It seems many are dismissing Asteroid as the iTV to come. To me the name itself suggests that the product was going to be something big, with a big impact. This doesn't sound like an audio interface. Why the hell name an audio interface Asteroid? Why name iTV that? And why would Apple give the designs to Avid (which owns m-Audio)? Believe it or not companies can and do put out misinformation, especially if they don't want to have their strategy given away.
Apple does run a lot of experimental development projects you know. They get code names, but many of them don't turn into products... even if they get close. Look at the eMac, it got very close to becoming the next iMac until Jobs sent Ive back to the drawing board. That it showed up later as the eMac was just a market expediency that I'm sure Jobs would rather not have bothered with.
As for the case similarity, so what? Its a little box with rounded corners and plugs on the back! Ive probably gave a verbal description of what it looked like to a junior designer guy and then went on to something really interesting. "Make it like the mini, but take out the optical drive and thin it out as much as you can".
So far there's been absolutely no evidence presented that the iTV has anything to do with Asteroid. Everything in the Asteroid rumors pointed to an audio device and absolutely nothing had to do with video. Asteroid was rumored to have audio connectors, including XLR, was going to be priced around $130-$150 and was rumored to be developed with help from Emagic, which all made absolute perfect sense and all of which have nothing to do with iTV.
I think Apple has had this in the cards for quite a while. My guess is that the Mac mini was simply an experiment in efficiently shrinking down computer technology for the development of iTV; the fact that it became a viable product was just kind of lucky. At the very least, we know that many of Apple's technologies are linked in cool ways.
I think Apple has had this in the cards for quite a while. My guess is that the Mac mini was simply an experiment in efficiently shrinking down computer technology for the development of iTV; the fact that it became a viable product was just kind of lucky. At the very least, we know that many of Apple's technologies are linked in cool ways.
Bingo.
Didn't they find pins supposedly for an iPod dock in the first version of the Mac mini? There seems to be a lot of evidence the Mac mini was originally intended to be a multimedia box, and then was released as a low-end Mac instead.
I've been saying for a long time I don't think Apple "gets" the Mac mini, and if it's always been intended to be something else, then that certainly explains it.
Didn't they find pins supposedly for an iPod dock in the first version of the Mac mini? There seems to be a lot of evidence the Mac mini was originally intended to be a multimedia box, and then was released as a low-end Mac instead.
I've been saying for a long time I don't think Apple "gets" the Mac mini, and if it's always been intended to be something else, then that certainly explains it.
MacMini iMediaCentre Home Edition 2007
could work.. but separate unit with "instant-on" is more practical. voila! iTV
My guess is that the Mac mini was simply an experiment in efficiently shrinking down computer technology for the development of iTV; the fact that it became a viable product was just kind of lucky. At the very least, we know that many of Apple's technologies are linked in cool ways.
I doubt it. Plenty of products that do almost exactly what the iTV will do already exist, and they come from companies that have nothing to do with making computers. You don't need to know how to make a small computer in order to know how to make a product like iTV.
The finest example is Pixel Magic's HD mediabox. It costs more than the iTV, but can be used with a built-in hard drive if required. Also, it is probable that the HD mediabox uses higher-quality audio circuitry and video scaling (we don't know the full specs of the iTV yet).
asteriod was a firewire audio box for garageband. macuser uk reported that apple ended up helping a 3rd party make it.
You're right --
Asteroid was a firewire breakout box. It was a real project at Apple that was postponed indefinitely as a result of "poor initial execution." It has nothing to do with iTV. The termination may have been related to the lawsuits or it may have been related to the execution in terms of price and expected adoptability (which if I remember correctly was estimated at 3 percent of iLife adopters back in 2004 -- not today's iLife numbers). Apple was going to market the product as "Jam Box" alongside Jam Pack for Garage Band...
When we ran our report on Asteroid, our information suggested Apple had a ways to go before it was ready to send the product to manufacturing. It was essentially complete, but not with the most cost-effective materials.
I believe the intelligence from the project was later conveyed to M-Audio for one of its own breakout boxes.
Asteroid was a firewire breakout box. It was a real project at Apple that was postponed indefinitely as a result of "poor initial execution." It has nothing to do with iTV. The termination may have been related to the lawsuits or it may have been related to the execution in terms of price and expected adoptability (which if I remember correctly was estimated at 3 percent of iLife adopters back in 2004 -- not today's iLife numbers). Apple was going to market the product as "Jam Box" alongside Jam Pack for Garage Band...
