Wired shows off some old prototypes that never evolved into anything real. Here’s a sample:
Legendary Silicon Valley design firm Frog Design lent Gizmodo a couple of Apple prototypes to display, including this MacBook Tablet mock-up…
…Although this portable tablet computer never saw the light of day, echoes of its design can be seen in the Apple IIc.
It looks like an Apple IIc, just flat. I don’t think it would have done well then.
Some points on the “Snow White design language” from Wikipedia:
- minimal surface texturing
- colored a light off-white (Fog) or light gray (Platinum)
- inlaid 3-dimensional Apple logo, diamond cut to the exact shape
- zero-draft enclosures, with no variances in case thickness and perpendicular walls
- shallow horizontal and vertical lines, 2 mm wide, 2 mm deep, spaced 10 mm apart on center, which run along any and all of the surfaces of the product, some of which act as vents and setback 30 mm from the front and 4 mm from the back.
- 3mm radius, rear and 2mm radius, front corners
- simple unadorned ports and slots