Apple concepts we'd love to see for real

Apple has been developing patents all over the tech space for years now and their audience is impressed with what they’ve seen so far. It’s only natural that any company, tech or otherwise, would evolve a little and dabble in fields outside of their field of “expertise”, so to speak. But, Apple is a fruit of a different color, with a fan following like no other.

Graphic designers, both amateurs and professionals and just your basic Apple fans alike love to showcase unique Apple concepts in the mobile or other fields that would make any Apple fan go weak in the knees. Here are a few concepts that we saw floating around the net, which we found most interesting.

Please keep in mind that most of the devices showcased here are no more than concept designs and might not be officially associated with Apple in any way. Some of the products could be based on the patents Apple may have filed at some point, but will not be actual depictions of future products, but just fan made art.

Quicktake, the iCamera

The designers down at Yanko Design have been dishing out some seriously hardcore concepts for years now. Here’s one for the Apple fans out there who also happen to be shutter-bugs – enter the Quicktake camera. Taking its cue from Apple’s slim, but block-like iPhone, the Quicktake also seems to embody a simple design, with one big difference, the entire display/mid section can be swiveled around a full 360 degrees. Should it make it a reality, we’re looking at a first generation smart-camera, although a touchscreen display is now quite passé.

A revolving revolution

Features that this swivel-headed beauty would incorporate would be full HD recording (naturally at 1080 uncompressed) with noise cancellation, voice control for activating features (Could Siri be part of deal here?), a 32 megapixel lens (wow!) and thanks to the swivel screen taking panorama shots could be a whole lot easier. Of course, the camera would also come with some of “today’s” camera features that would include GPS and to be able to compete with arch rival, Samsung, even Wi-Fi. Airprint, Airplay will be on the cards. There’ll even be a proximity sensor. Taking pictures could be a ‘snap’ should this “iCamera” come to light.

 

The Apple Treadmill

That’s right! The company seems to be taking a whole new “run” at the tech industry. A recent patent was filed by Apple that showcased a treadmill that can be hooked up to your iPhone or iPod for full integration with your work out. From what the patent depicts, the heads up display system on the ‘i’treadmill (?) would come equipped with a display, of course, for all kinds of read outs on your run. Could this be a Retina Display? That’s not mentioned, but for now, let’s just say, why not, and presume it is.

Apple wants to get serious on fitness

The treadmill will also be equipped with a slot to insert your ‘i’player or iPhone (didn’t seem to be any option for an iPad, then again would you really need one!). There was also a space for a touch-pad, possibly for controlling the speed and incline and other adjustments, which led us to believe that perhaps the display was not a touchscreen. A touchscreen display would have made more sense, but we’re sure Apple already thought of that for the next-gen model. The data collected will get stored on your iPod or iPhone, so it could be uploaded to a PC or the cloud for future reference and tracking your runs. Not only would this help you lose weight, but here’s just one more product of Apple’s that could help your bank account shed a few pounds, too. Let’s see, if this makes it to the production shed.

  

The ‘iWatch’

Apple’s only recent Nano edition made it big with the watch wearing community,  as one of the main accessories for the player was a watch strap. With a UI function that enabled users to choose from a range of watch screens and funky straps to go with it, it could have been considered a First Edition ‘iWatch’. That aside, a few concept designs for an actual iWatch made it out and are nothing short of being impressive. With an iOS interface and touchscreen functionality, these iWatch concept designers have managed to capture all the elegance and features that is Apple and translate them into a chic and luxurious looking product design.

The smart watch

Designed by ADR Studio, this design is actually the second generation of an earlier concept and should it ever make it to an actual Apple drawing board, its features would include -

The product itself, according to the designer would be made out of a polycarbonate shell, like the Lumia 800 with an aluminium chassis, PK2 Kevlar fittings and a wristband that would be available in 5 colour options.

iJewelry

For the Apple woman, designers have even got Apple branded jewelry on the board. A remarkable concept from Designer Victor Soto is the iRing. What looks like a pretty little white and silver band for your finger is actually a Bluetooth device that can be used to connect to your iPhone or iPod for media control. There’s also a solid Black model that’s great for those into Goth or for the macho male gender of our species. A large Apple shaped OLED is up front to signal power and the ring features a touch-function strap for controlling volume, pausing and even skipping tracks or locking the device.

One ring to control them all... We mean Apple products of course

Another little bauble is the iBangle designed for the wrist. Another from Yanko Design by designer, Gopinath Prasana. This is typically designed to be the next-gen iPod Nano. Complete with a multi-touch trackpad, Bluetooth connectivity and a superb aluminium finish to add that touch of style. To ensure that it stays secure to your wrist, an inflatable cushion runs along the interior of the bangle to grip your hand without too much pressure.

More shiny Apple jewels

iGlasses

Another unique concept that made it out by some Apple fan who thought it would be great to have a personalized heads up display, is what he calls ‘iGlasses’. To be used in conjunction with your iJewelry and an iPhone, the spectacles could behave as a sort of ‘heads-up’ display for what you’ve got going on your mobile screen. This way you could walk around going about your daily business without bumping into anyone or anything, while surfing the web, viewing images, checking e-mail etc. Your mobile handset could merely be an assisted pointing device, like a mouse with one of the spectacle lenses as the display. Now wouldn’t that be something to see.

If you’ve read about any other Apple concept that you thought would be really cool should it become a reality, please feel free to share it with us and other readers.