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New Apple Digital Device?

And Apple will release a PDA (iPDA), the portable tablet (iWalk), and a pony for you kiddie dreamers (iPony).

Ugh, this ugly rumor rears it's ugly head again?
Geez people, let it go, ain't happening. Go back, there's nothing to see here. You've got a better chance of seeing the G5 Powerbook next month (which, also isn't happening).
 
could be nice but I don't need it

Wireless streaming of mp3 is something I would have thought was cool years ago. But once iTunes came out.. and I began seriously converting everything I have to .mp3s . I then bought a stereo system for my office, and hooked my mac directly up to that.. and then wired the house with speakers and speaker switch box in my office. So where ever I want music I got it.. and it all runs off my computer.
 
Let this rumor die, it won't happen. (Plus, I don't think streaming iTunes to TV's is a very big market.)
 
The AI report seems to be just a summary of all the old speculation floating around about an Apple set-top box. Nothing new. My guess is that there is a rumors wheel somewhere with the set-top box, video-Pod, Tablet, and PDA. In the slow weeks, they give this wheel a spin, and voila, a bunch of extra traffic.
 
Apple TV recorder

I wish that Apple would apply their design and ingenuity team to improving the Tivo type devices that record TV programs. I have an older Sony system (DirectTV and satellite) With UltimateTV by Microsoft and it is really is a pain to use. You have to do 3 steps to get anything done, when 1 would do. If I say "earase", then erase - don't show me another page that says "erase?" It is slow and cumbersome, and Microsoft closed down the division.

Apple could out Tivo Tivo if they put their mind to it. I'd like to see them try. I don't need another stero unit and my iPod works just fine as it is.
Just my 2 cents worth.
 
I opted not to wait for something like this and built my own a few months ago. The only caveat is that it's Windows based. I'm using a VIA EPIA motherboard with 5.1 audio and svideo onboard. The whole unit is the size of a large book and runs iTunes for Windows. It's on my wireless network so it will play from any shared iTunes library in my house.

My whole library sits on my iMac (which is also my access point). An added bonus is seeing the visualizer fullscreen on a 50" set. :)
 
Replacement for DVD

What Apple is doing is obvious. There is a market opportunity that is opening because of HDTV.

More specifically, DVDs are low resolution when compared to HDTV. There are no HD-DVD players, no HD-DVD videos and nothing even being talked about.

So along comes Apple with an HD Set Top Box (iPod for your home theater), MPEG-4 Movie Store (Protected MP4 downloads to the HD Set Top Box) and an entirely new market niche is carved out. What is the niche? It's Apple's standard niche of early adopters and video/audiophiles. It's the people who are willing to put up $1000 to have a device that can store 100 HD movies (perhaps more with a swappable drive module or something). It's the perfect opportunity, after all, who is their competition for digitial distribution of HD movie content?
 
Originally posted by virividox
i dont want a stupid home appliance i want a kick butt apple computer
Click to expand...

I must agree. This sounds okay, but I'm waiting for new computer announcements!
 
Originally posted by virividox
i dont want a stupid home appliance i want a kick butt apple computer
Click to expand...

you're in luck check this out. i don't think it's been covered much, but after years of increasing performance gaps between apple and intel, apple has released a chip and mobo that is very competitive with intel... and not in just that "photoshop bake off" nonsense.
 
Originally posted by beerguy
I opted not to wait for something like this and built my own a few months ago. The only caveat is that it's Windows based. I'm using a VIA EPIA motherboard with 5.1 audio and svideo onboard. The whole unit is the size of a large book and runs iTunes for Windows. It's on my wireless network so it will play from any shared iTunes library in my house.

My whole library sits on my iMac (which is also my access point). An added bonus is seeing the visualizer fullscreen on a 50" set. :)
Click to expand...

Holy crap, beerguy! That's quite impressive! ;)
 
Originally posted by virividox
i dont want a stupid home appliance i want a kick butt apple computer
Click to expand...

Agreed! I've got all the peripherials I need for now. Give me a headless iMac G5 already! (...or something like that. A new cube is my highest whish)
 
Originally posted by Masao[RY]
Personally, I'd rather see Apple spend time updating the iMac/Powerbooks/eMacs right now then work on some media centre box.

So far the rumor looks good, hopefully Apple does such, but lets get on to updating the lines!


__________________
-Masao
Proud owner of a PowerBook165 [33MHz MC68k, 4mb of ram, 7.5.5], PowerMac8100 [G3 250MHz 1mb L2Cache upgrade card, 88mb of ram, Mac OS 9.1] and hopefully one day a PowerBook G* :)
Click to expand...


What do you care? you haven't bought a Mac in 7 or 8 years, judging by your signature. No offense but it's not like Apple has a certain size employee pool to pick from, and assigning people to work on such a device detracts from PowerMac development. They are completely separate departments.
 
Originally posted by PDubNYC
What do you care? you haven't bought a Mac in 7 or 8 years, judging by your signature. No offense but it's not like Apple has a certain size employee pool to pick from, and assigning people to work on such a device detracts from PowerMac development. They are completely separate departments.
Click to expand...

