It's huge!
Of course, it's a QWERTY keyboard!
It's made for text input so you can chat and browse the web and type data into applications.
It's huge!
Don't be so sure. See here: http://www.itvplc.com/about/history/
I'm not really sure a company that has built up its brand will be so quick to part with their name no matter what is offered.
iPhone was different because the history of the name and the brand association wasn't even remotely what iTV is.
And personally (my own opinion) is that it's annoying whenever an obstacle comes up that people automatically assume that since Apple has 80B they can just "buy" whoever they want or get their way. It definitely gives leverage - but it's not a free pass.
so what is the current business model for TV?
NBC pays producers and directors and actors to create a show (check "30 rock" is created)
Next NBC has a contract with a cable provider (Time Warner, Comcast) to host NBC and "30 rock" at 8pm on some specific day of the week.
Consumer pays Time Warner and Comcast.
It wont be called iTV or anything of the kind as they'd need to change the name of it for the UK.
Apple don't change the names of their products or services for different regions, its not how they operate.
Oh look an iDevice that already exists under the original brand name. No thanks. I'll take the original hooked up to my HTPC. Not even close. Sammy and Panny already dominate the market. Hope Apple's TV isn't a 16:9 rectangle. By their logic it would be blatantly copying an existing design.
Not even near.
If Apple makes an offer that is so high that the ITV CEO would be fired if he doesn't accept, then the offer will be accepted. A billion dollars, one third of ITV's market caps for the rights to use the name "iTV" should do it easily. Not that it would be worth that much.
With their very mild success in the TV space with the AppleTVs up to now, you have to wonder if they would even be willing to spend the money to rebrand the offering.
Could end up being a huge loss just to get a name for something that might just end up as a "2nd hobby".
Okay, I've done a lot of thinking on this and I think I have a pretty decent idea of what's going to happen.
Apple's going to release a home entertainment device that will not be called "Apple TV" nor "iTV", but something different. Because this device will not really be a "TV" but a new kind of device that we use in our living rooms that essentially replaces our TV sets. I'll refer to it as "iDevice".
There will probably be no physical inputs. No component, no HDMI. It will require very minimal setup. Plug in power and start using!
It will be minimal, VERY sleek and VERY thin... absolutely gorgeous. It'll come in two or three sizes. 35-ish, 50-ish and perhaps a larger one. Very simplistic and familiar user interface.
Apple will likely strike an exclusive deal with a cable provider such as Comcast, to deliver content deals to users in terms of data consumption rather than in channel volume (for example, Monthly 100 GB plan for $20, perhaps).
To many people's surprise, it will be very competitively priced (as the iPad's price did). Apple wants a LOT of people to buy this to create that large ecosystem that's irresistible to developers, networks, etc.
Other attractive features will be:
- An app across all of your iOS devices that allows you to curate and view content yourself. All around support for iOS devices in various respects.
-HD FaceTime from the living room.
-Tons of new HD games (multiplayer, online, etc) that are designed to work via airplay on the "iDevice" controlled with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Will be a awful blow to consoles.
- Optional Siri control (little mic built into the standard remote)
-Wireless everything. No more set-top boxes. Will make every other setup look clunky, ugly, and ancient.
-Possibly HDMI to AirPlay dongles to allow other devices to stream to it, but we can expect many more devices to begin having airplay built into them to support the iDevice, such as speaker systems.
Other companies will have no chance of competing early on because:
-No integration with iOS devices.
-No way to provide content cheaply like what Apple's exclusive deals allow.
-Apple's going to patent a bunch of their clever design choices that sets them apart.
Ultimately, it's going to be huge.
*Must also add, that like every one huge Apple product release, there will be a ton of naysayers who don't "get it", but eventually they will, well, get it.![]()
I don't know. Microsoft came out with Xbox 360 and Kinect and that does pretty much everything you listed.
I don't know. Microsoft came out with Xbox 360 and Kinect and that does pretty much everything you listed.
Except XBox 360 is a separate unit from the TV and the voice control is much worse then Siri. iTV will be beautiful, thin and 100% self contained.
Works with iOS devices? No wires? Airplay? Sleek super thin display? Special contract with capable provider and networks? Siri? Cheap iOS games?
Damn, didn't know xBox 360 did all that.
Separate unit, yes, but when it breaks, you only have to replace that unit and not the whole TV. Plus, it cheaper than a TV.
Voice control on a TV is a gimmick. Trust me. It takes longer to say "Play [insert movie title]" than just pressing play.
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Only Apple devices with with iOS.... Yeah, Xbox 360 is wireless, only thing that is wired is Kinect. Controllers are wireless too. Verizon has FiOS on Xbox 360. And Xbox 360 have better games than cheap iOS games.
Okay. Not going to waste my time arguing with you about this. You're just one of those people who has to see it with your own eyes to believe it.
There will probably be no physical inputs. No component, no HDMI. It will require very minimal setup. Plug in power and start using!
You really think anyone in Europe is going to turn down 3 Billion Dollars in the middle of a recession? I think it would be negligent of them to do so if both ITV and Apple were happy with the deal.
-Tons of new HD games (multiplayer, online, etc) that are designed to work via airplay on the "iDevice" controlled with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Will be a awful blow to consoles.
OH. you mad?
-Tons of new HD games (multiplayer, online, etc) that are designed to work via airplay on the "iDevice" controlled with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Will be a awful blow to consoles.