Loewe denies rumors of Apple acquisition

No surprise! Why the hell would Apple need to acquire a TV manufacturer anyway? I'm pretty sure they have all the expertise they need. 

 

 

What is a 'TV' anyhow except an oversized crappier version of an iMac with a different UI. I think Apple are perfectly capable.

Pretty sure?

I hope this correct! I had one of their TV's about 10 years ago and it was a piece of junk. I had a hell of a time trying to return it.

Rumor:  Apple and Ford are in negotiations to merge as one company make fire retardant stitched logo's for their employees.

 

http://ensign-tvc-ws02.ensignemblem.com/index/fire-retardant

Well, what technologies do they need which they can't borrow from a previous product? A TV from Apple sure won't cater for much (if any) analog remnants of the past, this will be a very digital beast more akin to a computer, than your fathers TV from old.

I had a Macintosh Performa TV and it was a piece of crap also. 10 years is a long time in the tech industry. Remember Lucky Goldstar (now LG)?

 

Based on a quick search, Loewe products are apparently getting some decent reviews recently.

 

I still don't get the motivation for the deal though unless they have an important patent on something. The price is just pocket change for Apple.

 

Dunno, but this "rumor" was originally reported by "AppleInsider" - http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/12/05/12/apple_reportedly_in_talks_to_acquire_german_hdtv_maker_loewe.html

 

What does this have to do with them at all? AppleInsider broke the story. It's nice to see us also reporting on the fact that it wasn't true this time.

 

But yes, CultOfMac is nearly second to DigiTimes in reliability.

You might be on to something there. If there is any truth to an impending TV set, the end result it would likely be similar to an iOS device, but with a gigantic screen.

 

Of course, if successful, Apple will surely work its magic to make it unlike anything we have seen before.

 

Proofed by denial?! Of course the deny it, what do you expect?  I like their designs (Loewe's), looking forward to....... Dilger's rumour coming true. Trust him, I do ;-)

I agree it's nice to see them print that they were wrong. But I hope they didn't run the story because of an anonymous tip or some shady nebulous deal.

Between the crappy forum update and this story it's like they are trying to drive people away.

One word. Tiles.

 

Absolutely, and will probably run on similar internals to the iPad. The iPad 3 has proven capable of dishing out more than enough pixels to power an HDTV.

Well, if they don't buy Loewe, then Loewe might want to rethink their strategy since Apple may take away a lot of their business if Apple goes into the TV market.  Just an observation.

 

I am wondering why Foxconn and Sharp had reportedly bought some Loewe shares, at least that's what has been mentioned in the media.  Don't know if those statements are true or not, but if they are, then  Hmmmmmmmm.....

 

Or maybe Apple is in talks with Loewe in terms of mfg products for the European market or maybe buying some licensing.  Anything and everything is possible.  Just some speculation, nothing more.

 

As much as their expertise in phone antennae or more?

 

 

Really think on this one. It's an oversized crappier version of a Cinema Display with some embedded system giving it a Smart TV moniker, other wise its just a dumb device for video output, definitely not a dumbed down All-in-One Desktop system.

Why would they need to buy when they can just rip off (with apologies to Ive because he does have my respect as a designer even after the first gen mba design flop (latch) and allowing also for the imac's almost complete lack of ergonomics.)

how does being influenced by someone (which Ive freely admits) equate to ripping someone off. I can see how apple follows Dieter Rams design principles but there isn't one Apple product I look at and think oh that looks just like [insert name of Braun product here].

 

Oh jesus, why so pedantic? Surely you get my point? It's just a processor, probably ARM, probably IOS, probably in a casing of no greater complexity than an iMac. 

 

I don't think for one second that it would be "a dumbed down All-in-One Desktop system". However, I think it is possible that connections are borrowed from desktop such as USB or Thunderbolt.

 

The UI will be as awesome and groundbreaking as ever with perhaps gestures, voice control etc

 

No skills of which would they need acquire from a random TV manufacturer to produce.

Edited by monstrosity - 5/13/12 at 5:23pm

I was going to inquire as to what he thought was a rip off but since that is one of the most prolific trolls this site has ever seen nothing truthful or enlightening would come of it.

Yeah. and adding the RED color to the headline didn't help either.  It made it seem like it is REALLY REALLY important to grab people's attention.

It's not red right now.

The red is automatic, if it's a popular article, the headline turns red.

Besides, if Dieter felt ripped off, wouldn't he have said so long ago?

And none of the devices look to be the same device category. They are merely photos taken at a certain distance and angle to give an illusion of being the same from having some very basic photographic similarities. It's as foolish for him to say Apple ripped off Braun as it is to say that a natural formation on Mars that resembles a face must have been created by aliens. It's just a form of Apophenia.

I'm getting really, really tired of that "finally cracked" quote. 

Keep holding it in until you've "finally cracked".

 

Once again,

 

 

 

 

Don't tell me he fixed his beard with the Mighty Mendit {shock shock horror}

 

Maybe we should send some to Kutcher before principal photography starts.

