What do you think Apple's next big things are? [Archive]

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speedier

Nov 4, 2007, 04:38 AM

This has been a busy year with the introduction of iPhone, the updating of iPod Nanos up to iPod Touch, apple tv, newly redesigned iMacs, launch of Leopard, updated macbooks and such (holy that was a lot of stuff for APple this yr)... with the iphone and leopard (and the imacs sorta), we were basically held in anticipation-mode for much of this yr. now it seems like all the big things are here and there is nothing big to anticipate in the near future.

apple will obviously take a breather leading into christmas and on, but what do you guys think Apple's next big things are gonna be? What will they develop next? do you think they'll release something else to add to their line next year?

mrfrosty

Nov 4, 2007, 05:14 AM

The big thing i think may happen is that Apple allows licensing of OSX to 3rd parties......It depends on the business plan i guess but it's the only real way to achieve major increases in market penetration (fnar! fnar!). Persoanlly i think Apple are running out of ideas with the computer side of things, lets face it now everything's Intel Apple machines are directly comparable to HP, Dell e.t.c. both in terms of price and hardware. Hence the success of OSX86. Ultimately its the only way Apple can take on Microsoft head on and I don't think Apple will ever get a better opportunity to do it....It's an obscenely risky strategy of course and perhaps one which Apple as a business see no real reason to take on.

Also if i were Steve Jobs i would be (apart from sat on a yacht surrounded by busty beauties) wondering if things could get any better and shouldn't i quit while i am ahead rather than risk it all turning to crap on my watch !

Deepdale

Nov 4, 2007, 05:33 AM

... Also if i were Steve Jobs i would be (apart from sat on a yacht surrounded by busty beauties) ...

Only Mrs. Jobs stands between Steve and that fantasy from becoming a reality anytime soon.

Much Ado

Nov 4, 2007, 05:35 AM

The big thing i think may happen is that Apple allows licensing of OSX to 3rd parties......It depends on the business plan i guess but it's the only real way to achieve major increases in market penetration (fnar! fnar!).

In my opinion, that's BS.

Market Share < Profits
Market Share < Quality
Market Share < The Mac Experience.

mrfrosty

Nov 4, 2007, 05:39 AM

In my opinion, that's BS.

Market Share < Profits
Market Share < Quality
Market Share < The Mac Experience.

++Market Share >> Share Price
++Market Share < Quality (Agreed, but quality is not that great at the moment, ask the freezing iMAC owners, the popping Mini owners, the choppy leopard drivers, the people with crappy screened iPod's)
++Market Share >> More people having a Mac Experience....

I don't think they will do it either, but it's a possibility.

Dalriada

Nov 4, 2007, 05:46 AM

The next big thing i think may happen from Apple .....

How about a non freezing consumer desktop with a decent graphics card.

:apple:Dal

Much Ado

Nov 4, 2007, 05:48 AM

++Market Share >> Share Price
++Market Share < Quality (Agreed, but quality is not that great at the moment, ask the freezing iMAC owners, the popping Mini owners, the choppy leopard drivers, the people with crappy screened iPod's)
++Market Share >> More people having a Mac Experience....

Err...well:

Licensed OS = Market Share + Fewer Macs sold = Less Profit = Lower share price

Market Share < Quality. I stand by that.

And as for the last point, the Mac Experience is not about the OS, it's about the integration of hardware and software. An HP box running OS X would not be the Mac Experience.

Honestly, not wanting to bite your head off here, but there are no arguments for licensing OSX for me, at least not as long as Jobs is around. Feel free to quote me when i turn out to be wrong, though :)
-----------
Fo the OP: Ultrathin Mac Notebook next ;)

Fuzzy14

Nov 4, 2007, 05:53 AM

How about....

