Apple Shifting Further to Consumer Electronics?

MAN! thats a LOT of iPods.

Macrumors said:

...but said he would "reassess his valuation if Apple announced new products over the next few months that could shift its center of gravity further into the consumer electronics realm."

Click to expand...

That's not very good for analysts to be valuing Apple based on their NOT introducing product.

Peel said:

That's not very good for analysts to be valuing Apple based on their NOT introducing product.

Click to expand...

He said he'd reassess, not lower. He may raise Apple's value if they go more into the consumer realm...

A bit disturbing to me if Apple will be reducing *options* for the UN*Xy or the geeky crowd. I'd like it if Apple would focus on being more of a competitor to Linux whilst retaining a family-friendliness that would allow for media applications and all. *sigh*

andrewm said:

A bit disturbing to me if Apple will be reducing *options* for the UN*Xy or the geeky crowd. I'd like it if Apple would focus on being more of a competitor to Linux whilst retaining a family-friendliness that would allow for media applications and all. *sigh*

Click to expand...

Linux...Why compete with an obviously inferior product?

IMO this analyst is blowing smoke, because there have not been any rumors of any other types of non-computer consumer electronics, aside from the itunes speaker (which I think is bogus anyway).

andrewm said:

A bit disturbing to me if Apple will be reducing *options* for the UN*Xy or the geeky crowd. I'd like it if Apple would focus on being more of a competitor to Linux whilst retaining a family-friendliness that would allow for media applications and all. *sigh*

Click to expand...

What do you mean? How is Apple reducing the options for the UNIX crowd? This is the first I've heard of that, can you be more specific? Short of shipping OS X with X11 and GCC installed, I don't know how much more UNIXY OS X can get. And let's face it, Linux will never hit the main stream. OS X is the only shot at competing against Microsoft directly.

Why not? There's no monopoly in consumer electronics. But it's a fickle market and one's got to be on the cusp of coolness. Apple has innovated themselves as the 21st century Sony. Yay!

I saw this coming back in October of 2001. Not before long, we'll see flat-panel LCD TVs from Apple soon enough integrated with Front Row 5 HD Extreme Edition.

Need more TV's

We need Apple to introduce 30" 42" and 50" flat panel Tv's/hdtv and computer monitors.

I would buy it from apple!!

they shouldnt have computer monitors which do not take inputs from tv's. ie hdmi cables.

We need the whole solution, not just a computer solution!!

The new Sony!

Jobs a few years ago was interviewed said that Apple was going to be next Sony. Let's see... iPod is the new walkman, iTunes is involved with music and now film distribution. The only thing missing is a game console. His (Jobs) comment stuck with me but seems to been forgotten by most of the media and mac centric websites.

Randall said:

What do you mean? How is Apple reducing the options for the UNIX crowd? This is the first I've heard of that, can you be more specific? Short of shipping OS X with X11 and GCC installed, I don't know how much more UNIXY OS X can get. And let's face it, Linux will never hit the main stream. OS X is the only shot at competing against Microsoft directly.

Click to expand...

I'll sound as though I'm venting, and maybe I am, but subtle things have fallen by the wayside. In Windows one can view all invisible files on the Desktop with a GUI setting--a checkbox, or some such. In OS X one needs a Terminal command, and the insivible files no longer (as of Panther, IIRC) appear half-opaque--*all* files appear half opaque with that setting on. If it's a bug, it should be fixed (and I do believe that a report has been filed.) Maybe it's instead to dumb-down the idea and remind people that invisible files are sometimes needed for things? I honestly cannot say.

Apple removed easy support for checking network mail from Mail.app. We need programs such as PostfixEnabler now, which is fine, but support should be included by default. I want to see the results of my cron jobs in Mail.app without any fuss at all, and others should be able to be equally satisfied with an out-of-the-box OS X that doesn't show them the useless (to them) messages.

Integrating with Darwin more recent versions of various command-line tools, and including, as various Linuxes do, an option to add a plethora of others, would be nice.

Other ideas may come to mind, but in the end, there will be those who say, 'Apple Knows Best (tm)'--and they may be right. I'd rather see a dozen more complicated settings in Finder prefs, though--under an 'Uber-Advanced' tab, even--than go to Terminal, for although if I'm an avid Terminal user, the GUI is faster for me.

Okay, it was a vent of sorts.

andrewm said:

I'd like it if Apple would focus on being more of a competitor to Linux whilst retaining a family-friendliness that would allow for media applications and all. *sigh*

Click to expand...

You mean like they already do?

andrewm said:

I'll sound as though I'm venting, and maybe I am, but subtle things have fallen by the wayside. In Windows one can view all invisible files on the Desktop with a GUI setting--a checkbox, or some such. In OS X one needs a Terminal command, and the insivible files no longer (as of Panther, IIRC) appear half-opaque--*all* files appear half opaque with that setting on. If it's a bug, it should be fixed (and I do believe that a report has been filed.) Maybe it's instead to dumb-down the idea and remind people that invisible files are sometimes needed for things? I honestly cannot say.

