I just know that if I were Apple, I'd be doing everything I could to expand my market and really get out of the computer hardware business. iPod is the first step. iTMS is the second. Moving the OS to Intel (with its groovy new DRM built in) is the third.
I know that if I were a movie house, I'd be doing everything I could to cut physical media out of the content distribution model.
I had an idea a little while back for a touch sensitive iPod concept(I called it zPod for a concept) It would have an interface which could be rotated on screen to accomodate portrait or landscape mode either right handed or left handed. Also, I remembered reading about those variable chromatic LEDs awhile back and incorporated them into a semi translucent shell so you could change the color of your iPod in software or even crazier have it change to the beat like the old disco dance floors in the 70's Anyway if there was a video iPod(and I'm not sold on the idea) something like this could be an evolution of the iPod line. Anyway just a design exercise and I thought a potential option.
[B]I think you're proving onlooker's point without realizing it. Music is small compared to video (especially HD video) -- very small. And Apple alone is pushing out huge volumes. Music is roughly 1.5 MB/min, compared to 30+ MB/min for DVD-quality. HD quality is going to be something like 120 MB/min or more. If Apple introduced this and were successful (why would they bother if they weren't successful?) then their bandwidth demands would increase by a factor 20-80. Bandwidth ain't that cheap, and the existing infrastructure would need serious upgrading.
I doubt we'll see HD for most content and 120MB/min is a bit high for H.264. DVD quality H.264 runs about 10-12MB/min. HD would be 4x that much for 720p, but there's not much hardware out there that can drive that so I don't think we'll see it. Apple's 720p H.264 runs around 40-50MB/min.
Bandwidth is less than $1 per GB. That makes bandwidth a notable part of a 200MB download (46 minute program SD), but nothing that an extra dollar per download doesn't easily cover.
And I don't expect that a video store would carry anywhere near the number of purchases that iTMS does now. Apple's selling 1.5 million songs per day. I'm thinking of video purchases in the tens of thousands per day to start. Yeah, if Apple started to see 1.5M shows per day, there'd need to be upgrades, but I don't expect we'd see that.
I'll vote no on the video enabled iPod. I think Apple would first get video downloads working through iTMS to our computers. When that was working (server issues, licensing issues, etc.) then they would introduce a portable video device. What a headache if they sold the handhelds but there were problems with the studios or with the servers. Apple likes things to work well. If they do come out with a video enabled iPod there will not be a video download service.
Ah, we live in interesting times. I've decried the lack of a video spoke in Apple's "digital hub" for nearly as long as I've pushed for Apple to use OS X's ability to use multiple processors to win the "MHz war"
It now seems that we are on the cusp of seeing both.
As to the first, if the "One more thing ..." turns out to be a true digital hub that finally adds video content to the platform. I'd like to see it turn out like this:
As a complimentary bump, an Airport AV that provides both wired and wireless connectivity to our computers and entertainment centers. Only as complex as it needs to be to transport video and audio.
The main event being a media processor box (Asteroid?) that does the heavy lifting of decoding MPEG and streaming the content to your computer (be it Mac or PC) or to your living room via Airport AV.
Ideally, equipped with a TV tuner and a cable card slot to interface with your cable or satellite provider. It could sit unobtrusively (but elegantly) in your living room and feed content to your display of choice. A 30" Apple Cinema would look nice there, but your plain old TV would work too. A big ass SATA hard drive for PVR functionality and full connectivity from gigabit ethernet and firewire to S-video and HDMI output with analog connectors thrown in.
The device needs a remote and I would expect that Apple will incorporate their click wheel technology into a very iPod nano looking controller for their media center/digital hub box. It will most likely have IR capability to also act as a universal remote for your TV and audio equipment.
Which brings me to the iPod. I don't think the next generation iPod will change much on the outside, Video playback will be implemented, but in the same way that photo capability was added. You will be able to display stored videos on the small screen, but connectivity to your TV will be provided for a more satisfying viewing experience.
As to how all this is rolled out I'd like to see a Tuesday bump to the Powermac and Powerbook, with the high end gaining a dual 970MP for a quad box and a G4+ for the Powerbook with a HD capable resolution bump. (this is the year of HD right?).
Following that product bump with another out of the ballpark conference call at 5:00 PM, then Wednesday's unveiling of the Apple Media Hub.
Of course a media hub will need content, so it's unveiling will also bring video content to the iTMS as part of the business plan.
I believe this is where Apple is heading, and would like to see it all unfold next week. It's time now to make this move and the optimist in me says that they will.
