The Apple Universal Remote
In another thread I was trying to think through the problem of having to have your TV turned on to use AppleTV, if all you wanted was AirTunes type functionality.
And I realized that Apple must surely be planning to release a Universal Remote based on the iPhone UI.
Really, the context sensitive, smoothly transforming control surfaces of the iPhone almost make more sense for a remote than a phone.
Apple could offer device specific widgets, placed in the upper area of the display where the Notes, Clock, Settings, etc. buttons are on the phone, and macros to accomplish specific tasks (play DVD, incorporating TV power and input, DVD transport, and surround settings) along the bottom "dock" row.
Hard to use remotes is a perfect Apple opportunity, where nobody has really gotten it right (Harmony has made a good stab at it, with their web based programming, but still way too complicated).
The more I think about it the more it strikes me as almost inevitable. Thoughts?
And I realized that Apple must surely be planning to release a Universal Remote based on the iPhone UI.
Really, the context sensitive, smoothly transforming control surfaces of the iPhone almost make more sense for a remote than a phone.
Apple could offer device specific widgets, placed in the upper area of the display where the Notes, Clock, Settings, etc. buttons are on the phone, and macros to accomplish specific tasks (play DVD, incorporating TV power and input, DVD transport, and surround settings) along the bottom "dock" row.
Hard to use remotes is a perfect Apple opportunity, where nobody has really gotten it right (Harmony has made a good stab at it, with their web based programming, but still way too complicated).
The more I think about it the more it strikes me as almost inevitable. Thoughts?
Comments
I can't wait for my $300 remote
That's pretty much what they're getting for some of the better programables with screens.
We don't know how much the cost of the iPhone is tied up in the touch screen-- can't be cheap, but probably not 75% of the total.
Right now a remote that runs "OS X" certainly seems like overkill, but I'm guessing that's exactly where Apple is going: super cheap, super tiny iterations of their computers that can be put into all kinds of products that could benefit from some smarts and an interface that does all the heavy lifting.
I think that was the idea behind "Windows embedded" or whatever they call it, but beyond that "computer on a wristwatch" concept demo I don't know what they've done with it.
The smart thing Apple seems to be doing is to tailor their portable OS UI to small screens (duh), instead of the bizarre MS insistence on trying to replicate the desktop, only really little.
http://www.compusa.com/products/prod...a=&cm_ite=feed
and it's $249.
I'd love to see Apple offer a Universal remote that looks like the iPhone but thicker. It'd sit in a cradle that recharges it like some of the Harmony remotes. It would of course have pre-programmed codes for many manufacturers and a SDK for adding custom UI features.
I know it'd be a niche product but this is Apple inc we're talking about and sometimes you must have to supply the whole widget.
Addabox I agree and I was just thinking about Multi-touch last night in regards to what a great Universal Remote it would make. Currently people love this Harmony remote.
http://www.compusa.com/products/prod...a=&cm_ite=feed
and it's $249.
I'd love to see Apple offer a Universal remote that looks like the iPhone but thicker. It'd sit in a cradle that recharges it like some of the Harmony remotes. It would of course have pre-programmed codes for many manufacturers and a SDK for adding custom UI features.
I know it'd be a niche product but this is Apple inc we're talking about and sometimes you must have to supply the whole widget.
If they could get the price down I think it would be a world beater-- remotes are the great bug-a-boo of the American living room. I've actually done a lot of consulting for people who have laboriously learned three or four button presses and live in mortal terror that something will change and the slender thread of having control over anything will vanish.
The Harmony is a good first step, but requires someone knowledgeable to program it.
I can name a dozen families off the top of my head that would fall down and weep with joy if they could have a remote that made doing things easy, that actually gave them some sense that they were operating their expensive gear instead of warily co-habitating with it.
