27 Apr 2004 | Bryan said...

a Macintosh-style interactive television system for the living room

Never. I don't know where these rumors/ideas keep coming from. Apple will not produce a product like this.

27 Apr 2004 | hp said...

I personally don't think it will be either although it may happen that Apple will be present in some shape or form in these markets as well. Based on the company's actions over the past few years, I believe that they will come up with something that addresses a pain point in digital life that is not adequately served or resolved in a uniquely Mac way and that it will be the next of their digital lifestyle devices. As per that NY Times article, I think that it will start out as a device and then evolve, according to whatever plan Apple has for it, into one of those "business systems" such as iTunes.

As for the Mac-style interactive TV system, my feeling is that Apple will play in this market but I do not see them breaking into it themselves. What I think will eb the case is that they will extend iTunes Music Store to incorporate video-on-demand, base it on their QuickTime streaming server (MPEG support and all, not to mention Pixlet format that seems to be perfect for delivering high quality video in reasonable fashion (time-wise)) and turn it into a service delivered by cable and satellite companies. Such a system would have a familiar look and feel of iTunes Music Store, would be easy to use in a true Mac fashion and would, most likely, allow for interaction with and incorproation of iTunes on personal computers as well as Macs (via AirPort and Rendezvous, may even come with AirPort card or base station built in) and iPods.

I will write later about some ideas/possibilites for mobile phones.

Best regards,

hp

27 Apr 2004 | f5 said...

Haven't there been numerous accounts of Jobs' abhorring television because of the passivity it requires?

27 Apr 2004 | hp said...

Also, in regard to my previous post, the entire video/music delivery system would be made to incorporate Apple video software making for quite an efficient workflow for production companies, networks and cable/satellite TV companies.

Re: passivity of TV, it's true but it's also a big market for Apple hardware (G5, Xserve, Xraid ) and software (OS X Server, WebObjects, video applications, QuickTime, etc.).

Plus, it may happen that Apple can introduce interactivity by combining QuickTime and AppleScript (already possible) by executing AppleScript from within WebObjects (also possible and quie useful for certain applications).

Best,

hp

27 Apr 2004 | Darrel said...

Never. I don't know where these rumors/ideas keep coming from. Apple will not produce a product like this.

They already tried that a few years ago.

27 Apr 2004 | David Ely said...

Now that they have Safari out there, I can see them releasing a word processor. It would be a stripped down, easier to use program than the bloated Word.

What people overlook about Apple all the time because they see shiny white and aluminum hardware and tiny iPods is how much software they make. With a word processor on board they'd be able to sell a complete platform with all in-house applications installed.

I can also see a weblogging service as a part of .mac, but that would make me sad because TypePad is so good.

27 Apr 2004 | CM Harrington said...

Re: passivity of TV, it's true but it's also a big market for Apple hardware (G5, Xserve, Xraid ) and software (OS X Server, WebObjects, video applications, QuickTime, etc.).

Yes, but Apple's market is with the people who actually do things whose end result happens to be TV/film. It's quite another to market products on "the other side of the fence".

That said, pre-Jobs, Apple had the Pippin, a failed gaming system, similar to today's X-Box, in the fact that it was a stripped down computer and booted a slimmed-down version of a desktop OS. I don't exactly kno how many were sold, or if it ever was available for mainstream purchase.

Apple Japan very recently had an Apple-branded PVR (TiVo-Like). I just wish I could dig up the page to prove that I was not hallucinating. the device was never even mentioned by Apple outside of .JP. As I can not find this device on their website, I can only think that it no longer exists.

The next "cool new Apple thing" will be something none of us have even thought about (unless, of course, you work directly under Steve).

27 Apr 2004 | arturo said...

I can't help but think that a Bluetooth and Wi-Fi enabled Apple media center is in the works. It would become THE digital hub for the home - allowing Apple to finally offer a low-cost "network bootable" mini-Mac.

Part server, part Tivo, part media organizer (music and photos) and connected to both the iTune Music and iMovie Media store via the web. Pair that with a Apple 32" LCD (or larger) and you are in business...

27 Apr 2004 | rumor-dude said...

I do know a new fangled iMac is coming out by the WWDC...

27 Apr 2004 | David Ely said...

Steve Jobs has said many times that he isn't going to make a media center.

