IF APPLE WANTS TO RULE MY DIGITAL WORLD
If Apple wants to rule my digital world they have to rule the largest screen in my world, my TV. Apples latest version of the Apple TV is a step in the right direction but if I was designing the Apple TV this is what I would do.
Where Apple is failing with the ATV at this point is that it is not an " always on " device, meaning if my wife takes a picture on her iPhone or sees a funny video on YouTube and wants to share that with me either I have to look at the screen of the phone or the iPad, if we want to see it on the big screen I first have to change the input of my TV then turn on the ATV and then use Airplay to stream it over not convenient.
First the design of the ATV, I think anyone who has ever owned an ATV has always wished for a TV tuner in it. Well my design would have a TV tuner and DVR functionality it would come in either 64 or 128 gig flash memory versions.
Now imagine this I am watching TV on my ATV and my wife has just taken a picture or video with her iPhone or has found the best video ever on YouTube and she has got to show it to me right this very second but I am in the dying minutes of the game but I don't want to be in the doghouse. As she walks into the room she turns on AirPlay on whatever iOS device she has and my game disappears from the screen and a picture or video replaces it in seconds, am I loosing my mind because I am missing the game? No because as soon as AirPlay was turned on my good old ATV started recording whatever I was watching to it's flash memory so I don't miss the game and I am not in the doghouse for being insensitive and not wanting to see what she had to show me. Apple could be saving marriages and relationships all over.
With that DVR functionality I can record TV shows and either transfer them to my iPhone or iPad to take along with me or I can access the ATV remotely and watch live TV or watch something that has been recorded or even schedule a TV recording, an " always on " device.
My redesigned ATV would have the ability to run apps. Again imagine I am watching TV and in the background I have Facebook running and one of my buddies posts a new status and guess what, right there in my top right hand corner of my screen his status shows up for a few seconds then fades away. Let's say that same buddy posts a YouTube video, well because my ATV has Safari onboard I am able to navigate to the video and watch it and oh yeah I am not missing a minute of my show because the DVR has kicked in and is recording the last thing I was watching. There are all kinds of apps that could run in the background weather, Twitter, game stats you are only limited by your imagination.
What is another part of my digital world that Apple has been trying to rule? Gaming. Just think about it I have a great new game but I want to play it on the big screen, Airplay and you are playing on the big screen. What you don't want to use up space on your ATV for games or the game is too large or needs more computing power not a problem use your Mac as the game console and the ATV as just the display device and your iPhone as the controller. Even with my Mac being the game console the ATV is ruling my digital world because it gives me the ability to use my TV as my screen for gaming.
I do not pretend to know all the legal stuff when it comes to TV recording and if there is a fee a DVR manufacturer has to pay to cable companies but I bet cable companies would waive that fee if they could have real time data on what is being watched, by who and where. If you feel this is an invasion of your privacy well cable companies do it now without your knowledge at least this way it would with your consent. In the past it has not been in real time that these stats would be available they would conduct a phone survey to find this out and crunch a few numbers to come up with a pretty good guess. This data could be a way for Apple to either get around fees for the DVR if there are fees or if there are not fees whats to say Apple makes money by placing it's own ads in the commercial spots. All of this would work and create another revenue stream.
In my latest readings it sounds like Microsoft is moving away from it's Media Center functionality in the next version of Windows. I hear many complains about HTPC's saying they are complicated. I believe Media Center was before it's time and form factor is it's downfall. Microsoft wanted you to put a computer tower in your living room or entertainment stand, if you were not some kind of computer geek this was a little intimidating . Apple has that done already, they have found the form factor that has been accepted, computing power and OS have caught up to the form factor needed for the living room all that needs to be done now is to put the pieces together.
In closing I hope someone from Apple reads this because this is what us the consumers want hell maybe Apple should just get into the HDTV manufacturing business with all these functions built right in they build a beautiful 27" iMac not much of a stretch to go to 50". In my world I could have been writing this on my TV while my ATV is recording the show I missed while writing this. Please weigh in on this, the more of a response this gets maybe just maybe we'll start to see this become reality. Again I do not pretend to know all on how this works but I am a buying consumer looking for that next device to bring it all together and I believe Apple is right there they just need a little push by the buying public. Thanks for taking the time to read this.
