Apple Universal Remote?

[1macker1]

REMOTE!

A remote, WTF we need a Apple remote for. I think Apple is straying WAAAAAAAY off on a tangent that's gonna lead nowhere.

 

[Abstract]

I like this concept, but what motivation would other companies have to change how their remotes currently work?

The problem is to get other manufacturers on board. I mean...... Sony? Sony is very proprietary. The idea is good, but some of these other companies will want a piece of the Apple pie. Apple PIE......GET IT!?! Hahahah! Oh man, I crack myself up sometimes.

i doubt this will ever see the light of day anytime soon.

I agree. Unless it uses IR, its not going to work right now. That would almost be useless. I own a Powerbook with BT, and a mobile phone with BT. I don't need a remote for my mobile, so that only leaves my Powerbook.

For this idea to work, things need to have BT/BT 2.0 in them. So the first thing Apple would need to do is convince everybody to include BT in everything. Its not even an expensive thing to add.

 

[jrv3034]

Sounds cool, but wouldn't you think they'd go with an iPod-style click-wheel instead of a touch screen for navigating? People hate touch screens, never knowing how hard to press or if they should use their fingernail or what. Plus, they're usually quite delicate. A click-wheel to navigate through menus and control volume/skip song or scene/play & pause would be ideal. Throw in the touch screen for the 0-9 buttons, and you've got a winner.

 

[Abstract]

I don't like the idea of using a scrollwheel for everything. Its not precise enough. I mean, its hard to just move one position down a list. I know some of you will chime in and tell me that it's not, but I'm talking about my own experience, and that of a female friend of mine (with the pink iPod, of course).

They could just use buttons, ya know.

 

[tobefirst ⚽️]

Apple PIE......GET IT!?! Hahahah!

Abstract...making me laugh that hard while I'm eating my bagel is not right! I could have choked!

In all seriousness, though, while I believe that if anyone could pull this off, Apple is the company, I'm not a fan of touch screen remotes. I had one of those $200 Sony universal remotes for a day. My problem was not with programming it for all my devices. Rather, my problem was with the lack of tactile feedback. I don't want to have to look down at my remote everytime I want to change the channel or lower the volume or whatever else.

I need to know where the buttons are and be able to tell when I press them. Any remote that hopes to be truly universal is going to have to have some kind of touch screen, and for me personally, I'm just not sure that losing that tactile feel is worth it.

I have, however, been known to be wrong on occasion.

 

[dstorey]

does anyone think that dashboard is part of this? As it is just like a web layer at it's core it can do all the xml request things, and with css being recommended for widgets, you could supply widgets with a css file for how it should look in dashboard and another to fit the form factor of the remote screen. That way the interfaces to the apps/devices will build of existing infrastructure and widgets. Not only would that help this taking off, and be easy to develop/add to existing apps, but it means it can be more than just a remote. You could check the weather or your stocks or whatever you cn do on dashboard at the moment, without going to your computer or checking teletext on the tv. Makes it much more of a must have device than just a remote. It would also be easy to support windows as most widgets don't require cocoa or the like, only javascript and xml/html.

 

[speleoterra]

does anyone think that dashboard is part of this?

good guess,...
maybe this is today's announcement. july 7th?

 

[speleoterra]

HEY! listen......

check out what this guy said over on AppleInsider!
............................
I've actually seen a prototype of the remote. It was years ago, and made by a different company, but Apple bought them and it sounds almost exactly the same.

At the time Bluetooth wasn't out, so the remote had a base station that connected to other components through a FireWire network. They had it working with Kenwood gear. When you plugged in a device it automatically showed up on the screen as an icon. When you pressed the icon it's interface would show up. Each device would publish it's capabilities for the remote (play, record, volume, channel, etc).

It was nice, but pretty primitive at the time (not just the interface, but the piece of plywood it was built on). With Bluetooth or WiFi, Rendezvous, oops... I mean OpenTalk, oops... I mean Bonjour, and XML I can see how it would be much, much better now. Having an application appear as a device is a nice feature.

 

[dongmin]

My guess is that all that stuff about universal remotes and talking to DVD players, etc. is just Apple covering its bases and adding a bit of a smoke screen so people don't know exactly what Apple is working on. The main intent of this patent is for the long-anticipated iTunes remote, I'm sure. It may control other Apple applications and devices, but NO DOUBT this device will use bonjour, 802.11, and bluetooth.

I'm curious about the timing of this rumor, since the patent is dated 2002. Did AI just accidentally discover this patent or is this based on some insider tip anticipating an imminent release of such a device?

And where is that Airport Express 2 with video streaming capabilities???

