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Apple 'Home Appliance'?
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I used to work for a company (about three years ago) that created a few "home appliances" that were computer based, called iCeBox (notice the "i"?). There were two versions, a countertop version that looked EXACTLY like a color classic (yep, brought mine in one day for a side by side comparison), and a flat panel LCD version you could mount under your upper cabinets. They did TV, web browsing (using Windows CE as their OS), had a DVD player, and the cool thing (well, if you were in Europe, since most people in America don't use one machine that washes and dries clothes) was it could talk to "smart" appliances, like the fridge, washer/dryer unit, dishwasher and oven, all over the house electrical system. And it would display the status of each device graphically, including happy and sad faces. Also, it would work from a wireless keyboard you could throw in you dishwasher, should you spill anything on it, as well from a cell phone. So, essentially, you could stick dinner in oven before you left for the day, programmed it to start dinner so it would be ready when you got home at, say, 6:30. But, you get stuck in traffic. Well, with this you could call home to your iCeBox, tell it you'll be home later, and have it rest the dinner time to 7:00 or later.
Yes, these actually went for sale, and you could get them from high-end catalogs. The countertop version was around $1,00 or so, while the cabinet mount version went for around $2500. As a a matter of fact, I saw them being touted on a show on HGTV the other day.
Oh, and this company was the first ones to design and build a tablet PC, 4 years ago roughly. And, everything they did was built around an ARM or StrongARM processor.
You can see the icebox here:
http://www.beyondconnectedhome.com/products/icebox/index.html
As cool as it is, it runs on CE (blech), and would tend to freeze up and go to the blue screen of death every so often. My guess is Apple saw this, and figured there has to be some way to make it truly functional, plus get it to tie in with Rendezvous.
Yes, these actually went for sale, and you could get them from high-end catalogs. The countertop version was around $1,00 or so, while the cabinet mount version went for around $2500. As a a matter of fact, I saw them being touted on a show on HGTV the other day.
Oh, and this company was the first ones to design and build a tablet PC, 4 years ago roughly. And, everything they did was built around an ARM or StrongARM processor.
You can see the icebox here:
http://www.beyondconnectedhome.com/products/icebox/index.html
As cool as it is, it runs on CE (blech), and would tend to freeze up and go to the blue screen of death every so often. My guess is Apple saw this, and figured there has to be some way to make it truly functional, plus get it to tie in with Rendezvous.
Well, it is of course just a rumor, but here are my two cents for how Apple should expand its digital hub strategy into the home:
Make a line of theater display devices (plasma tv, rear projection tv, and/or projector) and integrate DVR functions and media networking functions directly into the units. For sake of example take a plasma tv with the following specs: integrated networking (wi-fi and wired), firewire for video transfer from a camcorder, a CableCARD for the new CableLabs standard, and your usual av inputs and outputs. Also, put a hard drive in there that will run some embedded set-top os based on Linux or OS X that provides a DVR interface similar to TiVo in addition to a rendezvous client for pulling music and pictures off your computer.
You are going to have a lot of people looking to upgrade to and HDTV in the coming couple of years, so offer them an offer that can't be beat. Just buy this Apple TV and you don't need any other components. No cable box, no TiVo device, just the TV. Hang it on the wall and you are set. It would fit perfectly with the minimalist elegance that Apple provides with their computers and iPods.
Of course, the TV would come with two speakers for two channel audio. A wireless surround sound speaker system could be sold as an accessory for those who want the ultimate set-up.
EDIT: I forgot the DVD part. Put a slot load DVD drive in there as well. It would fit well on the top or side of the plasma. Perhaps higher end models could have a super drive for archiving the shows recorded on the dvr.
Make a line of theater display devices (plasma tv, rear projection tv, and/or projector) and integrate DVR functions and media networking functions directly into the units. For sake of example take a plasma tv with the following specs: integrated networking (wi-fi and wired), firewire for video transfer from a camcorder, a CableCARD for the new CableLabs standard, and your usual av inputs and outputs. Also, put a hard drive in there that will run some embedded set-top os based on Linux or OS X that provides a DVR interface similar to TiVo in addition to a rendezvous client for pulling music and pictures off your computer.
You are going to have a lot of people looking to upgrade to and HDTV in the coming couple of years, so offer them an offer that can't be beat. Just buy this Apple TV and you don't need any other components. No cable box, no TiVo device, just the TV. Hang it on the wall and you are set. It would fit perfectly with the minimalist elegance that Apple provides with their computers and iPods.
Of course, the TV would come with two speakers for two channel audio. A wireless surround sound speaker system could be sold as an accessory for those who want the ultimate set-up.
EDIT: I forgot the DVD part. Put a slot load DVD drive in there as well. It would fit well on the top or side of the plasma. Perhaps higher end models could have a super drive for archiving the shows recorded on the dvr.
ta-da
my bet is the tablet or tablet device called iwrite (didn't they patent the name recently??
https://www.macrumors.com/pages/2003/12/20031215211535.shtml
)
my bet is the tablet or tablet device called iwrite (didn't they patent the name recently??
https://www.macrumors.com/pages/2003/12/20031215211535.shtml
)
iGamingDevice
With 4 G5 Processors!
Mwhahahaha!
Beat Microsoft at their own game... okay, sony at their own game...
With 4 G5 Processors!
Mwhahahaha!
Beat Microsoft at their own game... okay, sony at their own game...
