Briefly: Apple seeks game artists; Apple TV prep begins at retail

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
Apple has cast its net wider in the hunt for game developers. Meanwhile, batches of Sony's LCD flat screens are accumulating in Apple retail shops ahead of the company's Apple TV roll-out. And Fibre Channel Utility 2.1.4 is now available.



Search expands for in-house game dev staff



Not satisfied with its existing teams, Apple has begun canvassing schools in a search for junior additions to its swelling game development workforce.



Students at the Savannah College of Art and Design reported today receiving an e-mail from a recruiter working directly for Apple, Inc., who appears to be actively tracking down skilled graphics designers among those enrolled in the school's Fine Arts programs. Those hired for the summer program would be tasked with creating "consistent, high quality 3D and 2D art for games," the message said.



Conspicuously absent from the notice was any mention of a specific platform for the games in question.



The Cuperrino-based Apple has shown a steadily burgeoning interest in games ever since it revealed its first two homemade games for the fifth-generation iPod, Texas Hold'em and Vortex, back in September.



Prudential analyst Jesse Tortora claimed to have caught Apple expanding its staff in December. In turn, a slip of the tongue by a former Microsoft alumnus turned PopCap Games exec has also pointed to casual games as a new feature of the Apple TV, which may include first-party titles.



Sony sets in Apple stores point to Apple TV launch



Speaking of Apple TV, Apple's retail stores this week began receiving small batches of Sony LCD TVs in preparation for the device's launch a bit later this month. Sneaking past a retail outlets' storage area, an intrepid shopper snapped this photo of several 32-inch sets from Sony's Bravia line that will soon become part of the retail stores' Apple TV displays.



32-inch Sony Bravias arrive at Apple retail stores.



The particular model showing up at the stores, Sony's premium KDL-V32XBR2, is the exact same version used by Apple to promote its eponymous Apple TV wireless streaming video hub through its website. The XBR2 was also used to promote the Apple TV device at Apple's booth during the January Macworld Conference.



The shipments appear to corroborate Apple's recent claim that it will not stray from a February release. An exact timeframe for the arrival of the devics remains up in the air, however.



Fibre Channel Utility 2.1.4



Also this week, Apple released Fibre Channel Utility 2.1.4 [500K], which provides the ability to configure the Apple Fibre Channel PCI Cards including the Apple Dual- and Quad-Channel 4Gb Fibre Channel Card.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 29
    wilcowilco Posts: 985member
    It's about time!
  • Reply 2 of 29
    I don't really see the need for Apple to be developing games here, surely there are plenty of advanced companies in existance to do that...is there really a large enough market to justify the expansion?
  • Reply 3 of 29
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ThinkExpensive View Post


    I don't really see the need for Apple to be developing games here, surely there are plenty of advanced companies in existance to do that...is there really a large enough market to justify the expansion?



    Well, the video game industry is a multi billion dollar industry, and if Apple wants to get into it, they probably want to do the same thing with the iPhone, just take little bites out of it. Not to mention if Apple eventually has the intention of taking on hardcore gaming, Microsoft has their own game developent team as well.
  • Reply 4 of 29
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    One of these days those Sony boxes will be Apple Inc. boxes.
  • Reply 5 of 29
    Hmmm.... I guess we can write off HDMI and scaler on an updated ACD in the near term.
  • Reply 6 of 29
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Bacillus View Post


    Hmmm.... I guess we can write off HDMI and scaler on an updated ACD in the near term.



    The ACD was never meant for the living room.
  • Reply 7 of 29
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Bacillus View Post


    Hmmm.... I guess we can write off HDMI and scaler on an updated ACD in the near term.



    My thoughts exactly. I was hoping that at least more than DVI input on the next get displays. I'm hoping the timing is just off and the AppleTV is early/ontime and the displays are just to late to delay the ATV.
  • Reply 8 of 29
    What is fibre channel?
  • Reply 9 of 29
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by bikerdude View Post


    What is fibre channel?



    ........
  • Reply 10 of 29
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Ireland View Post


    ........



    Thanks Ireland
  • Reply 11 of 29
    eckingecking Posts: 1,588member
    I hope they get these up soon so I can go to the store and play with the setup!



    Why did apple choose tvs from an immediate rival? Why not tvs from sharp or samsung whom they seem to love.
  • Reply 12 of 29
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ecking View Post


    I hope they get these up soon so I can go to the store and play with the setup!



    Why did apple choose tvs from an immediate rival? Why not tvs from sharp or samsung whom they seem to love.



    Steve likes Sony and their TV's. I have a Bravia myself.
  • Reply 13 of 29
    There really is not much room for growth in the core gaming market. And entering that market requires a willingness to incinerate cash which Apple does not have.



    But the casual gamer market has massive room for growth.

