People said the exact same thing before and after Apple announced the iPhone. Phones were getting cheaper and cheaper and more and more gimmicky and it was a race to the bottom. Smartphones were a growth area, but everyone knew it was dominated by a few key players who couldn't be displaced and whose business models were sacrosanct. Even today, look at the Android vendors in the smartphone market competing, seemingly, for who can make the least amount of money from selling the highest number of units. Decidedly a race to the bottom there, and one which Apple is able to ably avoid.
I imagine genius appointments and analysis of any such TVs would be done remotely, much as they are (or are intending) to do with iPhones/iPads. If and when the problem is determined to be a hardware problem and not a software issue, then they can arrange for pickup or something.
Wrong, wrong, wrong. The cable companies and the content creators control the interface. Not Apple. Huge difference.
Think about it... Right now your cable box controls the TV interface. I set my TV to channel 3 and my cable box takes care of the inteface. How will Apple change this?
My PS3/XBOX 360 is connected to my TV via HDMI and component cabling. When I turn them on, its their interface I see. How will Apple change this?
Now if Apple announces a partnership with say Time Warner or Verizon whereas they change the playing field, then you got a whole new ball game. But just for a TV. No way.
I was just thinking that in order for Apple to smartly begin displaying their new TV's inside their existing stores would require quite a bit of changing the current interior design/product displays in the stores? Would they hang them directly on the walls like some department stores? Create an area where you sit down across from the TV's simulating a living room scenario? Or would they just sit them on the tables like the iMacs. It seems that they'd need to do something pretty drastic because it would be all about showcasing the remote control/user interface which means you would want people to step back from the devices and take them for a spin. It would also make the stores a lot louder since their would always be multiple TVs running and being switched about... Either way if they do decide to do this I would imagine the iPhone/iPod/iPad would become the input device/remote control... you would just launch the TV app and begin telling the TV what your looking for and what to do?
Wrong, wrong, wrong. The cable companies and the content creators control the interface. Not Apple. Huge difference.
Think about it... Right now your cable box controls the TV interface. I set my TV to channel 3 and my cable box takes care of the inteface. How will Apple change this?
My PS3/XBOX 360 is connected to my TV via HDMI and component cabling. When I turn them on, its their interface I see. How will Apple change this?
Now if Apple announces a partnership with say Time Warner or Verizon whereas they change the playing field, then you got a whole new ball game. But just for a TV. No way.
No he's right.
Before the iPhone ,and even today with many carriers, the control over software updates came from the carrier not the phone provider. The carriers often used newer upgrades of software to push users to new phones/contacts. Apple was one of the first to get the ability to manage their own hardware on a cell providers network. This is analogous to the Cable Op control over content with one primary distinction. Streaming. Apple can bypass Cable Op simply by jacking into iTunes. A HDTV merely becomes a giant tablet running iOS.
Cable Boxes don't control the TV...they simply add the DRM necessary for premium channels. If you have basic cable a simple coax going into an integrated ATSC tuner can turn channels. People have become accustomed to thinking they need a box under their TV to function. Many have forgotten that even HD can be retrieved with an antenna sitting on roof top.
It's always on so it can always listen and take commands without physical interaction. It's Big Brother and we're going to love it. What else could we need?
It would be funny as heck if the T+ siri start to respond to spoken commands from the TV show or commercials.
It would be funny as heck if the T+ siri start to respond to spoken commands from the TV show or commercials.
More likely what would happen would be a remote app that comes with the TV that pairs a particular iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad to the TV and only that device would enable the TV to work and of course Siri would have to eventually move across to all platforms for the voice control to be native.
This is great. The world-wide news media is talking about another possible product release, first mentioned today by Steve Jobs. Only he could pull that off from the after-world.
It's odd though, because given Apple's (Steve's) legendary secretiveness you'd almost have to think that speaking on record about such a thing was a sign they had decided not to go forward.
That, or Steve's illness and sense of looming mortality made him more inclined to talk candidly about projects he knew he would never get to introduce himself.
I think it may have more to do with the change in the book's release schedule. Remember, they moved it way up from the original planned release date.
I'm still not sold on that. Once the TV's internals get too old to run the company's latest OS, what do you do, toss it? Upgrade your HDTV as often as your phone?
This is great. The world-wide news media is talking about another possible product release, first mentioned today by Steve Jobs. Only he could pull that off from the after-world.
haha... maybe all of the next few product releases will come from him, prerecorded and leaked at the appropriate time... he's the man...
Siri would be great in a car, too, but I don't see Apple getting into that business. I at least hope Apple works with manufactures to allow access Siri from the steering wheel.
