Imagine how delightful / terrifying this thing would be if it slowly turns to follow you around the room.
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Apple's Smart Home Display to Resemble Iconic iMac G4 Design With Small Square Display
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The G4 iMac was when it shipped, and remains, one of the best pieces of ergonomic industrial design in history, and it is deeply disappointing that no one has brought something like that back.
What it did that nothing today other than an expensive desk-mount arm (which very few average users even know exists as a product) does was let you immediately reposition the screen in three dimensions.
I vividly remember watching my mom use hers, and not only was it great for personal ergonomics—she would regularly move it to track her sitting position, in far more ways than just tilting a screen up and down allows—but if someone else was looking at the screen with her it allowed her to swing the screen over to share, no matter where they were sitting or standing. It felt effortlessly friendly, personal, and fun.
No idea whether this product will work, or be something I want, but I’d sure be happy to see the form factor resurrected.
What it did that nothing today other than an expensive desk-mount arm (which very few average users even know exists as a product) does was let you immediately reposition the screen in three dimensions.
I vividly remember watching my mom use hers, and not only was it great for personal ergonomics—she would regularly move it to track her sitting position, in far more ways than just tilting a screen up and down allows—but if someone else was looking at the screen with her it allowed her to swing the screen over to share, no matter where they were sitting or standing. It felt effortlessly friendly, personal, and fun.
No idea whether this product will work, or be something I want, but I’d sure be happy to see the form factor resurrected.
Currently, I can’t see the use for this. Siri still needs a lot of work and HomeKit is a mess. Apple also needs to work with home automation makers to integrate things a lot easier than it is now, and products need to be available worldwide.
I can’t see people buying this just for a screen. What Apple could do is make a mesh network, along with HomePods, to replace the long-abandoned Airport. Apple should also make HomePod minis work as surround sound speakers.
I can’t see people buying this just for a screen. What Apple could do is make a mesh network, along with HomePods, to replace the long-abandoned Airport. Apple should also make HomePod minis work as surround sound speakers.
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
I like your post- many great points.
You lose Apple at “about $70” because you probably base that on being price competitive with a company NOT chasing 50% margin. So Apple can make it… but add about 30-40% to competitive prices for similar. Shareholder ROI > consumer value.
And that’s likely the main obstacle to HomeKit success too. Pick any HomeKit product. Check price. Find the same product sans HomeKit. Look at that discount. For the crowd who doesn’t worship at an alter to them, the relative prices are just too high…. but oh so profitable for the fraction that will “just pay” anything they ask.
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If it combined both Apple TV and HomePod functionality, I could see why some customers might want one. But I already have both an Apple TV and HomePod Mini, so I don't see any usage for me.
This is exactly what I’ve always been wanting with HomePods. I used to be in the Google home ecosystem and I still miss the screen ones with the photo frame screensaver to this day. I’ve never gotten the point of the idea of it being a tablet that you can remove from the room, the entire point of these devices is they never move so everyone in the house always has access to them. It would be like carrying your living room TV or light switches from room to room.
I think the only way iPad docking for this purpose would ever speak to me is if the “dock” could work as an audio only HomePod when the iPad was detached, then I would use one of those exclusively for my bedroom as a charging dock and get the stationary ones for other rooms. For some reason I don’t grasp, Google didn’t do this with their attempt at this idea even though they went on to sell extra docks separately and the fact that they‘re willing to sell much cheaper and lower quality speakers at the entry level.
I think the only way iPad docking for this purpose would ever speak to me is if the “dock” could work as an audio only HomePod when the iPad was detached, then I would use one of those exclusively for my bedroom as a charging dock and get the stationary ones for other rooms. For some reason I don’t grasp, Google didn’t do this with their attempt at this idea even though they went on to sell extra docks separately and the fact that they‘re willing to sell much cheaper and lower quality speakers at the entry level.
In my country, more than 50% of the households and businesses is connected to FTTH.
https://www.swisscom.ch/en/about/network/fibre-optics-network-expansion-map.html
The current router in our household is:
Internet-Box 4 for fibre-optic connections white with subscription – Internet-Box & WLAN-Box
Network cables, routers and modem – everything for your home network. Order Internet-Box 4 online now from Swisscom.
