Whats remarkable about Apple s (NASDAQ: AAPL ) iPad is not that it has
compelled roughly 25 million consumers and businesses to spend $500 or more. Its
greatest feat is that, in just more than a year, the iPad became something
everyone wanted. Before its release, laptop PCs were a booming business, and the
future of that business was in making cheaper and cheaper notebooks to serve
consumer demand. The basic idea of a tablet computer was something consumers
were familiar with the iPhone already was a hit and Google (NASDAQ: GOOG )
Android phones were rising fast but it wasnt something that was needed or
heavily desired. Now the tablet is a permanent fixture in the technology
landscape, and the iPad is a household name. Thats a high bar to reach for
obviously, but there are companies out there right now preparing the next wave
of technology that consumers dont know they want. At least not yet. Here are
three devices that are either releasing in the near future or have yet to be
discovered by the public. Disney s NextGen Technology Although Disney (NYSE: DIS
) still hasnt officially announced the introduction of this technology, it
stands to revolutionize the tourism trade provided the company doesnt sue the
pants off of anyone copying it. A report originating at DizFanatic (via
TouringPlans.com ) leaked the details on an internal presentation about the
companys NextGen technology. That vague moniker refers to wristbands that will
be used in theme parks like Walt Disney World, Dineyland and Epcot Center. The
wristband functions as an all-encompassing access badge, working as room key,
ride ticket, meal voucher, even a datalogue for families playing the alternate
reality games at Epcot Center. Photos of travelers on rides will be logged to
online accounts connected to the wristband, and custom souvenirs can be
constructed out of recorded information. The wristband is an elegant solution
for resorts and other destinations. It fulfills many of the same mobile payment
and information utilities as a smartphone but is less fragile and, presumably,
reusable by the businesses that utilize it. Time Warner and EchoStar Slingbox
Few cable companies are as aggressive in their acclimation to the streaming
television market as Time Warner (NYSE: TWX ). The company already got itself in
hot water in April when it released an iPad app for cable subscribers. Content
partners, particularly Viacom (NYSE: VIA ), didnt appreciate Time Warner
offering its channels like MTV and Comedy Central on another platform without
renegotiating its licenses. Time Warner turned around and sued Viacom for
complaining, saying its existing contracts covered usage on all platforms. Now
Time Warner aims to test that theory further with the Slingbox, the device that
might keep consumers paying a cable subscription for some time yet. Created by
EchoStar -owned (NASDAQ: SATS ) Sling Media, a Slingbox is a set-top cable box
that links all of a users video-capable electronics smartphone, tablet, laptop
and gives them streaming access to their cable service over a wireless Internet
connection from anywhere. Time Warner is so confident in the Slingboxs ability
to capture the widening Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX ) audience that it is subsidizing
sales , giving subscribers to the $99-per-month Wideband Internet subscription a
hefty rebate on the device. Sling Media released the first Slingbox in 2005, but
its now as connected devices like smartphones proliferate that the machine
should find its audience. Apples New Mac The iPad is just one example of Apples
keen ability to satisfy unknown consumer desires. The iPhone was a hit before
it, and the iPod before that. The next trick up Steve Jobs sleeve is likely the
rumored new Mac line, products that are so absolutely different that they
might carry a whole new brand, revolutionizing the companys personal computer
business. What could be so revolutionary? A device that is both desktop computer
and tablet . Rumors of a new Mac desktop with an adjustable touchscreen
interface and whose operating system was a perfect bridge between the companys
older computers and newer portable devices have been common over the past two
years, spurred by the patent for a Multiple Position Stand. A home system with a
great deal of storage and greater media capabilities whose screen could be
removed from a dock and used as a tablet, giving access to media stored at home
through the new iCloud service, could be a game-changer indeed. As of this
writing, Anthony John Agnello did not own a position in any of the stocks named
here. Follow him on Twitter at
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