BMW has already expressed an interest in getting Siri into their vehicles.
Wrong, wrong, wrong. The cable companies and the content creators control the interface. Not Apple. Huge difference.
Think about it... Right now your cable box controls the TV interface. I set my TV to channel 3 and my cable box takes care of the inteface. How will Apple change this?
My PS3/XBOX 360 is connected to my TV via HDMI and component cabling. When I turn them on, its their interface I see. How will Apple change this?
Now if Apple announces a partnership with say Time Warner or Verizon whereas they change the playing field, then you got a whole new ball game. But just for a TV. No way.
The cable co's and satellite companies do control the interface now. For now. The wireless companies controlled the user experience to a large degree, pre-iPhones, as well. From how you could ingest multimedia, to how you received updates to how you received apps, it was all carrier controlled. Apple changed that.
As for the cable interface, well, it wouldn't be un-Apple like to control the interface and gain provider partnerships in doing so, just as the gained carrier partnerships to disrupt how we deal with our phones. There is no reason a TV couldn't be smart enough to adapt it's interface to the inputs involved. If it is cable from Comcast or satellite from DirectTV, make a determination as to what UI's and what tuners and what codec and decoders are needed. Granted this would all depend on partnerships with the cableco's, but Apple has done this before. They negotiated with and received concessions and agreements with carriers and record companies and movie studios and TV content producers. It isn't a given that they couldn't do this again.
The cable co's and satellite companies do control the interface now. For now. The wireless companies controlled the user experience to a large degree, pre-iPhones, as well. From how you could ingest multimedia, to how you received updates to how you received apps, it was all carrier controlled. Apple changed that.
As for the cable interface, well, it wouldn't be un-Apple like to control the interface and gain provider partnerships in doing so, just as the gained carrier partnerships to disrupt how we deal with our phones. There is no reason a TV couldn't be smart enough to adapt it's interface to the inputs involved. If it is cable from Comcast or satellite from DirectTV, make a determination as to what UI's and what tuners and what codec and decoders are needed. Granted this would all depend on partnerships with the cableco's, but Apple has done this before. They negotiated with and received concessions and agreements with carriers and record companies and movie studios and TV content producers. It isn't a given that they couldn't do this again.
I agree. It won't be long before people demand programming a la carte, and Apple will be there to spoon up the big sticky blobs of rancid television for our pulsating brains.
Wrong, wrong, wrong. The cable companies and the content creators control the interface. Not Apple. Huge difference.
Think about it... Right now your cable box controls the TV interface. I set my TV to channel 3 and my cable box takes care of the inteface. How will Apple change this?
My PS3/XBOX 360 is connected to my TV via HDMI and component cabling. When I turn them on, its their interface I see. How will Apple change this?
Now if Apple announces a partnership with say Time Warner or Verizon whereas they change the playing field, then you got a whole new ball game. But just for a TV. No way.
Changing it is simple. Reverse the equation. Your Cable box plugs into Apple TV, so does your XBox, you see APPLE's Siri-driven interface and it issues commands to your devices like a Harmony remote. Apple will turn the cable box into a dumb Hard-Drive and Content Pipe and control the interface and experience in the last mile - on the display. They can then slowly push the cable companies out with easier content availability via iTunes.
If it replaces my U-Verse set top box that crashes (stops responding to commands anyway, it still records) once a day then I'm happy. If true, I think this may be one step further then just an Apple TV integrated in an HDTV.
Changing it is simple. Reverse the equation. Your Cable box plugs into Apple TV, so does your XBox, you see APPLE's Siri-driven interface and it issues commands to your devices like a Harmony remote. Apple will turn the cable box into a dumb Hard-Drive and Content Pipe and control the interface and experience in the last mile - on the display. They can then slowly push the cable companies out with easier content availability via iTunes.
Perhaps Apple will soon announce the acquisition of i.TV, a very good app that has TV schedule listings and other interesting features.
Changing it is simple. Reverse the equation. Your Cable box plugs into Apple TV, so does your XBox, you see APPLE's Siri-driven interface and it issues commands to your devices like a Harmony remote. Apple will turn the cable box into a dumb Hard-Drive and Content Pipe and control the interface and experience in the last mile - on the display. They can then slowly push the cable companies out with easier content availability via iTunes.
Intriguing idea, but HDCP will get in the way of making it work. They may be able to get around the licensing problems if they built the AppleTV into the television though... That might explain why they would build the HDTV even though they typically stay out of markets that already have products that are good enough.
