Next digital lifestyle toy
iMan said:
Just saw that Apple has one of the largest appearances at the NAB multimedia hall.
Now is certainly a good time for speculations, so here goes: NAB is a fairly large show (!) so this should be an item for general interest (if only one?). I would suspect something that made impact with the general public then - and something that suits NAB - an extension of the digital hub: the Apple solution for the Home Theatre. I see the Apple "big screen" (either a large LCD or a projector), a customized Apple/Bose soundsystem to plug in the G5 optical, a remote control thingie to access your mac from the couch, some kind of gadget that centers the mac in your multimedia life (like the Eyehome). And of course iTheatre Film Store - the new movie downloadable service from Apple 😀
Anyway - I feel Apple is going more mainstream: the big announcements are increasingly appearing at "regular" shows and at Apples pace rather than at specific Mac-shows. The days of the Mac-only shows may have seen its glory...
I feel something big is coming for NAB. What do you others think?
I love the way my mac provides one-stop shopping for my music, photos, and information (internet portal). The problem that I find and many of my friends do too is that I am separated from my family when I access all this great digital media because the computer is structured to provide one person data at a time. For example, computer screen sizes are generally no larger than 17" which allows a maximum of maybe 5 people to gather around and see digital photos/video. Although speakers designed for computers have improved dramatically since the days of the Apple IIe internal speaker, for the most part you don't see home users with 5.1 home theater quality speakers connected to their computers. Not that it isn't possible, you just don't normally keep you computer in the living room beside your entertainment system.
It's been mentioned before, but I would like Apple to create a device that brings all the digital media I have on my computer and makes it accessible to the rest of my family simultaneously. The only way to do that in my opinion is to stream data from the computer to that new device. 802.11 is a logical choice for this and fits in with Apple's airport technology although I think ethernet connectivity would be a plus for those who have wired home networks. I don't think the new device should have massive storage on its own but should rely primarily on the user's Mac for content. If the device had PVR capability it probably should have its own storage since some folks with older Macs undoubtedly don't want the majority of their hard drive used.
The other technology I would like to see taken advantage of is high definition. This new device must be capable of displaying a 720p/1080i signal. I don't want to see my 4 megapixel photos on 480i. Also, I don't want to have a PVR unless I can record HD. I just got a HDTV, and for those of you who haven't seen HD, I can only say it is simply incredible.
While we are talking about new technologies for this device, I want an HDMI connection. If you don't know, HDMI will allow you to connect a digital media device like a DVD, satellite receiver, etc. to a TV or home stereo receiver with a single cable. This will reduce the current 3 cables necessary for component video and up to 11 cables necessary for 5.1 sound to one single cable.
Lastly, is the user interface. This is where Apple should spend their own capital. The aforementioned technologies are off-the-shelf and Apple shouldn't spend any R&D to improve them. Apple should simply take these existing technologies and wrap them in a package that is uniqely Apple and an interface that won't scare my wife or parents.
Kind of a long post, but I would easily drop $1000 to get this device if it was as slick as an iPod.