Apple removed easy support for checking network mail from Mail.app. We need programs such as PostfixEnabler now, which is fine, but support should be included by default. I want to see the results of my cron jobs in Mail.app without any fuss at all, and others should be able to be equally satisfied with an out-of-the-box OS X that doesn't show them the useless (to them) messages.

Integrating with Darwin more recent versions of various command-line tools, and including, as various Linuxes do, an option to add a plethora of others, would be nice.

Other ideas may come to mind, but in the end, there will be those who say, 'Apple Knows Best (tm)'--and they may be right. I'd rather see a dozen more complicated settings in Finder prefs, though--under an 'Uber-Advanced' tab, even--than go to Terminal, for although if I'm an avid Terminal user, the GUI is faster for me.

Okay, it was a vent of sorts.

Click to expand...

Yeah I like having access to all depths of the OS as much as the next geek, but all-in-all I am quite pleased with OS X. It does tend to over-simpliy some things, like the ones you mentioned, but OS X is rock solid and UNIX based, and gorgous. You really can't ask much more of an OS IMO.

I have a feeling that once we see OS X86, there will be a plethera of Linux based open source apps that will require very minimal tweaking to get to compile natively. (.i.e. paths to certain libraries should be the only things that need changing from 'vanilla' linux distros. 2006-2007 will be a very exciting time for Linux geeks that switched to Mac. We'll see more and more architecture specific open source applications find their way into OS X, and it will be good.

kerryb said:

The only thing missing is a game console.

Click to expand...

Interesting point. An Apple games console based upon Freescale processors would be pretty hard to pull off - Apple would have to adopt a Sony or Nintendo style business model (keep the platform closed, require every game to pass a quality test, charge companies for right to release their game on the platform, sell the hardware at a loss, make money from software sales), which could cause Apple to loose focus.

However, with an Intel core, Apple could adopt a game console strategy much more like the Microsoft Xbox: make it easy for PC games producers to release a version for the games platform; developers write the game to use a subset of PC hardware (IE, a hardware compatibility list), then just write a little (Apple-centric) bootstrap code to launch the game.

mdntcallr said:

We need Apple to introduce 30" 42" and 50" flat panel Tv's/hdtv and computer monitors... they shouldnt have computer monitors which do not take inputs from tv's. ie hdmi cables... We need the whole solution, not just a computer solution!!

Click to expand...

While a "tad bit" on the pricey side - not to me, but to John & Jane Consumer - Apple's 30" HD LCD is among the best, if not the best, of large computer flat panel monitors. The trick is to avoid the quagmire Gateway got into a few years back, jumping head first into consumer electronics. And while they appeared to price their product aggresively, their "brick & mortar" excursion ran into an iceberg... Oops, mixed metaphors again - need to turn the lights on when I'm cookin'.

Dell, on the other hand, I haven't really heard anything about their success or failure, though I think it's ludicrous to expect someone to make that big an investment (plasma or LCD tv monitor) without first looking at the picture quality.

In Apple's case, as soon as they intro'd the iMac G5 in September of 2004 I began to wonder how hard it would be for them to take the guts from the iMac, add some "steroids" to the CPU & GPU, and toss it behind the screen of that beautiful 30" ACD HD...

Or - and this is where I think the overly persistent rumors/yearnings about an Intel Mac mini at MWSF might actually have some practical use - they intro a "big brother" to the mini that controls your AV surround sound system, your DVR, and your DVD/CD changers. Right now most AV components are "dumb", with no memory of what's in the disc-drawer...

Apple could license Delicious Library (or buy it), add it to Front Row, and make a deal with iMDB/etc. for actor/director/title/studio/genre searches... And by acting as the "brains" of your Av system, rather than building the "brawn" of all those different components into a "mongo mini", Apple accomplishes several goals:
• Doesn't piss off the component manufacturers...
• Doesn't irk consumers, who have already bought all those components...
• Makes life pleasant for consumers, by remembering what's in your AV collection, and managing it intuitively...
• Tosses another "you were here first, but what a mess you made of something that should have been so simple & elegant" pie in Microsoft's Media-Center-PC face...

I think Apple should, also, bring out an iPod dedicated first to video. It should be about the size of a 150-200 page paperback novel, have a 5.5" hi-res screen, pack a choice of 80/100/120GB S-ATA 2.5" hard drives, have bluetooth/USB 2/FrWr, either 802.11g or 802.11n WiFi, and come with an elegant dock with the appropriate connections for an HD-AV system...

