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CNET UK Credits Claim That Apple Will Release Networked TVs
r2k writes "While the Apple rumours posted yesterday highlight some of the most commonly talked-about opinions, a writer for CNet UK sat down with Mahalo's Jason Calacanis, who told CNet he knew for a fact that Apple is developing fully networked LCD TV sets. As the writer points out, Apple dropped 'Computer' from its company name for a very good reason."
:o
TFA does not tell more except it is 802.11n. Not sure whether I am paranoid, but will anybody on road will be able to hack in my TV and show something I don't want to see?
hilarious
...they could open up a whole new market.
i see a net-equipped TV, with a minimal ARM-based computer built-in, running a lightweight itunes; shows are bought and played entirely with the remote, which has a simple kb for searching for stuff and entering credit card info.
owners could then download shows straight to the tv, which has an upgradable hard drive/flash module
people don't necessarily want a computer, they want to watch tv
add a USB TV adapter to a imac 24" makes a simple PVR/entrainment system even a non-techie wife can use only downside so far I wish the TV was integrated into frontrow I could get rid of the other remote it is needed to turn on the TV and don't give me the mythTV/ modded xbox argument I said NON-techie wife
Your'e all thinking it, I just said it for you
On one hand it's a logical progression: integrate an AppleTV into an LCD screen, analogue to an iMac. On the other hand, you'd expect the TV to be usable long after the computer has become obsolete, so you end up with a TV that contains useless parts (and knowing Apple, limited options for connecting other peripherals).
The bottom has fallen out of the LCD TV market, and I don't think Apple can compete with the razor-thin margins that result.
they are like miniature squirrels with coconut flatulence
There are plenty of network aware TVs. Take off your apple shaped glasses and visit the real world some time. You'll be surprised how many other companies already do products that apple rumor mongers and fanbois desire.
Yes, the reason is Apple Corps, Ltd agreed they wouldn't sue them if they did it.
"Was it a millionaire who said 'Imagine No Posessions?'" -- Elvis Costello
What you're describing is Apple TV put into, well, a TV.
Big surprise? Don't think so.
Make it Multi-Touch enabled and I might buy one
That would be damn cool, a big multi-touch TV / computer on the wall
Phillips showed one off back in 2004. A very quick search turns up several good examples with varying features and capability.
That won't stop the Apple fanbois from drooling and going "OMG STEVE'S SUCH A GENIUS!" and acting like Apple invented it, though.
Indeed. I just bought a TV in Japan that can record directly to USB or NAS storage, play media from UPNP servers on the network and subscribe to iptv services. It was on sale because it's been on the market for 6 months and they were bringing in the new models. Maybe things are different within the RDF.
i don't want DRM in my TV set
btw I recently got a big LCD and hooked up the x360 to it, now i get to enjoy all the 1080p goodness without paying a cent for content thanks to usenet and x360 being able to play HD mpeg4 :) oh and you get a games console on side :P
That's standard apple practice. They don't really do anything new, they take old ideas and do them well. Mostly.
Yeah wait what?
My windows media center box does that now... with the remote, and the buying and selling, and the bsods. It also does TV, epg, timeshifting, etc. Its also a laptop with a $90 usb dvb-t dongle so I can pick it up and take it on a plane. And apart from installing the crappy korean drivers for the dongle, it all worked out the damn box.
Also full length movies are only like 30c more expensive than the local rental joint (probably less than the fuel cost to get there), and you DRM-Rent them for a month or so.
Oh I see, the reality distortion field, we're not _calling_ it a "computer", we're going to pretend theres not one and call it an "internet tv". Way to innovate, Jobs! GO APPLE!
3laws: No freebies, no backsies, GTFO.
Without ture2way what is the point? you will still need a cable box. The sat boxes, u-verse and the TIVO boxes can do more then the apple TV can do.
And if apple where to make a DVR then it will need a Much bigger HD + E-sata ports.
The Direct Tv boxes can do some of the stuff that the apple tv can do and there is a new Direct TV coming So I don't see a apple TV for Direct comeing any time soon.
May for cable where the cable co boxes suck but then you need to hope that the cable co don't mess up ture2way for that to happen.
I think apple wanted to make a apple tv with DRV but the tivo cable card mess slowed that down and they are waiting for 2 way cable card / true2way be for they make one.
This is precisely the opposite of what we want.
People don't want a TV OR a computer, they want to watch/see media. The TV is only a screen with built in receiving components. So separate the screen from the components, and you end up with a controller and a screen. The pc is the best controller possible. It's upgradeable not just in hardware but also software, to enable upgrades of both types of technology while keeping the same display.
You should be able to choose which software you use to manage your media, not just blindly accept whatever comes down the pipe. Your suggestion seems to accept that big media will run the (video based) internet.
