Todd Rundgren has always followed his own path…
I just never realized until now that his unique journey led him to the front door of apple’s launch!
The First iPad!
Let’s go back to 1979. Here is what a “portable” computer looked like:
Yep, in the good old days a small computer still filled a giant room! There was no portable computer, there were no portable phones – but that was about to change. Steve Jobs helped revolutionize our world. For example, take a look at apple’s FIRST iPad!
That’s right, here is an actual Apple tablet from 1979! Here’s how it was described in an article:
“Note the presence of a stylus as the mouse had not yet been brought to the mainstream with the Mac. The tablet worked by mapping designs on the tablet to an accompanying Apple II. Dimension and price wise, the tablet checked in at 15.5 inches x 15.5 inches and came with a $650 price tag.”
Cool, right? Well guess what? Todd was part of this apple revolution!
Todd’s IPad Graphics Magic!
I was fascinated by this story highlighting the early versions of iPhones and iPads – “iTablet” in those days. The most interesting piece of Apple trivia is that the graphics tablet below ran one of the first computer paint programs, titled “Utopia Graphics System.” Also interesting is that the program itself was designed by Todd Rundgren!
First of all, a BIG “THANK YOU!” to Todd fan James Quinlivan – who posted this original story to Todd’s fan site on facebook: RundgrenRadio.com. I had been aware of many of Todd’s technology, but never knew this!
I love that fans continue to seek out and share great Todd music and other inside stories like this!
Here is a link to the entire story, with more amazing pics of early apple products – click on to see more classic early apple products:
http://www.tuaw.com/2014/05/28/an-apple-flip-phone-from-1984-and-a-tablet-from-1979/
Apple’s First Portable Flip Phone!
And imagine carrying around one of these twenty years ago!
It’s amazing to realize that this was less than 25 years ago, and how technology has come so far so fast! I know Todd was always part of this revolution, especially with his “flowfazer” graphics technology from the 80′s…
But would you expect anything less from the Inventor of MTV?
That’s right, you all know that Todd created MTV! I posted this fascinating story earlier! Read all about it by clicking here!
http://johnrieber.com/2013/08/02/todd-rundgren-inventor-of-mtv-a-hollywood-square/
So Todd’s been an Inventor, Innovator and Musician extraordinaire for his entire career…but he’s also got a mesmerizing “flowfazer!”
Yes, Todd’s “Flowfazer” was one of technology’s earliest graphics programs, and someone posted a story online about how their cat became entranced by Todd’s “flowfazer” app, part of Utopia’s Grokware…soon to be available, but read about it here now:
You can read all about the zoned out cat by clicking on the story here:
http://www.tuaw.com/2014/04/12/caturday-mesmer-kitty-zones-out-to-todd-rundgren/
now he just needs to create an iPhone cover using his imaginative designs!
IPhone Madness!
Yes, this Utopia cover would make a terrific iPhone cover…oh, and here’s what I currently use on mine…
Sushi! Bacon! And More!
Yes, that’s an iphone cover! It’s two pieces of sushi, along with some ginger and wasabi…not only that, I also own a bacon and egg iPhone cover as well. Read about the wackiest covers in the world by clicking here!
So there you have it, a perfect mix of iPhone covers and Todd’s innovative imagination, like his Utopia Graphics System!