January 2008 new Mac Pros (if not already released) and aluminium MacBook Pros
Summer 2008 Mac Books in Aluminium
Just routine upgrades to the iMac
Mac Mini replaced with something else, possibly merged with Apple TV?
And I don't know about anybody else, but I don't see the point of having an iPhone and an iPod Touch. Merge the two and give them decent capacities (80GB+)

Much Ado

Nov 4, 2007, 05:54 AM

iPhone and an iPod Touch. Merge the two and give them decent capacities (80GB+)
[/LIST]

And lose flash? :(

Fuzzy14

Nov 4, 2007, 06:09 AM

And lose flash? :(

It's a tough one, classic engineering trade-off over size and capacity. But me personally I've got a 30GB iPod (full) and an 80GB iPod (1/2 full) and so I wouldn't consider 'downgrading' to a 8 or 16GB.

sammich

Nov 4, 2007, 06:12 AM

MWSF 2008 announcement:

I have been training a "secret double me," Jobs proclaimed. He said over the last five years he has been secretly training a clone to succeed him . “So today for the first time, I can confirm the rumors that every World Wide Developers Conference and Macworld Expo keynote has been presented by my clone. This has been going on for the last five years,” he said.

BEHOLD, iClone!

:confused:
(okay so a nice photoshopped image of two Steve's facing each other on stage would have been the idea, but I'm not so great at photoshop)

In case you don't get it:
Mac OS X has been leading a "secret double life," Jobs proclaimed. He said every release of the Mac OS X over the last five years was secretly built for both the PowerPC and Intel processors. “So today for the first time, I can confirm the rumors that every release of Mac OS X has been compiled for both PowerPC and Intel. This has been going on for the last five years,” he said.

Rodimus Prime

Nov 4, 2007, 07:21 PM

I do not see why people get so up in the air about OSX being allowed to go on 3rd party computers.

It will not be like the days of the Mac clone where it almost killed the company. Right now apple has wide range of products. It has it computers, iPod and iPhone, Software, and other random items for an income stream. I could easily see apple going more software side. Now going truely head to head with M$ might be a bad idea just because M$ would use it power to keep OSX from getting to powerful. Right now apple is nothing more than a thorn to M$. A very annoying thorn but just a thorn because of it very limited marketshare.

As for apple next big thing I could see them doing something with a tablet computer.

CashGap

Nov 5, 2007, 09:36 AM

Rodimus Prime

Nov 5, 2007, 03:31 PM

"I do not see why people get so up in the air about OSX being allowed to go on 3rd party computers."

Emotionally, folks would love to see Mac OS X running (or more likely, crashing) on all sorts of hardware.

Logically, it would be a shame to destroy the company that way. The move would destroy Apple hardware sales overnight, which would make AAPL a penny stock. All development of the OS would cease. The best outcome would be that someone would purchase OS X and continue to develop it, but it's not too likely.

Luckily the grownups are in charge of this decision!

see that goes to my entire point. People get up in the air saying it is a stupid idea for x reason. Case and point all of yours.

First off development of the OS would increase because it now bigger sorse of cash it being more than way. How do you know it will hurt hardware sells over night. I see desktop sells falling but laptop sells would stay the same. Apple laptops are very competitive. Plus like i point out Apple now has a large stream of income. The computer sells yeah might drop some but since apple has a huge stream of cash not related to the computer.

gkarris

Nov 5, 2007, 04:30 PM

apple will obviously take a breather leading into christmas and on, but what do you guys think Apple's next big things are gonna be? What will they develop next? do you think they'll release something else to add to their line next year?

Well, their stores are big and getting bigger.

I think the next thing they develop will be Apple Malls, then move on to Apple Cities... :eek:

CashGap

Nov 5, 2007, 04:38 PM

see that goes to my entire point. People get up in the air saying it is a stupid idea for x reason. Case and point all of yours.

First off development of the OS would increase because it now bigger sorse of cash it being more than way. How do you know it will hurt hardware sells over night. I see desktop sells falling but laptop sells would stay the same. Apple laptops are very competitive. Plus like i point out Apple now has a large stream of income. The computer sells yeah might drop some but since apple has a huge stream of cash not related to the computer.

Well keep in mind sometimes everyone says something would be stupid and not work simply because... it would be stupid and wouldn't work!

I really don't think any AAPL stockholders hope Apple moves from "Low Risk/High Yield" to "High Risk/Low Yield" just to fan a few egos.

Microsoft/Dell/etc. dream of Apple making this blunder, but I can't see Jobs or anyone else turning incompetent overnight.

I do sort of agree, while desktop sales might fall by 90%, laptops are just so cool that they might hold 40% of their current sales volume. For awhile.

