Superbowl 2009 hardware ad

Posted:
in Future Apple Hardware edited January 2014
First of all, read the posting about Andy Ihnatko. All 7 pages of it.



Its the 25th anniversary of the 1984 superbowl apple ad.

The last MacWorld was devoid of any desktop mac announcements.

So then Apple might instead release a super secret ad detailing their latest and greatest at this year's superbowl, hence why MacWorld was a hardware dud. (and the jaw-dropping thing in the aforementioned post)



I will discount iMacs and MacPros. They will be announced alongside the release of Snow Leopard sometime in April as they will take advantage of key features available in 10.6. (Troll Touch's days are numbered).



My Take: I think Apple might release (or announce the impending release of) an updated Apple TV with its own appstore a la iphone/itouch. Making all the iphone apps work on the apple TV should be easy. *Yawn* you say?

Then throw in support in Xcode for dedicated game programming with a standard game controller all mapped out and watch the community churn out games and stuff for the AppleTV. Kick Nintendo/Sony/Microsoft asses.

Provide syncing with iPhone/touch. Give it a HDD capacity boost. It becomes a true multimedia centerpiece.



What are your thoughts on an Apple Superbowl hardware announcement?
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 32
    iDunno. I'd think an Apple TV 'bump' will come on it's own. iDon't think in the down economy they'd be dabbling in games too much. If they did an ad, I'd vote new iMac. (greener then ever before), quad core, and if you are right about the anniversary.. then maybe a special edition version of it (out of the gate).
  • Reply 2 of 32
    e1618978e1618978 Posts: 6,075member
    I would love an AppleTV game box. Think of all the developers that they would have right out of the gate.



    They could include a simple tilt controller with the unit, and if you had an iPod touch, you could use it as a more advanced tilt controller with buttons on the screen. I don't think that Nintendo would have anything to worry about for a while, but it would be a bit of a kick in the head for Microsoft and Sony.



    The bulk of the market is casual games, Sony and Microsoft would be competing for the hardcore gamers, and Apple/Nintendo would compete for the casual gamers. Nintendo would have the advantage initially, but Apple would have the advantage wrt developers and speed of game development.
  • Reply 3 of 32
    The big thing holding back the AppleTV is content, and that is not exactly in Apple's hands. If Apple were to be able to make deals with Hulu and/or Netflix there would be a sudden flood of content. But so far Apple has been of the mood that everything should go through the iTunes store. And since the TV and movie studios are highly protective of their existing channels (primarily DVDs and broadcast/cable TV) and have gotten the message from the music industry that Apple likes more control than they like to give with regards to pricing they are unlikly to change things soon.



    Until that happens the AppleTV can't take off. I say this as a happy owner of an AppleTV. The reason I am happy with it is that I have patched mine with Boxee. With that there is enough content to keep me happy.
  • Reply 4 of 32
    Personally, I think the 25-year milestone for that commercial means more to Apple enthusiasts than it does to Apple. In all reality, it's just a commercial. Not something that Apple created, but a means of PROMOTING something Apple created.



    Is it a good commercial...? SURE! Some would say great! But I have high doubts that Apple is working over in Cupertino focussing on the anniversary of a commercial for a product long-gone.



    I don't know that the rest of the general public would remember that commercial nor see the significance of celebrating it's 25th year. That's just my opinion.



    Apple is about the here & now... and tomorrow.
  • Reply 5 of 32
    phongphong Posts: 219member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Lightwaver67 View Post


    Is it a good commercial...? SURE! Some would say great! But I have high doubts that Apple is working over in Cupertino focussing on the anniversary of a commercial for a product long-gone.



    It's the greatest commercial ever made.



    The Super Bowl is later now than it was back then, so it's not technically the anniversary. Regardless, Apple does not care about nostalgia. They don't celebrate any anniversary. Not while Jobs is CEO.
  • Reply 6 of 32
    areseearesee Posts: 776member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Karl Kuehn View Post


    The big thing holding back the AppleTV is content, and that is not exactly in Apple's hands. If Apple were to be able to make deals with Hulu and/or Netflix there would be a sudden flood of content. But so far Apple has been of the mood that everything should go through the iTunes store. And since the TV and movie studios are highly protective of their existing channels (primarily DVDs and broadcast/cable TV) and have gotten the message from the music industry that Apple likes more control than they like to give with regards to pricing they are unlikly to change things soon.