I mean, it's bad out there. People don't know how to change between inputs on their plasmas, or how to work the DVR on the Comcast box (mostly because the interface sucks so bad), or how to get to the set-up menu on the DVD player, or why the TV and the cable box both have volume controls, or pretty much anything. They might get the Comcast remote to turn everything on and off cause the Comcast guy set it up, but the whole multi-function remote with little buttons on the top to toggle control to various devices might as well be the secrets of the Illuminati, as far as I can tell. Worse, because if they accidently hit the Aux button they are completely stymied as to why the thing has become unresponsive.
And who can blame them? The Comcast remote is just a thicket of random buttons, apparently put on in the order somebody thought of them. All the manufacturers are totally into making the remote operate at least their TV and DVD player, if not various other random items, so you have to hunt around for the machine specific buttons you want, which are typically poorly placed, confusingly labeled, or both. And God help us all when they start adding in the tiny green sub-headings that indicate the other function of that button when you press the secret change all the functions key. Remote design is just shockingly bad.
Mark my words. If Apple can make a remote for $249 for less that behaves like the iPhone and makes adding functionality as easy as getting iTunes songs, they will not only sell millions of them, they will forever beloved as the people who saved us all.
You could flip through TV channels with coverflow.
What the hell, give it a little tuner and make the coverflow images actual live feeds of the station at hand!
I can't wait for my $300 remote
I think the Philips Pronto remotes start at this price. If you want a big configurable screen on it, then this is about the price they start. There is a decent program for Palm PDAs that has this feature too, last I tried it, you edit the layout on the PDA. It usually works pretty well, but PDA IR emitters weren't really designed to control consumer electronics so it might not work on a given PDA. It worked on my m100. I never really tried it on my Tapwave, but Salling Clicker is a nice consideration if you have a computer handle all your media.
The Harmony devices are products that I really can't stand. Let's just say that I have made a simple IR remote with IR LEDs and a microcontroller, and the Harmony system is still irritating and baffling to me. The the Windows client is actually a stripped-down web browser that also downloads updated firmware to the remote you connect by USB. The OS X client is more of a kluge, you use a regular web browser, but the site sends you files to send to a program that downloads the firmware to the remote. Any of the combo events that involve device power on or off doesn't work well if the device "power" command toggles the device power on or off rather than having separate on and off commands. The combo events aren't very assignable either, I can't make it emit the exact sequence of commands I need to send to turn my TV between full screen and anamorphic modes. As such, I ended up reverting back to the original remotes because it was a poor substitute for use with my equipment.
I suppose an Apple remote would be a nice addition to the market but Apple may take a long time to get there or never make such a device. Their current remote is not ergonomic for me.
Best remote ever. Solid, great software, powerfull IR transmitter.
http://www.mynevo.com
All you have to do is connect to itv with wifi overlay some buttons on the phone interface and perhaps have an ir emitter connected to the itv. It is all there.
Why can't the iphone be the apple remote as well?
All you have to do is connect to itv with wifi overlay some buttons on the phone interface and perhaps have an ir emitter connected to the itv. It is all there.
because as far as I know it does not have an IR emmiter in it, and since most electronic devices use this for their remotes it is essential. On another note, the iPhone is amazing, but when you are watching TV and want to change the channels it is a lot easier to use the physical buttons to navigate the channels without looking at the remote's interface than. I think that this is one reason that Apple's remote has the same buttons that the iPod has, and personally I think it would make the device less convienient to use without them.
because as far as I know it does not have an IR emmiter in it, and since most electronic devices use this for their remotes it is essential. On another note, the iPhone is amazing, but when you are watching TV and want to change the channels it is a lot easier to use the physical buttons to navigate the channels without looking at the remote's interface than. I think that this is one reason that Apple's remote has the same buttons that the iPod has, and personally I think it would make the device less convienient to use without them.
You could put a current Apple remote size click wheel (or larger) at the bottom of a multi-touch remote without compromising the idea too much, I think. Just leave off the non-touch black areas from the iPhone and move the screen up and you could do it in the same footprint.