I'm ready to buy a new TV. Hopefully iCloud or iOS 5 was the missing piece and they are ready to move forward.
Yes, this is very surprising. Perhaps during 40+ interviews he let one slip. But as you say, I would think he would have an agreement to exclude future product references in the event Steve did let one slip.
It's worth noting that an Apple TV has been rumoured for release in late 2011 or early 2012. The biography was initially going to be release in early 2012 and Jobs health may have prevented it from being announced in Q3.
Comments
People said the exact same thing before and after Apple announced the iPhone. Phones were getting cheaper and cheaper and more and more gimmicky and it was a race to the bottom. Smartphones were a growth area, but everyone knew it was dominated by a few key players who couldn't be displaced and whose business models were sacrosanct. Even today, look at the Android vendors in the smartphone market competing, seemingly, for who can make the least amount of money from selling the highest number of units. Decidedly a race to the bottom there, and one which Apple is able to ably avoid.
I imagine genius appointments and analysis of any such TVs would be done remotely, much as they are (or are intending) to do with iPhones/iPads. If and when the problem is determined to be a hardware problem and not a software issue, then they can arrange for pickup or something.
Wrong, wrong, wrong. The cable companies and the content creators control the interface. Not Apple. Huge difference.
Think about it... Right now your cable box controls the TV interface. I set my TV to channel 3 and my cable box takes care of the inteface. How will Apple change this?
My PS3/XBOX 360 is connected to my TV via HDMI and component cabling. When I turn them on, its their interface I see. How will Apple change this?
Now if Apple announces a partnership with say Time Warner or Verizon whereas they change the playing field, then you got a whole new ball game. But just for a TV. No way.
Wrong, wrong, wrong. The cable companies and the content creators control the interface. Not Apple. Huge difference.
Think about it... Right now your cable box controls the TV interface. I set my TV to channel 3 and my cable box takes care of the inteface. How will Apple change this?
My PS3/XBOX 360 is connected to my TV via HDMI and component cabling. When I turn them on, its their interface I see. How will Apple change this?
Now if Apple announces a partnership with say Time Warner or Verizon whereas they change the playing field, then you got a whole new ball game. But just for a TV. No way.
No he's right.
Before the iPhone ,and even today with many carriers, the control over software updates came from the carrier not the phone provider. The carriers often used newer upgrades of software to push users to new phones/contacts. Apple was one of the first to get the ability to manage their own hardware on a cell providers network. This is analogous to the Cable Op control over content with one primary distinction. Streaming. Apple can bypass Cable Op simply by jacking into iTunes. A HDTV merely becomes a giant tablet running iOS.
Cable Boxes don't control the TV...they simply add the DRM necessary for premium channels. If you have basic cable a simple coax going into an integrated ATSC tuner can turn channels. People have become accustomed to thinking they need a box under their TV to function. Many have forgotten that even HD can be retrieved with an antenna sitting on roof top.
HDTV body + Apple TV brain + iCloud + Siri
It's always on so it can always listen and take commands without physical interaction. It's Big Brother and we're going to love it. What else could we need?
It would be funny as heck if the T+ siri start to respond to spoken commands from the TV show or commercials.
It would be funny as heck if the T+ siri start to respond to spoken commands from the TV show or commercials.
More likely what would happen would be a remote app that comes with the TV that pairs a particular iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad to the TV and only that device would enable the TV to work and of course Siri would have to eventually move across to all platforms for the voice control to be native.
Go Ireland!
Hey, what about me? As I remember, we kinda came up with the same idea around the same time...
It's odd though, because given Apple's (Steve's) legendary secretiveness you'd almost have to think that speaking on record about such a thing was a sign they had decided not to go forward.
That, or Steve's illness and sense of looming mortality made him more inclined to talk candidly about projects he knew he would never get to introduce himself.
I think it may have more to do with the change in the book's release schedule. Remember, they moved it way up from the original planned release date.
This is great. The world-wide news media is talking about another possible product release, first mentioned today by Steve Jobs. Only he could pull that off from the after-world.
haha... maybe all of the next few product releases will come from him, prerecorded and leaked at the appropriate time... he's the man...
Siri would be great in a car, too, but I don't see Apple getting into that business. I at least hope Apple works with manufactures to allow access Siri from the steering wheel.
BMW has already expressed an interest in getting Siri into their vehicles.
haha... maybe all of the next few product releases will come from him, prerecorded and leaked at the appropriate time... he's the man...
I would love that.
Wrong, wrong, wrong. The cable companies and the content creators control the interface. Not Apple. Huge difference.
