Steve Jobs Suggests Blu-ray Not Coming to Mac Anytime Soon

[cheesymogul]

Sooner rather than later Apple is just going to have to service its creative content creator highend base.

They might not like it, because it's not very profitable - but they'll have no other choice. Especially since this customer group will be providing most of the media content that keeps Apple's iGadgets interesting for the consumer masses.

Otherwise it could get very hard for Apple to push their new formats, codecs and ideas, when the people they have to work with were disgruntled vengeful former Mac content creators who had to make a painful expensive switch to the Microsoft/Adobe camp and thus completely lost trust in the iToy factory.

Apple only had such a strong hand against Adobe, because of the countless content creator allies who still were loyal Apple hardware and OSX fans, while using Adobe software for their bread and butter work.

If Apple goes on neglecting content creators any further, they will certainly lose in the long run.
Because in the future control over content creation will be more crucial than ever before!

 

[linux2mac]

BD in Macs is not necessary to service the high end customers. I have colleagues that are commercial videographers/photographers and graphic designers and all use Mac Pros and have zero issues with not having BD in their Macs. (They are not wedding photographers either, I am talking some serious heavy production work) My colleagues client list includes the Fortune 100 companies headquartered here, the NFL, and the other local professional sports teams. If I needed more computing power than my C2D iMac I would get a Mac Pro even without BD and would never consider a crappy Windows box. (BTW - its amazing at how much the iMac with the C2D chip can do over faster Windows PC junk out there). The amount of anti-apple people due to lack of BD in this forum amounts to about a penny lost in profit to Apple's billions earned. Its safe to say Apple is on the right track while the Microsoft ship is listing. I am pretty confident Apple will service my business needs all the way to retirement. And then when I don't have to work anymore I will play with all the iToys - LOL

 

[LethalWolfe]

BD in Macs is not necessary to service the high end customers. I have colleagues that are commercial videographers/photographers and graphic designers and all use Mac Pros and have zero issues with not having BD in their Macs.

Unfortunately opinion and anecdotal evidence aren't the same thing as facts. Don't you think it's a bit arrogant to assume that what works for you and the handful of videographers you know (as if no one else could know anyone in TV/film production or, gasp, even work in that industry themselves) works for everyone else?

For as much as you've complained about the attitudes of people that disagree with you in this thread (again painting w/a broad brush) you aren't much better.


Lethal

 

[linux2mac]

Unfortunately opinion and anecdotal evidence aren't the same thing as facts. Don't you think it's a bit arrogant to assume that what works for you and the handful of videographers you know (as if no one else could know anyone in TV/film production or, gasp, even work in that industry themselves) works for everyone else?

For as much as you've complained about the attitudes of people that disagree with you in this thread (again painting w/a broad brush) you aren't much better.


Lethal

First, I appreciate your comments.

Second, BD in Macs is solved by OWC for those that really need the ability to store/write their work to BD disc. There is no need to carry on for 5000 posts. Apple is not going under because of lack of BD. Windows machines are still horrible even though they have BD.

 

[wonderspark]

First, I appreciate your comments.

Second, BD in Macs is solved by OWC for those that really need the ability to store/write their work to BD disc. There is no need to carry on for 5000 posts. Apple is not going under because of lack of BD. Windows machines are still horrible even though they have BD.

I think Windows machines actually have an advantage over Macs in professional video production right now. This is only recently the case, but true in my experience in the industry.

 

[leroypants]

BD in Macs is not necessary to service the high end customers. I have colleagues that are commercial videographers/photographers and graphic designers and all use Mac Pros and have zero issues with not having BD in their Macs. (They are not wedding photographers either, I am talking some serious heavy production work) My colleagues client list includes the Fortune 100 companies headquartered here, the NFL, and the other local professional sports teams.

Maybe when you "colleagues" are ready to move up to the big time they will realize that BR is a requirement. I know for a fact that the NFL and NFL films requires the ability to deliver hd content in blu ray form. All of our corporate clients (as do most) require that we give them hd content on Blu rays. I am not sure what work your "colleagues" are doing but i can tell if they can not deliver hd content their work is amateurish at best. Maybe when your "colleagues" start to shoot hidef they will have clients that need that hdef footage and thus need blu ray. BTW as a wedding videographers my two man team makes makes between two to three grand a shoot, so bash it all you want.

