Concept Hardware: iPod/Internet Phone
Now that Google Talk is out and using standards, it's not completely crazy to think that audio and video between the Google Talk client and iChat will follow. Google has already pledged support for open standards. SIP is coming for audio (which should mean that iChat users will be able to initiate voice chat with Google Talk users). SIP will undoubtedly be used for video, if/when it does come.
What does this mean? It means a large name like Google has a chance to overthrow proprietary protocols. If Google manages to get a lot of people to use their client (open protocol for text, voice and video), Internet-telephony could finally become a reality.
iChat is more or less ready for this. It's got Jabber support. It does audio, it does video...and it doesn't have all the superfluous junk other IM clients have got.
This is where the concept hardware comes in.
iPods have screens. All iPods (except Shuffle of course) will eventually have color screens. Apple is siding with Intel for bigger, badder, (and extremely low-wattage) chips...chips that could encode and decode H.264 fairly fast producing very little heat in the process.
I think it's time the iPod becomes an internet phone. Just like iTunes found its way into iPods, iChat should find its way into the iPod.
With an easy to use interface, the iPod would show a screen similar to the iChat Buddy List window. It would use the Jabber and OSCAR protocols (like iChat) to detect who's online. Voice and video at this point is a no-brainer. But what about the people that don't have mics or webcams? If Apple moved Inkwell's tech into the iPods, you'd be able to chat textually also.
The only remaining problem is fast wireless communication between the iPod and the computer or a wireless router.
The tech is probably not entirely ready and widespread wireless networking isn't there yet but this could easily become a reality in the next 5 years.
The whole thing could very well flop if nobody cares for open standards or Google's IM client (the masses have no clue what or why protocols exist and which ones are proprietary or non.) But Google is the company that could make all this happen if they entice people to use their open standards client. If they don't, then Apple would have to use OSCAR to make all of this happen...I'm pretty sure 40-50% of the IM marketshare belongs to ICQ/AIM.
What does this mean? It means a large name like Google has a chance to overthrow proprietary protocols. If Google manages to get a lot of people to use their client (open protocol for text, voice and video), Internet-telephony could finally become a reality.
iChat is more or less ready for this. It's got Jabber support. It does audio, it does video...and it doesn't have all the superfluous junk other IM clients have got.
This is where the concept hardware comes in.
iPods have screens. All iPods (except Shuffle of course) will eventually have color screens. Apple is siding with Intel for bigger, badder, (and extremely low-wattage) chips...chips that could encode and decode H.264 fairly fast producing very little heat in the process.
I think it's time the iPod becomes an internet phone. Just like iTunes found its way into iPods, iChat should find its way into the iPod.
With an easy to use interface, the iPod would show a screen similar to the iChat Buddy List window. It would use the Jabber and OSCAR protocols (like iChat) to detect who's online. Voice and video at this point is a no-brainer. But what about the people that don't have mics or webcams? If Apple moved Inkwell's tech into the iPods, you'd be able to chat textually also.
The only remaining problem is fast wireless communication between the iPod and the computer or a wireless router.
The tech is probably not entirely ready and widespread wireless networking isn't there yet but this could easily become a reality in the next 5 years.
The whole thing could very well flop if nobody cares for open standards or Google's IM client (the masses have no clue what or why protocols exist and which ones are proprietary or non.) But Google is the company that could make all this happen if they entice people to use their open standards client. If they don't, then Apple would have to use OSCAR to make all of this happen...I'm pretty sure 40-50% of the IM marketshare belongs to ICQ/AIM.
Comments
It's stupid. Audio chats via the already open (and very popular) AIM network are better, not to mention support video.