Most people either want to sit down and watch TV or sit at their computer. Viewing distance for a television is 5 feet minumum, and that's too far away to read webpage text or write anything.

27 Apr 2004 | Benjy said...

I'm still surprised that Apple hasn't re-entered the PDA market. While the Newton was a bit ahead of its time and thus had some issues, I'm sure that the combination of advances in PDAs and Apple's top notch design and user experience would create yet another world-beater product. Maybe with built-in MP3 functionality...

27 Apr 2004 | Brad Hurley said...

I think they're going to start making cars ;-)

27 Apr 2004 | Will Gates said...

Steve Jobs has said many times that he isn't going to make a media center. Sure. Apple was never to enter the music business either. You go where the money is - things are beginning to gel in ways they didn't 5 years ago.

27 Apr 2004 | Darrel said...

Now that they have Safari out there, I can see them releasing a word processor.

Umm... they've had one for years.

I'm still surprised that Apple hasn't re-entered the PDA market.

Outside of cell phones, there isn't really much growth left in the PDA market. Though I really wish Apple would have gotten around to releasing one.

You go where the money is

Is there much money in that market? It's a market dominated by Tivo which is pretty cheap already, and things like the Xbox, which are still being sold at a loss. Let's not forget that TV isn't getting any better, either. ;o)

27 Apr 2004 | Unearthed Ruminator said...

I see them adding Newton capabilities to the iPod (they're mostly there anyway)...Check out my recent blog entry.

27 Apr 2004 | Will Gates said...

Is there much money in that market

Well I was thinking more along the lines Arturo mentioned. Having a movie store that I guess would be subscription based. I assume Netflix is making money at this - though the delivery is different. Having an adult movie component would mean $$$$$.

You have to think outside the box in order to shift paradigms and leverage the power of the internet. Remember that.

27 Apr 2004 | Bill Brown said...

I can also see a weblogging service as a part of .mac …

They do give .Mac users a free copy of iBlog. Granted, it's not their app but I don't see them competing in that space.

27 Apr 2004 | beto said...

Apple becoming the next Sony? Whatever the case, it will take tons of marketing, time and $$$ to dissociate the Apple brand with computers, if it is what Steve Jobs is after. Then again, companies that have lasted through the years have the skills and wisdom to adapt and change with the times. If Apple's still to be within ten years, it will probably morph into something very different that what we've come to know.

27 Apr 2004 | Tim said...

"...accounts of Jobs' abhorring television because of the passivity it requires?"

I don't mean to be snarky...but are iPods considered active or interactive tools (or, does interacting with a portable music player involve any less passivity than a television)?

27 Apr 2004 | Chris S said...

I have it on good authority that Apple is working on a top-secret new version of Zero Wing Fighter and Microsoft is working furiously to beat them to the punch.

The main difference is in Apple's version the graphics are smoother but preserved the original content for legacy's sake, while in the Microsoft version they fixed the grammar but the game itself will only run on Longhorn.

27 Apr 2004 | Brad Hurley said...

Here's another cockeyed idea: I think Apple will start selling Macs that run Windows, maybe just with Virtual PC, but installed by default. Two platforms, one machine. So people who need to buy a Windows machine but who are attracted to Apple's hardware designs or its OS or its programs can have both. The iPod and iTunes have raised desire for Apple products within the Windows world; it might now make sense to market a Mac that runs Windows as well.

I'm exploring the idea of doing this myself: right now I have two computers: an IBM Thinkpad that I use for work and an aluminum Powerbook G4 that I use for everything else. What a waste! With the 80 gigabyte hard drive on my Mac and Virtual PC, I can keep all my Windows stuff and all my Mac stuff and still have about 40 gigs to spare. When it comes time to upgrade my hardware, I've only got one machine to worry about. That will save me thousands of bucks over the years.

27 Apr 2004 | Mark Fusco said...

..."Steve Jobs has said many times that he isn't going to make a media center...

Couldn't it be argued that he already has? Look at the outrageous success of Pixar and I-Tunes. I would say that Mr. Jobs has created quite a media empire so far.

27 Apr 2004 | Hans verschooten said...

My 2 cents: The iTunes Music Store is a vehicle to get QuickTime installed on all PC's and at the same time creating a user friendly distribution system for music. Meanwhile Jobs is rocking the boat with Disney, Pixars current distribution partner. This deal will dissolve in a few years and who knows what broadband adoption will be like at that time. Is there an iTunes Movie Store in Apples future.