If I needed more computing power than my C2D iMac I would get a Mac Pro even without BD and would never consider a crappy Windows box. (BTW - its amazing at how much the iMac with the C2D chip can do over faster Windows PC junk out there).

Blah, Blah, Blah Insert mandatory one per post windows bashing.

The amount of anti-apple people due to lack of BD in this forum amounts to about a penny lost in profit to Apple's billions earned. Its safe to say Apple is on the right track while the Microsoft ship is listing. I am pretty confident Apple will service my business needs all the way to retirement. And then when I don't have to work anymore I will play with all the iToys - LOL

My bad, insert second mandatory per post windows bashing. My choice of computer was based on what can do what I need it to. I used an apple and learned on Final Cut, however Apple is focusing on itoys and ignoring professionals, so i was forced to use a windows or go out of business.

Second, BD in Macs is solved by OWC for those that really need the ability to store/write their work to BD disc. There is no need to carry on for 5000 posts. Apple is not going under because of lack of BD.

I will give you credit for continuing to post this lie, even after you were proven wrong time and time again. Funny how buying Ghost for pc was a nightmare and pain, yet your horrifically convoluted way to partially use some features on blu ray discs is not.

Windows machines are still horrible even though they have BD.

Insert mandatory windows bashing.

I think Windows machines actually have an advantage over Macs in professional video production right now. This is only recently the case, but true in my experience in the industry.

You could not be more correct, since the rise in hi-def most companies, our clients and just about everyone else requires the ability for us to deliver that hi-def content with custom menus in the form of a blu ray and be able to verify it works. As of right now this is impossible to do on an apple device. Apple is really missing out on a large segment of it's core user group.

 

[wonderspark]

Macs can create Blu-ray discs with custom menus, but PCs can do it faster for less $$ right now. It's frustrating how few options I have on my machine, whereas a PC can choose from a selection of GPUs at half the price, overclock options and so on. I like Adobe Audition, which is in beta for Mac, but has been on PC forever. It's like nVidia and Adobe brought guns to a knife fight this last round. If Apple doesn't better arm themselves, the gap will widen in favor of the PC.

 

[AidenShaw]

It's like nVidia and Adobe brought guns to a knife fight this last round. If Apple doesn't better arm themselves, the gap will widen in favor of the PC.

Wonderful

There's a clip for that:

http://www.amuzings.com/indiana-jones-gun-vs-sword/

 

[Jcoz]

If Apple doesn't better arm themselves, the gap will widen in favor of the PC.

Except they are gaining market share, not losing it.

I think you are missing the forest for the trees in your conclusions.

 

[wonderspark]

More copies of Final Cut being sold than Adobe CS5? I'm surprised if true, but don't think so.

 

[Jcoz]

iCrap BUBBLE.

BUBBLE. BUBBLE.

The operative word is BUBBLE. Even Steve Jobs cannot keep an iCrap BUBBLE afloat indefinitely. Even from a hospital bed.

Sooner rather than later Apple is just going to have to service its creative content creator highend base.

Or lose its cutting edge cachet. If it hasn't done irreparable damage to it already in the quest of the LCD cheap en masse buck.

Creating a BUBBLE.

Pop.

Man, you must be the one in the bubble, because everything you are typing seems to be in complete ignorance of why apple is in the spot they are in right now.

That iCrap is the only reason Apple even exists today.

And the focus on them isn't going anywhere.

You must be seriously delusional.

Yah, I'm sure any minute they will be turning their backs on the devices that have propelled the company to heights it never could have hoped to reach without them, in favor of the tiny sector you keep talking about...

Man, seriously, those posts were extremely funny.

The skies are looking cloudy with a high chance of rain on your parade for a loooooooooooooooooooong time.

Once again, it is the businesspeople who've put BANK into Apple arguing with the iBois who think they own Apple because they have every piece of iToy available for a grand investment of $3000, if that much.

Well they vastly outnumber the pro users, in both number and total investment.