    Many people who don't own a console *would* pay a few dollars to play a game, if the experience of buying it and installing it was easy. Perhaps as easy as buying a tune in the iTunes store.



    The AppleTV is a trojan horse for games, but that's not its main function.



    C.
  • Reply 14 of 29
    So, in others they would like to creative games for the iPhone and appleTV while still not giving two hoots about the gaming situation on the Mac.
  • Reply 15 of 29
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ecking View Post


    I hope they get these up soon so I can go to the store and play with the setup!



    Why did apple choose tvs from an immediate rival? Why not tvs from sharp or samsung whom they seem to love.



    Perhaps it is because of the following, Jobs' 2005 Macworld Keynote:



    "Jobs declared 2005 "the year of high-definition video" and announced Final Cut Express HD?He spent a bit of time talking about how Apple and Sony have worked together over the years, dating back to Apple's adoption of Sony's 3.5" floppy disk for the original Mac. Then, in a major surprise, he welcomed Sony president Kunitake Ando on-stage, who mostly talked about how Sony's camera and camcorder products worked with the Mac."



    http://blogs.business2.com/business2..._jobs_k_2.html
  • Reply 16 of 29
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ecking View Post


    Why did apple choose tvs from an immediate rival? Why not tvs from sharp or samsung whom they seem to love.



    I recently researched and purchased a 1080p LCD television, so the answer is obvious to me.



    The Sony LCD televisions have LCD screens made by Samsung, and probably the finest electronics package of any mainstream LCD set. Not only do you get the great Samsung images, but the Sony filtering and image enhancement system upconverts images it receives to provide a fantastic picture.



    I bought a 40" Sony Bravia XBR2 on New Year's Day 2007. During the month I waited for an HD cable box (thanks, Charter Communications) I appreciated the way that the Sony TV rendered standard broadcasts. People who didn't know that the HD wasn't working yet complemented me on the high-quality picture. Now that I am getting HD, the picture is absolutely stunning.



    Apple is trying to sell Apple TV units, so they want to have the best looking demo they can get. Having the Sony package on a relatively small screen (32 inches) will provide optimal results.
  • Reply 17 of 29
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Carniphage View Post


    There really is not much room for growth in the core gaming market. And entering that market requires a willingness to incinerate cash which Apple does not have.



    But the casual gamer market has massive room for growth.

    Many people who don't own a console *would* pay a few dollars to play a game, if the experience of buying it and installing it was easy. Perhaps as easy as buying a tune in the iTunes store.



    The AppleTV is a trojan horse for games, but that's not its main function.



    C.



    Great, just what we need. Another version of Bejeweled or Zuma.



    Apple doesn't need to enter the gaming market. What it needs to do is show that the Mac is a viable gaming platform. How many potential Mac buyers have been turned away by the fact that they can't play the latest games that are already available on Windows? Or the fact that there is little or no hope the game will be ported to the Mac?



    By way of example, I knew a guy at work who I tried to convince to buy a Mac. He said that he would have except he needed a computer that could play the Star Wars MMORPG for his son. So away from the Mac he went and off he went to buy a PC. I'm sure lots of people here could recount similar stories.



    If Apple really wants the Mac to take off, it needs to either start producing ports of PC games itself, work with the companies that produce the games in the first place to get them to release simultaneous PC and Mac versions, or work with the companies doing the port so that they can come at at the same time or close to the PC version (and 3 months to over a year later). Or Apple could produce its own must-have game like Microsoft did with Halo for the X-Box (I bought an X-Box primarily to play that game).



    Not this nickel and dime crap they've got going on now. Yippie! Someone paid $5 for another copy of Zuma for the 5G iPod!
  • Reply 18 of 29
    jeffdmjeffdm Posts: 12,951member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by caliminius View Post


    Not this nickel and dime crap they've got going on now. Yippie! Someone paid $5 for another copy of Zuma for the 5G iPod!



    I haven't bought any of the iPod games, but I've got to say that where I checked, the iPod versions of the game is cheaper than the same game on any other platform, be it mobile phone, PDA or PC.



    I hope that Apple offers a way to allow a wider range of developers to work on the iPod platform. I don't think the current secret society system really cuts it.
  • Reply 19 of 29
    jeffdmjeffdm Posts: 12,951member
    Quote:

    Hmmm.... I guess we can write off HDMI and scaler on an updated ACD in the near term.



    Quote:

    The ACD was never meant for the living room.



    Right on. Despite the name, they simply aren't TVs, and are poorly optimized for that use.
  • Reply 20 of 29
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by JeffDM View Post


    Right on. Despite the name, they simply aren't TVs, and are poorly optimized for that use.



    I would have gave a further off date, but I now think it's possible Apple Inc. will realease its first TV's before 2008.
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