Throwback to 2008: Microsoft invited WAACS to explore the future of the Zune platform—ideating, prototyping, and pushing boundaries. The result?
A hefty coffee table book packed with concepts and future-facing applications that stretched the imagination.
It was an absolute blast collaborating with design legends like Steve Kaneko, Carl Ledbetter, and the team in Redmond.
Looking back, it’s exciting to see how many of the ideas we dreamed up have since materialized in products released by other major players. A nice reminder that we were definitely onto something. And even today—17 years later—many elements of the future vision created by WAACS still feel relevant, with some ideas yet to be realized.
Swipe through the pics to see the late Mark Hoekstra (RIP), tech-hacker and blogger, who helped us prototype one of the more playful concepts: a Zune-powered silent disco. We modded a Zune with a direct FM transmitter, creating a ‘social backpack’ so other Zunes could tune in and party via built-in FM radios. Think silent disco, but early-2000s style—with a ZJ instead of a DJ.
