We still don't know what Steve's planning for that big-arse data centre in North Carolina. Maybe something to do with Lala/streaming iTunes, maybe something even more 'magical'™
Other than that, I always get the feeling that Gene is related to Herman.
It's not the iPhone that is likely to see much in the way of surprising changes. The product that is likely to change significantly at some point in the coming year is the Touch. The screen on the Touch is too small for what the unit is now used for.
The current Touch form factor is ideal for a phone but the Touch isn't a phone. One response to the iPad will be touch devices sporting larger screens than the current Touch. Hence, the logical move would be for Apple to make a larger screen on the Touch an upgrade to respond to the competition, such as it is. Being as memory on the devices is now rather decent, instead of doubling memory Aple can choose to provide a larger screen using the lower cost of memory to maintain margin. If that screen sports a similar resolution to the iPad, it will make it even better suited as an e-reader, etc., not to mention allowing it to run any iPad app.
Regardless, the Touch is now in an awkward place re Apple's product mix and as such a significant shift is bound to happen. The iPhone, on the other hand, is pretty much set in terms of form factor. It can't get any larger or significantly shrink without being worse as a result. For the forseeable future the iPhone is pretty much set, just as Apple has been selling 13", 15" and 17" laptops for years.
"Two lost prototype iPhones, presumed to represent the fourth-generation handset that will be be announced by Steve Jobs at the Worldwide Developers Conference, have taken away the element of surprise for Apple, one prominent analyst believes."
"new fourth-generation iPhone with a front-facing camera for video conferencing, better battery life, an improved rear camera, thinner design and longer battery life"
what about the battery or the other battery?
so Piper realises that there is no surprise to a product that has ben leaked. Stellar!!!
Next week: Piper predicts 10.8 will follow 10.7 (probably)
Time to switch to a better news site i think, like one that actually does News.
And what about a revamp Apple TV with an App Store for it?
I was thinking the same thing, especially in light of what Google recently announced. Even though the 160GB version's introduction was a huge leap in terms of storage, I still think that's rather small. I'd hope that the next Apple TV has 250-320GB of storage in it.
Here's hoping to a new Mac Pro, I need one asap as my dual 2.3 Power Supply Unit died on me. Possibly a dual 6-core. I'll either go with the new model, or get a discount on the current model.
"Two lost prototype iPhones, presumed to represent the fourth-generation handset that will be be announced by Steve Jobs at the Worldwide Developers Conference, have taken away the element of surprise for Apple, one prominent analyst believes."
Or has it?
We won't know until WWDC happens. In which case, the surprise is that there is no surprise
Gene Munster with Piper Jaffray said Wednesday that Apple has "little room for surprise" at WWDC,
Even assuming that hell has frozen offer and Munster is right for a change, so what? Did it really matter that people had a pretty good idea about the iPad before it was released?
Apple's success will depend on the quality of its products and services, NOT on how surprised WWDC attendees are. Sure, Apple prefers for things to be secret, but in the long run, they will be successful even if there's nothing new at WWDC.
Of course, I think it's likely that Munster is wrong and there will be something new at WWDC. Maybe a real shocker - like Apple making me the new CEO. Oops. I wasn't supposed to say that. Would the jury please ignore that comment.
I was thinking the same thing, especially in light of what Google recently announced. Even though the 160GB version's introduction was a huge leap in terms of storage, I still think that's rather small. I'd hope that the next Apple TV has 250-320GB of storage in it.
I get the feeling that we won't hear a peep from Apple about the ATV at WWDC. At this point, Apple either has to kill off the ATV, or go for complete reconstructive surgery. I think they will opt to make it really great to compete with the GoogleTV, but something liek this surely will get it's own press event, say in September/October? Just my feeling on the subject. I will however welcome the change whenever Apple decides to announce.
I was thinking the same thing, especially in light of what Google recently announced. Even though the 160GB version's introduction was a huge leap in terms of storage, I still think that's rather small. I'd hope that the next Apple TV has 250-320GB of storage in it.
Pardon what may be a dumb question here, but why stop at 250-320GB? Does the AppleTV use a 2.5" drive? Heck, you can get 1TB drives these days for about $100 at BestBuy. I don't really see any reason that a PVR should have less than a 500GB drive, especially with the growth of HD content and the fact that it consumes a great deal more storage. Personally, if I were to buy an AppleTV I would pay $50 more to get a 500GB unit as opposed to a 160 or 250GB unit.
And what about a revamp Apple TV with an App Store for it?
