3G iPhone and Apple TV Updates in 2008?

[gugy]

Better yet, give it a FireWire port so I can plug in a 1TB+ external HDD and include a copy of "MactheRipper" that would automatically rip the DVD onto the HDD and then FairPlay DRM it. That way, I can shovel hundreds (and, eventually, thousands) of my DVDs onto the machine directly, but still keep Hollywood off my arse.

And yes, I know that many of us already rip our DVDs without DRM and stream them to our tvs from our Macs, but the point of this would be to make it "simple" for those who don't have the time or the skills to do it like we do.

I like that. That would make so much easier to watch my library of DVDs without have to search for them in my shelf.

 

[diamond.g]

If they are going to add discrete surround capabilities, I hope they atleast choose one of the next-generation formats. I could see them using DD+; Apple has never been one to use old standards just because everyone else is (ie AAC in a MP3 world). Of course, they would need to figure out a way to get them in a proper container, and I believe that is really the heart of the issue.

Screw DD+, the Apple TV needs to encode Dolby TrueHD and or DTSMA. It also needs HDMI 1.3a support.

 

[GQB]

This is EXACTLY what Apple should do. You want to see Apple make a killing at the expense of the TV industry, then do this.

Editing the commercials out would be nice, but why not create a software update that allows people to skip 30 seconds? Hit the fast forward button twice quickly, skip 30 seconds.

DVR is a must. Do it Steve!! Please!

DVR won't happen for 3 reasons:
1) DVRs have become a commodity item since the cable companies have started renting them out for $8/mo. Tivo's sliding, not growing. No way Apple will get into that market when their goal is,
2) digital download (positioning themselves for the bandwidth that will make it practical.)
3) DVR means means cable-card, since most people want to DVR premium content. OTA is a joke. And Cable-cards have been a bigger flop than nay-sayers claim that the AppleTV is.

They're preparing for rentals and want to position themselves as the ala-carte solution everyone's been clamoring for. They're not going to hitch themselves to the cable companies.

Roughlydrafted has it right...
http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2007/12/12/should-apple-tv-copy-tivo-and-media-center/
http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2007/12/07/how-apple-could-deliver-workable-itunes-rentals/

 

[bloodycape]

So now the iPhone will have 16gb, while ever other mp3/convergence device will slowly be moving to 32gb? Nice. It would be real nice, and I mean real nice, to see a 32gb iPhone. Then again the 32gb devices that are out do command a hefty penny so to speak.

 

[dernhelm]

Needs a DVD player.

Put a DVD in the TV and you've got a deal. I don't even care if it's a BlueRay or HD player - I just don't need yet another device to plug in to my TV.

 

[twoodcc]

yeah i'm not sure about the apple tv with an lcd screen?

 

[Cave Man]

If they are going to add discrete surround capabilities, I hope they atleast choose one of the next-generation formats. I could see them using DD+; Apple has never been one to use old standards just because everyone else is (ie AAC in a MP3 world). Of course, they would need to figure out a way to get them in a proper container, and I believe that is really the heart of the issue.

Just use Quicktime - needs updated, but all that has to happen is passthrough out the optical port. Let the receiver do the decoding.

Screw DD+, the Apple TV needs to encode Dolby TrueHD and or DTSMA. It also needs HDMI 1.3a support.

You're talking serious file size. That won't jive with Apple's download model at iTMS. 720 video with DTHD audio? A 2 hour movie's going to be 10-15 gigs in size. This is why physical media (e.g., Blu Ray, HD-DVD) are so attractive.

 

[MattInOz]

Why would anyone buy an TV with a display? It's for people who already have a display.

It would be like buying a Mini with one...

As far as TV, I would like to see:

An 8Gig flash unit mainly for streaming - $199
An 80Gig unit: $249
The 160Gig unit: $349

People that use just to stream would only need it for downloading content for rentals, or to purchase then transfer to their iTunes computers...

I'd like to see just one model, no harddrive just flash (8or16Gb) but include Firewire and USB support for External devices.

That way they could licence the a case design to anyone who wants to build a compatible device.
That way you could Blu-Ray or HDdvd or both. Someone else might build a DVR with it's own harddrive. The movie studio's could build a licenced DVDripper with a HD fr storing your movies. Enough people want FM radio or CB then someone will build those as well.

Just like the old Component HiFi systems.