 

[yellow]

Macs can create Blu-ray discs with custom menus, but PCs can do it faster for less $$ right now. It's frustrating how few options I have on my machine, whereas a PC can choose from a selection of GPUs at half the price, overclock options and so on. I like Adobe Audition, which is in beta for Mac, but has been on PC forever. It's like nVidia and Adobe brought guns to a knife fight this last round. If Apple doesn't better arm themselves, the gap will widen in favor of the PC.

This is an age-old complaint from folks who are new to the Apple world. There is quite a bit of difference between 1 company (Apple) and hundreds of PC manufacturers out there, all competing for your $, and in turn competing for the $ of the hundreds of companies churning out hardware for PCs.

 

[MacNewsFix]

Maybe when you "colleagues" are ready to move up to the big time they will realize that BR is a requirement. I know for a fact that the NFL and NFL films requires the ability to deliver hd content in blu ray form. All of our corporate clients (as do most) require that we give them hd content on Blu rays. I am not sure what work your "colleagues" are doing but i can tell if they can not deliver hd content their work is amateurish at best. Maybe when your "colleagues" start to shoot hidef they will have clients that need that hdef footage and thus need blu ray. BTW as a wedding videographers my two man team makes makes between two to three grand a shoot, so bash it all you want.



Blah, Blah, Blah Insert mandatory one per post windows bashing.




My bad, insert second mandatory per post windows bashing. My choice of computer was based on what can do what I need it to. I used an apple and learned on Final Cut, however Apple is focusing on itoys and ignoring professionals, so i was forced to use a windows or go out of business.




I will give you credit for continuing to post this lie, even after you were proven wrong time and time again. Funny how buying Ghost for pc was a nightmare and pain, yet your horrifically convoluted way to partially use some features on blu ray discs is not.



Insert mandatory windows bashing.




You could not be more correct, since the rise in hi-def most companies, our clients and just about everyone else requires the ability for us to deliver that hi-def content with custom menus in the form of a blu ray and be able to verify it works. As of right now this is impossible to do on an apple device. Apple is really missing out on a large segment of it's core user group.

From Apple's recent earning report:

Record 851,000 Macs sold, up 24%. About half were customers new to Mac.

I'm reading the writing on the wall, but you and I must be speaking a different language.

I fail to see much indication that the lack of BD is making any significant impact on their sales. The 52 week average of BD vs DVD reflects BD only accounting for a market percentage somewhere in the mid-teens. Besides, if CES was any indication, it looks as if non-BD equipped tablets are set to cannibalize PC sales. This report from CNET seems to jive with this prediction:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1001_3-20028352-92.html

Pay special attention to this paragraph:
Apple, which is recorded as part of Gartner's U.S. vendor report, came in just under Toshiba in terms of fourth-quarter shipments, though bested it and all the rest of the companies on year-on-year growth at 23.7 percent. In fact, Toshiba and Apple were the only two vendors in Gartner's top 5 to increase shipments in the U.S. year-on-year.

Again, not really seeing noticeable hurt from avoiding BD. If you guys really want to embrace your inner-luddite and hold onto physical media, get on the 4K wagon más pronto.

As an aside, I'm not sure which market you are working in, but you just may want to up your fees. A friend of mine is a successful wedding videographer, and he brings in almost twice that working by himself at events. You may be undercutting yourself. Also, he eschews BD and says most of his clients prefer DVD as many of their family members do not have BD players.

 

[linux2mac]

BTW as a wedding videographers my two man team makes makes between two to three grand a shoot, so bash it all you want.

That's really not impressive considering the grunt work a wedding entails. If you are good there is no need to low ball the competition - kinda like Apple. You know the saying, "you get what you pay for." Some of you may have seen the work of my colleagues on the cereal boxes at your breakfast table or Sunday electronics store ads. There is no need for me to mention the kind of rates these projects command as any true professional in the field already knows this information. BTW - I would never hire a creative professional to do work for my company that uses Windows. I would laugh them out of my office - LOL

 

[MacNewsFix]

That's really not impressive considering the grunt work a wedding entails. If you are good there is no need to low ball the competition - kinda like Apple. You know the saying, "you get what you pay for." Some of you may have seen the work of my colleagues on the cereal boxes at your breakfast table or Sunday electronics store ads. There is no need for me to mention the kind of rates these projects command as any true professional in the field already knows this information. BTW - I would never hire a creative professional to do work for my company that uses Windows. I would laugh them out of my office - LOL

I know what you mean. Anytime I visit the design teams at publishing companies, they tell me that any physical media sent over in a Windows format they pick up like a piece of dung. They then proceed to pantomime their actions. LOL.