...and it would still be about as useless as it is now. App Store support? Who cares? It's a freakin' TV box. That's it's primary function. It should deliver content and make accessing content (particularly TV content) I want easier. Apple TV will only be useful if there are subscription deals. Otherwise, it'll remain a 'hobby' for Apple and a way for some to make voluntary contributions to Apple's profits.
What makes Google's TV platform so appealing is that it will power a regular TV box someday. It'll also come in all shapes and sizes. Just like Android phones today. I think people forget this. In a few years, I'll get a Scientific Atlanta PVR that "comes with Google" from my cable company. It'll enhance my TV watching experience with search, easier access to streaming, etc.
If only Apple would do that with Apple TV. It would take off if Apple added cable cards and DVR functionality and a proper interface. Adding App Store support won't really do much...well maybe gaming....but that's still a niche product. If it stays as a box to simply stream iTunes content, then hardly anyone is going to bother.
YESSSS it's own search engine, I think this is the thing Apple have no choice to go in. Google choose to attack Apple, so Apple will attack Google in it's core business, I'm sure Steve Jobs dream to have that for Apple
Meh. If they haven't made MobileMe free by now, I highly doubt that they'd offer their own search engine for free. And if it's not better than Google (and that's a high likelihood....it's tough to compete with Google on this front) who's going to use it? Even if a 100 million iDevice owners used Apple Search, that still would not compare to how many people use Google every day.
....and then there's issue of making money from such a venture. They can't spend billions on internet search and make no return. I am pretty sure the shareholders won't like that.
Apple announces that it's making MobileMe free and launching its own internet search engine.
Great shout.
I also wouldn't be surprised if we didn't get an early preview of 4.1, which will be dropping on iPhone + iPad this Autumn (Fall) unifying the OS that they are running.
iPhone 4 + OS 4 worldwide availability, Safari 5, a better, free Mobile Me.
Even assuming that hell has frozen offer and Munster is right for a change, so what? Did it really matter that people had a pretty good idea about the iPad before it was released?
Apple's success will depend on the quality of its products and services, NOT on how surprised WWDC attendees are. Sure, Apple prefers for things to be secret, but in the long run, they will be successful even if there's nothing new at WWDC.
Of course, I think it's likely that Munster is wrong and there will be something new at WWDC. Maybe a real shocker - like Apple making me the new CEO. Oops. I wasn't supposed to say that. Would the jury please ignore that comment.
Munster has been wrong too many times. His predictions seem to be just guesses as he has no way of knowing what surprises loom at the WWDC. I would be really surprised if APPLE did NOT have a surprise for everyone. And what better time to pull something off than when everyone is not expecting it.
I was thinking the same thing, especially in light of what Google recently announced. Even though the 160GB version's introduction was a huge leap in terms of storage, I still think that's rather small. I'd hope that the next Apple TV has 250-320GB of storage in it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jetz
...and it would still be about as useless as it is now. App Store support? Who cares? It's a freakin' TV box. That's it's primary function. It should deliver content and making access content I want easier. Apple TV will only be useful if there are subscription deals. Otherwise, it'll remain a 'hobby' for Apple and a way for some to make voluntary donations to Apple's profits.
What makes Google's TV platform so appealing is that it will power a regular TV box someday. That means it enhances my current TV watching experience. If only Apple would do that with Apple TV. It would take off if Apple added cable cards and DVR functionality and a proper interface. Adding App Store support won't really do much...well maybe gaming....but that's still a niche product.
A couple of you have mentioned DVR/PVR capabilities, and yes I would love to see this also. But I don't know if Apple really wants to go there. They are all about flushing away the old, and ushering in the new. Steve Jobs loves to be the person to prognosticate and sound the death knell of any given technology (floppy disks, CRTs). So, with that said, I don't think they will ever dive into delivering a DVR. I think they will focus on streaming. The problem to this point is that ATV can only stream iTunes content from your home computer to the TV. As soon as they embrace streaming from some or all of the great internet sources (netflix, hulu, boxee, amazon, etc.) and give users some flexibility, I think the AppleTV will explode in popularity. And this is what I look forward to. I want to be able to get rid of my antiquated TiVo for good and move into the future.
I get the feeling that we won't hear a peep from Apple about the ATV at WWDC. At this point, Apple either has to kill off the ATV, or go for complete reconstructive surgery. I think they will opt to make it really great to compete with the GoogleTV, but something liek this surely will get it's own press event, say in September/October?