EDIT: Wait, scrub that: multi-touch to the rescue! When in TV mode, say, why not allow left right dragging for volume and up down for channel? Even easier than finding the buttons on the Apple remote, since the response area could be nearly as large as the screen (as in the Safari mode on the iPhone).
Ditto DVD transport-- just flick for fast forward, tap for pause, double tap for stop. Drag left/right for step/slow forward and back.
Or something like that. Multi-touch is the game changer here-- context specific gestural control of devices with fluid movement between modes is a fundamental change to how we interact with electronics.
I use Nevo SL for all my house.
Best remote ever. Solid, great software, powerfull IR transmitter.
http://www.mynevo.com
The Nevo is pretty typical of the high end touch screen remotes out there. It's OK as far as it goes, but it's still way too complicated for the average user.
Part of the problem is that it assumes that anyone willing to drop this kind of money on a remote (particularly a remote that's part of a multi-room "system") has fantasies of whole house control, which adds a bunch of stuff the vast majority of people don't want or need. The interface is derived from AMX type stand alone flat screen controllers of that type beloved by high-end system integrators.
Apple can do all that, in a smaller package, and with a far more intuitive interface. The iPhone proves it.
because as far as I know it does not have an IR emmiter in it, and since most electronic devices use this for their remotes it is essential. On another note, the iPhone is amazing, but when you are watching TV and want to change the channels it is a lot easier to use the physical buttons to navigate the channels without looking at the remote's interface than. I think that this is one reason that Apple's remote has the same buttons that the iPod has, and personally I think it would make the device less convienient to use without them.
Since when has apple NOT charged you for added functionality.
For example- get the Apple TV iR Blaster and iPhone software for the low low price of $35 USD.
The Nevo is pretty typical of the high end touch screen remotes out there. It's OK as far as it goes, but it's still way too complicated for the average user.
Part of the problem is that it assumes that anyone willing to drop this kind of money on a remote (particularly a remote that's part of a multi-room "system") has fantasies of whole house control, which adds a bunch of stuff the vast majority of people don't want or need. The interface is derived from AMX type stand alone flat screen controllers of that type beloved by high-end system integrators.
Apple can do all that, in a smaller package, and with a far more intuitive interface. The iPhone proves it.
- I agree , it's great to use but not that intuitive to program.
Hmmm....actually it is pretty simple to program
- I do agree that the Nevolink architecture, which BTW, I don't own, is too megalomanic . But still this a very expensive gadget and It is very good. Completely customizable interface and great HUGE remote database for download...including...YES... the Apple remote. It can learn too and has integrated wifi...
- Nevo created a great product in a niche market. Very expensive but very good... Reminds me of my favorite Fruit company.
I also agree it would be extremely simple for Apple to add IR to the iPhone and have it controling Apple tv and Front Row.
Now , that would be cool...
Speaking of which, I do see the iPhone, morph into a LOT of devices with that form factor and OS.
I for one , have no doubt there will a iPhone Home edition with VoIP or evena base connected to the landline phone jack and wioth no Cellular whatsoever, or a combination of ADSL / Phone Base with wifi allowing the iPhone to be a completely diferent device.
Slap a front facing video camera and Goodbye Motorola Ojo.
Also the iPhone will be the NEXT iPOD Video. I am ready to bet the farm on this...
Whatever Apple decides in the future will be having a LOT of Apple devices with that OS and MultiTouch input... I can't wait.
What the hell, give it a little tuner and make the coverflow images actual live feeds of the station at hand!
best idea ever...
The Apple logo with the sunrise behind it from macworld was an allusion to this. The iphone and the iphone form factor are another hint. Apple's vision of the future is all purpose devices with infinite capabilities.
IMHO
(Looks at iPhone. Looks at boar thigh bone. Looks at iPhone. Looks at bone. Hmmmmm......)
Similar, isn't it?