Out of the office
I think we'll see a slow shift with computers moving out of the office. And apple should innovate and take the lead.
The media hub is a classic example.
Apple have made loads of cash from their itunes store/ipod business.
I think apple will introduce some kind of set top box in the next 12 months
heres a few points:
1. Apple are pretty damn committed to HD Video at the moment - a huge growth area this year. Steve Jobs is involved with Pixar and has the pixlet and quicktime technologies.
2. The halo effect that the ipod has generated has woken people up to apple (what took them so long) but does everyone want a new computer? The ipod was a new product and people bought it in droves. Perhaps apple should produce a computer that isn't a computer, a media centre box? "I've got a pc already, but wait, what is this! Want one!"
3. Seriously, this is a HUGE market over the next few years, people took a while to realise they could store their music on their computers, next step is video - and with HDs so much cheaper that is more of a possibility. Computer will start coming into the living room. Microsoft are trying so hard but they don't make computers do they? (Xbox excepted).
4. itunes music store could be accessed through a set top box - and then you could sync it with your ipod. Your photos could also viewed on your tv or ipod.
5. Apple are behind, for a change, in this market. Whilst Microsoft steam ahead with their media edition of windoze, Apple have been concentrating on OSX and ilife, iwork. Beware the sleeping giant.
6. Let's face it Apple could make a damn sexy media center. With the ipod apple are now known for innovation and quality. Microsoft have got it wrong again. For media centre to work - you need a SMALL box (about the size of a mac mini

) that sits in your living room. What you don't want is a tower pc with its associated cheap plastic neon lit chrome trim sitting in the corner sucking the air out of the room.
7. All the technology is there. The mac mini (pc manufacturers are finding hard to price match such a small well specced machine), quicktime, ipod halo effect and itunes store. Bundle it all up and what have you got? A home media solution.
So, ihome may have been a fake, but was the idea such a bad one after all?
Oh and we might see a G5 Powerbook by then!