Think about it... Right now your cable box controls the TV interface. I set my TV to channel 3 and my cable box takes care of the inteface. How will Apple change this?
My PS3/XBOX 360 is connected to my TV via HDMI and component cabling. When I turn them on, its their interface I see. How will Apple change this?
Now if Apple announces a partnership with say Time Warner or Verizon whereas they change the playing field, then you got a whole new ball game. But just for a TV. No way.
The cable co's and satellite companies do control the interface now. For now. The wireless companies controlled the user experience to a large degree, pre-iPhones, as well. From how you could ingest multimedia, to how you received updates to how you received apps, it was all carrier controlled. Apple changed that.
As for the cable interface, well, it wouldn't be un-Apple like to control the interface and gain provider partnerships in doing so, just as the gained carrier partnerships to disrupt how we deal with our phones. There is no reason a TV couldn't be smart enough to adapt it's interface to the inputs involved. If it is cable from Comcast or satellite from DirectTV, make a determination as to what UI's and what tuners and what codec and decoders are needed. Granted this would all depend on partnerships with the cableco's, but Apple has done this before. They negotiated with and received concessions and agreements with carriers and record companies and movie studios and TV content producers. It isn't a given that they couldn't do this again.
The cable co's and satellite companies do control the interface now. For now. The wireless companies controlled the user experience to a large degree, pre-iPhones, as well. From how you could ingest multimedia, to how you received updates to how you received apps, it was all carrier controlled. Apple changed that.
As for the cable interface, well, it wouldn't be un-Apple like to control the interface and gain provider partnerships in doing so, just as the gained carrier partnerships to disrupt how we deal with our phones. There is no reason a TV couldn't be smart enough to adapt it's interface to the inputs involved. If it is cable from Comcast or satellite from DirectTV, make a determination as to what UI's and what tuners and what codec and decoders are needed. Granted this would all depend on partnerships with the cableco's, but Apple has done this before. They negotiated with and received concessions and agreements with carriers and record companies and movie studios and TV content producers. It isn't a given that they couldn't do this again.
I agree. It won't be long before people demand programming a la carte, and Apple will be there to spoon up the big sticky blobs of rancid television for our pulsating brains.
Wrong, wrong, wrong. The cable companies and the content creators control the interface. Not Apple. Huge difference.
Think about it... Right now your cable box controls the TV interface. I set my TV to channel 3 and my cable box takes care of the inteface. How will Apple change this?
My PS3/XBOX 360 is connected to my TV via HDMI and component cabling. When I turn them on, its their interface I see. How will Apple change this?
Now if Apple announces a partnership with say Time Warner or Verizon whereas they change the playing field, then you got a whole new ball game. But just for a TV. No way.
Changing it is simple. Reverse the equation. Your Cable box plugs into Apple TV, so does your XBox, you see APPLE's Siri-driven interface and it issues commands to your devices like a Harmony remote. Apple will turn the cable box into a dumb Hard-Drive and Content Pipe and control the interface and experience in the last mile - on the display. They can then slowly push the cable companies out with easier content availability via iTunes.
Changing it is simple. Reverse the equation. Your Cable box plugs into Apple TV, so does your XBox, you see APPLE's Siri-driven interface and it issues commands to your devices like a Harmony remote. Apple will turn the cable box into a dumb Hard-Drive and Content Pipe and control the interface and experience in the last mile - on the display. They can then slowly push the cable companies out with easier content availability via iTunes.
Perhaps Apple will soon announce the acquisition of i.TV, a very good app that has TV schedule listings and other interesting features.
Changing it is simple. Reverse the equation. Your Cable box plugs into Apple TV, so does your XBox, you see APPLE's Siri-driven interface and it issues commands to your devices like a Harmony remote. Apple will turn the cable box into a dumb Hard-Drive and Content Pipe and control the interface and experience in the last mile - on the display. They can then slowly push the cable companies out with easier content availability via iTunes.
Intriguing idea, but HDCP will get in the way of making it work. They may be able to get around the licensing problems if they built the AppleTV into the television though... That might explain why they would build the HDTV even though they typically stay out of markets that already have products that are good enough.
I'm ready to buy a new TV. Hopefully iCloud or iOS 5 was the missing piece and they are ready to move forward.
Yes, this is very surprising. Perhaps during 40+ interviews he let one slip. But as you say, I would think he would have an agreement to exclude future product references in the event Steve did let one slip.
It's worth noting that an Apple TV has been rumoured for release in late 2011 or early 2012. The biography was initially going to be release in early 2012 and Jobs health may have prevented it from being announced in Q3.