 

[LethalWolfe]

BTW - I would never hire a creative professional to do work for my company that did not use Macs. I would laugh them out of my office - LOL

Wow. Talk about cutting off your nose to spite your face. It's artist not the brush. Seems you and xbjllb are just two sides of the same coin.

BTW, I noticed that NFL Films has a number of titles on Blu-ray but I couldn't find any in the iTunes Store. I guess somebody at NFL Films didn't get the memo that they don't do Blu-ray.


Lethal

 

[linux2mac]

Wow. Talk about cutting off your nose to spite your face. It's artist not the brush. Seems you and xbjllb are just two sides of the same coin.

BTW, I noticed that NFL Films has a number of titles on Blu-ray but I couldn't find any in the iTunes Store. I guess somebody at NFL Films didn't get the memo that they don't do Blu-ray.


Lethal

C'mon Lethal, don't put me in the same category as the "Hitler" dude. You guys are right, Steve was wrong in saying Blu Ray is a bag of hurt. It should be "Windows is a bag of hurt."

 

[AidenShaw]

You guys are right, Steve was wrong in saying Blu Ray is a bag of hurt. It should be "Windows is a bag of hurt."

A "bag" that's about 19 times more popular than Apple OSX, by the way.

So, it must not "hurt" after all.

ps: If you want to be correct, it's "Blu-ray", not "Blu Ray".

 

[iEdd]

I think Windows is closer to a sack than a bag.

 

[leroypants]

That's really not impressive considering the grunt work a wedding entails.

That is about 3 hours of work, shooting the ceremony only. Our rates for shooting the reception, before and after the ceremony go up from. We can easily get five grand for a full day with edited blu ray copies.

If you are good there is no need to low ball the competition - kinda like Apple.

We can also get suckers to over pay too... kinda like apple

You know the saying, "you get what you pay for." Some of you may have seen the work of my colleagues on the cereal boxes at your breakfast table or Sunday electronics store ads.

Those Frosted flake boxes are just amazing pieces of artwork and must take months to create. Maybe you are completely right, you could never design a cereal box using Adobe CS5 on a windows, oh wait any high school kid could. Second i am not sure what electronics ad you are talking about, I know for a fact that Best Buy uses Windows computers to create the Sunday ad.

BTW - I would never hire a creative professional to do work for my company that uses Windows.

Anyone professional can do the exact same thing on a windows as they could do on a mac, the results are the same and anyone capable of critical thinking can see that. At the moment windows can actually do more. Only the most smug pathetic fanboy would get their panties in a bunch over what platform something was created on rather than the quality of the final product.

I would laugh them out of my office - LOL

BTW, The company I work for landed an 85,000 dollar project that will be done entirely on windows.

 

[jegbook]

Thanks to all who have provided helpful, non-judgmental, comments on the topic.

The numbers show that Apple is selling plenty of computers despite the lack of native Blu-Ray support. And the numbers are growing.

But would Apple be selling even more if Mac supported Blu-Ray? Certainly seems plausible. A mini as an HTPC seems a very elegant solution. A little pricey, but a nice package. Sure, it can already suffice as an HTPC, but I won't consider one without Blu-Ray movie support. A PS3 seems a much better value as an HTPC, if a bit lighter on Internet content availability (I could be wrong about that. Not sure if a PS3 can stream from Fox, USA, FX, Comedy Central, etc.).

It also seems that Apple is abandoning the professional market. While that's probably a bummer for professionals, again, it doesn't seem to be hurting their sales much.

Apple is largely uninterested in niche markets these days, it seems. They are clearly willing to make compromises to provide the best overall product that THEY think will appeal to the broadest range of their target consumers. Some get left out in the cold, but MOST don't (according to Apple). Their sales numbers would indicate that, at the moment, consumers tend to agree with the choices Apple is making on the consumers' behalf.

It seems unlikely I will ever own a Blu-Ray player. The quality of streaming content is good enough and either free or much cheaper. It's just not worth the investment.