To be honest, I don't see much point in Google TV. Sure, people watch Youtube and Hulu, but the problem is that Hulu would probably block Google TV from watching its shows, because that would make it too easy for people to drop cable.
So, watching stuff on the web and watching cable is something that's already been done and solved on your TV. Making it a centralized experience where you have to have Google spy on your TV watching habits and possibly offer adverts in the future doesn't sound too appealing to me. Besides, how hard is it to switch sources on your TV? Two clicks on the remote and you're there. Personally, I believe Apple TV is an extension of iTunes onto the TV. They're probably trying to replace cable with iTunes, but the networks won't allow them. Google on the other hand, doesn't really care to replace cable or not, they just want to make it so you have to search through their own service.
The problem is, why have Google TV if you could watch the same content already? Are you really willing to spend $300-500 for a device that makes you type in stuff to get to the content you want? I don't think Apple TV has to worry, Google TV will implode, as few people will buy something that seems rather built in search of a problem.
EDIT: Other people commented that Amazon and Netflix would be possible contenders as well for content. What's to stop the content providers from saying Netflix and Amazon can't stream to Google TV or Apple TV unless they have a deal? And such a deal would be unprecedented, because that would eat into cable subscriptions.
I also wouldn't be surprised if we didn't get an early preview of 4.1, which will be dropping on iPhone + iPad this Autumn (Fall) unifying the OS that they are running.
iPhone 4 + OS 4 worldwide availability, Safari 5, a better, free Mobile Me.
Plenty to look forward to!
While MobileMe isn't a high priority for me (I don't wan to pay to use it), I certainly would welcome with open arms free mobile me. I don't see it happening, but it would be great. I think at the very least all iPhone users should get this for free, if only for the free "find my phone feature".
Seriously, how does the purchase price of an iPhone not get you either free or greatly reduced rate for Mobile Me?
...and it would still be about as useless as it is now. App Store support? Who cares? It's a freakin' TV box. That's it's primary function. It should deliver content and make accessing content (particularly TV content) I want easier. Apple TV will only be useful if there are subscription deals. Otherwise, it'll remain a 'hobby' for Apple and a way for some to make voluntary contributions to Apple's profits.
I disagree. An app store for the Apple TV would (potentially) give me access to BBC iPlayer, 4OD and Sky Player without hacking my box. There's plenty of applications that would make sense for the Apple TV.
Either way, I don't care if WWDC is full of surprises or not. As long as I know that iPhone OS 4 is coming, I'll be happy.
Comments
We still don't know what Steve's planning for that big-arse data centre in North Carolina. Maybe something to do with Lala/streaming iTunes, maybe something even more 'magical'™
Other than that, I always get the feeling that Gene is related to Herman.
And what about a revamp Apple TV with an App Store for it?
I would love to see this, but really don't expect it.
The current Touch form factor is ideal for a phone but the Touch isn't a phone. One response to the iPad will be touch devices sporting larger screens than the current Touch. Hence, the logical move would be for Apple to make a larger screen on the Touch an upgrade to respond to the competition, such as it is. Being as memory on the devices is now rather decent, instead of doubling memory Aple can choose to provide a larger screen using the lower cost of memory to maintain margin. If that screen sports a similar resolution to the iPad, it will make it even better suited as an e-reader, etc., not to mention allowing it to run any iPad app.
Regardless, the Touch is now in an awkward place re Apple's product mix and as such a significant shift is bound to happen. The iPhone, on the other hand, is pretty much set in terms of form factor. It can't get any larger or significantly shrink without being worse as a result. For the forseeable future the iPhone is pretty much set, just as Apple has been selling 13", 15" and 17" laptops for years.
Or has it?
what about the battery or the other battery?
so Piper realises that there is no surprise to a product that has ben leaked. Stellar!!!
Next week: Piper predicts 10.8 will follow 10.7 (probably)
Time to switch to a better news site i think, like one that actually does News.
And what about a revamp Apple TV with an App Store for it?
I was thinking the same thing, especially in light of what Google recently announced. Even though the 160GB version's introduction was a huge leap in terms of storage, I still think that's rather small. I'd hope that the next Apple TV has 250-320GB of storage in it.
Cheers,
Phil
"Two lost prototype iPhones, presumed to represent the fourth-generation handset that will be be announced by Steve Jobs at the Worldwide Developers Conference, have taken away the element of surprise for Apple, one prominent analyst believes."
Or has it?
