What happens when the iPad meets the iMac? Magic happens, friends—at least according to a patent filed by Apple. In other news, the iPad finds adoption among a surprising niche group and Apple’s planning yet another half-hearted assault on the future of television. Don’t change the channel: the remainders for Tuesday, August 24, 2010 will be back after after these messages.
The Mother Lode: Welcome to the iMac Touch (Patently Apple)
A European Apple patent filing hints at an iMac with an integrated touchscreen that allows users to theoretically switch between touch input and traditional keyboard and mouse input, through the use of a hinged base. But wait, there’s more: if you tilt it back all the way, it acts as a perfect tray for serving cocktails.
iPad the right fit for giant sumo wrestlers (Reuters)
Poor sumo wrestlers: turns out most cell phones, with their tiny keypads, are no match for the wrestlers’ beefy hands. But not all is lost, because the iPad is just the right size. Look, some people just need a giant iPhone, all right?
Apple said to prepare new 99-Cent TV show rental service (Bloomberg/Businessweek)
Apple is said to be planning to debut a TV rental service that would charge 99 cents for a rental good for 48 hours; this, after plans for an Apple streaming service have reportedly been scuppered due to reticence on the part of the content providers. Content providers holding back technological progress? I’m shocked—shocked!
Google aims Goggles at Apple’s iPhone (The Register)
David Petrou, a Google engineer working on the company’s Goggles Android app, which allows users to search for items using a mobile device’s camera, says that an iOS version of the software will arrive later this year. At which point Apple will no doubt ponder its approval indefinitely.