The only way I can see Apple farming this out, is if the devices themselves have no client-facing interface to speak of. If it were a glorified wifi hotspot with an iTunes local cache -- and all searching/navigating is done by the client device -- maybe. But in that case, even if it did run Windows, the user experience wouldn't be from Microsoft. Which is all I was saying.
Kiosks could do killer business at not only coffee houses and transit hubs, but hotels, convention centers, vacation destinations (cruise ships/theme parks), events (fairs, concerts, races), tourist attractions (tour companion apps, local city guides, park guides), etc.
Basically: anywhere you have events with lots of waiting in line, regular downtime or just when you have a captive audience you'd like to milk a few more opportunistic bucks from.
With the proliferation of cellular service and WiFi you can purchase music and games almost anywhere. The only type of content not suited to this is video.
Considering the effort involved and the minimal benefit, I think this patent is more of a defensive move to prevent others from doing it.
If the box is going to establish some sort of a wireless connection, how is this better than the iTunes mobile store? Is there a technical reason for not allowing movie/TV downloads right now other than bandwidth? Moreover, isn't this going to become moot when, in a few years, LTE is fully deployed and we have ubiquitous 10 Mbps+ down?
The only application I can see is for something like a plane or a train where you are really captive and there's really no internet connection available.
Apple would not partner or buy a "sinking ship" like Blockbuster.
A more likely candidate would be Starbucks.
According to wikipedia: "16,120 stores in 49 countries, including around 11,000 in the United States, followed by nearly 1,000 in Canada and more than 800 in Japan."
I'm affraid though a big box with half the iTunes data base on it would be the same as painting steal me on it. This device would have to be built like and installed like a bank ATM machine.
There are some solutions to that problem. You put it a store or building that is monitored, you make it secure, you only keep the most popular media on it with the rest being pulled over a fast dedicated line as needed.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Roc Ingersol
The only way I can see Apple farming this out, is if the devices themselves have no client-facing interface to speak of. If it were a glorified wifi hotspot with an iTunes local cache -- and all searching/navigating is done by the client device -- maybe.
That sounds like a nice idea. Just update the iDevice OS to have this option in the iTunes app when you are in range. It would be nice to actually use my iPhone to grab an audiobook directly without having to use iTunes.
The only application I can see is for something like a plane or a train where you are really captive and there's really no internet connection available.
I've had internet, mostly 3G on AT&T, on trains for some time now. Planes will all have it as an option not to long from now, though it won't be fast like terrestrial-based wireless.
Funny you say that. I was at JFK and I wanted to download LOST to pass the time. I couldn't - because I couldn't find an iTunes gift certificate in the airport (was travelling from Toronto to Britain).
You are traveling across the pond and you don't have a credit card with you?
That is such a bizarre restriction that I wonder if it isn't a contract issue.
Perhaps, but it may also be due to the file size issues since their limit for the cellular network is 10MB for iTS and App Store. However, a 256kbps song over 5min:33sec will exceed the 10MB limit. This is either rare enough to not be an issue or they just don't allow those lengthy songs. I predict it's the former.
However, every audiobook will be well over 10MB. I have an iTS abridged audiobook that is that only 3hr:30min long and it's 60MB at only 32kbps. The average music video would be considerably smaller than the average audiobook.
Maybe not so many people are interested in looking at patents, just reading news about them. Just a thought.
But if somebody would like to "read more about it," look at the source materials, whatever, the link is helpful.
Plus, you could then look at the claims and see what Apple was really after when the application was filed. But that would take away from all the guessing, speculation, and wishes.
I'm affraid though a big box with half the iTunes data base on it would be the same as painting steal me on it. This device would have to be built like and installed like a bank ATM machine.
In any event I could see this as potentially being successful especially if they can get their own RF allotment. The problem is this; when I've needed similar services like this (stuck in an Airport) there are usually thousands of others there delayed also. When that happens the WiFi is so congested as to be almost unusable. That is an extreme case but on the other hand one would most likely want such a service when snow bound at an Airport.