OK, a tech question, just asking if its possible. Looking at iksnoo's image and comments on the colour changing casing, would it be possible to have a colour touch sensitive display under the iPod casing? I know the Sony E500 series cigarette lighter MP3 player, and new A3000 series MP3 players have the white text screen (OLED?) under the casing -
But would it be a big jump to make something like that colour and touch sensitive?
This IS what we're discussing Apple do, though they're mostly rentals and not purchases. The studios started these two sites. They haven't really caught on, but they prove that:
I think something a lot of people are overlooking is that fact that whatever Apple has coming out, it has got to be big.
Why?
1. The nano event was about a month ago and, for what I can surmise, the nano is really aimed at being Apple's flagship model for the holiday season.
2. MWSF is what, three months away? I predict that MWSF is going to see no major updates to anything but instead focus a lot on the Intel switch, including perhaps a firm date of the first models and maybe specs. Also, we are almost guarenteed to see Leopard for the first time.
3. Timing. Whatever they have coming out has to be aimed at being a holliday cash cow. I'm not talking about the Mac updates as they are not overly significant and seem to be almost a given at this point. I'm thinking something like a sub $1000 set-top box akin to the mini. In this scenario, something like Airport A/V would be very attractive: low cost [~$250], usefullness, desirability [standard Apple fair...]. However, with the Intel switch coming, I have a hard time seeing them introduce a new computer line running PPC. So that probably negates the chance of a set-top box.
But really we won't know until Wednesday [which can't come soon enough]. In my opinion, if it is just pro-line updates with new tech [DDR2, faster HD's, better GPU's, etc.] to bridge the gap to intel along with fifth gen. iPods that, in terms of functionality, stay relatively the same, the event will not interest me that much. That being said, I don't think Apple is a dumb company. They recongnize this too and I'm certain whatever coming has to be worthy of a late-year presentation such as this.
I think something a lot of people are overlooking is that fact that whatever Apple has coming out, it has got to be big.
Why?
1. The nano event was about a month ago and, for what I can surmise, the nano is really aimed at being Apple's flagship model for the holiday season.
2. MWSF is what, three months away? I predict that MWSF is going to see no major updates to anything but instead focus a lot on the Intel switch, including perhaps a firm date of the first models and maybe specs. Also, we are almost guarenteed to see Leopard for the first time.
3. Timing. Whatever they have coming out has to be aimed at being a holliday cash cow. I'm not talking about the Mac updates as they are not overly significant and seem to be almost a given at this point. I'm thinking something like a sub $1000 set-top box akin to the mini. In this scenario, something like Airport A/V would be very attractive: low cost [~$250], usefullness, desirability [standard Apple fair...]. However, with the Intel switch coming, I have a hard time seeing them introduce a new computer line running PPC. So that probably negates the chance of a set-top box.
But really we won't know until Wednesday [which can't come soon enough]. In my opinion, if it is just pro-line updates with new tech [DDR2, faster HD's, better GPU's, etc.] to bridge the gap to intel along with fifth gen. iPods that, in terms of functionality, stay relatively the same, the event will not interest me that much. That being said, I don't think Apple is a dumb company. They recongnize this too and I'm certain whatever coming has to be worthy of a late-year presentation such as this.
As for your poem...you seem to employ free verse, which is really just cheating. I'd like to see you work on something a little more conventional in future efforts?even just standard iambic pentameter or heroic couplets...nothing fancy?so that you can really get a feel for the constraints you're breaking away from when you employ free verse like that. Additionally, your use of enjambment and sprung rhythm, while certainly laudable effort(s), really detract from the central theme of the poem. Finally, try to work on your line breaks. Sometimes, in this example, the breaks occur in odd places and are a bit jarring. If this is part of your philosophical argument in the poem, I suggest you try to find a way to make that clearer to the reader.
As for your poem...you seem to employ free verse, which is really just cheating. I'd like to see you work on something a little more conventional in future efforts?even just standard iambic pentameter or heroic couplets...nothing fancy?so that you can really get a feel for the constraints you're breaking away from when you employ free verse like that. Additionally, your use of enjambment and sprung rhythm, while certainly laudable effort(s), really detract from the central theme of the poem. Finally, try to work on your line breaks. Sometimes, in this example, the breaks occur in odd places and are a bit jarring. If this is part of your philosophical argument in the poem, I suggest you try to find a way to make that clearer to the reader.
