Hot off the lips of Steve Jobs, Apple has just announced their new tablet computer—the iPad. Rumors have swirled for months prior to its release and now that it’s here, well, it looks a lot like we expected. With a modified iPhone OS, optimized for the larger screen, the iPad is capable of handling the typical tasks that are easier on a computer than a phone, but lack the need for a full computer’s bulk—the iPad is only a 1/2″ thin, weighs only 1.5 pounds and sports a 9.7″ screen. With up to 10 hours of battery life, and from 16gb to 64gb of storage, we’re drooling. iPad pricing ranges start at $499 to $699 with unlimited 3G for $30 a month and an extra $130 on the base models. Available in 60 days!
Twelvesouth BookBook
Twelvesouth makes their second appearance on Needs/Wants with their newly released BookBook ($80), a new take on a laptop sleeve. Playing off Apple’s MacBook moniker, they’ve created a brilliant pun by making the sleeve, well, a book itself. No two sleeves are identical, down to a myriad of different visual treatments. To boot, a thief won’t expect the book laid out on your table while you’re away to be your laptop. Stealthy.
The Zumi Digital Camera
For those of us that just want to take a damn picture, and not fiddle with knobs, buttons, and their ilk, Photojojo brings us the Zumi Digital Camera. With a taste of vintage processing to each photo, the Zumi makes photo documenting your life pretty simple. Not all of us can be photographers—after all, they use real cameras. Moderately priced at $170.
Dr. Dre Monster Beats Headphones
While we would never advise you to buy Monster’s cables (Google around, they aren’t worth the money), we do think this collaboration between Dr. Dre and Monster may have yielded something well worth your hard earned cash: Monster Beats Headphones by Dr. Dre. Beautiful aesthetics with noise cancellation and excellent audio quality make these studio-worthy headphones. Plus, they’re built for the road with iPhone compatibility and a travel case. Available in black or white and priced at $300.
Bassjump Subwoofer
Apple’s laptop speakers have had incremental improvements over the years, but one thing you just can’t do with speakers of their size is pump out some bass. Twelve South’s Bassjump is out to solve this dilemma. Styled to match your Mac and powered solely by a lone USB cord, this subwoofer may even let you skip the external speakers. Minimalists rejoice for $80.
Poolga iPhone Wallpapers
Poolga has a great selection of iPhone and iPod Touch wallpapers created by a selection of designers and illustrators from around the world. Some of it’s latest contributions include the great work of Frank Chimero and Panic. Best of all, they’re free.
via AisleOne
Design Haras Home Theater PC
Just announced at CES is this Media Center PC from Design Haras (site seems to be down at the moment). The paneling on the computer itself will come in handcrafted Italian Cypress or Canadian Rosewood, and also features HDMI and DVI outputs and has an Intel Core2Duo processor, 4GB of RAM and a 1TB hard drive. A potentially nice PC alternative to the Mac Mini media center set up. Price $TBA.
Ceramic Speakers by Joey Roth
Designer Joey Roth’s Ceramic Speakers may be pricey, but for looks alone they look like they’re worth every penny. And, to top it off, they even sound pretty fantastic, too. Made out of all natural materials consisting of porcelain, cork, and birch, the Ceramic Speakers are available now for $495.
JBL Creature iii
JBL recently introduced the newest edition of its Creature Speaker line. The new edition lives up to the beautifully simple designs of its predecessors as one of the few computer speaker sets that look better on the desktop than hidden below. Preorder from Amazon now for only $99 down from the suggested retail of $130!
Byrd and Belle Laptop Sleeve
Complement your new MacBook or MacBook Pro with one of these great laptop sleeves designed by Byrd and Belle. Made from wool, felt and leather, this sleeve is available in both black and brown leather and fits both the 13″ and 15″ MacBook Pros. Buy the sleeve for $74 on Etsy, and be sure to check out the seller’s other products, too.