 

[iDM]

New Remote

I think having a universal remote that has the capability of recognizing any products within its range and then posting all possibilities of input (Play Pause Stop Next Chapter) would be cool. It goes along with Apple doing things automatically such as OSX picking up networks and connecting as opposed to having to select a network in Windows.

Kinda like Apple's Remote vs. Sony's(Punch in the 3 digit manufacturer code of every component, if that doesn't work you have to try every combo, and so on)

Then again this post is based on the guy from AppleInsider being correct

 

[AidenShaw]

don't change history....

Apple invented Bonjour....

Rendevous^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H Bonjour is an implementation of the IETF ZeroConf (Zero Configuration Networking) working group spec, to which Apple, Sun, IBM, Microsoft, Motorola and many other companies contributed over several years.

Apple didn't invent USB, and Apple didn't invent Zeroconf.

 

[michaelrjohnson]

...The main intent of this patent is for the long-anticipated iTunes remote...

I'm not so sure about this. There is a very small percentage of households that have this kind of setup. It would seem illogical for Apple to pour money into this project that appeals to such a small number of people.

Unless Apple couples this device with some other technology to make my entire computer accesible from my TV, controlled by my remote, it's destined for failure. I doubt it will be just an "iTunes remote".

 

[nagromme]

I have LONG wanted Apple ease-of-use in other devices, and remotes were near the top of my list! But I fear this is another one that won't ever leave the labs. Oh well, I can dream.

If they do go for it, please include Infrared (and a built-in scrollable list instead of a booklet of codes) for the "legacy" equipment that will still be most common for years.

Yes, that removes ONE of the innovative things about using the product (until you have new Bluetooth home entertainment components), but it's just a one-time step, and then USING the remote would be no different.

(I've seen ~$100 touch-screen remotes for sale already, at Best Buy etc., but of course no BT and not with Apple ease-of-use. And they were too bulky for me.)

 

[thejadedmonkey]

Someone mentioned the feel of using actual buttons...wouldnt it be cool if the buttons changed depending on what application they were controlling? yeah...I need one of these remotes for iTunes though. I even got bt in my mini just for the bt ipod and this remote thing. I'm waiting apple...

 

[~Shard~]

Interesting, but like a lot of other things Apple has patented, I doubt we'll see much of this in the near future. I'm still waiting for that anamorphic color changing plastic casing they patented a long time ago....

 

[Stella]

Apple patent quite a lot of potentially good devices / ideas.. unfortunately many of them never see the light of day in the wild ( i.e., outside of Apple's R&D Department ).

I wonder if this is to be another one.. I quite like the idea.

 

[scu]

I hope that is would be a passage way to new an innovative technology from apple. as it always gave us

That is what I am thinking as well. A device that would allow us to stream video and audio to a TV once it is detected in our desktop.

The future looks pretty bright.

 

[macnews]

Apple wants to be more than a computer or just a software company. I think Steve wants to be a true media mogul. iTunes and the iPod are just the start. They changed how the masses are listening and thinking about music. Next step is movies, something many have thought of, but the move to intel will help push this with some of intel's on board drm. Not to mention the potential many see in the mini for home entertainment. Why should a remote be far off? Why did Apple invent Airport express? Do we really need an aiport that small?? No, we want to listen to the music on our computer anywhere.

I hope this does see the light of day because I would really love to see a true home entertainment system that doesn't take up a ton of space.

 

[slidingjon]

you are all way off. this is actually the new color screnn Newton with uni remote capabilities! It also comes standard with 802.11G, Bluetooth, and that bad-a handwriting regocnition software!

 

[michaelrjohnson]

I'm still waiting for that anamorphic color changing plastic casing they patented a long time ago....

Yes.

I was very excited back then to see how they would utilize it (albeit worried about it being tacky). Hopefully we'll see that in the next few years, but that one may never get out either.

 

[~Shard~]

Yes.

I was very excited back then to see how they would utilize it (albeit worried about it being tacky). Hopefully we'll see that in the next few years, but that one may never get out either.

Hopefully it does, and hopefully Apple does it right. I just think it would be cool to be able to change the color of your Mac, or have it change colors automatically when a new e-mail arrives, a rendering/encoding job is done, etc. Lots of cool possibilities!

 

[iWillard]

maybe this will come along with a new airport express with remote control capability. or maybe they'll kick it up and get it to stream video somehow (though on current 8002.11g I see that being difficult)

The apple store near me has been sold out of airport expresses for some time....

 

[alexeismertin]

God, I love that logo...

Many have made the 'logo' the centre of their world

 

[Counterfit]

YAWN!

 

[inam]

a really nice universal remote would be awesome...i would definetly go out and purchase one of those!