What an iPad would have looked like in the 1930s
Even though tablets are the hot new 21st century thing, in the 1930s, some people were trying to envision what a “portable”, mechanical and electronic reading machine might look like. It’s not exactly something that would fit in your pocket, and it’s not exactly a step up from a newspaper.
Appearing in an April issue of Everyday Science and Mechanics, this contraption was a microfilm reader (who’s old enough to remember these?) attached to a large pole and photographed pages would be enlarged on a glass screen. Buttons would allow for focusing and flipping of pages. It’s basically an e-reader/tablet would have looked like if we the world never made the leap into digital.
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