Outside of a travel situation I could see this as a successful venture if the kiosk also provided web access. Around where I live there simply are to few WiFi hot spots. So if this could in some way give businesses a way to pay for that hot spot or at least significantly reduce the non income producing expense I could see up take.
A few months ago I went iPhone only for my phone and Internet. This to greatly reduce out of pocket expenses and to reduce the number of bills to keep track of. Of corse I still need fast Internet access from time to time which is why I think offfering Internet access through this device would be grand. As it is though the bulk of me transfers of recent times involve iTunes data. So the more places to pick up that data the better. It isn't just movies either, apps, pod casts and other things come via iTunes. What I'm saying is that filtering the system to supply just movies or limited media types isn't going to do it. All of iTunes needs to be supported.
I'd be supportive if the kiosks spread WiFi hot spots
Dave
that last line of your post is what its all about . a wi fi boost country wide .. good one .
Apple files lots of patents for products it never builds. This one's a dud; they're not going to actually make any of these. Remember who told you so when it doesn't happen.
Apple would not partner or buy a "sinking ship" like Blockbuster.
A more likely candidate would be Starbucks.
According to wikipedia: "16,120 stores in 49 countries, including around 11,000 in the United States, followed by nearly 1,000 in Canada and more than 800 in Japan."
The Starbucks phenomenon might be a bit too culturally-specific.
Basically no-one in Australia or Europe drinks at Starbucks. Japan isn't exactly known for the quality of it's coffee. Still it's a good idea and I can see the iTunes store beginning to manifest in the physical world. Virgin records has a few self-service kiosks around for burning custom CD's. Watching an old man trying to grapple with the user interface was like watching a man stand in front of an ATM while punching himself in face. Apple's GUI competencies would be a welcome addition to this space.
Comments
If these kiosks are made by a 3rd party
The only way I can see Apple farming this out, is if the devices themselves have no client-facing interface to speak of. If it were a glorified wifi hotspot with an iTunes local cache -- and all searching/navigating is done by the client device -- maybe. But in that case, even if it did run Windows, the user experience wouldn't be from Microsoft. Which is all I was saying.
Kiosks could do killer business at not only coffee houses and transit hubs, but hotels, convention centers, vacation destinations (cruise ships/theme parks), events (fairs, concerts, races), tourist attractions (tour companion apps, local city guides, park guides), etc.
Basically: anywhere you have events with lots of waiting in line, regular downtime or just when you have a captive audience you'd like to milk a few more opportunistic bucks from.
Considering the effort involved and the minimal benefit, I think this patent is more of a defensive move to prevent others from doing it.
The only application I can see is for something like a plane or a train where you are really captive and there's really no internet connection available.
Apple would not partner or buy a "sinking ship" like Blockbuster.
A more likely candidate would be Starbucks.
According to wikipedia: "16,120 stores in 49 countries, including around 11,000 in the United States, followed by nearly 1,000 in Canada and more than 800 in Japan."
7-11: "Slurpees, songs and sagas!"
I'm affraid though a big box with half the iTunes data base on it would be the same as painting steal me on it. This device would have to be built like and installed like a bank ATM machine.
There are some solutions to that problem. You put it a store or building that is monitored, you make it secure, you only keep the most popular media on it with the rest being pulled over a fast dedicated line as needed.
The only way I can see Apple farming this out, is if the devices themselves have no client-facing interface to speak of. If it were a glorified wifi hotspot with an iTunes local cache -- and all searching/navigating is done by the client device -- maybe.
That sounds like a nice idea. Just update the iDevice OS to have this option in the iTunes app when you are in range. It would be nice to actually use my iPhone to grab an audiobook directly without having to use iTunes.
The only application I can see is for something like a plane or a train where you are really captive and there's really no internet connection available.
I've had internet, mostly 3G on AT&T, on trains for some time now. Planes will all have it as an option not to long from now, though it won't be fast like terrestrial-based wireless.
