Finally it’s Here.
After much anticipation fueled by rumors, half press releases, leaks and on-line buzz, the Apple iPad was released overnight our time. To update this blog which was written last year looking at predictions of what the new Apple Tablet would look like, we’ve added some pics of the real thing. Interesting to compare the real deal with the guess-work of the images below:

And the Original Article…

Is this what the Future of Personal Computing looks like?
As the release of the Apple Tablet approaches, the buzz of the rumor-mill and on-line grape-vine has reached an almost deafening level. Steve Jobs is said to be ‘very happy’ with the product. Reports on the web that the latest in the Mac line will be called ‘iSlate’ are supported by leaked trademark application and URL registrations by Apple for that name.

12 Conceptual iSlate Renderings
The web is packed with every conceivable rumour and prediction of the new tablet, including it’s design. Sites such as cyanatrendland.com and ilounge.com have even been running competitions to predict the design of the iSlate. Suggested designs range from oversized iPhones to cross-breed nano/mac books and almost every variation in-between from the credible to the incredible. As we’ve watched the design guessing-game accelerate, we’ve been collecting our favorites, and here they are.

At Storm Design & Brand DNA we have a mantra; ‘The only way to predict the future is to create it.’ We believe Apple to be a brand that brings that philosophy to life in all that it does. If you’d like to talk to us about creating the future for your brand, why not give us a call.

David Ansett, Brandamentalist
If you’d like daily updates of our brand thinking, you can follow me on Twitter here.

Word on the Web
As the rumor-mill turns into a tidal wave of anticipation for Apple’s new tablet, we take a snapshot of what’s being discussed, tweeted and mentioned on the social networks and blog sites. A glance at the Social Sentiment word cloud below shows the on-line universe abuzz with the rumored product name of ‘iSlate’ following a leak onto the net of URL and trademark registrations by Apple for that name. As always, it’s the interesting reading is between the lines (literally) – the smaller words often tell the story of current sentiment – and the further you look, the more intriguing the narrative. Click on the wordcloud pic to see a larger version.

David Ansett, Brandamentalist
If you’d like daily updates of our brand thinking, you can follow me on Twitter here.