When we ran our report on Asteroid, our information suggested Apple had a ways to go before it was ready to send the product to manufacturing. It was essentially complete, but not with the most cost-effective materials.
I believe the intelligence from the project was later conveyed to M-Audio for one of its own breakout boxes.
Comments
As for the case similarity, so what? Its a little box with rounded corners and plugs on the back! Ive probably gave a verbal description of what it looked like to a junior designer guy and then went on to something really interesting. "Make it like the mini, but take out the optical drive and thin it out as much as you can".
Also the front end is essentially Gershwin, running the "Red box" from Rhapsody.
I'll get my coat.
I think Apple has had this in the cards for quite a while. My guess is that the Mac mini was simply an experiment in efficiently shrinking down computer technology for the development of iTV; the fact that it became a viable product was just kind of lucky. At the very least, we know that many of Apple's technologies are linked in cool ways.
Bingo.
Didn't they find pins supposedly for an iPod dock in the first version of the Mac mini? There seems to be a lot of evidence the Mac mini was originally intended to be a multimedia box, and then was released as a low-end Mac instead.
I've been saying for a long time I don't think Apple "gets" the Mac mini, and if it's always been intended to be something else, then that certainly explains it.
Bingo.
Didn't they find pins supposedly for an iPod dock in the first version of the Mac mini? There seems to be a lot of evidence the Mac mini was originally intended to be a multimedia box, and then was released as a low-end Mac instead.
I've been saying for a long time I don't think Apple "gets" the Mac mini, and if it's always been intended to be something else, then that certainly explains it.
MacMini iMediaCentre Home Edition 2007
could work.. but separate unit with "instant-on" is more practical. voila! iTV
My guess is that the Mac mini was simply an experiment in efficiently shrinking down computer technology for the development of iTV; the fact that it became a viable product was just kind of lucky. At the very least, we know that many of Apple's technologies are linked in cool ways.
I doubt it. Plenty of products that do almost exactly what the iTV will do already exist, and they come from companies that have nothing to do with making computers. You don't need to know how to make a small computer in order to know how to make a product like iTV.
The finest example is Pixel Magic's HD mediabox. It costs more than the iTV, but can be used with a built-in hard drive if required. Also, it is probable that the HD mediabox uses higher-quality audio circuitry and video scaling (we don't know the full specs of the iTV yet).
iTV is not asteroid
asteriod was a firewire audio box for garageband. macuser uk reported that apple ended up helping a 3rd party make it.
You're right --
Asteroid was a firewire breakout box. It was a real project at Apple that was postponed indefinitely as a result of "poor initial execution." It has nothing to do with iTV. The termination may have been related to the lawsuits or it may have been related to the execution in terms of price and expected adoptability (which if I remember correctly was estimated at 3 percent of iLife adopters back in 2004 -- not today's iLife numbers). Apple was going to market the product as "Jam Box" alongside Jam Pack for Garage Band...
When we ran our report on Asteroid, our information suggested Apple had a ways to go before it was ready to send the product to manufacturing. It was essentially complete, but not with the most cost-effective materials.
I believe the intelligence from the project was later conveyed to M-Audio for one of its own breakout boxes.
Best,
Kasper
Kornspiracy! Kornspiracy! Danger Will Robinson!!! We must irrationally equate all old rumors to products that don't fit!
The Dolphin swims and eats pie in a beautiful trinity!!!!
bah!
Excellent use of the word "kornspiracy", I give it a 9.3
You're right --
Asteroid was a firewire breakout box. It was a real project at Apple that was postponed indefinitely as a result of "poor initial execution." It has nothing to do with iTV. The termination may have been related to the lawsuits or it may have been related to the execution in terms of price and expected adoptability (which if I remember correctly was estimated at 3 percent of iLife adopters back in 2004 -- not today's iLife numbers). Apple was going to market the product as "Jam Box" alongside Jam Pack for Garage Band...
When we ran our report on Asteroid, our information suggested Apple had a ways to go before it was ready to send the product to manufacturing. It was essentially complete, but not with the most cost-effective materials.
I believe the intelligence from the project was later conveyed to M-Audio for one of its own breakout boxes.
Best,
Kasper
exactly! now will people let this one go...