Rodimus Prime

Nov 5, 2007, 05:32 PM

Well keep in mind sometimes everyone says something would be stupid and not work simply because... it would be stupid and wouldn't work!

I really don't think any AAPL stockholders hope Apple moves from "Low Risk/High Yield" to "High Risk/Low Yield" just to fan a few egos.

Microsoft/Dell/etc. dream of Apple making this blunder, but I can't see Jobs or anyone else turning incompetent overnight.

I do sort of agree, while desktop sales might fall by 90%, laptops are just so cool that they might hold 40% of their current sales volume. For awhile.

Until apple decides to open up it software to everyone it market share is really not going to grow that much and really going to hover around where it been for a while now. Now apple could easily be just fine with that but if they want to grow in market share they do not have a choice.

Microsoft considers apple at best just a thorn in their side. Not like apple really does that much damage to them. Linus is more of a threat.

Now do I expect them to do it any time soon but I could easily see it happen in the next 5 years. Apple has gone back on it never word to many times for me to believe it. I would not be shock at all to see apple release OSX out into the open. Mind you then there would be multiple box people would have to choice from (upgrade and full versions which is fine right now all OSX copies are upgrade only)

Apple could make that move and not really be hurt by it. Yeah stock prices might fall in the short term but after people though the whining and complaining it would go right back up. Just like when they went x86 just look on these boards at all the whining about how it was a bad idea for reason XYZ. Of course do not forget the never going to happen before hand.
This is why I see apple doing it at some point. They seem to want to expand market share. The only way to do that is by release the OS to everyone. Like I said before apple has a lot of other sources of income right now other than computer. It is diversifying very widely which is why I see them going truly into the software side for another source of income. Right now apple is hardly a software company and mostly only a hardware company. They seem to be moving more and more into the software side as well.

Also I might want to point out that just call it stupid and will not work and fail to address the arguments which I set on the table. I calmly pointed out why I think apple might do that and why it would work out fine for them. I would like to see some better argument other than it is stupid and will not work. On top of people pointing back to the clone days.

Mindflux

Nov 5, 2007, 06:22 PM

iDildo and iVagina

chris200x9

Nov 5, 2007, 09:53 PM

darwin x86 FTW

MattBook

Nov 5, 2007, 10:29 PM

I'm wondering since Apple have extended into the phone market whether they'll ever make a camera...?

iCam?!

anybody else think that would be awesome?!

someone make a mock-up on photoshop! (I would but I don't have time lol)

Tilpots

Nov 5, 2007, 10:40 PM

speedier

Nov 6, 2007, 01:38 AM

And one more thing...

Ever wished your HDTV ran OS X? And have that same HDTV could store all your movies, music and games? And be controlled from your iPhone or wireless keyboard/mouse? Today, the dream becomes a reallity. I give you the iMix. Should hit the shelves next Tuesday.

Seriously, all they have to do is combine the Apple TV with an iMac, with a 50" +/- Apple Monitor and give it a terabyte HDD. I'd buy one. As soon as I find a buyer for my kidney.;)

Interesting. Although that would null the Apple TV, wouldn't it?

I think the idea of using the iPhone to control more things might be a logical next step. iPhone as a remote control to the Apple TV to play a movie on ur tv or as a remote control to turn off the monitor of iMac or something...
'
With the iPhone and iPod series, they've "Appled" the two major things a person brings when he/she goes out. Perhaps next would be like iWatch or iWallet LOL. But i'm sure the DoCoMo vision video isn't too far away in the future for Apple products.. i mean, for instance, incorporating a debit payment chip isn't outrageous at all.

With the rumors/reports/etc. of Steve Jobs on the WiFi side of things lately, i really wonder what he's cooking up for Apple. Perhaps he's thinking local WiFi services like paying for coffee with iPhone.

anti-microsoft

Nov 6, 2007, 01:44 AM

I think the :apple:tv Could now use iPod and iPhone support. (So you could search their content through the :apple:tv)

shecky

Nov 6, 2007, 02:08 AM

what has apple been doing lately?

internet in your hand as well as music and video and phone (iphone)
files from home at your office (leopard + back to my mac)
shows and movies from your computer on your tv (apple TV)

convergence. apple has been slowly but surely taking steps toward convergence; and more specifically, toward media convergence.

