Quote:
Originally Posted by
hypermark 
Thanks for giving it a read. :-) In part, what Apple would be doing here is akin to what Android has done in smartphone. Target a vendor with a hardware centric view of the universe, who is only too happy to outsource the software layer to a third party. I think the difference is that if Apple does it, they are going to want a consistent user experience.
As others have noted, Apple has a religious aversion to OEM'ing its technology. They sell whole, living, breathing chickens -- not random chicken parts. Hence, I think this one makes sense to the extent it really is a delivery vehicle for iTunes and a proxy connector between iOS devices and TVs.
I just can't get my head around a scenario where Apple is selling a product with a 5-10 year lifecycle that takes up massive floor space. Where's the efficiency in that? At the same time, you know in Jobs lifecycle model, living room is the 4.0 (iPod = 1.0; iPhone/iPod touch = 2.0; iPad = 3.0) so something ubiquitous has to play there.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
addabox
iPods and computers, however, are entirely self-contained experiences. Apple doesn't license the software for those because they want to control the experience.
AppleTV is a different beast, in that it must rely on a third party TV to function. It's already an accessory to someone else's hardware, and therefore unlike anything else Apple makes. Putting the aTV into the set doesn't really change anything, it just makes widespread uptake that much more likely.
And there's no reason for a licensed aTV function to dilute the Apple brand-- once you're in aTV, you're in Apple's hands. It's like an Apple channel on your set. For the user there would be absolutely no difference from switching to the appropriate HDMI input as they do now and switching to a dedicated AppleTV menu item. Apple could of course set hardware requirements as part of the licensing deal to make sure they didn't get crappy versions out there.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
solipsism
I understand your position and you make a great case, as usual, I just can’t shake the idea of Apple giving up that much of the AppleTV experience to license to 3rd-parties. To quote
hypermark, “Apple has a religious aversion to OEM'ing its technology. They sell whole, living, breathing chickens -- not random chicken parts.”
The only unknown here (and possibly still unknown to Apple) is how to finally capture the HEC. So far no one has done it except for the cable and sat companies but Jobs convinced me that making their own cable/sat box wasn’t an option do to inconsistencies with network designs. The network shunning GoogleTV seems to make it even harder for Apple to get in bed with cable/sat setup box makers (though I don’t think anyone even mentioned that as an option).
Here's the good thing -- The "Apple Channel" on your TV set is a great way to think of it:
-- media from the iTunes store
-- media from YouTube Netflix
-- media from your local iTunes [servers]
-- Now, The Apple Channel brings you AirPlay from your iDevices
Here's the Bad thing -- its very awkward to use -- say, you are watching TV and want to watch the Apple Channel doing AirPlay from your iPad:
1) set down your iPad2) find and pick up your universal remote (ATT u-verse for me)3) look for and tap the button to switch to control of the TV (make a mental note to switch back to control of the STB)4) press the Menu button to display the TV settings (Sony Bravia, in my case)5) navigate to the menu item to select the TV port connected to AppleTV6) press the OK button and the TV switches to AppleTV7) set down the universal remote8) find and pick up the AppleTV remote (could be an iDevice running the remote app)9) look at the AppleTV Remote and navigate to where you want to be (just to make sure it is awake)10) set down the AppleTV Remote11) locate the iPad with the AirPlay content and pick it up12) hit the home button to re-awaken it13) slide the unlock slider14) double-tap the home button to display the Task Bar15) tap the icon to resume the app with the AirPlay content -- videos, for example16) scroll and tap to select the video you want to air play -- the info screen is shown17) tap the arrow to begin play of the video on the iPad18) tap the screen to bring up the video player controls19) tap the pause button20) tap the AirPlay control to show a list of the available AirPlay devices21) scroll to show the AppleTV22) tap the AppleTV item in the list -- the display changes to indicate that the content is "playing" on the AppleTV23) it probably isn't playing yet24) use the scrub bar or the ||<< button to position the video to the beginning25) tap the play arrow to (hopefully) begin AirPlaying the content to trhe AppleTV26) set down the iPad27) find and pick up the universal remote control28) adjust the volume as necessary29) set down the universal remote
30)
Sit back, relax and enjoy!
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