Not for me thanks. I'd prefer the stream to be open and I choose what to view. Letting the media companies decide what content my device can view is not an option. If companies want to cater for people who want an easy life then let them cater to that market with simple locked down boxes, but I should be able to build a device to my specs too, and still be able to access the big media content.
Building a set proprietary functionality into a display device is backward.
... this new device will only display shows that were personally approved by Steve (OH! MAGNIFICENT) Jobs and it will be locked down "tight". Two hours after release, hackers would have figured out how to install SSH and some software manager and there will be a nice microcosmos of hacked applications for "jailbroken" devices. Then apple will release firmware updates to try to brick these devices, and so on and so forth... After a while itunes will sell applications for this device, etc, etc. It is just a large-screen iphone, eh?
Standard Apple practice.
Think Different. Lie.
You mean a bit like the AppleTV?
The only problem with it at the moment is that you can't actually watch TV on it.
In a survey of 100 programmers, 111111 thought that duck-typing was a good idea.
I entirely agree - that's two articles in a row now that's not been about actual news, but news - based on rumour - that they might make some announcement in future. Why not just wait until the actual news itself?
There are enough perfectly good articles about actual news that get rejected - why take up valuable space on the page with posts based on rumour about vaporware, that will either turn out to be dupes if the thing's released, or false if it's not?
(On another note, anyone noticed tagging recently seems to be broken in any browser except Firefox? I now have to wait for that to load, in order to tag the article "Vaporware"...)
exactly. there will be a convergence of the TV with the PC, but it's not the PC that will be replaced. you replace specialized hardware with generalized hardware, not the other way around.
right now we have a bunch of redundant communication networks and hardware appliances. we have radios, telephones, and TV all using very specialized communications networks, and all running on application-specific hardware. but with the widespread adoption of broadband internet access, there's no need to have different communications infrastructure for sending audio data for radios, audio data for telephones, and video and audio data for TV, when all of this data can be transmitted digitally over the internet. soon all of these parallel technologies will be merged into the more generalized/flexible internet.
it's more efficient to run a single generalized data network like the internet than having a bunch of parallel application specific networks because it allows for better allocation of resources and eliminates redundant infrastructure. not only that, but the internet is also an open/democratic network (at least while there's net neutrality). like the computer for which the internet was originally developed, it gives users complete freedom of access, which is a stark contrast with the closed proprietary networks of traditional radio/TV/telecom. this decentralization of media distribution allows independent artists, musicians, film producers, etc. to reach billions of users around the globe without having to go through the traditional distribution channels which are tightly controlled by a handful of media conglomerates.
it's become harder and harder for big TV networks like NBC or radio networks such as Clear Channel to act as the gatekeepers of information. because of this, we're seeing a free culture developing where cultural contribution isn't a privilege reserved for major label artists, Hollywood studios, or corporate execs that have up until now decided what the public watches on TV. neither Apple nor anyone else is going to convince consumers to go back to the cultural bondage of pre-internet media.
a LCD TV is simply an LCD monitor with a built-in tuner card. why buy a TV and a set-top box when you can just have an HTPC or media center pc that can be used to check e-mail, surf the web, burn DVDs, play games, etc., etc.? a computer with a tuner card can watch both, regular TV as well as internet video streams like Miro (Democracy Player). it just doesn't make sense to replace the computer with a locked down and functionally crippled equivalent.
i imagine that once open wireless internet access becomes a common public infrastructure across the country we'll start seeing AM/FM radio being replaced by portable smart devices that can stream internet radio. people want freedom of choice, so that's the direction that media convergence will take.
No Slashdot comment, no matter how helpful, is worth spending £8.98 on a total stranger.
On the other hand, No Slashdot comment, no matter how useless, deserves the poster being bought a Will Young album...
Which explains why the Nomad totally kicked the iPod's ass.
Seriously: technology enthusiasts make choices from different criteria than most of the market. For most, ease of use and aesthetic appeal are much more important than flexibility as long as the device does its primary task well.
"It is our blasphemy which has made us great, and will sustain us, and which the gods secretly admire in us." - Zelazny
The teasers they are sending out clearly indicate that the next event will concern notebook laptops. These days, Apple events are very tightly focused on a particular product line--the last event was for iPods, and they barely even mentioned the iPhone, much less the Mac.
Fundamentally, I think that it is a good idea, and given that they already have the AppleTV name, I imagine that they are looking to go in this direction. But I don't think the Apple TV as it currently exists adds enough value to get an Apple TV set into the high margin arena where Apple likes to play.
I think that Apple has been making a fundamental mistake by tying the Apple TV box too tightly to Apple content. This is different from what they have done with the iPod, which supports mp3 as well as Apple's format. I also think that whereas buy-to-own is king for music, Netflix-style subscription is going to be the dominant model for video distribution.