Funny you say that. I was at JFK and I wanted to download LOST to pass the time. I couldn't - because I couldn't find an iTunes gift certificate in the airport (was travelling from Toronto to Britain).
You are traveling across the pond and you don't have a credit card with you?
It would be nice to actually use my iPhone to grab an audiobook directly without having to use iTunes.
That is such a bizarre restriction that I wonder if it isn't a contract issue.
It was joke.
Fair enough. That just wasn't the first time I've heard someone suggest that sort of co-operation.
That is such a bizarre restriction that I wonder if it isn't a contract issue.
Perhaps, but it may also be due to the file size issues since their limit for the cellular network is 10MB for iTS and App Store. However, a 256kbps song over 5min:33sec will exceed the 10MB limit. This is either rare enough to not be an issue or they just don't allow those lengthy songs. I predict it's the former.
However, every audiobook will be well over 10MB. I have an iTS abridged audiobook that is that only 3hr:30min long and it's 60MB at only 32kbps. The average music video would be considerably smaller than the average audiobook.
Maybe not so many people are interested in looking at patents, just reading news about them. Just a thought.
But if somebody would like to "read more about it," look at the source materials, whatever, the link is helpful.
Plus, you could then look at the claims and see what Apple was really after when the application was filed. But that would take away from all the guessing, speculation, and wishes.
I'm affraid though a big box with half the iTunes data base on it would be the same as painting steal me on it. This device would have to be built like and installed like a bank ATM machine.
In any event I could see this as potentially being successful especially if they can get their own RF allotment. The problem is this; when I've needed similar services like this (stuck in an Airport) there are usually thousands of others there delayed also. When that happens the WiFi is so congested as to be almost unusable. That is an extreme case but on the other hand one would most likely want such a service when snow bound at an Airport.
Outside of a travel situation I could see this as a successful venture if the kiosk also provided web access. Around where I live there simply are to few WiFi hot spots. So if this could in some way give businesses a way to pay for that hot spot or at least significantly reduce the non income producing expense I could see up take.
A few months ago I went iPhone only for my phone and Internet. This to greatly reduce out of pocket expenses and to reduce the number of bills to keep track of. Of corse I still need fast Internet access from time to time which is why I think offfering Internet access through this device would be grand. As it is though the bulk of me transfers of recent times involve iTunes data. So the more places to pick up that data the better. It isn't just movies either, apps, pod casts and other things come via iTunes. What I'm saying is that filtering the system to supply just movies or limited media types isn't going to do it. All of iTunes needs to be supported.
I'd be supportive if the kiosks spread WiFi hot spots
Dave
that last line of your post is what its all about . a wi fi boost country wide .. good one .
Perhaps, but it may also be due to the file size issues since their limit for the cellular network is 10MB for iTS and App Store.
But they don't even allow audio book download over wifi.
I can download a video blog of well over 100MB with no problem over wifi. But not an audiobook. I can't find a technical justification.
But they don't even allow audio book download over wifi.
I can download a video blog of well over 100MB with no problem over wifi. But not an audiobook. I can't find a technical justification.
Ah, good point.
I'm affraid...
Dave
I'm afraid Dave. What are you doing Dave? Daisy, Daisy/Give me your answer do...
Apple would not partner or buy a "sinking ship" like Blockbuster.
A more likely candidate would be Starbucks.
According to wikipedia: "16,120 stores in 49 countries, including around 11,000 in the United States, followed by nearly 1,000 in Canada and more than 800 in Japan."
The Starbucks phenomenon might be a bit too culturally-specific.
Basically no-one in Australia or Europe drinks at Starbucks. Japan isn't exactly known for the quality of it's coffee. Still it's a good idea and I can see the iTunes store beginning to manifest in the physical world. Virgin records has a few self-service kiosks around for burning custom CD's. Watching an old man trying to grapple with the user interface was like watching a man stand in front of an ATM while punching himself in face. Apple's GUI competencies would be a welcome addition to this space.