Tomorrow, Steve Jobs will reveal the real Apple Tablet, but I, for one, am going to miss the fake Apple Tablet. Ever since rumors of the rumored project began to surface, the Internet has been seeded with renderings of what the supposed iPad, iSlate, Magic Slate, or Apple Book will look like. On Jan. 13, Valleywag
threw some gasoline on to the fire
by offering 10 grand for “bona fide” photos and 20 grand for video of “one in action.” No one has claimed the prize, but there have been some amusing fakes along the way.
The faker’s options are 1) go with the
blurry, spycam Web shot of mysterious origin
or 2) test your photoshop skillz and release a high-res image. Just this morning, what many have deemed the
finest high-res fake
has emerged. The supposed Tablet has the right proportions and a lovely slimness, but the image is considered counterfeit because of suspect drop shadows and unconvincing reflections.
Next are the obvious, skylarking fakes. My favorite of these was this “expert mock-up” reprinted in the
Guardian
, which was just a stupidly massive iPhone filled with apps. I also like the images of people trying (and failing) to shove the new iPad into their pockets. Another genre is what you could call random-dudes-holding-the-Apple-Magic-Tablet-in-their-cubicles. Their faces are blurred out, and the image is clearly false, because there aren’t seven other dudes gathered around clamoring to play with the new gadget.
That’s not to say that all fake Tablets are worthless.
This one
coolly places the Tablet in situ with a coffee cup, plus draped-over headphones, suggesting that the iSlatepad has become a trusted and beloved accessory in someone’s life. The image is also,
reportedly
, a fairly good rendering of what the real one will look like. But I tip my hat to the best fake of them all: the
two pieces of cardboard
that the guys at Gizmodo put together to test out what the Tablet future will feel like. Turns out that the screen seems pretty small.
Can’t wait for my new iSquint.