It wont happen - Apple's "shift away from the Mac" that is. Apple's latest statement filed with the SEC says they are still focused on growing their Macintosh based business. It'd get Apple in hot water with the Govt if they changed their focus and ignored filed statements.

I'll have to get the specific statement filed with the SEC later. I'm in a rush right now, but its my opinion that Apple is happy with the iPod/iTunes because it helps their Mac business. They won't forget where they came from.

Norse Son said:

Or - and this is where I think the overly persistent rumors/yearnings about an Intel Mac mini at MWSF might actually have some practical use - they intro a "big brother" to the mini that controls your AV surround sound system, your DVR, and your DVD/CD changers. Right now most AV components are "dumb", with no memory of what's in the disc-drawer...

Click to expand...

Wow, what are you smoking? Do share some of that stuff!

We've often heard MacFanatics propose ridiculous stuff like how Intel is going to make a special processor for macs, or how Mac uses special high quality components, etc etc.. but this one takes the crown.

How do you propose Apple or anyone for that matter is going to do that?

DVD changer interfacing to a computer? Through firewire? Infrared? What communications protocol arre they going to use? Do you foresee Sony, Panasonic, and all other major electronics company coming together to have a sitdown and discuss about standardising their electronics just because Apple has this amazing idea?

Hah!

Sony can buy Apple in a heartbeat.

Your little computer company is so small in the grand scheme of things, stop trying to think otherwise.

A computer is now become a consumer electronic device, believe it or not.

Why would I say this?


Its been more than 20 years for personal computer in the hands of the household consumer, it has been slowly heading towards the consumer "electronic" path.

Looking back 25 years the cost for computing has dropped while the power has increased and all we as consumer are doing with it on a majority basis is surf the net, email, and visit forums

Apple entered the iMac into the consumer electronic device category when it introduced the first bondi-blue iMac G3 in the late 90's.

There is no surprise here, the PC market has also been following the same path. The day is near when any consumer can own a supercomputer or the definition of it when the specs were considered back in its day.

Doctor Q said:

If we're speaking of raw numbers (gross income from Macs+software vs. iPod sales), that's easily studied. But if we're speaking of the "focus" of the company, their ever-increasing presence in the consumer electronics market could be seen as either a "shift" toward that area (at the expense of their focus on computer sales) or simply an "expansion" into that area (adding to the product line with no change to their efforts in the computer market).

Click to expand...

There is very little if any money to be made off computers these days, that is one of the reasons why IBM pulled out, and Apple shifting its focus. HP is also refocusing its agenda. Dell seems to be one of the very few making some money and that is due to numbers shipped.

People are either building they own PC, or getting someone else to do it as they can customize it from the start.

Apple or shall I say Steve Jobs is integrating and phasing the Macintosh platform into the a consumer device, and the software along with some of the recent hardware releases proves it.

generik said:

Wow, what are you smoking? Do share some of that stuff!

We've often heard MacFanatics propose ridiculous stuff like how Intel is going to make a special processor for macs, or how Mac uses special high quality components, etc etc.. but this one takes the crown.

How do you propose Apple or anyone for that matter is going to do that?

DVD changer interfacing to a computer? Through firewire? Infrared? What communications protocol arre they going to use? Do you foresee Sony, Panasonic, and all other major electronics company coming together to have a sitdown and discuss about standardising their electronics just because Apple has this amazing idea?

Hah!

Sony can buy Apple in a heartbeat.

Your little computer company is so small in the grand scheme of things, stop trying to think otherwise.

Click to expand...

I believe he is referring to the new protocol that Apple, Intel, etc... are developing to make a Unified Interface to connect DVI, VGA, etc... also it will be copy protected.

I also believe that the Intel "VIIV" chip has support for copy protection of HD content for visual and audio purposes.

He seems to have the right idea, only that he has not phrased it clear enough.

I don't think Apple is leaving its 'core' per se. Rather, I see it as Apple branching out. Their portfolio has gotten much more diverse over the last five years and that's why we see more articles and opining about this matter.

I believe Apple is still dedicated to the Mac, more than ever today. It's just that rather than only having a laser-sharp focus on Macintosh and Mac OS, they now have three laser-sharp focuses: Mac and Mac OS, Software and iPod+iTunes.

Tastannin said:

It wont happen - Apple's "shift away from the Mac" that is. Apple's latest statement filed with the SEC says they are still focused on growing their Macintosh based business. It'd get Apple in hot water with the Govt if they changed their focus and ignored filed statements.

I'll have to get the specific statement filed with the SEC later. I'm in a rush right now, but its my opinion that Apple is happy with the iPod/iTunes because it helps their Mac business. They won't forget where they came from.

Click to expand...

Not true, Apple might still be focused on the Mac platform. However they are trying to integrate it into the grand scheme of things. The iMac, iPod, .... are components of the Digital HUB concept.