I See iGlasses in Apples' Future

The blogosphere is abuzz about a new Apple product. But it won't be the much-discussed tablet computer, because that was a misunderstanding when Steve Jobs was overheard saying he wanted, correction: he demanded an (aspirin) tablet. Instead, SJ is finalizing the benediction and polishing an even better, correction: 'insanely great' new product.

I was blind, but now iSee: video glasses!

The crucial advance was not strictly speaking technical but aesthetic; finding a look that was acceptable or even tolerably inoffensive to Steve's and Ive's keenly developed sense of style proved nearly insurmountable. If “less is more”, then nothing is perfect. In the end, the optics and electronics were miniaturized to fit into the 'no frame' style that Steve fancies (picture).

iSee plugs into the iPod and displays video through a stereo vision retinal projection, providing the experience of sitting in front of a huge monitor, and of course stereo sound with earbuds (cochlear implants optional). The iGlasses overlay additional info on the scene, generating an augmented reality (AR). Did you forget that person's name? No problem! It will appear just below their chin. iSee also records continuously through stereo cameras, providing a comprehensive log of daily activity that can be automatically posted on Facebook and abstracted for Tweets. If you find your eyes closing during your next meeting, turn on the eyes-wide-open function that projects eyeballs that blink and even wink meaningfully at more-or-less appropriate times (there's an app for that).

If you think talking and texting on cell phones make distracted driving a problem now, just wait until drivers cannot even see the road through their glasses. Treatments by D&G, Ray Ban, etc in the works.