Perhaps Masao[RY] will purchase a new one when Apple announces new Macs. :D
 
Re: dream

Originally posted by appleface
imagine more than tivo: it can wi-fi connect to all your tvs, so you can play your itunes in every room that has a tv, so even if you don't have your house wired with speakers, it will act that way. it will record dvds, and it can copy a dvd that's in your superdrive. apple is creative. they could make a rad hub for my digital world.
Click to expand...
That is too simple.

1. wifi transceiver added to a TiVo-type box, bluetooth capable
2. wifi adaptors to connect to each TV (preferably powered off the TV itself)

The problem with this is the wifi (802.11) frequency itself. It is too busy, and too easy to interrupt (cordless phone, microwave, etc).

Need a higher bandwidth, secure, and less open to interference solution. I am somewhat sure that DRM of some nature would be required, lock down the hardware so that it is Apple only (at least in the beginning a al iPod), and try to get the content providers involved (a la iTMS).

I wouldn't be surprised to find out that Pixar would be used as leverage to get a studio on board with this new wave of media distribution.

Ideas?
 
This makes no sense. Apple has a large development team, and the PowerMac G5 isn't their only computer product. It's not even their best selling computer product. The PB/iMac/eMac are do for a little revamping action.
Originally posted by PDubNYC
What do you care? you haven't bought a Mac in 7 or 8 years, judging by your signature. No offense but it's not like Apple has a certain size employee pool to pick from, and assigning people to work on such a device detracts from PowerMac development. They are completely separate departments.
Click to expand...
 
Originally posted by 1macker1
This makes no sense. Apple has a large development team, and the PowerMac G5 isn't their only computer product. It's not even their best selling computer product. The PB/iMac/eMac are do for a little revamping action.
Click to expand...

What part of it doesn't make sense to you? The part where someone who has not purchased a Mac in at least 6 or 7 years is complaining that Apple needs to update their product line? Or the part where you fail to see my point all together, that R&D into such a device does not detract from R&D for their computer lines. No where did I say that the lines couldn't use a refresh.

Thanks, though.
 
Originally posted by PDubNYC
What part of it doesn't make sense to you? The part where someone who has not purchased a Mac in at least 6 or 7 years is complaining that Apple needs to update their product line? Or the part where you fail to see my point all together, that R&D into such a device does not detract from R&D for their computer lines. No where did I say that the lines couldn't use a refresh.

Thanks, though.
Click to expand...

First of all, I fail to see how someone who hasn't purchased a Mac in a while takes away their credibility that they think Apple needs to send out new products. Maybe that person will buy it, who knows? Point is, the opinion is still valid.

Second, R&D from one development team can certainly take away from another. Not saying this is the case or not. Unless you have control over their R&D spending, nobody knows.
 
Originally posted by iggyb
First of all, I fail to see how someone who hasn't purchased a Mac in a while takes away their credibility that they think Apple needs to send out new products. Maybe that person will buy it, who knows? Point is, the opinion is still valid.

Second, R&D from one development team can certainly take away from another. Not saying this is the case or not. Unless you have control over their R&D spending, nobody knows.
Click to expand...

I think we will have to agree to disagree. :D
 
to booshtukka and other SKY+ folk

I just wish there was a wi-fi add-on for my SKY+ (HD satellite receiver) so I can download MPEG programmes to my laptop for viewing later (or stream to any other wi-fi device in the house I guess).

There's this digital access panel which says "do not remove"...

The whole iTunes/iPhoto streaming to TV idea sounds a bit late now that people are streaming video around the place - there are loads of wi-fi "media centres" appearing. After kickstarting wi-fi with the iBook all those years ago, Apple seems to be getting left behind.
 
With many more people buying laptops these days having a large central storage device (that does not cost $1000s) for all your music, pictures, movies, etc would be great. Laptop harddrives do not have the capacity to hold as much as I'd like. If I could store the raw footage on a central set top server box and edit it on my laptop I would not have to keep deleting material. I know I could attach an external firewire harddrive but the point of a laptop is not to be tethered to a desk.
 
Originally posted by New Guy
With many more people buying laptops these days having a large central storage device (that does not cost $1000s) for all your music, pictures, movies, etc would be great. Laptop harddrives do not have the capacity to hold as much as I'd like. If I could store the raw footage on a central set top server box and edit it on my laptop I would not have to keep deleting material. I know I could attach an external firewire harddrive but the point of a laptop is not to be tethered to a desk.
Click to expand...
Now THERE's an idea! Basically it's a home fileserver that interfaces with both home A/V equipment and home computers. If it had a big enough capacity (in the 200-gig range) and was reasonably priced (<$500), this thing could be HUGE. Even bigger than the iPod, imho.

If it's too hard to make one that cheap, I'd suggest an upgradeable one--a base 80-gig model with no wi-fi for $399, and the tricked-out 500-gig airport extreme gigabit ethernet model with Superdrive and iPod dock for $999.
 
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