What will the Apple Media Center be?
This could very well be the "one more thing" at the WWDC since everyone already assumes that the Mac Pro is coming. It could just be a Mini with a few tweaks, but what else might Apple have in store for us? A really smart and well-implemented media center could do a lot for Apple with consumers, and boost their computer sales as a result. Any ideas as to what Media Center rethinks Apple might come up with?
Comments
* Immediate acces to popular tv-shows from Front Row
(with commercials in them?) just like the movie trailers are.
* Apple will not connect to cable. It wants to replace cable.
* Oh, and iPod hifi surround. hifi-quality wireless speakerset.
* 0ver 30 inch cinema display (with iSight) that can double as hdtv.
* iChat video over IP and integrated into frontrow
* airport connecting VOIP iPhone
A networking set top box that communicates with your computer, has a DVR, or the *HD DVR version. If you have a Mac in your network you should be able to bring up a few iLife apps, or communicate with portions of them through a better front row app. THese apps include iTunes, iPhoto, and iMovie (for home videos).
All and all it should be able to use AirPort Express (integrated) with AirTunes, and iTunes from it, watch home movies, record your favorite TV shows, plug in your iPod, camera, and video camera (with a limited feature set from the box). It should be a living room hub to your digital lifestyle. It needs a remote to obviously, and some features woulod only be available if you had a Mac in your network, but that much is obvious (iTMS). It also needs a few FW, and USB ports.
So new Mac's should come with 2 ethernet ports.
I would get into how much more, work, or fun you could have if you were using your convertible tablet with your airport network to your main PC, but Apple has no tablet.
Just making something like this would sell a lot of Mac Mini's I'd bet. (for the networked internet features)
Standard 17" width component.
3.5" removable drive bay.
Dual GigE ports that support teaming.
Robust Codec support.
802.11n Draft.
RF remote capability.
RS232 option
Realtime AVC encoding
HDMI output, Toslink out, component out
iLife integration
DVR, Slideshow(photos) Web enabled, WAN access.
Zetera support for SAN
NAS support
FW400/800
Cablecard Slot
iPod Dock
Front Row Pro
The most important thing is for Apple to release SOMETHING in the home-media space.
I believe this would be the single greatest way to motivate 'switchers'. Forget about Boot Camp for a second. The iPod has proven that the public is warm to digital life-style devices from Apple, but that same public is not yet ready to buy a Mac because they see it as a computing platform with media capabilities and they already have Windows boxes for their computing platform.
Bridge the gap by giving them a Media Platform with some computing abilities and suddenly they'll see it come together in reverse order: iPod -> iTunes -> Media Hub -> Mac.
I hope Apple recognizes this...Every time there is an announcement that ISN'T a Home Media Platform, I get a little more worried about Apple's chances of holding on to digital dominance.
Originally posted by Sport73
I hope Apple recognizes this...Every time there is an announcement that ISN'T a Home Media Platform, I get a little more worried about Apple's chances of holding on to digital dominance.
I take Steve's comments at the Apple meeting with analysts to be a confirmation that they will be introducing a product for this market.
Originally posted by netdog
I take Steve's comments at the Apple meeting with analysts to be a confirmation that they will be introducing a product for this market.
No doubt. It's a gimmie that we'll get one here eventually, but I hope it's sooner rather than later.
Originally posted by onlooker
No doubt. It's a gimmie that we'll get one here eventually, but I hope it's sooner rather than later.
I hope it will be announced at the WWDC
I would love a conference centred on the idea that Apple is finally ready to lead us into the age of true transparent convergence with Leopard underlying processes, visibly or invisibly as appropriate. Media has finally made the transition to a bit-based format. It's high time our tools really start to make the purposing of those bits a fairly transparent and intuitive process. We have a long way to go toward that goal.
Originally posted by Sport73
I hope Apple recognizes this...Every time there is an announcement that ISN'T a Home Media Platform, I get a little more worried about Apple's chances of holding on to digital dominance.
And I worry a lot about Apple getting left behind in a changing computer market. The full media center was Microsoft?s lone big innovation. I hope Steve's bias against TV (or in general) does not ultimately erase all that the company has going for it.
It just seems more like Apple.
Originally posted by Nordstrodamus
Although I would prefer a mac media center attached to my TV and serving as the ultimate interface to all my media and AV equipment. I suspect that Apple is going to take the Super Airport Express route and is simply waiting for the new wireless spec to be viable.
It just seems more like Apple.
I agree that there is a likelihood that they are waiting for Wireless N to be standardized, but do also expect Apple to start making computers that we don't necessarily see as computers, with capabilities and interface adapted to their functions, much as they did with the iPod. Of course, what do I know? All that I am certain of is that the possibilities are very exciting.
Originally posted by netdog
I agree that there is a likelihood that they are waiting for Wireless N to be standardized, but do also expect Apple to start making computers that we don't necessarily see as computers, with capabilities and interface adapted to their functions, much as they did with the iPod. Of course, what do I know? All that I am certain of is that the possibilities are very exciting.
Hear hear!!
Originally posted by netdog
I hope it will be announced at the WWDC
WWDC seems unlikely. The developers conference is usually for PowerMacs, and sometimes PowerBooks. A home media appliance would be a special event.
Forget about putting a fancy screen on the unit. Put a rudimentary backlit LCD on the face that mimics the iTunes "LCD".
Next design the mother of all remotes. Embed a 2.5" OLED screen into the remote and allow the creation of easy macros from a Mac computer or the unit itself. The OLED screen will utilize some of the touchpad elements that Apple has filed for patents on and share technology with the iPod Video.
Originally posted by onlooker
WWDC seems unlikely. The developers conference is usually for PowerMacs, and sometimes PowerBooks. A home media appliance would be a special event.
beat me to it, agreed.
Originally posted by Ireland
You all know what I want? I don't about you, but at the risk of generating some heated responces, I want an Apple TV. Throw away the your dvd player and VCR, you no longer need them cause the Apple TV includes a dvd burner and the all new Apple TV remote
I would buy that! Make it the iPod white with an illuminated logo on the front, like the back of the laptops....that would be sweet!
Originally posted by onlooker
WWDC seems unlikely. The developers conference is usually for PowerMacs, and sometimes PowerBooks. A home media appliance would be a special event.
Usually I would agree, and I probably still do, but if the a major new aspect of Leopard is to manipualte media, not through programs on the face of it, but as media (sort of an OpenDoc for media assets), and this is one of the aspects of Leopard that Apple wants to prepare developers for, who knows?
Of course, you are probably right, but I can dream.
And I worry a lot about Apple getting left behind in a changing computer market. The full media center was Microsoft?s lone big innovation.
Nope MS did not invent this. Media PC's have been around for a long time.
Apple had the Macintosh TV back in 1993.