It would be nice if, without purchasing extra hardware, I could back up my entire iTunes and iPhoto libraries to a single disc to mail to a friend or put in a safety deposit box. My iTunes and iPhoto libraries are pretty modest but would still take up about 8 DVDs. And figuring out how to split it up correctly is time consuming.

Anywho, it seems likely Mac OS will never support Blu-Ray. Yes, it's a bummer. Is it a show stopper? Obviously for some yes and others no.

Though I think Windows 7 did crash once running under VMWare on my MBP when waking from sleep, my Windows 7 computer at work has not crashed once in ~6 months. Windows 7 garbage? Hardly.

Use what you like. I like both, so I use both. Neither is perfect, far from it. Each has its strengths and weaknesses. I recommend using whichever is stronger for what you need a computer for. A computer is only a tool...

 

[iEdd]

Anywho, it seems likely Mac OS will never support Blu-Ray. Yes, it's a bummer. Is it a show stopper? Obviously for some yes and others no.

I think it has to eventually. Soon it will be Blu-ray vs NO optical drive. Will Apple really block an entire media type (optical discs), when there will most likely still be a few more iterations after Blu-ray?

I don't like this path. Give me back the old Apple who dropped the floppy and stuck CD drives and USB/Firewire ports in all machines, even bottom of the range. Even if it means I have to use a hockey puck for a mouse.

Edit: Of course, a real win would be Blu-ray without the BS. Get rid of HDCP, get rid of region coding and minimise licensing hurdles.

 

[MacNewsFix]

A "bag" that's about 19 times more popular than Apple OSX, by the way.

So, it must not "hurt" after all.

ps: If you want to be correct, it's "Blu-ray", not "Blu Ray".

Anybody alive more than 25 years knows why Windows became dominant, and it had zero to do with it being a superior product. Come on, AS. You know it to be true.

As for typographical errors in a forum thread, that seems to border on nitpicking.

 

[wonderspark]

Seriously, now. I love my Mac, and I still like my PC.

So far, I've only edited one feature film on my Mac, and just begun a decent HD project for a colossal computer manufacturer, but on PCs, I've produced some billboards, designed logos, and directed and produced commercials and PSAs that were broadcast on all the major networks. I've also produced a piece that saw me directing Jay Leno, and resulted in 50,000 DVDs pressed for international distribution. PCs using Windows XP. This isn't meant to impress you about my mad skillz, but rather to impress upon you the fact that Windows vs OSX is a very immature argument. Mac vs PC is a stupid fight, and misses the big picture. Anyone can create anything on any platform, but some platforms offer advantages over others that allow the product to be created faster, cheaper, or both.

Apple's success doesn't automatically make content created on other platforms a "sack of dung" or whatever message some of you are delivering. Your choice of Mac over PC doesn't make your product superior, and if a client walked out of my business based on the use of a PC, I'd certainly be better off not having to deal with such a narrow-minded, annoying client. The head of a state agency once told me that he would never consider fleet vehicles built by Asian companies because, "when they bombed Pearl Harbor..." That's just asinine. I guess I shouldn't use anything built in America, because, "back when we wiped out the Native American population..." or, "back when we kidnapped indigenous people from Africa and imported them to America as slaves..." That's what these arguments sound like, and it's lame. I'm not a fan of elitism.

Back to Blu-ray... Maybe Steve has a master plan with his billions, and maybe that plan is to develop and foster an infrastructure where everyone can have streaming media that looks and works as good or better than Blu-ray does today. That would be amazing. For now and the next few years, however, streaming media is to Blu-ray as a sack of dung is to a jar of Grey Poupon. Enjoy your poo, and pass the Grey Poupon.

 

[MacNewsFix]

Edit: Of course, a real win would be Blu-ray without the BS. Get rid of HDCP, get rid of region coding and minimise licensing hurdles.

I agree, iEdd, at least about getting rid of HDCP, region coding and minimizing licensing hurdles. However, I still think 4K is the only way physical media will survive over the next two decades and why I am holding off on any type of serious investment in Blu-Ray.

Regarding your point about the licensing mess, you may find the following of interest:
http://www.hardmac.com/news/2011/01/19/a-new-initiative-to-ease-the-adoption-of-blu-ray