PADD -> iPad...Old hat for us, but...

[jojolimited]

Interesting link over at arstechnica about the design of the
PADD on TNG and DS9 inspiring the iPad.
My question...what took them so long to bring this up?

http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2010/08/how-star-trek-artists-imagined-the-ipad-23-years-ago.ars

 

[Kadratis]

I was wondering the same thing.

 

[Sector 7]

The first time the iPad was described, I thought The PADD was finally realized. Even the name is a copy of Trek- i.e. Motorola StarTac flip phone = StarTrek communicator... just different enough to avoid a lawsuit.

 

[I am not Spock]

I'm very surprised not many people have brought this up. The Ipad is basically a PADD. We saw these 20 years ago. Another Trek technological innovation, another one ignored b y the mainstream.

 

[T J]

Yeah, iPads were a long time coming. Can't wait till they are paper thin and you can fold them up in your pocket.

In the same same area of discussion, every time I watch TOS with a scene of Kirk talking into his communicator I just look at my iPhone and smile.

 

[Tora Ziyal]

Every time I see a PADD on Star Trek now, I smile, because I have one, too.

Good article.

 

[Crewman47]

How long before you can install that LCARS operating system that LCARS 24 has made, then we can really have a Starfleet PADD. All we need to complete the set would be a customisable scanning device, the ability for them to communicate with each other and we'd be in Star Trek, at least a small part of the way.

 

[C.E. Evans]

Just another way that Star Trek has dramatically altered the future...everyone knows we're still supposed to be using rotary corded phones and that cellphones and iPads aren't supposed to come about for another couple of centuries!

 

[RapidNadion]

How long before you can install that LCARS operating system that LCARS 24 has made, then we can really have a Starfleet PADD. All we need to complete the set would be a customisable scanning device, the ability for them to communicate with each other and we'd be in Star Trek, at least a small part of the way.

There's actually an app called LCARS Reader that displays your RSS, Facebook, and Twitter feeds in an LCARS interface. It's really well designed and makes for a great TNG experience.

Also fun: slapping an "optical data network service access" sticker from the Star Trek Sticker Book on the back of an iPad.

Posted from my iPad, which has both of the above installed.