Possible Sept. 9 Apple TV refresh report rebuffed
Disputing a prediction that an upgraded Apple TV could make an appearance at next week's media-centric product unveiling, a new report states that the event will stay true to its tagline: "Only rock and roll."
Citing "very reliable sources," Jim Dalrymple of The Loop said that an Apple TV upgrade will not be unveiled at Apple's event scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 9. That contradicts a prediction made Tuesday by Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster, who noted that limited availability of the 40GB Apple TV model could signal a new hardware model, or perhaps a lower price point.
Munster also predicted that Steve Jobs will deliver the keynote at next week's event. However, competing analyst Shaw Wu with Kaufman Bros. said he does not expect the Apple co-founder to appear.
Sources of both The Loop and AppleInsider have stated that Apple's long-rumored tablet device will also not make an appearance Sept. 9. That product is expected to debut in early 2010.
Echoing a famous Rolling Stones lyric, the invitation for Apple's keynote reads "It's only rock and roll, but we like it." Combined with what his reportedly reliable sources told him, Dalrymple expects next week's keynote to focus on iPods. It is widely expected that the iPod nano and iPod touch will be equipped with cameras, and possibly the iPod classic as well.
Apple could also possibly release iTunes 9, a software update that is rumored to have social media integration, and possible Blu-ray support.
Citing "very reliable sources," Jim Dalrymple of The Loop said that an Apple TV upgrade will not be unveiled at Apple's event scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 9. That contradicts a prediction made Tuesday by Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster, who noted that limited availability of the 40GB Apple TV model could signal a new hardware model, or perhaps a lower price point.
Munster also predicted that Steve Jobs will deliver the keynote at next week's event. However, competing analyst Shaw Wu with Kaufman Bros. said he does not expect the Apple co-founder to appear.
Sources of both The Loop and AppleInsider have stated that Apple's long-rumored tablet device will also not make an appearance Sept. 9. That product is expected to debut in early 2010.
Echoing a famous Rolling Stones lyric, the invitation for Apple's keynote reads "It's only rock and roll, but we like it." Combined with what his reportedly reliable sources told him, Dalrymple expects next week's keynote to focus on iPods. It is widely expected that the iPod nano and iPod touch will be equipped with cameras, and possibly the iPod classic as well.
Apple could also possibly release iTunes 9, a software update that is rumored to have social media integration, and possible Blu-ray support.
Comments
iTunes 9 is a certainty. Hopefully it will also be 64-bit on Snow Leopard.
BTW, anyone with an aTV run XBMC or Boxee on it? How well does that work?
Three analysts, four viewpoints. So, what else is new?
I guess Apple is only going to talk about iPods/iTunes, Crunch!
BTW, anyone with an aTV run XBMC or Boxee on it? How well does that work?
I use Boxee all the time. I'd use it even more if the TV had beefy enough to play HD content (other than h.264-encoded). For now I use it for playing back DivX (480p) content as well as various online content (Hulu, CBS, and last.fm primarily). Without Boxee, the AppleTV is the best investment and most used device in my entertainment system. Adding Boxee makes it even better.
But keep in mind, I rarely watch broadcast television. If I were a channel surfer, I might find it less useful.
AppleTV does not have good margins; Apple needs to do something to reduce costs and the aforementioned comment about a P.A. Semi uber-SoC makes far more sense.
I still believe that Apple is working on a mid-tier OS (placed between iPhone OS and Mac OS X) that might be suitable for AppleTV, the phantom tablet, and other potential devices (game console anyone?). They just shipped Snow Leopard, so they can divert some engineering resources to this mid-tier OS. Then they can finish up the new architecture and provide SDKs for developers.
Also, Apple uses the iTunes Store to drive sales of its hardware. For video content, a subscription based model makes far more sense (like Netflix) rather than the "a la carte" sales that music buyers prefer. Right now, Apple needs to rework contracts with TV networks (including HBO whose content is missing) and movie studios to enable a subscription-based model that would make the AppleTV more attractive to consumers.
For all of this to happen, the most likely timeframe for a new AppleTV (and new video subscriptions) would be sometime early next year.
I guess you folks get to keep your hotplates for now.
BTW, anyone with an aTV run XBMC or Boxee on it? How well does that work?
Last month's MacLife magazine devoted their whole issue on this topic: into hacking it for Boxee, Hulu; posted results , and compared it to the MacMini running the same. Enjoy.
Now what can I whip up on my ATV grill tonight- nachos or tuna melt with Munster cheese?
I guess Apple is only going to talk about iPods/iTunes, Crunch!
iPods with cameras?
iTunes with Blu-ray support yet no Blu-ray hardware?
Yawn.
Three analysts, four viewpoints. So, what else is new?
You being positive?
I use Boxee all the time. I'd use it even more if the TV had beefy enough to play HD content (other than h.264-encoded). For now I use it for playing back DivX (480p) content as well as various online content (Hulu, CBS, and last.fm primarily). Without Boxee, the AppleTV is the best investment and most used device in my entertainment system. Adding Boxee makes it even better.
But keep in mind, I rarely watch broadcast television. If I were a channel surfer, I might find it less useful.
The only problem with Boxee on the AppleTV is the lack of HW acceloration due to the CPU used. Hopefully a SL-base update and/or HW update will allow Boxee to really make Flash 10 driven content run well at higher bandwidths.
The "AppleTV on 9/9" rumors make no sense.
AppleTV does not have good margins; Apple needs to do something to reduce costs and the aforementioned comment about a P.A. Semi uber-SoC makes far more sense.
