How Star Trek artists imagined the iPad… 23 years ago

Posted on August 15, 2010 by Granger Meador

Star Trek's PADD presaged the iPad

There are a lot of similarities between Apple’s iPad and the mobile computing devices—known as PADDs—used in the Star Trek universe. Ars Technica spoke to designers Michael Okuda, Denise Okuda, and Doug Drexler to find out the thinking and inspiration behind the PADD and how closely the iPad represents a real-life incarnation of that dream.

How Star Trek artists imagined the iPad… 23 years ago

About Granger Meador

I enjoy day hikes, photography, podcasts, reading, web design, and technology. My wife Wendy and I work in the Bartlesville Public Schools in northeast Oklahoma, but this blog is outside the scope of our employment.

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2 Responses to How Star Trek artists imagined the iPad… 23 years ago

Mister Reiner says:

August 15, 2010 at 4:10 pm

It’s really cool that science fiction of the past is now becoming science fact. The only problem is that there are certain things that we really do not want to see come to fruition.

BTW, do you think the Star Trek franchise is going to sue Apple now? I’m just kidding. 🙂

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Carl Szmutko says:

August 19, 2010 at 12:44 pm

There is also a device used by Dave and Frank in the film version of 2001: A Space Odyssey that looks similar to the iPad.

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