What Digital Lifestyle Device Will Apple Announce At Macworld?
I have been reading all of the Mac rumor sites and message boards, and I am surprised that there is almost no speculation on what Apple's next digital lifestyle device is going to be. MacOSRumors said in yesterday's update, "?we expect that [the 20gig iPod] will only be a sideline to a much more significant Digital Lifestyle device announcement." That sentiment seems to be reflected elsewhere in the community, however, no one seems to be discussing what the device will be.
Comments
<strong>I have been reading all of the Mac rumor sites and message boards, and I am surprised that there is almost no speculation on what Apple's next digital lifestyle device is going to be. MacOSRumors said in yesterday's update, "?we expect that [the 20gig iPod] will only be a sideline to a much more significant Digital Lifestyle device announcement." That sentiment seems to be reflected elsewhere in the community, however, no one seems to be discussing what the device will be.</strong><hr></blockquote>
Mmm....replaytv-esque device with firewire and airport that allows transmittal of mp4s to your computer! Yeah, right.
I just hope I can afford what apple will make because they make some really nice stuff not necessarily tailored to my budget (still paying off that iBook).
DV device... *crossing fingers*... DV device... *casting spell*... DV device... *poking a voodoo-dell(
A DV cam would be nice also. Maybe Allenmccjones will be real and Ludida is true.
[ 07-14-2002: Message edited by: MacsRGood4U ]</p>
It just seems logical. The iPod ties in nicely with iTunes (and perhaps with some further software updates, could with some other apps in the way that recent update made it able to display contacts).
Apple's two other popular iApps are iPhoto and iMovie (I know they have iDVD, but that's not on every Mac like the other three are...plus, iDVD isn't screaming for a hardware counterpart like the others might).
So a device that is to iPhoto and/or iMovie what the iPod is to iTunes just seems to make sense to me, on a simple, natural level.
However, I imagine the mechanics and logistics of cameras are quite an undertaking (more so than a hard drive-based mp3 player), so I don't know if Apple would - or even could - undertake that. Perhaps a partnership with someone?
Personally, however, I would LOVE to see a nice Apple-designed digital camera/camcorder (you KNOW it would look awesome and be very stylish and compact). Plus, it would integrate in so tightly with the OS and the iApps that it would be a pleasure to use. Probably be another one of those "don't have to read the manual" offerings from Apple.
I've been wanting a digital camera for a while now (a camcorder would be great too, but I'd get a still camera first if I had to make a choice), and if Apple did it and it had FireWire, a great look, easy-as-pie to use, etc. I'd love to buy one.
it would stream low bandwidth mpeg4 video through iChat to enable high quality video chat even over a 56k modem.
for those that think that a digital still cam or digital video cam are too much for apple to undertake, this would be a much simpler product. and if done right, it could essentially launch the never-quite-caught-on world of consumer video conferencing.
even cooler, (but MUCH LESS likely) would be a handheld video conferencing unit. airport card to connect to your broadband internet connection. integrated web cam and moderate sized lcd display. you could call any '.mac' user with a similar 'iSee' hardware. hold it at a comforable reading distance so that you can see the video of your friend, and they can see you well. next step in home phones.
could potentially do the same thing with cellphone technology instead of 802.11, but the infrastructre isn't really in place to make it work well (at least not in the US).
even they make one I think most ppl won't even think about buying one, anyway webcam is not that that big of a deal, it's a thing that's non-functional without a computer, so I wouldn't call it a DEVICE, it's more like a peripherial.
[ 07-14-2002: Message edited by: ihxo ]</p>
i think an apple PDA (or something like that) will finally be announced.
What I am hoping for is a Blue tooth enabled washing machine that has some kind of mechanism for keeping track of socks!!!!!! I have lost so many socks rescently.
Actually I think apple has something really cool instore. I am excited.
Well, I'm opposed to this device-strategy, but I can tell you this much, I have it on good authority that Steve is going to bring some help on stage to do a special iDevice presentation.
Schiller and Steve will get some on-stage banter going about universal connections etc etc... How you can do all these great things, but you can't do them wirelessly/convenienty/portably. Steve will move to the podium to start, wouldn't it be great if we could take some of these files...
Just then Schiller reaches back behind Jobs and pulls out this device.
Steve looks instantly relieved to present it to the world. It kinda explains his whole demeanor, and at first the audience seems somewhat unsure, like a bad smell hangs in the air. But once Steve announces the price, then they get it 100%. Those that go out and buy it, will have the same looks on their faces that Steve had untill Schiller pulled it out!
If that's what you've been waiting for, you're gonna love <a href="http://www.briarskin.com/humor/ibrator/"; target="_blank">it!</a>
[ 07-15-2002: Message edited by: Matsu ]</p>
DV cameras and digital still cameras are still largely a pro-sumer item (at least in the price-ranges Apple always plays in), where people are pretty concerned with the reputation of the manufacturer in terms of optics, image quality, workmanship, etc. The analogy with the iPod I think is a bit flawed, in that as someone mentioned, it was a new market with really no established leaders. MP3 player technology seemed outdated until the iPod (eg. 64MB of memory seemed silly when 512MB DIMMS were dirt cheap). I think that Apple would have a very tough time making money on a digital still or video camera all on its own. I would say the the MiniDV market is too small and "pro" for Apple to compete in.
As a result, I think Apple should partner with an established manufacturer for a digital still camera. As an example, they partner with Olympus to jointly develop a new model, but largely based on an existing one.