Additionally, we have the necessary components to construct a Wi-Fi 6E mesh network.
WLAN-Box 3 white with subscription – Internet-Box & WLAN-Box
WLAN-Box 3 white from 4.10/mth ✓ Buy online now at Swisscom ✓ Free delivery ✓ 24 months warranty ✓ Payment by invoice
I like that you have that as your computer in your signature.
I still have mine too.
However, as mentioned, I would be surprised if this new iPad-HomeHub thingy has an articulating arm, or any arm at all. I think it would more likely be just a tilted screen attached directly to a hemispheric base.
But why would it *need* to be less expensive than an iPad? If your only use case is a home hub, the much cheaper AppleTV is right there. If you want it for a unique use cases (like a kitchen appliance) it should be better than an iPad.
This makes me think you aren’t following the VisionPro. Personally, I’d love to own that “killed with time” business. Not everything needs or is even intended to sell as many as the iPhone. That doesn’t make it a failure.
Here’s a solid use case for it:
Why Surgeons Are Wearing The Apple Vision Pro
More than 20 surgeries have recently been completed by headset-wearing surgeons at UC San Diego Health
I don’t know that this product will be worth it to me, but as a person that regularly cooks with the help of his HomePod (conversions, timers, music) and an iPad (static or video cooking ideas/instructions, entertainment), I find the iPad to not be ideal in the kitchen. Certainly better than a desktop or laptop computer, but plenty of room for improvement.
HomePods and AppleTV aren’t “catching up”? They are still top dog in my use cases. Perhaps you meant that you personally as an individual would like additional features that another product offers (which ones?), and accidentally made a blanket statement?
While the first statement is hyperbolic, so is your response statement. Personal computing is famously hard to predict what new and exciting use case will appear, that the creator didn’t see coming. Take the link above about surgeons using the VisionPro. Maybe Apple saw that one coming, but I don’t think any of us did.
Plenty of products became famous for a use case their creator didn’t anticipate, which requires imagination on the part of the user to use the product in a novel and unintended way.
I still dont think, that the mayority of the people has 10GB at Home. No way. Nicht mal in der Schweiz...In my country, more than 50% of the households and businesses is connected to FTTH.
https://www.swisscom.ch/en/about/network/fibre-optics-network-expansion-map.html
The current router in our household is:
Internet-Box 4 for fibre-optic connections white with subscription – Internet-Box & WLAN-Box
Network cables, routers and modem – everything for your home network. Order Internet-Box 4 online now from Swisscom.www.swisscom.ch
Additionally, we have the necessary components to construct a Wi-Fi 6E mesh network.
WLAN-Box 3 white with subscription – Internet-Box & WLAN-Box
WLAN-Box 3 white from 4.10/mth ✓ Buy online now at Swisscom ✓ Free delivery ✓ 24 months warranty ✓ Payment by invoicewww.swisscom.ch
Agreed -- it's literally the opposite of a smash product idea if one has to use their imagination to figure out what to use it for
Apple are out of new good ideas
See how the AVP has gone?
"Total face plant, belly flop into the water" ... is being kind
The AVP isn’t even officially discontinued and now we’re seeing a glimpse of Apple’s next misfire.
Sounds just like me when I first got introduced to the Macintosh in 1988 as a college freshman.
I feel the same - no arm.
There might be be a small range of forward/back tilt - that wouldn't be difficult or costly.
I think I would have a use for this sort of thing, if it actually "is a thing" that is..
Could be perfect to buy and put at my aging relatives place as a "family facetime communicator"
As it is now with their iPads, they always struggle to hold them in a way where we can see them easily and/or isn't shaking the whole time -- the experience mostly sucks
Something like this could be perfect for that
Could be perfect to buy and put at my aging relatives place as a "family facetime communicator"
As it is now with their iPads, they always struggle to hold them in a way where we can see them easily and/or isn't shaking the whole time -- the experience mostly sucks
Something like this could be perfect for that