We won't know until WWDC happens. In which case, the surprise is that there is no surprise
Gene Munster with Piper Jaffray said Wednesday that Apple has "little room for surprise" at WWDC,
Even assuming that hell has frozen offer and Munster is right for a change, so what? Did it really matter that people had a pretty good idea about the iPad before it was released?
Apple's success will depend on the quality of its products and services, NOT on how surprised WWDC attendees are. Sure, Apple prefers for things to be secret, but in the long run, they will be successful even if there's nothing new at WWDC.
Of course, I think it's likely that Munster is wrong and there will be something new at WWDC. Maybe a real shocker - like Apple making me the new CEO. Oops. I wasn't supposed to say that. Would the jury please ignore that comment.
Apple announces that it's making MobileMe free and launching its own internet search engine.
This would make me so happy!!
I was thinking the same thing, especially in light of what Google recently announced. Even though the 160GB version's introduction was a huge leap in terms of storage, I still think that's rather small. I'd hope that the next Apple TV has 250-320GB of storage in it.
I get the feeling that we won't hear a peep from Apple about the ATV at WWDC. At this point, Apple either has to kill off the ATV, or go for complete reconstructive surgery. I think they will opt to make it really great to compete with the GoogleTV, but something liek this surely will get it's own press event, say in September/October? Just my feeling on the subject. I will however welcome the change whenever Apple decides to announce.
*fingers crossed*
I was thinking the same thing, especially in light of what Google recently announced. Even though the 160GB version's introduction was a huge leap in terms of storage, I still think that's rather small. I'd hope that the next Apple TV has 250-320GB of storage in it.
Pardon what may be a dumb question here, but why stop at 250-320GB? Does the AppleTV use a 2.5" drive? Heck, you can get 1TB drives these days for about $100 at BestBuy. I don't really see any reason that a PVR should have less than a 500GB drive, especially with the growth of HD content and the fact that it consumes a great deal more storage. Personally, if I were to buy an AppleTV I would pay $50 more to get a 500GB unit as opposed to a 160 or 250GB unit.
And what about a revamp Apple TV with an App Store for it?
...and it would still be about as useless as it is now. App Store support? Who cares? It's a freakin' TV box. That's it's primary function. It should deliver content and make accessing content (particularly TV content) I want easier. Apple TV will only be useful if there are subscription deals. Otherwise, it'll remain a 'hobby' for Apple and a way for some to make voluntary contributions to Apple's profits.
What makes Google's TV platform so appealing is that it will power a regular TV box someday. It'll also come in all shapes and sizes. Just like Android phones today. I think people forget this. In a few years, I'll get a Scientific Atlanta PVR that "comes with Google" from my cable company. It'll enhance my TV watching experience with search, easier access to streaming, etc.
If only Apple would do that with Apple TV. It would take off if Apple added cable cards and DVR functionality and a proper interface. Adding App Store support won't really do much...well maybe gaming....but that's still a niche product. If it stays as a box to simply stream iTunes content, then hardly anyone is going to bother.
YESSSS it's own search engine, I think this is the thing Apple have no choice to go in. Google choose to attack Apple, so Apple will attack Google in it's core business, I'm sure Steve Jobs dream to have that for Apple
Meh. If they haven't made MobileMe free by now, I highly doubt that they'd offer their own search engine for free. And if it's not better than Google (and that's a high likelihood....it's tough to compete with Google on this front) who's going to use it? Even if a 100 million iDevice owners used Apple Search, that still would not compare to how many people use Google every day.
....and then there's issue of making money from such a venture. They can't spend billions on internet search and make no return. I am pretty sure the shareholders won't like that.
Apple announces that it's making MobileMe free and launching its own internet search engine.
Great shout.
I also wouldn't be surprised if we didn't get an early preview of 4.1, which will be dropping on iPhone + iPad this Autumn (Fall) unifying the OS that they are running.
iPhone 4 + OS 4 worldwide availability, Safari 5, a better, free Mobile Me.
Plenty to look forward to!
Even assuming that hell has frozen offer and Munster is right for a change, so what? Did it really matter that people had a pretty good idea about the iPad before it was released?
Apple's success will depend on the quality of its products and services, NOT on how surprised WWDC attendees are. Sure, Apple prefers for things to be secret, but in the long run, they will be successful even if there's nothing new at WWDC.
Of course, I think it's likely that Munster is wrong and there will be something new at WWDC. Maybe a real shocker - like Apple making me the new CEO. Oops. I wasn't supposed to say that. Would the jury please ignore that comment.