i think the next "big thing" will be a device + software platform (some flavor of OSX) that allows you to see any media you have anywhere you are on any apple device you have. think a combo slingbox + iphone server + apple TV thing. call it iHub, or whatever. what will make it a killer apple-type product is zero-configuaration "it just works" apple-type setup. seamless integration.

apple will be working toward creating a "placeless media" platform; where your data lives becomes irrelevant as it is always wherever you are. instead of "time shifting" like a DVR is "place shifting."

i do not personally think we will see this for at least 2-5 years, but i do think we will se it.

blueflame

Nov 6, 2007, 03:18 AM

Ive been waiting for them to release a HDTV 37"+Airport Extreeme+AppleTV, combine that with remote control from computer, iphone,and ipods, i can see a really interesting environment. BTW, isee he new imac as a beautiful tv. i could totally see a tv in my livingroom like that.
A

what has apple been doing lately?

internet in your hand as well as music and video and phone (iphone)
files from home at your office (leopard + back to my mac)
shows and movies from your computer on your tv (apple TV)

convergence. apple has been slowly but surely taking steps toward convergence; and more specifically, toward media convergence.

i think the next "big thing" will be a device + software platform (some flavor of OSX) that allows you to see any media you have anywhere you are on any apple device you have. think a combo slingbox + iphone server + apple TV thing. call it iHub, or whatever. what will make it a killer apple-type product is zero-configuaration "it just works" apple-type setup. seamless integration.

apple will be working toward creating a "placeless media" platform; where your data lives becomes irrelevant as it is always wherever you are. instead of "time shifting" like a DVR is "place shifting."

i do not personally think we will see this for at least 2-5 years, but i do think we will se it.

tomoisyourgod

Nov 6, 2007, 06:51 AM

speedier

Nov 8, 2007, 02:36 AM

wow is that a real product? i woulda thought Sony things look better than that in terms of design.

what about Apple making televisions? maybe not profitable? like, just incorporate Apple TV into a TV.

and Apple making cameras (or partnering with Fujifilm or something)... that'd be nice.

Genghis Khan

Nov 8, 2007, 06:32 AM

i don't think we should be asking what apple will give us, because apple alwasy tend to deliver what we want/ask for

so ask yourself what YOU yourself would like apple to make

personnaly, a printer would be nice
as would a mid size tower
multi-touch laptops
bigger memory iPods
new cases for ALL computers (too boring atm)
etc

Shaduu

Nov 8, 2007, 02:05 PM

<snip>License out OS X</snip>

Sorry, but that's simply not going to happen. Apple likes to have control over the hardware they develop for, hence why upgradability is a little thin on the ground. Having a set list of hardware (x86 Intel for Macs, ARM for the iPod and iPhone) makes the development process so much simpler and allows for a more streamlined and better integrated OS. Why would Apple license OS X to a public that has a much varied and unpredictable set of hardware requirements when they work on the principle of a closed hardware development environment? It just wouldn't work; Apple is not Microsoft.

You make a good point about marketshare but Jobs has said it himself, Apple just doesn't care about marketshare. They know that gaining the prevalent majority in OS usage is an insurmountable task compared to Windows. Your average Joe uses what's on his computer when he buys it, he doesn't want to worry about choices regarding OS when he orders from Dell. I have people in school that use IE "because it came with the computer" and that's what Apple can't beat.

Apple won't license OS X until all Mac sales have completely dried up and they're selling hardware at a loss. Even then, I find it hard to imagine unpacking a Dell and finding an OS X OEM disc in the bottom of the box - it just defies all of Apple's principles for providing a complete computing solution. For proof of that, just take a look at the iMac. An all-in-one computer with everything (minus multi-function printer) you could ever need contained in just one unit. Even down to Apple peripherals, all of them are a true extension of your computer: an iPod for your music library, an iPhone for your electronic communication, an :apple:TV for your media. With all that behind every product that Apple produces, why on earth do you think they'd license their breakthrough OS?

As for predictions, I'd have to hazard a guess at a nice 3/4" thick ultra-portable laptop or a multitouch-based tablet. It'll be fun to see what they do next.

