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Well we're all guessing similar but I have to say Apple is never *just* about the gadget. It's about the business model and the service (ie. the iPod wasn't the big deal, it's really about digital distribution and micropayments)

So, LaLa+Massive datacentre+cut down mobileme+cut down iOS device is likely what's happening here. Yeah, some are calling this iTV.
 
Touch iMac

Looking at it closely, I would say that it may be the touch screen iMac we have been hearing about, while iTv with cable channels onboard would be an awesome product, I think that bringing a full scale touch platform to the industry with a large screen and flexibility is the next"big thing", like a superpowered iPad with full OS X capabilities, a designer's dream machine, design directly onto the screen, I would not be surprised if Apple would also followup with its own set of specially designed apps to take advantage of it, maybe a new photoshop/indesign competitor, or a collaboration with adobe? all designed to take advantage of a touch screen, no more need for a bamboo pad.
 
iTunes X... and all the streaming goodness to go along with it... as has been rumored. And of course iTV will use the service - just as any iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Mac and PC will use it.... The major MobileMe upgrade IS iTunes.
 
iTunes X... and all the streaming goodness to go along with it... as has been rumored. And of course iTV will use the service - just as any iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Mac and PC will use it.... The major MobileMe upgrade IS iTunes.

My mobileme subscription is up mid-October. I'm not renewing until the last minute, in case this is true and the business model for MobileMe changes (i.e. it's either a free or differently priced service)
 
well unless apple is willing to let me watch movie files that aren't native supported by iTunes its a no go for me

i'm not gonna pay 19 euro for a 720p file while i can get a new released movie on 1080p Blu-Ray for 12 euro

Few people have a need for 1080p content. Most people don't even know what 720p or 1080p even mean they just know it is "HD". Remember, most of Apple's customers aren't tech nerds.

Unless you have a very large TV and sit really close to it it's hard to tell the difference. (yeah yeah I know everyone says they can tell the difference, but that's akin to how people say they can tell that a monster hdmi cable makes a difference). If I sat you down 6-7ft from a 46" TV you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between the two. With digital content the compression rate and method are way more important than the resolution. All that said I prefer 1080p...just because I know in my head it's 'better' and I like that feeling even though I know it's not important.
 
I wouldnt not call iTV a "Very Big New Product".

Granted, technically the device would likely be quite small ;)

In seriousness. The app platform that's connected to your television is a multibillion dollar opportunity and Apple wants a massive share of that before Google. In fact I'd argue this is potentially bigger than all their other products, except iPhone.

Edit: Hmmm I may have missed a double negative there. Apologies if so.
 
Hmm. I get it.

Channel numbers become apps. Ingenious. You don't have to remember numbers. All cities have the same access point to the content (the app).

Move your (channels) around on a pad.

Organize your (channels) by content type.

Easily launch a (channel) with one click.
 
iTV with FaceTime support

If the new product is the vaunted iTV, then perhaps Apple will add a camera and microphone to the offering and the telesales staff is for FaceTime support.

…or maybe not…* :)
 
If the new product is the vaunted iTV, then perhaps Apple will add a camera and microphone to the offering and the telesales staff is for FaceTime support.

…or maybe not…* :)

I was thinking about that.. I envision it as a iphone-sized box with hdmi-out and not much else.. wonder how they would go about integrating a camera into it..

My first thought was that the box would just attach to the back of your tv and a webcam would clip to the top of the tv and connect to the iTV but Apple wants the box to be seen.. I don't know.. it will be interesting and I'm looking forward to it.

edit: I hope it's just a 50-60" brushed-aluminum Apple LED TV... would be the best-kept Apple secret ever.. but that wouldn't have nearly the same kind of market penetration as a $99 settop box.
 
Most of what Kevin described was on Engadget back in May. Kevin is awesome but we should credit properly.

iTV plus a new system of media delivery.

They wouldn't need a new staff just to sell set-top boxes.

Absolutely! Even at $99 I can't see the hardware alone being so big of a deal that they need all this new staff.
 
Few people have a need for 1080p content. Most people don't even know what 720p or 1080p even mean they just know it is "HD". Remember, most of Apple's customers aren't tech nerds.

Unless you have a very large TV and sit really close to it it's hard to tell the difference. (yeah yeah I know everyone says they can tell the difference, but that's akin to how people say they can tell that a monster hdmi cable makes a difference). If I sat you down 6-7ft from a 46" TV you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between the two. With digital content the compression rate and method are way more important than the resolution. All that said I prefer 1080p...just because I know in my head it's 'better' and I like that feeling even though I know it's not important.

I agree, it is rather difficult to tell the difference between 1080p and 720p with regular footage. Text, however, is often a giveaway for people with sharp vision.

Then again, when have we enjoyed watching a bunch of text on the screen? (Besides the intro to Star Wars, of course...)
 
I agree with this statement. I just don't see why the release of an iTV-like product would require new support staff.
Not necessarily. If Apple is indeed releasing the 'iTV' at a price point like $99, and they've found a way to remake it in such a way it garners mass appeal, they absolutely will need to expand their support staff to cover it.
 
Looking at it closely, I would say that it may be the touch screen iMac we have been hearing about, while iTv with cable channels onboard would be an awesome product, I think that bringing a full scale touch platform to the industry with a large screen and flexibility is the next"big thing", like a superpowered iPad with full OS X capabilities, a designer's dream machine, design directly onto the screen, I would not be surprised if Apple would also followup with its own set of specially designed apps to take advantage of it, maybe a new photoshop/indesign competitor, or a collaboration with adobe? all designed to take advantage of a touch screen, no more need for a bamboo pad.

You mean this thing:

http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/innovation/08/24/apple.imac.touch/index.html?hpt=T2
 
interesting end of year

whatever it is im excited for the rest of this year from apple.

september new ipod updates
possibly new apple tv
possibly new ilife

plus like 800 other rumors haha
 
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