Munster has been wrong too many times. His predictions seem to be just guesses as he has no way of knowing what surprises loom at the WWDC. I would be really surprised if APPLE did NOT have a surprise for everyone. And what better time to pull something off than when everyone is not expecting it.
I was thinking the same thing, especially in light of what Google recently announced. Even though the 160GB version's introduction was a huge leap in terms of storage, I still think that's rather small. I'd hope that the next Apple TV has 250-320GB of storage in it.
...and it would still be about as useless as it is now. App Store support? Who cares? It's a freakin' TV box. That's it's primary function. It should deliver content and making access content I want easier. Apple TV will only be useful if there are subscription deals. Otherwise, it'll remain a 'hobby' for Apple and a way for some to make voluntary donations to Apple's profits.
What makes Google's TV platform so appealing is that it will power a regular TV box someday. That means it enhances my current TV watching experience. If only Apple would do that with Apple TV. It would take off if Apple added cable cards and DVR functionality and a proper interface. Adding App Store support won't really do much...well maybe gaming....but that's still a niche product.
A couple of you have mentioned DVR/PVR capabilities, and yes I would love to see this also. But I don't know if Apple really wants to go there. They are all about flushing away the old, and ushering in the new. Steve Jobs loves to be the person to prognosticate and sound the death knell of any given technology (floppy disks, CRTs). So, with that said, I don't think they will ever dive into delivering a DVR. I think they will focus on streaming. The problem to this point is that ATV can only stream iTunes content from your home computer to the TV. As soon as they embrace streaming from some or all of the great internet sources (netflix, hulu, boxee, amazon, etc.) and give users some flexibility, I think the AppleTV will explode in popularity. And this is what I look forward to. I want to be able to get rid of my antiquated TiVo for good and move into the future.
Help us Steve! You can do it!
I get the feeling that we won't hear a peep from Apple about the ATV at WWDC. At this point, Apple either has to kill off the ATV, or go for complete reconstructive surgery. I think they will opt to make it really great to compete with the GoogleTV, but something liek this surely will get it's own press event, say in September/October?
To be honest, I don't see much point in Google TV. Sure, people watch Youtube and Hulu, but the problem is that Hulu would probably block Google TV from watching its shows, because that would make it too easy for people to drop cable.
So, watching stuff on the web and watching cable is something that's already been done and solved on your TV. Making it a centralized experience where you have to have Google spy on your TV watching habits and possibly offer adverts in the future doesn't sound too appealing to me. Besides, how hard is it to switch sources on your TV? Two clicks on the remote and you're there. Personally, I believe Apple TV is an extension of iTunes onto the TV. They're probably trying to replace cable with iTunes, but the networks won't allow them. Google on the other hand, doesn't really care to replace cable or not, they just want to make it so you have to search through their own service.
The problem is, why have Google TV if you could watch the same content already? Are you really willing to spend $300-500 for a device that makes you type in stuff to get to the content you want? I don't think Apple TV has to worry, Google TV will implode, as few people will buy something that seems rather built in search of a problem.
EDIT: Other people commented that Amazon and Netflix would be possible contenders as well for content. What's to stop the content providers from saying Netflix and Amazon can't stream to Google TV or Apple TV unless they have a deal? And such a deal would be unprecedented, because that would eat into cable subscriptions.
Great shout.
I also wouldn't be surprised if we didn't get an early preview of 4.1, which will be dropping on iPhone + iPad this Autumn (Fall) unifying the OS that they are running.
iPhone 4 + OS 4 worldwide availability, Safari 5, a better, free Mobile Me.
Plenty to look forward to!
While MobileMe isn't a high priority for me (I don't wan to pay to use it), I certainly would welcome with open arms free mobile me. I don't see it happening, but it would be great. I think at the very least all iPhone users should get this for free, if only for the free "find my phone feature".
Seriously, how does the purchase price of an iPhone not get you either free or greatly reduced rate for Mobile Me?
...and it would still be about as useless as it is now. App Store support? Who cares? It's a freakin' TV box. That's it's primary function. It should deliver content and make accessing content (particularly TV content) I want easier. Apple TV will only be useful if there are subscription deals. Otherwise, it'll remain a 'hobby' for Apple and a way for some to make voluntary contributions to Apple's profits.
I disagree. An app store for the Apple TV would (potentially) give me access to BBC iPlayer, 4OD and Sky Player without hacking my box. There's plenty of applications that would make sense for the Apple TV.
Either way, I don't care if WWDC is full of surprises or not. As long as I know that iPhone OS 4 is coming, I'll be happy.