Like the iPod apple makes money on the ecosystem.
also it could then screen share or be a thin terminal Mac. so people might buy a few for around the house and office.

 

[slu]

The only thing that bothers me more than people who complain about not having enough hard drive space are those that say things like "most people don't need more than 32 GB of space".

I don't care how much space you want, why should you care what I want?

And please give it up with the DVR and DVD player wishes. This is just ain't going to happen. These are not the correct solutions to the main problem, which is the crappy content on iTunes and the lack of rentals.

If iTunes had HD content for all major networks and movie studios and had a rental option as well, why would you need a DVR or DVD player?

I know this isn't popular around here, but if there were free, ad-supported, versions of shows available in iTunes, they would be a big hit for both consumers and networks.

Lastly, you should be able to use the iTunes store from the couch. Do that and you have a winner on your hands.

 

[emotion]

The two iPhone revisions are predicted to be
- Increase in Flash storage (minor update, earlier in the year)
- 2nd Generation iPhone with 3G and could have a different look (major update, second half of year)

Analysts eh? A few people on here (myself included) have been saying this for a while.

How much do they get paid?

 

[diamond.g]

Just use Quicktime - needs updated, but all that has to happen is passthrough out the optical port. Let the receiver do the decoding.



You're talking serious file size. That won't jive with Apple's download model at iTMS. 720 video with DTHD audio? A 2 hour movie's going to be 10-15 gigs in size. This is why physical media (e.g., Blu Ray, HD-DVD) are so attractive.

Eh, I could settle for DD+, but it has to be at least 1 Mbps. 720p video as h.264 should be encoded with the CABAC, with at least 5 Mbps. That should be plenty fine for downloads.

 

[bdkennedy1]

That's funny, the whole time I thought people were clamoring for an Apple TV with DVR functionality, and personally, being able to watch a movie all the way through without some sort of connection being dropped. Meanwhile, everyone wanted an LCD display.

I just found out that my XBox 360 can play all of my movies and TV shows that I was watching on my Apple TV. The interface may not be as pretty, but all of the functionality is there, including streaming everything from my Mac and guess what... the picture is better and I haven't had a single glitch watching movies. You wouldn't know you weren't watching a DVD.

For Microsoft to come along and offer MP4 AAC functionality as an afterthought showed me how much Apple half-assed the Apple TV.

 

[ZhaoYun]

People who say "LCD Display" freak me out...

Liquid Crystal Display Display?

Is like, NIC Card. Network Interface Card Card.

BTW, why the hell I want a AppleTV to come with a REAL TV(LCD) ?? Is like buying a HDD and it comes with a PC !! That is a bit ridiculous in my opinion.

Bigger capacity iPhone is a good idea...

 

[CyberBob859]

I agree - large TV screens is not Apple's core product - a LCD similar to an iphone or ipod maybe, not sure why they would do this though.

Maybe for a new, optional remote with touch screen, gestures, etc that controls Apple TV, Airport Express and AirTunes to compete with Sonos Digital Music System?

Only reason I can think of having an LCD associated with an Apple TV.

 

[KindredMAC]

I think people might be looking at the LCD rumor a little too literally.

I don't think that the tv is going to have a display attached to it for viewing content but perhaps a small LCD to show time, countdown, chapter, movie title, etc... on the front.

 

[jhedges3]

DVR doesn’t make sense to me. It seems backward for one thing. Like, it’s hard for me to imagine anyone being wowed by that functionality since (as others have pointed out) it’s already widely used (cable providers). The functionality it provides doesn’t seem to fetch all that much money, so adding it to the device would be competing with other cheaper options.

In addition, DVR seems better suited to that model (streamed), since it allows storage of something that’s coming in continuously. I mean how would DVR work with the iTunes model? Then again what you might be suggesting, what the original posts, might have been suggesting was adding live content (with DVR) in addition to maintaining the old model (downloaded).

Can anyone explain why iTunes can’t provide live content? Is there live video content through iTunes Store? I’m thinking it doesn’t suit the a-la-carte, the providers wouldn’t allow it, and it’s too much data to stream. Is it all of those, none of those?

Downloading an episode of a regularly broadcast show and watching it whenever seems fine. That goes for movie rentals.

But what about an NFL game or an EPL match for that matter. Or live news about an ongoing terrorist attack. Or a press conference of Ive taking over for Jobs. What’s supposed to happen there? We wait a few hours or days till the football game, bomb, news has finished and then come back and watch it.