Sean Dempsey

Nov 8, 2007, 02:47 PM

Ultra Portable Macintosh - with a touch screen, I never speculate or guess what Apple will do next, but I have a feeling on this.

has anyone else mentioned it on this board previously?

Popular in Asia...http://www.thegadgetblog.com/wp-content/UX1_front_key_lowres.jpg

what ya reckon? (obviously, it won't be as ugly as that)

my friend has one of these. It's really cool. The design is actually quite good, considering it's meant to be held like a video game controller.

LethalWolfe

Nov 8, 2007, 04:19 PM

It will not be like the days of the Mac clone where it almost killed the company. Right now apple has wide range of products. It has it computers, iPod and iPhone, Software, and other random items for an income stream.

I don't think Apple software is a profit generating income stream. It might break even, but I'm more inclined to say Apple software is a loss leader to get people to buy their hardware. iLife is still a steal and components of iLife used to be free downloads. Apple buys professional apps and then sells them at a fraction of their former cost or rolls them into a current software suite at no extra cost. Final Cut Studio 2 is, w/no exaggeration, at least a $30,000 suite of apps Apple is selling for $1299. If that's not a major lure to get people to switch to buy Mac hardware (either switch or upgrade) I don't know what is. Apps like Safari and iTunes were only made cross platform so that Windows users would buy Apple hardware (in the form of consumer electronics). Boot camp is in Leopard so people can run Windows on Apple hardware. Apple is pretty much doing the exact opposite of what you are suggesting.

Lethal

nines

Nov 8, 2007, 05:16 PM

The future will be all about touchscreen devices and a completely new intuitive interface for that reason. The possibilities are just amazing!

Here is a video about this topic from the TED Conference in 2006. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JcSu7h-I40)

Keep your fingernails short. :rolleyes:

edit: hah, you should see that video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZrr7AZ9nCY) too - it's a parody of the 'Microsoft Surface'

ViveLeLivre

Nov 8, 2007, 06:31 PM

Laptops w/ multitouch trackpads and a multitouch tablet PC/PDA hybrid at MWSF.

It's Macworld, what else could they possibly have to offer?

skunk

Nov 8, 2007, 06:44 PM

I'm wondering since Apple have extended into the phone market whether they'll ever make a camera...? They already did. I had one (Quicktake 100) when they first came out. Awesome 480x640 pixel resolution.

90714

elistan

Nov 13, 2007, 04:35 PM

I think Apple could make some serious inroads with consumers if they made a DVR. Tons of people have cable/sat TV - unfortunately, the hardware they use to watch TV is mostly dictated by who provides your service, and most of it is crap but people don't realize it because they've never been exposed to something better. Apple could supply that better experience - then when people are considering purchasing a phone/music player/computer, they'll think back on their positive experience with the iDVR and natually gravitate towards additional Apple products. Plus the monthly scheduling subscription fee would be a nice income stream for Apple as well.

Of course, that service provider lock-in is an issue. Can you see Apple partnering with DirecTV? It's hard to imagine. Of course, I wouldn't have guessed Apple would partner with AT&T on a cell phone either, and look at what happened. Plus, AT&T has a high-def IPTV service they're rolling out that's, IMO, hampered by their rubbish Microsoft-powered DVR.

TiVo is basically already doing what I'm suggesting Apple do - you can get an HD TiVo that uses CableCard to interface with your cable service - but for some reason it doesn't seem to be catching on very well. Perhaps Apple could succeed where TiVo hasn't.

(Oh, which reminds me of another barrier to such a product - the DVR world is likely a patent mine field.)

phillipjfry

Nov 13, 2007, 04:47 PM

I wanna go with DVR capable AppleTV but I can tell Apple doesn't want to get involved in all that silly copyright battle. They are already in the hot seat with some of the big networks.

Maybe some kind of redesigned revamped something er other mac mini.

Stampyhead

Nov 13, 2007, 05:31 PM

Ultra Portable Macintosh - with a touch screen, I never speculate or guess what Apple will do next, but I have a feeling on this.

has anyone else mentioned it on this board previously?

Popular in Asia...http://www.thegadgetblog.com/wp-content/UX1_front_key_lowres.jpg

what ya reckon? (obviously, it won't be as ugly as that)

That is seriously one of the ugliest things I have ever seen. Sony must keep their R&D people locked up in a cave...