Music Tech - The Futulele
A ukulele made from an iPad and an iPhone? Sure, why not! Lost amongst the news about today's announcement of "The new iPad" was this little gem of a tech demo of the "Futulele", which sounds uncannily like the real thing. Fretboard and body sold separately.
The Futulele is a creation of Amidio, creators of several iOS music apps. It is indeed an iPad and an iPhone being held together by a proprietary (and apparently not yet manufactured) ukulele-shaped case, with the two devices connected via Bluetooth. The iPhone is used for fingering the chords and the iPad for strumming, 'natch.
Now, you might be saying to yourself (you might not, but let's pretend that you are) "that seems like an expensive ukulele." Well, you would be partly right. As this app is made for the new iPad, let's assume you pick up the base model for $499, and an iPhone 4S base model for $199. Assuming the holder costs $99 or less (there's no information I could find on this, but a higher price would seem like a barrier to entry) you are roughly at $800 for a rather unique (albeit flat) instrument.
A quick check of Musician's Friend shows this is on the high end of the price spectrum, but, they do offer three high-end ukuleles ranging from $1399 to $1899. If the Futulele is successful, could a Fututar be far behind? Expand the holder, double the number of iPhones used and you would have an instrument potentially in the $1000 range. While it might not look as cool as slinging a Fender over your shoulder, it does have its own geeky cool factor and it would be vastly easier to travel with!
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