    Until that happens the AppleTV can't take off. I say this as a happy owner of an AppleTV. The reason I am happy with it is that I have patched mine with Boxee. With that there is enough content to keep me happy.



    I think you called it on the biggest problem with the AppleTV; -- Apple is in love with the iTunes store. To work the AppleTV and any other set top box will have to be open and allow others to use it to stream their content under their controls. Limiting an AppleTV like device to only one service will not make it a success.
  • Reply 7 of 32
    addaboxaddabox Posts: 12,665member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Lightwaver67 View Post


    Personally, I think the 25-year milestone for that commercial means more to Apple enthusiasts than it does to Apple. In all reality, it's just a commercial. Not something that Apple created, but a means of PROMOTING something Apple created.



    Is it a good commercial...? SURE! Some would say great! But I have high doubts that Apple is working over in Cupertino focussing on the anniversary of a commercial for a product long-gone.



    I don't know that the rest of the general public would remember that commercial nor see the significance of celebrating it's 25th year. That's just my opinion.



    Apple is about the here & now... and tomorrow.



    + + +



    The general public has no idea it's the 25th anniversary of a commercial. The general public is probably unaware the commercial even exists, and they don't care.



    There isn't any sentiment here for Apple to exploit, very few people watching the Super Bowl would be particularly moved by the timing.



    If they have a great product to introduce, and think the Super Bowl is a good place to introduce it, sure.



    But it won't be because the original Mac ad.
  • Reply 8 of 32
    Granted SJ is not about sentimentality, hence he probably couldn't care less about an ad his company did 25 yrs ago much less celebrate it. So let's look at this from a business perspective.



    The iTunes+iPod ecosystem proved that there is money to be made from outside Apple's traditional forte of hardware+software.



    The addition of iPhone+Appstore expounded this point. Make it, keep it simple, make it widely available and the world is your oyster. One thing that's been ignored or generally brushed aside is that any app that makes it to the AppStore becomes available at ALL iTunes stores across the globe. This is why DLs far exceed that of the original music store. iTunes US = US only, iTunes UK = UK only and so on. Appstore = available anywhere an iPhone is sold (legally of course).



    So we come back to the Apple TV and a Superbowl ad. Now if what they say over in the ION post pans out, the superbowl makes a great place to get millions of eyeballs for the new, casual gaming capable Apple TV. Average Joes and Janes, not the Apple faithful. A greater testbed for the platform you will never find. Especially if you can run all existing iPhone/iTouch apps on it too.



    I'm sure a lot of employees at Cupertino would love to do some sort of celebration for this milestone. TIm Cook and gang will just have to sneak it past SJ under the (albeit true) guise of good business.
  • Reply 9 of 32
    e1618978e1618978 Posts: 6,075member
    never mind
  • Reply 10 of 32
    Wong Superbowl. This is the 2009 Game that is going to be played.That is the 2008 lineup.
  • Reply 11 of 32
    begbeg Posts: 53member
    I suppose anything is possible. But putting iPhone/iPod Touch apps on Apple TV doesn't seem very *probable*.



    You can't interact with them at all in the same way you do on an iPhone.

    The resolution of the TV's is much larger than that on the iPhone, so none of the apps would work anyway.

    The aspect ratio is all wrong as most iPhone apps are made for portrait mode not landscape mode.



    I don't know how you would put Xcode in the Apple TV, it's not really setup to be a full OS X environment. I just don't see it working at all, and besides you can't just slap a piece of software like Xcode on there and say, "There ya go, make some games!" The people who Apple TV is targeted at would probably have their heads explode if they ever tried to program anyway. Creating a game, or any piece of software in Xcode isn't like messing around with a piece of software like Little Big Planet. Completely different.