- Take a good mid-range camera like the new C-700 UltraZoom (or the new C-720), but replaced USB with Firewire and refine the interface a bit in terms of button placement, etc. (which btw is already pretty nice) Apple would be a huge help here, no doubt.
- Olympus cameras already can capture video (with sound) directly to Quicktime format. Update this so that it captures directly to MPEG4/QT6. Now, these cameras will also capture in real-time, so there is no limit on the length of video other than the available storage space (and the video quality setting).
- Now, with Firewire connectivity, one doesn't even need a computer for data transfer, so the camera could be updated so that it would sense if it was connected to a computer or iPod (or other FW HDD), and could then write directly out to the connected machine/device. In this way, the camera could be used to capture long stretches of video or loads of stills. It could also be used as a webcam device through software when connected to a computer with FW.
- The camera, however, would still have a SmartMedia slot, so that it could be used standalone, and wouldn't require a user to have an iPod or another device and people with loads of SM cards could still use them. Integrating an internal HD into a camera will necessarily make the camera bigger than competitors with similar feature sets. This way, people can have the functionality if wanted, but aren't stuck with it if they don't. The existence of a SM card slot would also make the camera perfectly useable by Windows users (with or without a Firewire port), which would likely be required for a camera manufacturer to deam it worthwhile. The product wouldn't be limited to the Mac market, yet the user experience and integration would be that much better on a Mac. Essentially, what the iPod gives people for MP3s.
This scenario gives users the benefits of Apple products in terms of interface and hardware/software integration, yet leaves the key hardware technology in the hands of a trusted name with lots of experience in the market. Because Apple hardware and devices are always positioned in the upper-mid to high end of the price range, they will be targetting people who won't be too likely to buy from someone just entering the market, when there are other trusted names like Canon, Sony, Olympus, etc. already there. But this type of partnership would cover all the bases.
As long as the batteries hold out, "You've got Male".
What is the greatest hurdle in digital photography? It's not taking the picture. There's an abundance of digital cameras out there, ranging from inexpensive point-and-shoots to models so expensive and elaborate that professional photographers' knees tremble that the sight of them, along with everything else in between. There are a lot of good companies who know about cameras who have stepped into the digital photography arena, and I'm inclined to believe that Apple will let them battle it out. Design isn't really an issue, since there are some models already out there that are astoundingly easy to use. (Fifty years from now, when your grandchildren are looking at the pictures you took, they'll be more concerned with the quality of the images than whether or not the camera that took them "looked cool.") Besides, I'm about as likely to buy a camera from Apple as I am to buy a computer from Canon. Both are good at what they do, but that doesn't mean that either one would be any good at what the other does.
But assuming that Apple does want to add a device to its digital hub, and assuming the iApp it wants to build upon is iPhoto, what part of the digital photography experience is lacking? Using the iPod as a clue, I'd guess that it isn't in making it easier to put things into iPhoto, since that's pretty easy already, but in sharing what you've already got in there. Digital cameras allow you to take a quantity of pictures like never before, and iPhoto makes it easy to organize them, but how can you let others see them without dragging your Mac around with you? (Fine if you have an iBook, not so easy if you have an iMac.) Print them out, post them to the web, turn them into Quicktime movies, have them printed and bound as books; yes, yes, all true and good. But what if you don't want to drag grandma into the home office during Junior's birthday party to play your slide show? (Or what if she doesn't want to go?)
What if there was some sort of a device that could store hundreds, maybe thousands of photographs in one place and allow people to sit on the couch or in a comfortable chair and flip through them at their leisure? What if that same device could be hooked up to a TV via the set's A/V jacks, allowing for an easy-to-run slide show? Or how about designing it so that, running a version of image capture, users can download their digital cameras into it, freeing up memory cards in the cameras while allowing for more detailed views of the pictures just taken than most camera's built-in LCD monitors will allow? Then what if the same device could synchronize with iPhoto on one's Mac and download those photos onto the hard drive -- perhaps via Firewire?
THIS is what's missing. This is what would kick digital photography to the next level. I don't need another camera on the market to choose from, I already have enough. What I need is a way to put all of the photographs I've already taken into an easily transportable device that would let me share them with other people. And that said, I still don't think we're going to see it, but it's a lot more likely than Apple turning into an also-ran in the digital camera wars.
I'll buy one... or two, or three.
D
<strong>I have been reading all of the Mac rumor sites and message boards, and I am surprised that there is almost no speculation on what Apple's next digital lifestyle device is going to be. MacOSRumors said in yesterday's update, "?we expect that [the 20gig iPod] will only be a sideline to a much more significant Digital Lifestyle device announcement." That sentiment seems to be reflected elsewhere in the community, however, no one seems to be discussing what the device will be.</strong><hr></blockquote>
I want to forgive your "Newbie" status, but where have you been reading? There's been at least 2 "next digital hub device" threads here at AI for months.
PDA or camera. That's my wish.
Either that, or it's a Talking Robot Dog.
iRover
<strong>I think we can pretty much be guaranteed that this new iDevice will be based around Quicktime and MP4.
Either that, or it's a Talking Robot Dog.
iRover</strong><hr></blockquote>
It certainly wouldn't be cutting edge.
The Sony AIBO is already a wireless, email reading dog. Mine is the Silver one, I call her Kaye-Twelve.
Does either satellite radio company have electronics small enough to fit into an iPod?