So if Apple really wants the Apple TV to be more than a minor player in the set-top box market, and to add value to an Apple-branded entertainment display, they need to:
1) Play back or stream video in a wide-range of formats as the XBox360 and PS3 do. This should be easy; everything they need is already available open-source. Just include a UPnP client and something like VLC.
2) Include Netflix subscription capability, as the XBox360 is about to do. Heck, perhaps Apple should just acquire Netflix.
3) Put Safari on it. Even the iPod touch supports Safari. The PS3 and Wii even have web browsers, although they are not very appealing. Add an app to the iPhone/iTouch that makes it function as a touchpad for Safari on AppleTV.
If they do these things, then a TV set with AppleTV built into it would likely be a strong contender.
If you put a harddisk in it will become obsolete, yes. But Apple already makes media servers and router-cum-usb-harddisk thingies. A TV which can read a MP4 stream will still be very "actual" 5 years from now. Think of it the other way. Any form of input (Digital over the air, cable box, Blue Ray) could be made as a UPNP media server on the home network. Put the Antenna-to-Ethernet box on the attic where it has best reception. Replace it when a new standard comes around without replacing your TV. I think UPNP is the most underrated tech in the house today.
10 ?"Hello World" life was simple then
C-NET has a very bad track record when it comes to predicting future Apple products.
This ain't rocket surgery.
what exactly does that have to do with media convergence?
a more appropriate example involving the iPod would be its evolution from:
portable music player -> portable media player -> iPhone
other examples of specialized technology being replaced by generalized technology include:
the PSP: PMP + handheld gaming + internet tablet
the DSi also follows a similar trend
Smart Phones: PDA + PMP + Phone
just because one device sells better than another with less features doesn't change the fact that there's an observable overall trend of technological convergence right now (and throughout the history of technology). technological progress isn't determined by the whims of fashion or consumer fads. TVs won't replace computers any more than cellphones will replace computers. that's just common sense.
8. Anti-Apple Fanbois post on Slashdot sarcastically detailing the cycle.
this is almost like duct taping my Wii to my tv and watching youtube, only prettier.
8. Anti-Apple Fanbois post on Slashdot sarcastically detailing the cycle.
9. Anonymous cowards attempt meta-sarcasm
10. ???
11. This page contains a thread which is taking an unusually long time to finish. To end this thread now, mention Hitler.
In a survey of 100 programmers, 111111 thought that duck-typing was a good idea.
Furthermore, the very idea of hacking into someone's TV to display images on it is pure Hollywood sci-fi.
Think about it for a moment. Even on a completely open network, even imagining some wacky DAAP overflow exploit existing on this imaginary Apple product that allowed local peers to execute arbitrary code over the WLAN, you're talking many minutes of patiently sitting outside, dutifully screwing around in a shell.
No one's going to hack your TV unless they can just drive by, hit a "HACK" button on their laptop, and control your set. Which only happens on TV.
If you're running WPA or WPA2, you can find much better things to worry about than your wireless network. Such as what happens with your data out on the WAN.
Your mind is clear / The things that you fear / Will fade with how much you / Believe what you hear
If I invented the toaster, and my model required two minutes of winding a spring, calibrating the heating coils, balancing the ejection mechanism, and still burned the toast half the time, and then you invented a toaster where you just press a button and you get nice toast in 20 seconds, does that make you a lame imitator?
Are your satisfied customers who say "OMG dreamchaser's such a genius!" just lame fanbois? After all, I invented the toaster. You just made one for noobs who can't be bothered to calibrate their toasting device every morning.
Why on earth do they think your product is so cool?
Your mind is clear / The things that you fear / Will fade with how much you / Believe what you hear
Not in 2008. You basically have two markets here:
People who already own an HDTV and just lost 20% of their 401(k) last week aren't in the market to drop $1500 on a new HDTV. Maybe they can be convinced to buy a box for their existing one. But not a whole TV that's so close to what they already have, not in 2008.
People who don't yet own an HDTV are a more likely target market for this. And yet, these folks haven't had the disposable income to buy one so far -- with possible layoffs looming at their employers and rising expenses everywhere, why on earth are they going to buy not just an HDTV now, but a networked, Apple-branded one? Most definitely not in 2008.
Your mind is clear / The things that you fear / Will fade with how much you / Believe what you hear
It's the world of physical media! Welcome to "rent world"!
Yeah, they're called iMacs.
You're venting on Apple because a random blogger - not Apple mind you - used the term 'internet tv'?
Also, you readily, ever gleefully, admit on Slashdot that you have 'windows media center' as your primary laptop OS.
-1, WTF?
The "next great thing", according to Steve Jobs?
Oh well.
But then again, it's "Apple Inc." now, not "Apple Computer, Inc."