    My guess for what happens:

    -Apple advertises iPods and iPhones at the superbowl since those are very consumer oriented devices.

    -In Feb/March Apple released spec bumped iMacs and MacMinis. No crazy new hardware here.

    -April-ish speed bumped MacBook(Pro)s

    -June/Around WWDC Snow Leopard is possibly released. New MacPros are released.
  • Reply 12 of 32
    Ugh, I still shudder at the thought of the 20th anniversary Mac. Let's hope Apple learned its lesson five years ago and decides not to revisit this idea. Nothing like having to buy a whole class of customers a swank pro latptop after you drop the price by 2/3rds.
  • Reply 13 of 32
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by beg View Post


    I suppose anything is possible. But putting iPhone/iPod Touch apps on Apple TV doesn't seem very *probable*.



    You can't interact with them at all in the same way you do on an iPhone.

    The resolution of the TV's is much larger than that on the iPhone, so none of the apps would work anyway.

    The aspect ratio is all wrong as most iPhone apps are made for portrait mode not landscape mode.



    I don't know how you would put Xcode in the Apple TV, it's not really setup to be a full OS X environment. I just don't see it working at all, and besides you can't just slap a piece of software like Xcode on there and say, "There ya go, make some games!" The people who Apple TV is targeted at would probably have their heads explode if they ever tried to program anyway. Creating a game, or any piece of software in Xcode isn't like messing around with a piece of software like Little Big Planet. Completely different.



    Granted, iPhone apps(games) would look downright blocky on large TVs but it should be doable unless the apps are really not resolution independent. As for the aspect ratio - letter boxing.

    iPhone hooks up as the controller.



    Xcode is a programming environment and I'm pretty sure the specs for AppleTV can handle anything the iPhone can. Apple's objective in doing what I've proposed to to leverage the legions of iPhone programmers into extending their efforts into the living room via AppleTV. Apple benefits by having a set top box that also does simple games/apps (one more reason to buy an AppleTV. The programmers benefit by having another revenue stream for their works.



    I would be surprised if the execs at Apple are not cooking some way to take advantage of the groundswell of new developers to make all their products more appealing. AppleTV just seems the easiest and best bet.



    I'm also surprised they haven't released an emulator for the Macs! No iPhone? No problem. iTunes now comes with an emulator for all your iPhone gaming/app needs. LOL
  • Reply 14 of 32
    outsideroutsider Posts: 6,008member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by RoboNerd View Post


    Ugh, I still shudder at the thought of the 20th anniversary Mac. Let's hope Apple learned its lesson five years ago and decides not to revisit this idea. Nothing like having to buy a whole class of customers a swank pro latptop after you drop the price by 2/3rds.



    That was over 5 years ago. This month is the Mac's (the computer line) 25th year anniversary. the TAM was Apple's (the company) 20th year model. It was released in 97, 12 years ago.
  • Reply 15 of 32
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Outsider View Post


    That was over 5 years ago. This month is the Mac's (the computer line) 25th year anniversary. the TAM was Apple's (the company) 20th year model. It was released in 97, 12 years ago.



    Yeah, when Seinfeld was still on. It was visible in many episodes in the last season...has it been that long ago? Thats when I started the job I'm in now...good LORD time flies when you're having fun...
  • Reply 16 of 32
    phongphong Posts: 219member
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  • Reply 17 of 32
    vineavinea Posts: 5,585member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by OuterAppleniverse View Post


    Granted, iPhone apps(games) would look downright blocky on large TVs but it should be doable unless the apps are really not resolution independent. As for the aspect ratio - letter boxing.

    iPhone hooks up as the controller.



    Xcode is a programming environment and I'm pretty sure the specs for AppleTV can handle anything the iPhone can.



    You don't develop for the iPhone on the iPhone. You do so on the Mac. Same would be true for aTV apps.



    Quote:

    Apple's objective in doing what I've proposed to to leverage the legions of iPhone programmers into extending their efforts into the living room via AppleTV. Apple benefits by having a set top box that also does simple games/apps (one more reason to buy an AppleTV. The programmers benefit by having another revenue stream for their works.



