Jobs Says Apple TV App Store Could Launch When the Time is Right

1080i version?

 

When the time is right? Yes, instead of offering an innovative and interesting new product with all kinds of potential 3rd party support and things to look forward to, let's offer the same old product that didn't sell before for a somewhat lower price, take away all internal storage so it's even less useful in some areas, ignore ALL previous customer suggestions (say 1080p?) and hope it sells anyway. Then we'll hint that SOME DAY maybe we'll offer something useful or interesting to consumers IF we sell a whole boat load of them, which we won't because it's uninteresting and out of date just like the last version that didn't sell for squat.

Sometimes I TRULY wonder how Steve ever got where he did. He'll show all this innovation in some areas like the iPhone but then appear to be Forrest Gump when it comes to something that's actually pretty simple like home theater products (i.e. offer the best quality and state of the art features for a reasonable price offering all the conveniences of the best products that already exist).

For example, if Apple TV had 1080p from the start, a DECENT sized hard drive (even if that meant making SLIGHTLY bigger to fit a 3.5" hard drive; imagine THAT!?!) contained a DVR and Blu-Ray drive with support to convert them to be stored in iTunes automatically (like they do for CDs; a license would make this possible), had a front panel display that at least had a CLOCK on it (rather than just a little led light that does squat) and maybe even display title/artist information so you can see what's playing music-wise when the TV is turned off and don't have to wear out your projector bulb just to see a flipping album cover endlessly...or perhaps offer a cool visualizer to watch while you listen? What's THAT?!? ), put in place the ability to add features like Netflix support, etc. as they become available (i.e. give the thing proper hardware assisted video decoding) and supported ALL the available formats so you can watch your home movies etc. without having to convert them to M4V and left provisions in place for gaming (and included a "remote" that could be used for gaming ala the "wii") and offered it for around $500, MAYBE just MAYBE the thing would have actually SOLD because it would have the potential to replace most of the home theater gear out there (just add receiver and TV).

THAT is what it would take to be as innovative as an iPhone. Apple TV should be a general purpose computing device with slick controls that can be upgraded to do just about anything you'd want it to do, whether it be a DVR or a cookbook display for the TV in the kitchen/dining room. If it had the proper connections (e.g. input video as well as output it) and the right hardware inside (hardware assisted encoding/decoding) with enough room to store apps/videos/movies (1.5TB 3.5" drives and larger are DIRT CHEAP for goodness sake!), it could do for TV what the iPhone did for smart phones. But no, some of those things MIGHT cannibalize iTunes music/movie sales, so we cannot include them! Never mind that we claim we do not make much profit from selling those sorts of things. We simply CANNOT offer a user-friendly do-everything type device because we want to sell SD 480p movies with low-quality video encoding and Dolby Pro Logic 2-channel sound to people that don't think there is anything better....

 

Interesting—but I really can’t imagine the time being right any time soon: it has very little storage, and a very limited controller (at least without requiring additional products—a path that would make a small market even smaller, and even less attractive to developers).

Releasing a super-limited app store with a few quiz games and weather/Twitter widgets doesn’t sound very useful (nor Apple-like). Let the new AppleTV focus the thing it’s really good at: receiving and controlling network video simply, to your television.

 

4.2 or 5.0 he wouldnt say anything unless it was near.

 

I feel a tremor in the distortion field...

What a load. Be gone Steve Jobs, be gone...

 

He's going to need an input device you can use without looking at it.

 

Too bad the TV stations are so stubborn. It's just like the music industry tho, it takes time and lost profits for them to finally cross over.

 

The right time is when it gets a hard disk, analog audio out and 1080p.

 

1080i? What is this? 1998?

1080p please.

 

There are some seriously jaded responses here.

Use your imaginations, people. Netflix is an AppleTV app. So could be Hulu, ABC, etc...

 

How about a wireless link between your iPad touch screen and your TV set.

Then you could in effect have multitouch working on a 42" screen.

You have your fingers on the iPad on your lap but you are looking at your TV

 

I can imagine games being available and taking some market from Sony and Nintendo. Since it has BT, maybe you'll be able to pair your PS3 controller, or use your iPhone / iPod touch as a controller.

 

it feels like Steve did not mention lots of things on the keynote about ATV.
I can't wait to see folks dissect the new ATV so we can maybe get a better picture of what this device could be capable of.

 

Screw 1080p, gimme 4k

 

Agreed.

And the new Nano needs apps too. I want a Nano-sized drum machine.

 

King of living room? Sounds so naughty.. lol

 

I agree. Some people will just never be satisfied. What's keeping them from starting their own company to put out these stellar products they claim everyone is clamoring for instead of incessantly complaining about how Apple just doesn't get it?

 

considering what all i can stream to the appletv, i am excited. an app store for it would be even better

 

quit with the 1080p - ok?

1: I have heard there is 16G of flash in TV

2: ->
Holy cow,
man, I don't know how many times I can say this: you don't need 1080p on an appleTV!!!!!!
the information content of the source material (itunes/anything on ipad) is WAAY WAAAAY below 1080p bit rate capability.
[sarcasm flag on]
you would be much better off buying a set of denon AKDL1's - now _they_ will get you unparalleled audio (and maybe video) performance -
or perhaps you need some speaker wire from http://www.pearcable.com/sub_products_anjou_sc.htm from what I understand you can hear EVERYTHING with those cables.
[sarcast flag off]

seriously, before you rant about video quality - read the handbrake forums and the blue ray to apple tv threads here on MR.

you will find that 1080p is not useful unless you have high bit rate content to show it on.

that is all
j

 

Why is the new Apple TV dissapointing? I think it's awesome, I didn't like the idea of syncing and I like how it's cheap.

However, I still wish movies would have the same amount of subtitles and dubbing as DVDs. My parents don't speak English and it would be great if the movies would at least have subtitles or something. That's not possible with the current Apple TV right? I may be wrong but I couldn't find info about it.

 

hmm maybe it was inventing desktop publishing w/ the first commercial GUI desktop pc. but i dunno for sure.

...you mean the Mac Mini? yeah. it does most those things, cost that much, and is sitting under my tv connected via HDMI. have had it for years.

i had to re-quote that. because the world doesnt have enough blinking "12:00" VCRs under their TVs, right!?

 

LOL, yeah right! Everyone had 1080i in 1998.

 

All I can say is I'm an idiot for selling all my Apple stock at $155!

I'm impressed with where things seem to be going.