Analyst Suggest Sony-Apple Partnership

[MrDavid]

Hi all, lurker turned member .

I guess if Sony partnered with Apple, they would just succumb to the iTMS and not go with their own?

Sony already as an online music store (http://musicstore.connect.com/) .

Sony is a wannabe Apple.
The entire VAIO line (with all its proprietary parts, right down to the 'Sony only Memory Stick') is just a PC response to the 'sleek' look and feel of Mac with an Video Audio (hence VAIO=Video Audio Input Output) focus, also like Mac.

Maybe Apple is a wannabe Sony. Apple uses proprietary parts all the time. Hell, just look at your HARDWARE . FYI, a few companies make "memory stick".

Sony is bigger, has been in business longer, known for innovation and quality and Apple could benefit from this kind of partnership.

Sony is an amazing company wheter you like it or not and has set an example and a path to follow for the rest of the electronic companies in the world

Bingo. Add credits as being co-developers or developers of the CD, DVD, Super Audio CD, Playstaion 1/2/3, Walkman, Betamax, 3.5 floppy disk (that Apple adopted in 1984), the first magnetic tape and tape recorder in 1950, the transistor radio in 1955, the world’s first color video cassette recorder in 1971, the first 8mm camcorder in 1985, ilink(1394), various Codecs, countless ISO specs and "Cell" . Enough to boost $70 Billion dollars last year. Speaking of Codecs, I don't recall hearing anyone breaking Sony's DRM for their online music store either...



I can eaily imagine Sony dumping the whole VAIO line and concentrating on the PS3. Or maybe they might buy Apple haha..Considering how many companies Sony owns, I think it can be done easily. Maybe a hostile takeover anyway .

 

[wdlove]

Won't the Cell that Apple will use be coming from IBM?

I thought that the Apple/Sony partnership was in the music realm.

 

[-Jeff]

This is my first post, but I've been browsing MacRumors since before the Powermac G5 was released.

I do believe (and hope) that Apple will use Cell processor technology in future products, for a couple of reasons:

Steve Jobs mentioned in a keynote that GPU performance is "blasting through Moore's Law" while CPU performance gains can't keep up. The implementation of CoreImage technology in Tiger further demonstrates Apple's awareness of that fact and their commitment to utilizing the technology that drives GPU's. The Cell processor contains a modified PPC970 core and subsystems based on the same technology found in a modern GPU. It seems that the modular nature of CoreImage would make it easy to rewrite the CoreImage API's for utilizing Cell technology. They could also develop new API's for the processing of any data that can be vectorized.

Apple has recently become a serious player in the supercomputer industry. Virginia Tech's cluster, COLSA, and others are proof of this. The Cell processors include high bandwidth interfacing that would allow construction of extremely high performance scalable supercomputers using off the shelf apple products. As of now, interprocessor communication is the bottleneck in supercomputer clusters built out of off the shelf Apple products.

On a side note, I would like to say that Sony builds exceptional quality notebook computers. I have had a PIII based 505 series for about 3 years, and it is well built. My only complaint with it is the Windows XP operating system that it came with. Keeping the machine free of spyware and viruses is an exercise in futility. A friend of mine has an older 505 series that survived a car crash. The machine is physically bent and dented, and the display bezel is cracked but it still functions perfectly. I have been relying on my 505 notebook for email and schoolwork while my iMac G5 is awaiting parts for repair. It has a video problem, and it seems to be a fairly common one:

http://discussions.info.apple.com/webx?14@420.435FaNwZQzv.0@.68a31fdd

Hopefully the iMac G5 will not be the next iBook G3 dual usb.
If Sony were to build Mac OS compatible hardware, I think it would be well received.

 

[MrDavid]

Won't the Cell that Apple will use be coming from IBM?

I thought that the Apple/Sony partnership was in the music realm.

I don't think there is an official sponsorship, http://www.itworld.com/Tech/2987/040903applesony/ , but I'm sure itunes have some of Sony/BMGs music library. Not to mention Sony's huge investment in their own service. I think Ipods that can play Sony's format and Walkman/Minidisc that can play Apple's would be a great idea. I kind of doubt that either one of them are going to open up their technology in this regard though.