 

Oh, wait, that's a different thread… 

Apple has never made a large panel television that was marketed.  It's a different market for them. Dell and HP have come out with TVs, but they'll have limited success because Dell and HP have a branding issue.  In order to get TV buyers to take you seriously, you have to be in stores where people shop.  Just having one on a web site doesn't cut it.  People have to view it in person. There are two types of places that sell these things.  The large electronics department stores and specialty stores.  Apple is already in the large electronics dept stores, and Apple Stores,  but so far they aren't sold in small stereo shops that I know of.

 

Apple just recently hired someone from Dixon's, which is the equivalent to Best Buy in the US., so he knows how to run a large department store.

 

It will be interesting to see what market they go after.  Are they going after the $1500 or less market or are they going after the $2,000 to $4,500 market? Or are they going after the $5000 on up market.  B&O makes and does sell mega expensive TVs that are expensive because they get the cream of the crop panels, put fairly expensive electronics, but they are styled by designers that create electronic art.  They may not make the best sounding stereo system, but some of their products are priced up there. In the home entertainment system market, it is fragmented and the average person doesn't understand how big it really is.  Some people shut down once they see the price tag and buy purely on price, some will pay for quality, it is a fragmented market for sure.

 

I don't think Apple wants to bother trying to sell a $20,000+ large screen like B&O, but they'll will do what they can, I'm sure, at making a nice looking product, that is well made, and is priced a little more than the average POS, but more on the high end of the medium priced TV range which for large screen is in the $2,500 to $4,500 price range.

 

Who knows, it will be interesting to say the least.

 

Hey Dr., what happened to your bold predictions from the previous thread? Still coming to fruition?

Yeah, most of the Asian companies used to spit out junk, but times have changed and they have more money, hence making better products, but they still go after the low to medium end of the market.  Some people think that $4,000 is high end for a TV.  Sorry, the most expensive TV is around $100,000.  The most expensive projector for a home theater is around $200,000 without the screen and without 3D.

The biggest flop which is basically being forced down our throats is 3D TV.  SInce the decent models have it, whether you want it or not, you almost HAVE to buy 3D and for Apple to make a non-3D TV, is something they have to consider.  If they came out with 3D without glasses that looked decent and you had the choice of watching or not watching programs in 3D, then that might work.   But I wish 3D was a pure option on ALL models and it was user installable, or just software driven.

 

The problem is that there isn't much DECENT 3D content, some people definitely don't want to put on the glasses and some are still on the fence as to the validity of 3D.  I would rather have a better quality electronics and picture quality with better styling than 3D, but the masses, for some stupid reason, THINK that if the TV doesn't have 3D, that they are buying old technology.

 

The masses have no clue as to what a good audio system is, just like what a good TV is.  Either they look at the price, the size, the shear number of features, etc, but they don't know the difference between a high quality printed circuit board and a cheap one and the reasoning behind it.

 

That's why Bose sells lots of stereo equipment, etc.  I hope that Apple does eventually put out a decent product and that it sells well.  At least they have proven with their 27in Thunderbolt monitor that they can make a decent large screen monitor and not some $270 hunk of crap like HP, Dell, Samsung, etc. make.  But then again, I know what quality is and when I can afford it, I will pay for it.

 

TVs unfortunately are becoming a throw away item.  What is the average lifespan of a typical TV for the first owner before they sell it, give it away to their kids?  TVs for me, last usually at least 10 years. but i think that number is going down.  You see TONS of flat panels at restaurants and bars, when before you would be lucky if they even had a TV in the first place.

 

I wish these TV mfg would ditch 3D until they can do it without the freaking glasses.

It's interesting that you mention Bang & Olufsen… When I first saw some of the post-Jobs' return products from Apple, like the G4 Cube or the G4 iMac, I immediately thought of B&O (I also knew right away that the clicky scrollwheel on the first iPod wasn't exactly an original concept, as I had seen it much earlier on a B&O phone). I also noticed that their pricetag discrepancy towards the competition was much less dramatic than that of B&O products, which I've indeed always found gorgeous and innovative, albeit obscenely over-priced.

This is a designer's thing; call us idealists (I beg to differ, and Apple is proof of that), but as designers, we kind of wish to put our work in the hands of as many people as possible. That's why, being a graphic designer (and an aspiring type designer), the kind of work I enjoy doing the most is information design and type design. I like thinking that I can bring some clarity and/or beauty to the world, and to the widest audience, not just to some rich elite (emphasis on rich, as you can be educated about design and still be rather poor, just ask some designers about that . I'm not an industrial designer, but I once considered becoming one a few years before enrolling at my faculty, where I also met plenty of them, so I'm well aware that sentiment is also prevalent in that field.

And that's why Apple appeals so much to designers worldwide; it's the ultimate realization of an ideal, that of affordable (but not necessarily cheap!) design for the masses, much like a hybrid beast combining both B&O's and IKEA's design vocabulary with the latter's philosophy and production/distribution chain prowess, at prices between those practiced by Apple during their darkest years and those by their current competition. The end results are so spectactular that I find myself constantly yearning for more Jobses and Fadells to come and revolutionize other currently bland markets.