I still believe that Apple is working on a mid-tier OS (placed between iPhone OS and Mac OS X) that might be suitable for AppleTV, the phantom tablet, and other potential devices (game console anyone?). They just shipped Snow Leopard, so they can divert some engineering resources to this mid-tier OS. Then they can finish up the new architecture and provide SDKs for developers.
Also, Apple uses the iTunes Store to drive sales of its hardware. For video content, a subscription based model makes far more sense (like Netflix) rather than the "a la carte" sales that music buyers prefer. Right now, Apple needs to rework contracts with TV networks (including HBO whose content is missing) and movie studios to enable a subscription-based model that would make the AppleTV more attractive to consumers.
For all of this to happen, the most likely timeframe for a new AppleTV (and new video subscriptions) would be sometime early next year.
The AppleTV can't go away and that special Intel CPU could likely be cheaper and certainly better with Ion (Atom+Nvidia 9400M). This could give at least OpenCL access to the chipset which would mean Take 3 could be Snow Leopard and we'd see some definite performance gains. Nvidia claims that Ion can push high-profile H.264 @1080p, but I haven't seen it done without dropped frames.
You being positive?
I am always positive!
Three analysts, four viewpoints. So, what else is new?
I wonder if anyone has tracked all the pundit/analyst predictions with each Apple 'event' and rated their success/failure rates over time.
(I'm guessing Rob Enderle would have a 100% success rate... for predicting the exact opposite of what actually happens.)
The only problem with Boxee on the AppleTV is the lack of HW acceloration due to the CPU used. Hopefully a SL-base update and/or HW update will allow Boxee to really make Flash 10 driven content run well at higher bandwidths.
Exactly. The TV has hardware acceleration to support 720p h.264 content only, and a mediocre processor not worthy of decoding any other video formats at resolutions higher than 480p. I really doubt an O/S upgrade will compensate enough to change that which is why I'm hoping Apple does release a new aTV with a faster processor capable of decoding alternate HD content (as well as giving it the ability to run Silverlight for Netflix streaming).
The only problem with Boxee on the AppleTV is the lack of HW acceloration due to the CPU used. Hopefully a SL-base update and/or HW update will allow Boxee to really make Flash 10 driven content run well at higher bandwidths. ...
Well, there is *another* big problem with Boxee and Hulu and all those AppleTV add-ons that's rarely mentioned which is that they only work in the USA. The largest and fastest growing segments of Apple's markets can't use them at all.
So for AppleTV to really be a success, they need to get some of that stuff to be native instead of a hack, and they need to make it work in more than one country.
I guess you folks get to keep your hotplates for now.
BTW, anyone with an aTV run XBMC or Boxee on it? How well does that work?
I was running Boxee on mine for a while. It was okay, but the actual UI was pretty clunky (slow/sluggish/etc.). About a month after using it, I think my ATV did an update (they say you are supposed to turn off the automatic updates...oops) which killed boxee.
If you love old episodes of ALF or A-TEAM, it was a lot of fun. After it stopped working, I heard they removed Hulu from it, so I didn't see a need to install it again.
However, I don't know if hulu is still available.
Even if ATV comes out with some more features, I think I'm going to go the mac mini route. Other than a couple hundred bucks price difference there isn't a reason to choose the mac mini. You can watch iTunes, DivX, Netflix, YouTube, Hulu, etc. Plus you can browse the internet, play games (yeah... not great ones), watch DVDs, and chat with a friend from across the county. When I think about it, I get a little angry for ever purchasing the ATV at all.
There are a lot of media options out there. If Apple is going to introduce a new ATV, it had better have some unbelievable features.
You being positive?
Maybe we just have a Cube situation here. Apple's built the best product they how how to build, but they're just at an impasse with consumers.
even at macrumors most people prefer the ps3 and think the atv is overpriced, lack of features, etc
I was running Boxee on mine for a while. It was okay, but the actual UI was pretty clunky (slow/sluggish/etc.). About a month after using it, I think my ATV did an update (they say you are supposed to turn off the automatic updates...oops) which killed boxee.
If you love old episodes of ALF or A-TEAM, it was a lot of fun. After it stopped working, I heard they removed Hulu from it, so I didn't see a need to install it again.
However, I don't know if hulu is still available.
Even if ATV comes out with some more features, I think I'm going to go the mac mini route. Other than a couple hundred bucks price difference there isn't a reason to choose the mac mini. You can watch iTunes, DivX, Netflix, YouTube, Hulu, etc. Plus you can browse the internet, play games (yeah... not great ones), watch DVDs, and chat with a friend from across the county. When I think about it, I get a little angry for ever purchasing the ATV at all.
There are a lot of media options out there. If Apple is going to introduce a new ATV, it had better have some unbelievable features.
Yeah mac mini is way more versatile if you don't mind spending the extra cash.
Yeah mac mini is way more versatile if you don't mind spending the extra cash.
Versatile yes, but it's designed to be used only by a remote and so it's not a good fit for the average person's entertainment center. I'd rather have a TiVo or a PS3 with an AppleTV for about the same money. I'd get a lot more uses out of it for an entertainment system unless you consider editing Word documents on your TV something worthwhile.
even at macrumors most people prefer the ps3 and think the atv is overpriced, lack of features, etc
I can definitely see the argument for that. From what I understand all 3 major gaming consoles are good alternatives, especially if you want to do any gaming. I'm not sure if the xbox has a web browser but I know ps3 and wii both do - so that would give you online content from netflix, hulu, etc...
I love my apple tv, but I've entertained the idea of going with one of the consoles instead because it gives you the optical drive (ps3 has the blueray everyone wants), and web access.