Comments
I know that if I were a movie house, I'd be doing everything I could to cut physical media out of the content distribution model.
i mean honestly how long will we be lugging things around? the ipod concept should be taken to new heights.
Cheers,
Gary
Originally posted by Programmer
[B]I think you're proving onlooker's point without realizing it. Music is small compared to video (especially HD video) -- very small. And Apple alone is pushing out huge volumes. Music is roughly 1.5 MB/min, compared to 30+ MB/min for DVD-quality. HD quality is going to be something like 120 MB/min or more. If Apple introduced this and were successful (why would they bother if they weren't successful?) then their bandwidth demands would increase by a factor 20-80. Bandwidth ain't that cheap, and the existing infrastructure would need serious upgrading.
I doubt we'll see HD for most content and 120MB/min is a bit high for H.264. DVD quality H.264 runs about 10-12MB/min. HD would be 4x that much for 720p, but there's not much hardware out there that can drive that so I don't think we'll see it. Apple's 720p H.264 runs around 40-50MB/min.
Bandwidth is less than $1 per GB. That makes bandwidth a notable part of a 200MB download (46 minute program SD), but nothing that an extra dollar per download doesn't easily cover.
And I don't expect that a video store would carry anywhere near the number of purchases that iTMS does now. Apple's selling 1.5 million songs per day. I'm thinking of video purchases in the tens of thousands per day to start. Yeah, if Apple started to see 1.5M shows per day, there'd need to be upgrades, but I don't expect we'd see that.
It now seems that we are on the cusp of seeing both.
As to the first, if the "One more thing ..." turns out to be a true digital hub that finally adds video content to the platform. I'd like to see it turn out like this:
As a complimentary bump, an Airport AV that provides both wired and wireless connectivity to our computers and entertainment centers. Only as complex as it needs to be to transport video and audio.
The main event being a media processor box (Asteroid?) that does the heavy lifting of decoding MPEG and streaming the content to your computer (be it Mac or PC) or to your living room via Airport AV.
Ideally, equipped with a TV tuner and a cable card slot to interface with your cable or satellite provider. It could sit unobtrusively (but elegantly) in your living room and feed content to your display of choice. A 30" Apple Cinema would look nice there, but your plain old TV would work too. A big ass SATA hard drive for PVR functionality and full connectivity from gigabit ethernet and firewire to S-video and HDMI output with analog connectors thrown in.
The device needs a remote and I would expect that Apple will incorporate their click wheel technology into a very iPod nano looking controller for their media center/digital hub box. It will most likely have IR capability to also act as a universal remote for your TV and audio equipment.
Which brings me to the iPod. I don't think the next generation iPod will change much on the outside, Video playback will be implemented, but in the same way that photo capability was added. You will be able to display stored videos on the small screen, but connectivity to your TV will be provided for a more satisfying viewing experience.
As to how all this is rolled out I'd like to see a Tuesday bump to the Powermac and Powerbook, with the high end gaining a dual 970MP for a quad box and a G4+ for the Powerbook with a HD capable resolution bump. (this is the year of HD right?).
Following that product bump with another out of the ballpark conference call at 5:00 PM, then Wednesday's unveiling of the Apple Media Hub.
Of course a media hub will need content, so it's unveiling will also bring video content to the iTMS as part of the business plan.
I believe this is where Apple is heading, and would like to see it all unfold next week. It's time now to make this move and the optimist in me says that they will.
But would it be a big jump to make something like that colour and touch sensitive?
Originally posted by johnsonwax
Ok. You aren't listening. The two services I pointed to are legitimate. They aren't torrent sites.
CinemaNow:
http://www.cinemanow.com/AboutUs-Background.aspx
MovieLink:
http://news.com.com/2100-1023-965194.html
This IS what we're discussing Apple do, though they're mostly rentals and not purchases. The studios started these two sites. They haven't really caught on, but they prove that:
1) It's possible
2) The studios will buy into such a service
Limewire is the best. And it's free and legal.
Why?
1. The nano event was about a month ago and, for what I can surmise, the nano is really aimed at being Apple's flagship model for the holiday season.
2. MWSF is what, three months away? I predict that MWSF is going to see no major updates to anything but instead focus a lot on the Intel switch, including perhaps a firm date of the first models and maybe specs. Also, we are almost guarenteed to see Leopard for the first time.