I mean how can it be a complete solution if all of it’s content is delayed.

 

[lord patton]

This might make sense if you look at the LCD screen as being the new "remote" for the AppleTV and as a separate tablet from the main unit.

If the new "tablet Mac" is really just a glorified iPhone or iPod touch for the living room, then it makes sense that this is the unit you would have in your lap when browsing the iTunes store or managing your media on the Apple TV perhaps. It could also be used as the family book reader, library, web browser, house phone etc.

Possible anyway.

I think that makes a lot of sense, actually. So many peopled have commented here that they'd love to use an iPhone as a remote control for their TV, I can't believe that Cupertino hasn't thought about it, too.

If I could 1) not have to turn on my TV to make the TV play music, and 2) use the iPhone keyboard to surf YouTube, rent movies, buy songs etc from my living room, I'd definitely buy one.

 

[lord patton]

if you own one [TV] you know how good it is and the niche that it fills. it gets stuff from your computer to your TV, period.

if there's any hardware improvement, it'll be a bigger drive option or flash memory and maybe some GPU tweaks. also, possibly, the ability to pair a cordless keyboard.

a cordless keyboard... like on an iPhone! (no need for a mouse that way, either).

 

[lord patton]

As for DVR, I would love one, but once again it conflicts with Apple strategy to sell iTunes content.

Apple doesn't have a strategy to sell iTunes content. They have a tactic of selling iTunes content, a tactic which worked wonderfully for their strategy of selling iPods.

It's time, obviously, for a new tactic for selling aTVs. I think they should do whatever it takes to make the 60,000 movies on Netflix available for rent, and fast.

 

[Derwood]

Apple TV and Cinema Display Updates...

...just wondering if there's an argument to be made for the integration of TV with Apple's range of Cinema Displays?

Give the cinema displays streaming Wireless-n capability, with no hard-drive but additional usb ports for adding external storage and digital terrestrial reception through EyeTV/Miglia, rationalise the I/O (no hdmi required when your TV is inside your display), and you've got a substantial update that might just breathe a bit of life into the TV project.

It wouldn't necessarily canibalise TV sales either. There will still be those people who want to make their own choices about what display they have, who want to mod their TV with insanely big drives, and so on.

I agree that HD content through iTunes store and some kind of rental pricing model is also of critical importance if TV is going to survive.

Derwood

 

[page3]

I think people might be looking at the LCD rumor a little too literally.

I don't think that the tv is going to have a display attached to it for viewing content but perhaps a small LCD to show time, countdown, chapter, movie title, etc... on the front.

Which means I might finally buy one.

I'm interested in AppleTV for listening to my iTunes music, but it must have a display. I'm not turning on my Television set every time I want to select a track and then have to switch it back off again.

 

[diamond.g]

Which means I might finally buy one.

I'm interested in AppleTV for listening to my iTunes music, but it must have a display. I'm not turning on my Television set every time I want to select a track and then have to switch it back off again.

They could pull a Bose and add a display to the remote. And make the remote RF based while they are at it.

 

[CyberBob859]

Apple doesn't have a strategy to sell iTunes content. They have a tactic of selling iTunes content, a tactic which worked wonderfully for their strategy of selling iPods.

It's time, obviously, for a new tactic for selling aTVs. I think they should do whatever it takes to make the 60,000 movies on Netflix available for rent, and fast.

This is the only way to make the Apple TV a compelling device in a short amount of time, IMO.

Recently the US Post Office said they were going to increase the postage (being paid by Netflix) on the processing of all those DVD's daily. Netflix said they were going to change the design of the packaging, but they should go one step further - make it digital - and eliminate the postage altogether.

Apple has the hardware with the Apple TV and a means to get media to it with iTunes. So, convert the Netflix DVD library to digital, save on the postage, give a cut on each rental to Apple for running the iTunes infrastructure, and both parties should make out. Apple gets to sell aTV's, and would get a continuous revenue stream after the sale of the hardware (a big part of their strategy nowadays.)

I would buy an Apple TV in a heartbeat if the Netflix DVD library was available.

 

[blybug]

I disagree. A LCD screen would be very usefull for itunes and listning music without turning on your tv.

Isn't that an iPod then...??

 

[diamond.g]

Isn't that an iPod then...??

It would be if the iPod came with a stereo system...