    Well yes. This much is obvious. There are now a much larger number of developers who do ObjectiveC and Cocoa.



    Quote:

    I would be surprised if the execs at Apple are not cooking some way to take advantage of the groundswell of new developers to make all their products more appealing. AppleTV just seems the easiest and best bet.



    I'm also surprised they haven't released an emulator for the Macs! No iPhone? No problem. iTunes now comes with an emulator for all your iPhone gaming/app needs. LOL



    There is an emulator for developers.



    I hope they do this but it's a major investment in time and energy. One that has cost Microsoft billions. Apple can afford the money but maybe not the focus for another new platform in 2009.



    After pondering it a bit I think that if they DO go this route it's going to be a very quiet launch. They don't want to appear to be taking on Nintendo and the Wii directly because...they'll lose, and worse, the perception is that they got hammered.



    Nobody looks at iPhone/iPod touch sales in comparison to the DS or PSP because they are phones and iPods. And yet gaming is an important niche in the App store and likely a future player in the handheld market.



    They need to spin the aTV/Pippin 2.0 as THIS IS NOT A GAME CONSOLE somehow and in it's own category so as to appear to dominate their small niche rather than being a bit player in the console wars. Kinda the inverse of the 360...a media extender that plays some games vs a console that happens to be a media extender.



    Hard to do though as it's would seem to be a transparent play.
  • Reply 18 of 32
    expatexpat Posts: 110member
    The list of Superbowl advertisers is here: http://www.usatoday.com/money/advert...ds-chart_N.htm



    No mention of Apple, so either its a secret, or they are doing nothing. My money is on the latter.
  • Reply 19 of 32
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Expat View Post


    The list of Superbowl advertisers is here: http://www.usatoday.com/money/advert...ds-chart_N.htm



    No mention of Apple, so either its a secret, or they are doing nothing. My money is on the latter.



    You will note that NBC retains an undisclosed number of slots. Apple being Apple would have insisted on absolute secrecy to maximise the effect of the ad. You will note also that Pixar have booked ads and that Apple and Pixar could easily have negotiated jointly with NBC.



    I think it will be big. I expect new iMacs, including a quad core, 32" model, 'next generation 64 bit operating system' (Snow Leopard), a further showcase of iLife '09, iTunes, and heavy play on green credentials. There may also be the new app store for Mac. Apple likes surprises even more than secrets.



    There will be no mention of the 25th anniversary - this will be for the press to point out. I expect a totally iconic, epic, high-budget ad that will be watched over and over on YouTube etc. and downloaded a billion times over the years to come. The timing and mode of delivery is right for Apple.
  • Reply 20 of 32
    expatexpat Posts: 110member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by timmillea View Post


    You will note that NBC retains an undisclosed number of slots. Apple being Apple would have insisted on absolute secrecy to maximise the effect of the ad. You will note also that Pixar have booked ads and that Apple and Pixar could easily have negotiated jointly with NBC.



    They don't mention Pixar, but I do hope that you are right and that Apple took out an ad with confidentiality as a condition.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by timmillea View Post


    I think it will be big. I expect new iMacs, including a quad core, 32" model, 'next generation 64 bit operating system' (Snow Leopard), a further showcase of iLife '09, iTunes, and heavy play on green credentials. There may also be the new app store for Mac. Apple likes surprises even more than secrets.



    This is where I disagree. If they do an ad, I would expect it to be one product - probably snow leopard or a new desktop. Trust me, I'd like to see Snow leopard, along with speed bumps/upgrades across the desktop and laptop lines, but I doubt that they would try and cram that much into one commercial.



    Personally, IF (and that's a a big "if") they do a commercial, it would likely be just the mac and pc guy, with the pc guy playing up the future windows 7 release, with the mac guy saying "oh yeah, snow leopard is out Monday". They might go all out with this one, but I don't know how well they could put together a huge production without anyone knowing about it (although the aluminum milling process the came up with was under wraps, so who knows.
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