What's Up Mac!
By Bill Rose
It has long been rumored that one of the products Apple has in the pipeline might be an Apple branded TV. Experts are divided on whether this is a good idea or not.
Naturally I have an opinion.
An Apple branded TV could be a huge seller most of all because it's an Apple branded TV. The cachet of Apple is worth a lot of money and people are going to pay for an Apple TV because they know Apple's history of workmanship, innovation and design. Mostly people are going to buy an Apple TV because Steve Jobs said so.
Television is the last component of the Apple entertainment troika. Right now they have a lock on music and music devices plus a lock on mobile devices. Their computer business is robust mostly because of the success of the iPhone and iPad and now there is symmetry between all Apple devices thanks to Lion, iOS5 and iCloud. Television is next but what can Apple do that others haven't?
For one think Apple can do something that they do better than any other company and that is integrate. I imagine an Apple TV would be the highest quality high definition (but not 3D yet) TV you could possibly buy and it would come integrated with the ability of the current Apple TV to stream video and music plus the advantages of iOS5 which means you can check your email, browse the web, make purchases and so on.
Apple can bring their digital hub into your living room. What's more they can use their existing hardware like iPhones, Touch iPods and iPads as part of the experience. I can already control my current second generation Apple TV through an iPhone app so the next step up is controlling the whole TV experience through an Apple mobile device including using the keyboard and gestures features.
An Apple TV would be stylish too following the Steve Jobs Corporate Policy of form and function being equal partners in the end user experience. I can just imagine what Designer Guru Jonny Ive could do with an Apple TV and I'm sure it would be gorgeous and it would be manufactured with the same degree of exacting perfection as all the other Apple products.
There is a downside and likely that would be cost. I am sure an Apple TV will be more expensive than most if not all of it's competitors but I am reminded of a philosophy my father espoused frequently.
You get what you pay for. If it's an Apple TV I'll pay.
What Steve Jobs and Jonny Ive appear to have done is make them easier to use. I have two remotes! one for TV (never use) and one for DVD player and it has 50 buttons! I had to keep reading the manual! And I only go back to 1989 with Macs! the RTFM used to have my picture next to it!
ReplyDeleteI always joke with people by saying "I use Macs because I am too stupid to use Windoz", but really the truth is I am too smart and not enough of a masochist to use Windoz.
I was interested in how computers are becoming obsolete, but that is only if I am going to use iCloud. With 7 Macs (5 at home and 2 at college) (well that would be 8 if I ever get around to fixing my old iBarbie iBook) but 5 of the 7 will go to Lion if I want.
I am ready to see what the TV controller looks like, but if it is near the Front Row control for my two iMacs I think Apple will become so big in the TV market all the iPhones, iPads and Macs will look like a side-line business.
My sister just sat down in front of my 27" iMac and went OMG this is big and beautiful picture. Lets face it Apple has known how to make great dispalys forever.