12. Profit?!?!?! (obligatory)
a LCD TV is simply an LCD monitor with a built-in tuner card.
Resolution! Resolution! Resolution!
I am not a lawyer. This post does not constitute any form of legal advice.
one day, its inevitable that apple will stop manufacturing computers...I hope they are extremely successful outside the computer biz, so much so that it is no longer makes financial sense for them to develop computers/OS's. It will be a great day for the computer biz... I would love to see some real competition in the computer market again, Apple dont like to compete hard in computer biz...those of us too young to remember the computer wars of the 80's will never understand how much innovation was happening and how cool it was to get your next machine...it was always a mind blower. Especially if you bought an amiga in 1985. Full preemptive multitasking OS and custom built graphics chips vastly superior to anything on the market. Many features that other home computers would not have until a decade later. Those working at Apple at the time thought they were going to be slaughtered by the Amiga, but they didnt know that Commodore seriously had no idea how to sell computers and in 1994 they went bust after giving a big technological lead away. Apples and PC's looked like typewriters in comparison when the amiga was launched... these days i know my next pc will number crunch more, but its so boring and predictable. fantastic new features seem to take a lot longer to happen, cpu just gets faster....my supposedly super fast dual core doesnt do anything much apart from number crunching and gfx that my 1998 P2 couldnt do pretty much the exact same way. The quest for complete compatibility and mega high profits is holding back computers. My god, if a new architecture/OS was developed with what we know now...damn that would be one crazy computer...I want to be blown away like I was when I bought my amiga in 1985. MS and apple have never ever done that. So let apple get out of the biz with these i-everything products and let someone who actually wants to compete in. No one is invincible. That means you MS/Apple
And Apple is just the company to deliver it. The whole system for watching TV, whether it is movies or other regular TV, is broken. It is a pain in the ass. There is too much chaos. Apple has done a very good job, judging by market success, at creating an orderly, pleasing user experience for both music players and smart phones. You can count on it that they are working on something for video delivery, and video on the iPod is not the end of it. As far as it being announced soon, that too is plausible. They have certainly had enough time to work on it. Technology has advanced since the Apple TV, which didn't interest me but, I am certainly curious to see what they come up with next for that space.
-Dan
How long before someone figures out how to jailbreak the TV and reload it with Mythbuntu?
Then it might actually be useful.
If the iPod and iPhone are any indication, I don't want the gilded cage of an Apple TV set.
Not if there are already toasters on the market that you decide to ignore, that already do it simply in 20 seconds. That's what the situation actually is.
What is this - arguing by coming up with an analogy that has no relevance? What that's easy - I'll just claim that Windows is better than Mac OS, because Mac OS is a car that blows up all the time, whilst Windows drives perfectly. It has no grounding in reality, but who cares if we can just make up analogies?
To pretend that pre-existing mp3 players, phones and networked TVs (not to mention GUIs, computers-with-CD-ROM-drives, 64-bit PCs, computers-with-built-in-monitors, computers-without-floppy-drives, computers-without-fans, and all the other things I've seen people claim Apple did first) are in any way comparable to your poorly made toaster is just an arbitrary fiction created to repeat your assertion. It doesn't support your assertion however - if it's better, you have to tell us why it's better.
So after a G4 a while back, a MacBook Pro last year, this year will probably be an iPhone G3, provided that it is offered unlocked in the country where we live.
Hey, an Apple iTV in 2009, one less thing to scratch my head about thinking.
I use Linux and AIX because I like to, Windows XP sometimes because I have to. Usually, when I have to do something on those systems that I do not know how to do, I google and even RFTM.
With my girlfriend's Apple stuff, she tells me what she wants the system to do. I have no idea how to do it, but if I don't think, and just click around a bit, things work out ok.
Just my experience Apple stuff.
Schroedinger's Brexit: The UK is both in and out of the EU at the same time!
OMG I can't wait, I have been fretting that I don't pay enough via TV license fees and cable charges for repeats of crap films and series from 20 years ago. Can I pre-order yet?
They whose government reduces their essential liberties for temporary security, receive neither liberty nor security.
Vista Home Premium on my old primary laptop, hooked up to my TV.
Im venting on the Apple fanbois touting this as an "innovation".
3laws: No freebies, no backsies, GTFO.
I hear ya. I hate that term.
If the trend is always from specialized devices to general purpose devices, then why are there still compact cars, SUVs, trucks, luxury cars, and motorcycles on the road? I already have a general purpose PC. I don't need another one. I prefer to do PC things on my laptop. My entertainment system does a few very specific things, and I want it to do them very well and very conveniently. I don't want it to depend upon my laptop to do them. In other words, I'm looking for a specialized device, streamlined to carry out those particular functions.
Or get an external one...
Problem solved.
Ramen