On the other side there are the movie creators who are getting wooed by Apple with tools like Final Cut Pro HD, Motion, Xsan, ...

Another path taken by Apple is the adoption of the open source developer with Xcode, Unix, Java,... Betting on the open source bandwagon by conversion of the people who build the applications, the innovators, or as they put it the people who think different

I haven't even looked at the scientific community, clusters, super computers,...

At least they're not a one trick pony anymore!

27 Apr 2004 | Mark Fusco said...

Hans -

Didn't the Disney deal already go South? It seems I remember it happening before Eisner got the ax some time ago.

Also, I think you might be onto something w/the thoughts about Quicktime. I recently bought a new computer and my quicktime download had I-Tunes bundled w/it.

27 Apr 2004 | stp said...

An Apple-branded hovercraft perhaps?

27 Apr 2004 | Hans verschooten said...

Yes the deal went South ( see article on CNN) but it ends in 2006. Enough time to get QuickTime on every PC. Look forward to more deals like the one done with HP and their rebranding of the iPod.

27 Apr 2004 | MegaGrunt said...

Once Apple controls all points in the music business they will kick out the record companies and reap the rewards.

Make the music->distribute the music->play the music

Garage Band->iTunes->iPod

27 Apr 2004 | Jordan Glasner said...

I'll settle for a g5 powerbook.

27 Apr 2004 | ek said...

Brad, Virtual PC is still too slow to be usable for any sort of "real" work — you'll go crazy waiting for it to do stuff — and it's likely to remain this way for the foreseable future. I don't think you'll see reasonable performance until/unless Apple figures out a way to run it in hardware.

Still, as Microsoft now owns Virtual PC, I'm sure they would be happy to license both it and Windows to Apple for bundling along with every Mac if Jobs wanted to go this route. I wouldn't hold my breath though.

28 Apr 2004 | Brad Hurley said...

Brad, Virtual PC is still too slow to be usable for any sort of "real" work

Is that still true? I know it was a complaint for a long time, but I've read some recent reviews saying that the latest version is much speedier; one review on MacWorld said that the performance was identical to that of Windows running native on a recent ThinkPad, which is what I'm running Windows on now. I just don't know whether to believe it.

28 Apr 2004 | Keith said...

I think it will be the television system. The past few years have shown a trend of traditional pc makers getting into the home electronics market. Take Dell and Gateway for example. Both make televisions and other home entertainment electronics now. I think it is inevitable that Apple will creep more and more into the consumer electronics market space. The iPod is an excellent example of that. In fact I would not be surprised if we see them selling digital video equipment in the near future. Why not? It would definitely be nice to have something that could easily integrate with their iLife suite.

28 Apr 2004 | Justin French said...

1. Microsoft never made it's money out of hardware -- they made it out of software, so Apple could easily make rival (but still compatible) software products for every home-office need. "Anything M$ can do, we can to better" :)

2. A network-bootable "lite" mac (a monitor, keyboard and mouse only) so that my girlfriend can access "her" account on my G4 whilst I'm still working would be fantastic.

3. But what I'd really like to see is a hybrid between an iPod, mobile phone and a stripped down PDA (most features of which are integrated both the iPod and most mobile phones already), which can be seemlessly integrated and synched with iCal, Mail, Address Book etc. If they could cram all that into something the size of an iPod, and sell it for the same price as an eMac, I'd be a very happy man.

Just my 6 cents :)

28 Apr 2004 | ek said...

Brad, yes, it's still true. Anyone who would say that the performance of Virtual PC is "identical to that of Windows running native on a recent ThinkPad" is either on crack or drunk on Jobs' own special "Xtra Powfo!" brand of Kool Aid.

I have a three-year old Sony laptop (don't remember what chip is in it, but it's some form of Intel silicon) running XP and it's far faster than my 1.25 GHz PowerBook G4 (the aluminum one) with 1 GB of RAM running the next-to latest version of VPC (the last one released by Connectix). When doing processor/disk intensive tasks the speed differential is even more pronounced. As convenient as it would be, I would never, ever want to have to use my PowerBook for both OS X and Windows-based work. Luckily, since I don't have a need to run any Windows-only apps, that's not an issue for me (I use my PC for testing).

