three out of our of you will laugh at it or you can lament your own poor gaming skills as you get hit with a wayward green shell. Perhaps this last one isn’t particularly revolutionary but Apple absolutely needs to do something new for Apple in order to get ahead (despite their popularity they are actually second to Android in terms of market share) and most importantly for us consumers, we need something to tell us that our support of Apple’s gadgets isn’t misplaced like we’ve put the wrong piece of fruit in the fruit bowl.

Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories, New iOS 8 Features Announced by Apple, Apple’s WWDC 2014: What You Need To Know