 

[IVIIVI4ck3y27]

SONY, Apple and, MS are all competing for they own propriety audio coding. I do not see Apple letting SONY have iTunes playback for AAC as that would ruin iPod sales. Apple makes next to nothing with the iTMS anyhow.


Something in HD is up and that is a given.

Ummmm... AAC (non-DRM and OMA-based DRM) is already capable on Sony Ericcson phones according to a press release issued on the day that Motorola issued their new phone and it was falsely covered as an iPhone (iTunes based phone) on Maccentral.com (the f'ugly black/green one, I think it's an E1060). Whether that was erroneous or not... is a question I have no answer to. That's just what I read that it supported MP3 and AAC.

http://www.pcworld.com/resource/article/0,aid,119683,pg,1,RSS,RSS,00.asp

Press release on the new Sony Ericsson Phones. I'd not be surprised that if Sony's service falls though, that they don't seek Apple out finally. After all... Ericsson phones I believe use the same Symbian OS systems that Motorola's, Siemen's, and Nokia's phones use as their foundation... of course with widely differing GUI's to suit each companies' desires/needs.

Now, as far as the Cell processor technology...

http://www.macworld.com/news/2005/02/07/celldetails/index.php

If that's true... then Cell is PowerPC-based for it's main core as was previously said. That's really all any of us need to know to see the light. I'm sure they'll get it down to 65nm before release, they say it'll be capable of air-cooling (a sign it's very scalable to suit various needs from lightweight embedded to workstation-level industrial) rather than requiring fans (laptop problem solved, anyone?), and I've also read informations elsewhere that speak largely of it's incredible broadband capabilities (was someone who posted a link to it off of Applenova.com on the PowerPC thread). None of which is a bad thing for Apple's purposes/needs.

If the 10x's the power of a current desktop hold true... I wouldn't be surprised to see Cell being the foundation for all things Mac reeeeeeeeeeal soon, especially if it's cool enough to allow for convection fanless cooling of prior Macs (also stated in the above article). Hell... considerably more firepower than a G5 desktop and capable of being fit into a laptop? That's a major "wow" if you ask me. I can't see Apple "not" wanting in on this. It's just a matter of whether it looking like a duck and quacking like a duck means that it can float like a duck too. Apple's had to tread water at both Motorola's and IBM's hands before... I'm sure they don't want to have to resort to it again if they don't have to. Hopefully Cell delivers, it sounds incredibly promising.

 

[FFTT]

It's difficult to tell how these two companies might be involved.

It could simply be a matter of publishing rights for music and films
or much more.

The use of Cell with Apple would seem to be more a matter of cooperation
with IBM than Sony unless they both decide to share the new technology.

The issue I see as an immediate possibility would be if Apple agrees to license the use of Sony XBrite technology in the rumored new improved line of HD diplays.

Anything more and both companies would have to buy out iced tea maker

SNAPPLE <">

 

[macmax77]

Bingo. Add credits as being co-developers or developers of the CD, DVD, Super Audio CD, Walkman,....





Nope, Philips did

 

[Lynxpro]

more points on the Cell, etc.

*Why hasn't anyone brought up the possibility that Apple will treat the Cell as a co-processor? The Cell doesn't seem exactly fit for a general purpose CPU, but it certainly could be used as an incredible number cruncher. Apple could treat the Cell (in addition to the standard G5's) as how Atari and Commodore treated their "Blitter" chips in the ST and Amiga computer platforms.

*The AOL Time Warner merger was a disaster not because of AOL, but because of the continuous infighting that is indicative of Time Warner in general. The synergies promised by Steve Ross with the initial merger of Time Inc. and Warner Communications has still yet to surface due to the fiefdoms of the various divisions. AOL had hoped to smash all of that but its own accounting problems allowed the Time Warner brass to resurface and remove the AOL elements of the management team so once again, its back to business as usual. Just like how the current chairman of Time Warner decided to settle the anti-trust case against Microsoft for a measly $750 million + instead of sticking to the case that was asking for $10 billion in damages. Had they won, the damages would've been tripled. Now compare $750 million to $30 billion. As Napster says, "do the math." Granted, the court case probably would've dragged on for 10 years but at least they could have prevented Microsoft from redistributing its cash surplus to the shareholders as Microsoft is now planning on.