Phil
If Apple wants to rule my digital world they have to rule the largest screen in my world, my TV. Apples latest version of the Apple TV is a step in the right direction but if I was designing the Apple TV this is what I would do.
Where Apple is failing with the ATV at this point is that it is not an " always on " device, meaning if my wife takes a picture on her iPhone or sees a funny video on YouTube and wants to share that with me either I have to look at the screen of the phone or the iPad, if we want to see it on the big screen I first have to change the input of my TV then turn on the ATV and then use Airplay to stream it over not convenient.
First the design of the ATV, I think anyone who has ever owned an ATV has always wished for a TV tuner in it. Well my design would have a TV tuner and DVR functionality it would come in either 64 or 128 gig flash memory versions.
Now imagine this I am watching TV on my ATV and my wife has just taken a picture or video with her iPhone or has found the best video ever on YouTube and she has got to show it to me right this very second but I am in the dying minutes of the game but I don't want to be in the doghouse. As she walks into the room she turns on AirPlay on whatever iOS device she has and my game disappears from the screen and a picture or video replaces it in seconds, am I loosing my mind because I am missing the game? No because as soon as AirPlay was turned on my good old ATV started recording whatever I was watching to it's flash memory so I don't miss the game and I am not in the doghouse for being insensitive and not wanting to see what she had to show me. Apple could be saving marriages and relationships all over.
With that DVR functionality I can record TV shows and either transfer them to my iPhone or iPad to take along with me or I can access the ATV remotely and watch live TV or watch something that has been recorded or even schedule a TV recording, an " always on " device.
My redesigned ATV would have the ability to run apps. Again imagine I am watching TV and in the background I have Facebook running and one of my buddies posts a new status and guess what, right there in my top right hand corner of my screen his status shows up for a few seconds then fades away. Let's say that same buddy posts a YouTube video, well because my ATV has Safari onboard I am able to navigate to the video and watch it and oh yeah I am not missing a minute of my show because the DVR has kicked in and is recording the last thing I was watching. There are all kinds of apps that could run in the background weather, Twitter, game stats you are only limited by your imagination.
What is another part of my digital world that Apple has been trying to rule? Gaming. Just think about it I have a great new game but I want to play it on the big screen, Airplay and you are playing on the big screen. What you don't want to use up space on your ATV for games or the game is too large or needs more computing power not a problem use your Mac as the game console and the ATV as just the display device and your iPhone as the controller. Even with my Mac being the game console the ATV is ruling my digital world because it gives me the ability to use my TV as my screen for gaming.
I do not pretend to know all the legal stuff when it comes to TV recording and if there is a fee a DVR manufacturer has to pay to cable companies but I bet cable companies would waive that fee if they could have real time data on what is being watched, by who and where. If you feel this is an invasion of your privacy well cable companies do it now without your knowledge at least this way it would with your consent. In the past it has not been in real time that these stats would be available they would conduct a phone survey to find this out and crunch a few numbers to come up with a pretty good guess. This data could be a way for Apple to either get around fees for the DVR if there are fees or if there are not fees whats to say Apple makes money by placing it's own ads in the commercial spots. All of this would work and create another revenue stream.
In my latest readings it sounds like Microsoft is moving away from it's Media Center functionality in the next version of Windows. I hear many complains about HTPC's saying they are complicated. I believe Media Center was before it's time and form factor is it's downfall. Microsoft wanted you to put a computer tower in your living room or entertainment stand, if you were not some kind of computer geek this was a little intimidating . Apple has that done already, they have found the form factor that has been accepted, computing power and OS have caught up to the form factor needed for the living room all that needs to be done now is to put the pieces together.
In closing I hope someone from Apple reads this because this is what us the consumers want hell maybe Apple should just get into the HDTV manufacturing business with all these functions built right in they build a beautiful 27" iMac not much of a stretch to go to 50". In my world I could have been writing this on my TV while my ATV is recording the show I missed while writing this. Please weigh in on this, the more of a response this gets maybe just maybe we'll start to see this become reality. Again I do not pretend to know all on how this works but I am a buying consumer looking for that next device to bring it all together and I believe Apple is right there they just need a little push by the buying public. Thanks for taking the time to read this.
Phil