3. Timing. Whatever they have coming out has to be aimed at being a holliday cash cow. I'm not talking about the Mac updates as they are not overly significant and seem to be almost a given at this point. I'm thinking something like a sub $1000 set-top box akin to the mini. In this scenario, something like Airport A/V would be very attractive: low cost [~$250], usefullness, desirability [standard Apple fair...]. However, with the Intel switch coming, I have a hard time seeing them introduce a new computer line running PPC. So that probably negates the chance of a set-top box.
But really we won't know until Wednesday [which can't come soon enough]. In my opinion, if it is just pro-line updates with new tech [DDR2, faster HD's, better GPU's, etc.] to bridge the gap to intel along with fifth gen. iPods that, in terms of functionality, stay relatively the same, the event will not interest me that much. That being said, I don't think Apple is a dumb company. They recongnize this too and I'm certain whatever coming has to be worthy of a late-year presentation such as this.
Just my 2 cents.
Originally posted by ryanh
I think something a lot of people are overlooking is that fact that whatever Apple has coming out, it has got to be big.
Why?
1. The nano event was about a month ago and, for what I can surmise, the nano is really aimed at being Apple's flagship model for the holiday season.
2. MWSF is what, three months away? I predict that MWSF is going to see no major updates to anything but instead focus a lot on the Intel switch, including perhaps a firm date of the first models and maybe specs. Also, we are almost guarenteed to see Leopard for the first time.
3. Timing. Whatever they have coming out has to be aimed at being a holliday cash cow. I'm not talking about the Mac updates as they are not overly significant and seem to be almost a given at this point. I'm thinking something like a sub $1000 set-top box akin to the mini. In this scenario, something like Airport A/V would be very attractive: low cost [~$250], usefullness, desirability [standard Apple fair...]. However, with the Intel switch coming, I have a hard time seeing them introduce a new computer line running PPC. So that probably negates the chance of a set-top box.
But really we won't know until Wednesday [which can't come soon enough]. In my opinion, if it is just pro-line updates with new tech [DDR2, faster HD's, better GPU's, etc.] to bridge the gap to intel along with fifth gen. iPods that, in terms of functionality, stay relatively the same, the event will not interest me that much. That being said, I don't think Apple is a dumb company. They recongnize this too and I'm certain whatever coming has to be worthy of a late-year presentation such as this.
Just my 2 cents.
*already* serves as both the set top box and the airport AV express.
it has the storage, the digital TV outputs, the QT decoders, the wireless.
all it needs is a bluetooth-enabled ipod to control it.
the standard complaint is it can't do 720p HD yet.
when hollywood & bollywood are ready for HD so will apple.
elgato makes good stuff -- i happily own the eyetv 500
and am surprised apple hasn't acquired them.
it's unfortunate that the least cost HD-grade
living room mac HTPC needs a dual G5, an elgato box, + something
like a westinghouse 37"/42" 1080p monitor.
it'd be neat if apple made all the parts, but i'll
settle for the least technically challenging solution
for apple to pull it off -- software-enabling a
bluetooth-pod to do remote control of
multimedia playlists whose files are
hosted on bigger iron.
As for your poem...you seem to employ free verse, which is really just cheating. I'd like to see you work on something a little more conventional in future efforts?even just standard iambic pentameter or heroic couplets...nothing fancy?so that you can really get a feel for the constraints you're breaking away from when you employ free verse like that. Additionally, your use of enjambment and sprung rhythm, while certainly laudable effort(s), really detract from the central theme of the poem. Finally, try to work on your line breaks. Sometimes, in this example, the breaks occur in odd places and are a bit jarring. If this is part of your philosophical argument in the poem, I suggest you try to find a way to make that clearer to the reader.
What if they are getting more inputs/a tuner?
Just a thought.
Originally posted by midwinter
Agreed.
As for your poem...you seem to employ free verse, which is really just cheating. I'd like to see you work on something a little more conventional in future efforts?even just standard iambic pentameter or heroic couplets...nothing fancy?so that you can really get a feel for the constraints you're breaking away from when you employ free verse like that. Additionally, your use of enjambment and sprung rhythm, while certainly laudable effort(s), really detract from the central theme of the poem. Finally, try to work on your line breaks. Sometimes, in this example, the breaks occur in odd places and are a bit jarring. If this is part of your philosophical argument in the poem, I suggest you try to find a way to make that clearer to the reader.
This seems to be relevant.
"A video about iTunes and iPod" or "iTunes and iPod Video products"
If its the first, its nothing new, if its the second, then its iPod Video.
But wouldn't they write it as iPod video with a small v? As in iPod shuffle, iPod mini, iPod nano...