*The Commodore Amiga was not the only computer based upon the Motorola 68000 that ecliped the Mac in features in the 1980s. The Atari ST also did so.

*I believe the three computer companies that approached Apple about licensing OS X were Sony, HP, and Gateway. Think about it. HP has/had the alliance with Apple with the iPod. HP continues to struggle to outsell Dell - which they can't - and they receive worse licensing terms from Microsoft than Dell. OS X on HP products would be a big win for HP. Similarly, Gateway now has nothing to distinguish themselves from Dell without their retail stores and also since they went to an exclusive Intel shop. Gateway continues to struggle. And Sony of course has wanted to buy Apple for years. OS X on Sony products is a natural fit.

*I would like to see Apple sell their own version of the PS3 with natural links to the iTunes Music Store and iPod integration. There is nothing illogical about this since Microsoft plans to offer multiple versions of the Xbox successor. The Apple PS3 would have a harddrive, the aforementioned iPod/iTunes integration, Bonjour, and webcam possibilities with the iSight. The only problem with this is that Apple would run into the same problems that Atari ran into in the early 80s when they offered the 5200 which overlapped the graphics capabilities of the 600XL and the 800XL - that being two different product lines competing for the same customers. There would be management arguing that sales of an Apple PS3 would deprive sales of Mac Minis. I'm sure eMachines and other PC manufacturers will also be raising this against Microsoft when the higher end Xbox360s hit the market; then again Microsoft won't care.

Hmmm...did I miss anything...time to eat...

 

[MrDavid]

Nope, Philips did

Really? Note, I said co-developers or developers .

"The compact disc was developed in 1979 by Philips and Sony. Philips developed the general manufacturing process, based on their earlier Laserdisc technology, while Sony contributed the error-correction method."-Source

"Ten companies initially founded the organization:
Hitachi Ltd.
Matsushita Electric Industrial Co
Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
Pioneer Corporation
Royal Philips Electronics N.V.
Sony Corporation
Thomson
Time Warner Inc.
Toshiba Corporation
Victor Company of Japan (JVC) "
- In regards to DVD, Sony is part of the founding companies that are part of the "DVD Forum". They design the DVD format specifications. Founded in 1995 as the "DVD Consortium" when the mass majority of the world had never heard of a DVD.- Source

"Super Audio CD (SACD) is a new audio recording format aimed at providing higher fidelity audio reproduction than the compact disc. It was developed by Sony and Philips, the same companies that created the CD." -Only Phillips again, Right?

"The Sony Walkman personal stereo was a transistorized miniature portable cassette tape player invented by Akio Morita, Masaru Ibuka and Kozo Ohsone, and manufactured by Sony Corporation."-Source


I would have responded to this earlier but I work 2nd shift for 10 1/2 hours M-F. So I don't have much time to jump on here. Not really sure what you meant by "Nope, Philips did," but I just assumed you meant that whole list you quoted me on .

 

[Eastend]

I thought that the Apple/Sony partnership was in the music realm.

It is more in the video realm, HD that is where it is headed. On the music front, Sony and Apple are at odds, with Sony on the short end of that stick recently. However, since there will be a new HD codec in the new Quicktime, it will make it easier to pull in High Definition from Sony's new line of consumer High Definition Cameras and then work with it in Apples Software solution. I believe it was discussed in detail at MacWorld San Francisco, also the President of Sony was on stage at that time. If you can find the Quicktime movie of the MacWorld convention where Steve and company give their talk, it was rather interesting to say the least.

Brian

 

[wdlove]

It is more in the video realm, HD that is where it is headed. On the music front, Sony and Apple are at odds, with Sony on the short end of that stick recently. However, since there will be a new HD codec in the new Quicktime, it will make it easier to pull in High Definition from Sony's new line of consumer High Definition Cameras and then work with it in Apples Software solution. I believe it was discussed in detail at MacWorld San Francisco, also the President of Sony was on stage at that time. If you can find the Quicktime movie of the MacWorld convention where Steve and company give their talk, it was rather interesting to say the least.

Brian

The President of Sony was difficult to understand. The main thing that I got from the presentation was; Steve said this was going to be the year of HD. So that would fit into the Sony cooperation.