And that's also why we get irked to no end everytime some PC fanboi claims Macs and other Apple products are overpriced (even though some of them are actually even more affordable than the competition). Whenever I get that, I politely remind that if you want to point the finger at some company for blatant overpricing, you shoud point it at B&O instead… Apple products are produced with far more interesting manufacturing processes and end results (come on, jet-cut aluminim unibody or double-shot policarbonate enclosures? Laser-perforated see-through LED holes in aluminium? Name one B&O product that flaunts those), they use materials almost as noble as those found in B&O's (for now… Just wait for Liquidmetal to enter the scene) and, even though they are actually lagging behind or not even into some fields like domotics/home automation and, interestingly, media streaming (yes, B&O is also the true pioneer on that one, too), being the massive software development juggernaut they are, they can catch up quicker than the competition will take to react (just look at iOS)… And, guess what, you get all of that (a high level of industrial design polish and the promise of software updates and an ever-increasing integration between devices both present and future) for a fraction of the price!

IMHO, Loewe, B&O and their ilk are so royally screwed and probably wetting their collective pants right now (if not, they should, as we've seen this movie unfold three times in a row now with the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad)… Maybe B&O should consider aiming a bit “higher” still, for the Vertu niche, because they may be about to lose even some faithful customers to Apple, let alone potential ones. You heard it here first.
Edited by Mainyehc - 5/14/12 at 10:45am

Gateway sold TVs too... about 10 years ago. I took this screenshot in 2002.

Back then... large flatscreens started in the multi-thousand dollar range and were considered luxury items. Fun fact: that Gateway plasma was actually a disrupter... it was priced below other plasmas at the time. $3000 was a "bargain"

But today... flatscreen TVs are pretty common and affordable.

I doubt Apple would make a TV that costs too much.... not with their phones, tablets and MP3 players being reasonably priced. To go back to those high prices for TVs seems weird.

But who knows...

While it's true that most people don't really notice some nuances in audio or picture quality, Apple has somewhat of a reputation to maintain, even though they've had their fair share of noticeable mishaps…

As far as audio quality is concerned, they hit their peak with the legendary 1st Gen. iPod Shuffle, and their low with the crappy 2nd Gen., but fortunately the remaining models have always been fairly good (I had both of those Shuffles, along with 3rd, 5th and 6th Gen. Classics and two 4th Gen. Touches, so you can take my word for it).

As for screens, I was lucky enough to use an S-IPS-equipped Rev. A 20" iMac G5 for more than four years (that is, until the logic board and/or the power supply eventually died due to the infamous faulty capacitor issue) and am now unlucky to have to bear with my Rev. A (yes, I apparently never learn from my past mistakes) 27" Core i5 iMac, which is unevenly black-lit and slightly yellowish on the bottom part… Also, while the first iPod Touch I had and lost had a gorgeous screen, the new one I got had the lousiest screen ever (I'm still waiting for stock to arrive to get a replacement), and the 2nd Gen. iPad I'm typing this on looked just gorgeous to me right up until the new models arrived. :P YMMV, because I know mine did vary a lot since I first started using Macs in '03, iPods in '04 and the iPad last year.

You know, we forum-goers definitely aren't common consumers and sometimes feel a bit shunned by Apple in their race towards design democratization, but the truth is their products do resonate with common people and what really pulls them in is right in front of our eyes: it's the software, stupid (no offense)! it's the interface, the integration between devices and, in the future, the cloud (hopefully, since Google still retains the upper hand on some of those services, and iCloud is still a bit flaky sometimes).

On that regard, the masses do have a clue; even though sometimes they can't quite put their finger on what exactly makes Apple products better for them than the competition, they intuitively know they are… Also, for many truly demanding and raw quality-aware consumers like us, sometimes usability is a higher priority. That's why even trained and color-sensitive designers like me can and do overlook or learn to live with blatant flaws in Apple products, just so they don't have to put up with crap from badly-written or poorly thought-out software (and, as in my case, to wait on a replacement unit to arrive at a time I desperately needed a usable computer, because the Vista-laden piece of crap I was working with temporarily back then was just that bad). Unfortunately, Apple executives seem to know this all too well and get complacent every now and then with QC but their customers, being the vocal and not-that-clueless crowd they are, always do their best to keep them in line.
Edited by Mainyehc - 5/13/12 at 10:37pm

Windows 8?

Here's what Rams had to say about Ive and Apple:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/apple/8555503/Dieter-Rams-Apple-has-achieved-something-I-never-did.html

I have always regarded Apple products – and the kind words Jony Ive has said about me and my work – as a compliment....


I am always fascinated when I see the latest Apple products. Apple has managed to achieve what I never achieved: using the power of their products to persuade people to queue to buy them. For me, I had to queue to receive food at the end of World War II. That’s quite a change....