I hope it's something more mundane but useful like a graphing calculator that you don't need a manual to use. Throw in a ton of scientific and financial functions and it could replace all of the high end calculators offered by TI and HP. Give it a powerful chipset and a rechargeable battery. Perhaps it could use some variant of the PowerPC 750. I'm sure that Apple could design something more elegant and easier to use than a TI-83+ or BA-II.
look what i found!
trademarks for 2 audio related products!
filed just 2 weeks ago....
one's called Morphpad
http://tess2.uspto.gov/bin/showfield?f=doc&state=bi3msc.5.2
the other, Ultrabeat
http://tess2.uspto.gov/bin/showfield?f=doc&state=bi3msc.5.3
trademarks for 2 audio related products!
filed just 2 weeks ago....
one's called Morphpad
http://tess2.uspto.gov/bin/showfield?f=doc&state=bi3msc.5.2
the other, Ultrabeat
http://tess2.uspto.gov/bin/showfield?f=doc&state=bi3msc.5.3
True, that goes to the misconseption that HDTV ready means you can get HD signals out of the box, or off of an antenna. When in fact, you must have an HDTV Reciever to recieve HD signals. My Aunt and Uncle bought one, and they were going to take it back because the screen was so distorted, I told them they needed an HD reciever, they bought one, and they love it, for local channels, but Direct TV doesn't really do HD that well, so they're looking for an HD satilite provider, I think I'll tell them about Zoom.
Also, all these places selling "plasma" TVs with out specificing if its HDTV or EDTV have been confusing the 'ell out of people. ONLY SELL HDTV, THEN THERE IS NO PROBLEM.
TEG
Originally posted by applekid
Where's our G5 PowerBooks?
You said it!!
Get some self respect Apple!
Quit selling fizzy water and junk food, and roll on the G5 powerbooks, iMac upgrades etc.
And while you're at it, how about:
- An expandable computer that doesn't weigh 40 pounds
Have you noticed the vast number of smaller systems available now under wintel?
- A laptop ultra-light
Seems to be lots of PC manufacturers who can make 2 or 3 pound laptops. I don't want to carry 5 pounds around if I'm surfing down the local wifi cafe. Please don't make me buy wintel.
Stories like this keep showing up because Apple is doing R&D on all kinds of ideas. All kinds of "let's make the iPod of [insert electronic device of choice here]" must surely cross the minds of our friends at Apple every day.
That doesn't mean that any of them will see the light of day. But maybe some will...
The information shared in this post is for speculative purposes only. Any explicit or implied accuracy is pure luck.
That doesn't mean that any of them will see the light of day. But maybe some will...
The information shared in this post is for speculative purposes only. Any explicit or implied accuracy is pure luck.
Re: Re: THINK DIFFERENT...
How about the iThinkrumorsitesaregoingtoimplodeinFebruaryfromlackofdecentrumors
How about the iThinkrumorsitesaregoingtoimplodeinFebruaryfromlackofdecentrumors
iLife to TV + Movie Service
I agree with previous posters about accessing iLife from the TV. Music, Photos, etc.
But the real killer app would be on-demand movies.
Apple has built a music distribution network, next is movie distribution.
Jobs being the CEO of both Apple and Pixar should be a big clue. The Pixar/Disney relationship was all about distribution.
The Apple appliance would be wi-fi to the net, accessing an on-demand streaming movie site.
Downloading movies is too slow at this point, but streaming is perfectly viable at this time, especially when you build a large "edge" network like Apple/Akamai has.
I agree with previous posters about accessing iLife from the TV. Music, Photos, etc.
But the real killer app would be on-demand movies.
Apple has built a music distribution network, next is movie distribution.
Jobs being the CEO of both Apple and Pixar should be a big clue. The Pixar/Disney relationship was all about distribution.
The Apple appliance would be wi-fi to the net, accessing an on-demand streaming movie site.
Downloading movies is too slow at this point, but streaming is perfectly viable at this time, especially when you build a large "edge" network like Apple/Akamai has.
come on, are they going to announce anything?!?!?!!
they haven't even started shipping the iPod mini, so why would they announce another product? i think this, along with all the rumors around the 20th aniversary are all just that. .. RUMORS. . . but always fun to imagine the posiblities!!! - maybe apple R&D reads macrumors.com daily and will eventually build one of our ideas and you will get NO credit for it!!!
iDone
they haven't even started shipping the iPod mini, so why would they announce another product? i think this, along with all the rumors around the 20th aniversary are all just that. .. RUMORS. . . but always fun to imagine the posiblities!!! - maybe apple R&D reads macrumors.com daily and will eventually build one of our ideas and you will get NO credit for it!!!
iDone
Just a note:
Apple can keep working on core Mac products at the SAME time as other people are working on iPods and other things.
It's not either-or.
The Mac is not suffering from Apple's other ventures.
Ultimately, the Mac platform will benefit from the mindshare.
(And I'd expect an AAC stereo component or TiVo-like device or flat TV to be the most likely appliances--if any make it out the door.)
Apple can keep working on core Mac products at the SAME time as other people are working on iPods and other things.
It's not either-or.
The Mac is not suffering from Apple's other ventures.
Ultimately, the Mac platform will benefit from the mindshare.
(And I'd expect an AAC stereo component or TiVo-like device or flat TV to be the most likely appliances--if any make it out the door.)