NYC Subway Stations to Deploy Giant iPads

Developed by Control Group, designers of a radical vision to remake New York's payphones, "[e]ach kiosk is a 47-inch touch screen, encapsulated in rugged stainless steel, with an operational temperature up to 200 degrees (which is more than durable enough to handle 120-degree summer days in the subway). They’ll be placed, mostly in pairs, outside pay areas, inside mezzanines and even right on train platforms," says Wilson.

"At launch, the screens will feature all sorts of content, like delays, outages, and, of course, ads (which bring in $100 million in revenue for the MTA each year, but mostly in paper signage). Yet its most powerful interaction for many will likely be its map, which features a one-tap navigation system. Seriously. You look at the map, you tap your intended destination, and the map will draw your route, including any transfers along the way. It’s an interface that puts Google Maps to shame."

"At the same time," Wilson adds, "the system’s screens could be the least interesting part of this project. The kiosks will be fitted with extra modules--video cameras, mics, and Wi-Fi--to open up a whole secondary layer of data collection and interface."