Maybe, just maybe if you had a dual processor G5 PowerMac with enough RAM to run Windows in a RAM disk you might match the speed of my three-year old machine, but what's the point really? If you're going to be tied to a desk, might as well just get a cheap PC and a KVM switch. Even with an entry level Wintel box you'll be faster.

28 Apr 2004 | ek said...

BTW, I'm not trying to bring you down Brad. I had hoped to do the same thing that you're looking to do (i.e. replace my PC with a Mac running both OS X and Windows), and was horribly disappointed to find that VPC is still horrendously slow.

I'm just trying to save you the money and disappointment.

28 Apr 2004 | Brad Hurley said...

I'm just trying to save you the money and disappointment.

Thanks for that, Ernest! You just saved me a few hundred bucks and a lot of hassle. I'm disappointed, of course, but it did sound a bit too good to be true!

28 Apr 2004 | pb said...

Doing something big with QuickTime would be interesting. I'm not sure exactly what there is to do, tho. Adding movies to iTMS. Buyout Real.

I wouldn't expect a living room device or PDA anytime soon. The living room thing is too conceptual. The iPod is pretty pedestrian if you think about it. PDAs are pretty much a dead-end business.

I could envision a portable, networked gaming device, however.

I wouldn't mind seeing Apple put some resources behind one of the open source office suites.

I'd like to see FileMaker front-end MySQL.

I'd like to see WebObjects enable MySQL/PHP development.

28 Apr 2004 | Darrel said...

Here's another cockeyed idea: I think Apple will start selling Macs that run Windows, maybe just with Virtual PC

Actually, this is another idea that was already done years ago. There was a time when you could get a Mac with a built in (I think from Orange Micro) intel chipset. It was basically two computers in one box.

For the record, Apple will never do this. For serious professionals, they probably already have a PC sitting on the desk. For the home market, they have no need for the PC.

Is that still true?

Yes. VPC is not a replacement for a PC. If you have a ton of ram and install a less demanding OS like Win2k, you can get by using office apps and web browsers, but don't expect to be crunching databases or watching video from within it.

A network-bootable "lite" mac

You can boot all modern Macs off the network. The eMac is as about as 'lite' as you're going to get from Apple, though.

28 Apr 2004 | David Ely said...

>>Now that they have Safari out there, I can see them releasing a word processor.

>Umm... they've had one for years.

Right, I should have clarified that a bit. Appleworks is fine, but literally everyone I know who's bought a Mac recently has bought Office v.X with it. A solid new version of Appleworks that's up to the standard of the better iLife apps would give them the whole widget.

28 Apr 2004 | scott said...

Now that they have Safari out there, I can see them releasing a word processor. It would be a stripped down, easier to use program than the bloated Word.

Great idea. I use it every day: Appleworks

29 Apr 2004 | Brad Hurley said...

A solid new version of Appleworks that's up to the standard of the better iLife apps would give them the whole widget.

It would be nice to see AppleWorks beefed up, but it feels like Apple has faced the reality that MS Office is ubiquitous, and that it's not worth sinking a lot of money into an alternative. If Office weren't available for the Mac it would be a very different story. But with Macs accounting for something less than 3 percent of market share, an Office competitor would probably have trouble generating enough revenue to pay for its development costs, especially given that so many people already have invested in Office on the Mac. I can't see Apple investing in OpenOffice either.

Panther's text editor can open Word documents, so technically you don't even need AppleWorks to read and create Word documents on the Mac, though the text editor doesn't have enough features for professional editing, collaborating, and the other stuff that Word ends up being indispensable for.

29 Apr 2004 | test said...

ok.

18 May 2004 | johnza said...

Apple is clearly moving from loosing it's OS Dragrace with with Microsoft to then going Stealth as a niche player in the innoucous field of mobile music to going back to a Platform company any way it can. Home and mobile phones are definately on the horizon. I'm sure they will be cool looking and full featured - but will they get any better coverage?

18 May 2004 | johnza said...

Apple is clearly moving from loosing it's OS Drag Race with with Microsoft to then going Stealth as a niche player in the innoucous field of mobile music to going back to a Platform company any way it can. Home and mobile phones are definately on the horizon. I'm sure they will be cool looking and full featured - but will they get any better coverage?

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