Apple Computers and the Future

Andy Green

Description

Apple Computers and the Future

Informations

• Publié par: olurosot
• Nombre de lectures: 106
• Langue: English

Extrait

Present Day

January 2009

Steve Jobs does not attend final Mac-

World Apple Keynote. His absence is put

down to a “hormone imbalance”.

Mac OS X Snow Leopard Released

July 2009

The newest incarnation of Apple’s OS X

operating system takes up less disk

space and takes advantage of multicore

processors.

iPod Classic Discontinued

February 2010

The original clickwheel-based iPod is

discontinued after more than 8 years.

Public efforts to continue the model go

ignored by Apple.

MacBook Touch Announced

January 2011

The MacBook Touch, a tablet-style

portable computer, is revealed to an

enthusiastic public, as a rival to

Microsoft’s Windows 7 technology.

Timothy Cook New Apple CEO

January 2012

Steve Jobs retires from his position at the

age of 56 for personal reasons. Former

Apple Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook

takes the helm.

Black Hole Breakthrough at LHC

February 2013

Physicists discover a method of

manipulating spacetime using stable

black holes at the Large Hadron Collider

at CERN. Concerns are raised.

First Invisibility Cloak Developed

May 2018

A rudimentary invisibility “cloak” is

produced by a California-based

nanotechnology company. The DoD

expresses an interest.

NASA Lunar Construction Begins

October 2019

The “Neil A. Armstrong Lunar Outpost”

begins construction near the Shackleton

Crater. It is expected to be completed in

five years’ time.

New iPod Range Released

June 2022

Includes iPod Touch with HD Projector

and 20-megapixel camera built in,

in-ear iPod Nano, and the new iPod Air,

a featherlight wafer thin version.

Apple Dominates PC Market

January 2025

Apple’s focus on connectivity and

compatibility of devices in an

increasingly connected world pushes it

ahead of Microsoft for the first time.

US Forces Use Cloak Camouflage

December 2025

The world press reports on partially

invisible armoured vehicles being used

by the US armed forces in the current

conflict with Russia.

Pioneering Surgery Performed

March 2032

Using a bionic brain implant, a patient

born with severe memory difficulties is

given savant ability. Ethics groups are

divided.

Mars Expedition Launches

June 2035

NASA’s Solidarity spacecraft begins its

6-month journey to Mars, closely

followed by Prosperity. Each carries 5

highly-trained astronauts.

Jonathan Ive Retires at Apple

February 2036

After many years of valuable design

work at the company, Jonathan Ive

retires aged 69. He continues his quiet

life in Novyjj Chelyabinsk, California.

True AI Developed

February 2043

An MIT research group announce the

first ever real artificial intelligence, based

on quantum technology. It is named

HAL in honour of the fictional computer.

Limitless Free Energy Possible

April 2044

Armed with a godlike understanding of

the universe and multiple HAL

machines, physicists draw up plans for

zero-point energy pumps.

Apple iBuddy and iBrain Revealed

March 2046

iBuddy, a humanoid companion, is

wildly popular. iBrain, a white cube

attached to the skull, constantly backs

up your brain and suggests recipes.

Major World Economic Shifts

2060

A dramatically reduced procreation rate

coupled with free energy has caused

wealthy companies to employ an

entirely android workforce.

Secret Time Travel Trials

2100

Strictly controlled time travel at a secret

Russo-American government facility is

experimented with, along with crude

teleportation.

NASA Constellation Moon Mission

May 2015

The first manned flight of NASA’s

constellation program is successful.

Astronauts stay on the lunar surface for

several days, performing experiments.

Mac OS 12 (Eagle) Announced

April 2016

Apple’s latest operating system supports

3D desktop, new wireless technology

and input from datamotes.

iTunes Store Update

All music available from the iTunes store

is updated to remove DRM and improve

sound quality. Apple sees a significant

increase in music and iPod sales.

March 2009

iPod Touch Updated

New solid-state memory technology

leads the way to a 160GB iPod Touch. A

similar, smaller iPhone version is

announced.

August 2009

iPhone 40GB Goes on Sale

The new iPhone 3G has an improved

camera, longer battery life and support

for Adobe Flash®, besides larger memory

space.

December 2009

Mac OS 11 (Polar) Announced

The unexpected launch of the multi-

touch capable OS 11 is set for the next

few months, with brand new compatible

hardware coming soon after.

November 2010

MacBook Touch Released

The MacBook Touch arrives in stores

pre-installed with Polar. It proves

popular in the consumer market.

April 2011

New Product Lines

An Apple EBook Reader, the iScript, is

announced, along with major improve-

ments to the professional iMac range,

new iPods and several discontinuations.

July 2012

Holographic Drives for new Macs

The previously expensive storage

medium drops in price, allowing integra-

tion into consumer hardware. Hard

drives of 20TB capacity are common.

August 2013

Virgin Galactic Expands Business

The popular space tourism company

reacts to increased European demand

by constructing another spaceport in

Kiruna, Sweden.

September 2015

Apple Embraces 3D

Apple, now the market leader in digital

media distribution, introduces 3D

content to its store. 3DTV is slowly

superseding HDTV in people’s homes.

June 2016

Quantum Computing Established

Most large corporations now use

quantum computers to organise their

business. Productivity and efficiency are

multiplied.

February 2019

Medical Advances Praised

Gene and stem cell therapy is now

widely tolerated, and an amputee from

Germany is the first man to have his lost

arm regrown directly from the stump.

July 2021

Mysterious Disappearance

The world hears news of a group of

Swiss physicists and their lab seemingly

wiped from the face of Earth in a

bizzare, explosive accident.

August 2022

NASA Begins Mars Mission

Inspired by their success on the Moon,

NASA begin early construction on the

Solidarity and Prosperity spacecraft to

take humans to Mars.

July 2029

iHub Released

The iHub, a computer designed to unite

all the owner’s technology, is released.

Using ubiquitous datamotes, it is

essentially possible to record your life.

January 2030

Mysterious Appearance

Exactly 10 years after they disappeared,

the Swiss scientists and their lab reap-

pear in a hydrogen plant car park. They

are quickly taken to FBI headquarters.

August 2032

Mars Expedition Arrives on Mars

On Christmas day, the NASA Solidarity

Lander lands with only minor difficulties,

followed a day later by Prosperity. The

world watches intently.

December 2035

Mars Expedition Returns to Earth

The world celebrates a successful trip to

the Red Planet, after staying for 2 years.

The mission provided scientists with

intimate knowledge of Mars.

July 2038

HAL Technology Put to Use

MIT puts HAL to work on the ultimate

physics Theory of Everything, which he

solves in approximately 7 minutes. It’s all

pretty obvious now.

November 2043

Apple Buys HAL Licence

Apple buys the rights to use a restricted

version of HAL in a new range of mystery

products. Fans wait in feverish

anticipation.

September 2045

iSexBuddy

Within 24 hours, iBuddies are hacked to

perform more ‘stimulating’ tasks. Some

add iBuddy brains to their existing robot

girlfriends, for extra, self-aware pleasure.

March 2046

Apple Concentrate on Implants

The current generation of computers are

implantable and continually

self-upgrading. Apple develops various

instant information systems.

2080

The First Posthumans

The world’s richest opt for partial body

replacement surgery to double their

lifespan. The average human lifespan is

already well beyond 100 years.

2070

Voyage Beyond the Solar System

After visiting and documenting all of the

Solar System’s planets using HAL’s warp

engines, humans head towards Sagitta-

rius in search of extraterrestrial life.

2090

Speculated by Andy Green

Apple Computers

and the Future

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