HP to Add iPhone App and Video Transcoding to MediaSmart Servers

The question is: Why isn't Apple doing this with their server products?

We should have ready access to all our media through our iPhones.

Yawn...where is my Slingplayer!!!

HP keeps making this product better. I highly recommend it. Apparently, the dual-core Celeron's in these servers are actually decent processors. Nice.

Wow, now I really want an Ex485. I have my own custom built WHS box, but I cant do TM backup over wireless or stream movies (already a copy in H.264 at iPhone res) over wifi to my phone.

Apple needs to release a home itunes server ASAP! Day one purchase for me..

I guess

Apple does not seem to interested in storage solutions. You would think with the success of the iTunes Store they would also realize there is a need to store a large amount of content in such a manor that it's easy to access and plays well with other Apple products. I really hope Apple releases some sort of product that will address this.

Warrior09 said:

Apple needs to release a home itunes server ASAP! Day one purchase for me..

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I agree 1000%. This has been needed for a few years. The home media server is more important than a tablet that is being rumored. An apple home media server would sell more than a tablet even though the latter would be sexier. I don't like the HP. You need windows to do a full installation of the software and apple would do a better job with support for iTunes. You have to also consider the thing is ugly and very un-apple.

str1f3 said:

I agree 1000%. This has been needed for a few years. The home media server is more important than a tablet that is being rumored. An apple home media server would sell more than a tablet even though the latter would be sexier. I don't like the HP. You need windows to do a full installation of the software and apple would do a better job with support for iTunes. You have to also consider the thing is ugly and very un-apple.

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I'm so close to picking up a Mac Mini and a Drobo. I've been holding out since the rumored Apple Home Server that was rumored to be released at Macworld.

srl7741 said:

Apple does not seem to interested in storage solutions. You would think with the success of the iTunes Store they would also realize there is a need to store a large amount of content in such a manor that it's easy to access and plays well with other Apple products. I really hope Apple releases some sort of product that will address this.

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There have been rumors for a while that Apple is working on a new Apple TV/Media Server and even talking about streaming from iTunes as many times as you want so you don't have to store everything on your computer/iPhone etc.

str1f3 said:

I agree 1000%. This has been needed for a few years. The home media server is more important than a tablet that is being rumored. An apple home media server would sell more than a tablet even though the latter would be sexier. I don't like the HP. You need windows to do a full installation of the software and apple would do a better job with support for iTunes. You have to also consider the thing is ugly and very un-apple.

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Yes you are right all around.... BUT.... Did you ever stop to consider that the Tablet is going to be a companion product in joining your Apple TV and server as an ultimate entertainment center solution??? Trust me they are working hard on BOTH and it is all meant to be together! One word with Apple, ECOSYSTEM!

ipoppy said:

Yawn...where is my Slingplayer!!!

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Me too! Sling submitted the iPhone app ages ago... Mind you, apple can take weeks to approve apps.

MacFly123 said:

Yes you are right all around.... BUT.... Did you ever stop to consider that the Tablet is going to be a companion product in joining your Apple TV and server as an ultimate entertainment center solution??? Trust me they are working hard on BOTH and it is all meant to be together! One word with Apple, ECOSYSTEM!

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This is why I'm delaying my Drobo/Mac Mini purchase until at least WWDC. I know Apple has something up their sleeves. It just makes too much sense for them to release a home server/storage solution. With HD video downloads becoming more popular people are going to need more storage or their iTunes purchases are going to stop or slow down, which Apple does NOT want to see.

Me too

^^ Same reason I have not purchased a Drobo also. I just hope I don't have to wait another year. I'm not sure I can do that, I will run out of space with my current 2TB's of storage.

I really need something like this. I just switched from a desktop to a portable and the external drive and multiple itunes libraries are a huge hassle.

Warrior09 said:

This is why I'm delaying my Drobo/Mac Mini purchase until at least WWDC. I know Apple has something up their sleeves. It just makes too much sense for them to release a home server/storage solution. With HD video downloads becoming more popular people are going to need more storage or their iTunes purchases are going to stop or slow down, which Apple does NOT want to see.

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I guarantee it is coming, but I dunno about WWDC. Probably this year but after WWDC!

dongmin said:

The question is: Why isn't Apple doing this with their server products?

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I second that comment. Apple is falling behind the curve.

Does anyone know if HP are ever going to release the new models in the UK?

Yeah... HP is painful to deal with.....

The Mediasmart is turning out to be a pretty solid product offering, but it's still HP.... That company hasn't really gotten its act back together ever since the Compaq merger. I wind up randomly purchasing products of theirs, here and there (mostly for my workplace), and am almost universally disappointed.

They seem to be *really* good at building devices that offer an attractive number of features and options for the money - only to turn out to be unreliable and/or limited by poor software.

EG. Despite selling MILLIONS of HP OfficeJet 63x0 series "all in one" printers, everyone I know ends up with the same issues with them after 2 years or so of use. They start reporting paper jams when nothing is jammed at all, and resetting the unit lets you print one more job before it happens again. Furthermore, HP stubbornly refuses to release a Windows Server 2003 or 2007 driver for any of them, because "those are CONSUMER products, and we don't make SERVER drivers for our cheaper, consumer line of printers". Never-mind that screws over all the people trying to work from home over a VPN connection to a Windows Terminal Server session!

I'd MUCH rather own a media server product like this made by Apple!

str1f3 said:

I agree 1000%. This has been needed for a few years. The home media server is more important than a tablet that is being rumored. An apple home media server would sell more than a tablet even though the latter would be sexier. I don't like the HP. You need windows to do a full installation of the software and apple would do a better job with support for iTunes. You have to also consider the thing is ugly and very un-apple.

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SirOmega,

Did you build you own WHS using PC hardware or it is a bootcamp?

HP keeps making this product better. I highly recommend it. Apparently, the dual-core Celeron's in these servers are actually decent processors. Nice.