Video: This Isn’t The iPad 3… But We Can Dream, Right?

Are you ready for the iPad 3? We are. We’ve got all kinds of coverage on when Apple’s unveiling the little darling, what you should expect, and whether or not a little iPad is even something Apple would consider.

But to break up the monotony (and annoyance) of truth mixed with rumor, I decided to hit you guys with a straight-up lie. So to be clear, this is not the iPad 3. Not even close. But… I really want it to be.

The folks over at Aatma Studio did the same type of concept video ahead of the iPhone 5 announcement last year, and it was just as awe-inspiring.

Check it out:

Now, to be honest with you, most of what we’re seeing in this video is possible, based on what we’re capable of in today’s technological landscape. An edge-to-edge screen wouldn’t be all that difficult, and once that is in place the ability to let two iPads work as one shouldn’t be that difficult either. In fact, Samsung’s leaked Galaxy S III seems to have an edge-to-edge display based on the renders we’ve seen.

Where we’re really getting into fantasy land is in the holographic images. Of course, with tiny Pico projectors and the like, spreading out a projected keyboard or controls is entirely possible. At the same time, however, using those controls can’t be all that pleasant. Especially where gaming is concerned, tactile feedback is kind of necessary.

But the ability to project light onto nothingness, with no screen to catch the light… well, that’s a no go. We haven’t quite figured all that out yet, but again this is even less usable than using a keyboard projected onto a table. At least then you’d be resting on (touching) something but manipulating images projected onto nothing would be really tedious if you think about it.

Either way, you have to hand it to the folks over at Aatma for getting creative with this and thinking as far into the future as possible. Though, come to think of it, Aatma’s forward thinking probably ventured into the past quite a bit (1968, to be exact), seeing that the edgeless design was first spotted in 2001: A Space Odyssey. How nice, then, to see Stanley Kubrick’s vision realized.