tv?

[Bill Davis]

[Chris Harlan] “I DO wonder though; other than having less clutter–which admittedly is a big deal for some folk–what the value would be over the current version.
“

One word: Integration.

I just got a new remote from Cox Cable. It’s got 58 freaking buttons on it (I just counted them)

Most of those are “contextual” in that you have to see on-screen menus to even know what you’re operating.

If Apple can make a unified TV experience that lets me dump my old, annoying money soak cable company and simply lets me buy what I want – when I want – watch it when I like – anywhere I choose…

I’m in.

And I’m likely one among millions.

“Before speaking out ask yourself whether your words are true, whether they are respectful and whether they are needed in our civil discussions.”-Justice O’Connor

[Gary Huff]

[Bret Williams] ”
I love my standalone appleTV box. But it’s probably only 20% of the user experience we’ll get from a branded TV.”

I think that’s giving a TV way too much credit. There’s no reason why you can’t get Siri on a box the size of the current Apple TV, either with a built in microphone or (more likely) via your iPhone/iTouch/iPad.

Neither the Xbox Kinect or the Wii require something built in to the TV to work well.

[Gary Huff]

[Bret Williams] “Siri. FaceTime. I’m guessing some sort of channel management. Integrating channels and internet channels as one concept. So, none of the whole apple TV stuff of hdmi 3 and cable on hdmi 2 and dvd player on hdmi 1, etc. A more unified experience. How about watching a show and having links to hulu or iTunes versions right on the screen? I dunno. Stuff like that. There’s really so much.”

None of that seems unworkable to me with a standalone box.

And if that is Apple’s idea (which sounds a lot like the Revue anyway), I think it’s far more likely that the TV will have NO connectivity, keeping you tied to the built-in iTunes interface for everything.

[Gary Huff]

[Bill Davis] “If Apple can make a unified TV experience that lets me dump my old, annoying money soak cable company and simply lets me buy what I want – when I want – watch it when I like – anywhere I choose…

I’m in.

And I’m likely one among millions.”

And they won’t be able to. There’s more than just coming up with the idea. I don’t think Apple would be able to completely supplement cable TV for at least another decade.

Besides, there’s nothing about this idea that requires an Apple television. Why can’t a set top box add this same functionality?

[Clint Wardlow]

[Gary Huff] “Sorry, I wasn’t referring to your post specifically, just pointing out something to buttress your point.”

No need to apologize. After all I was repeating stuff you already pointed out. I didn’t read your post before I threw in my 2 cents.

Still I have to admit, with Apple’s penchant for secrecy, it amuses me to imagine its board peopled by a bunch of evil monks in long black robes who convene each meeting by sacrificing a goat.

[Bill Davis]

[Walter Soyka] “Which is why I think Craig nailed it when he described Apple’s product design using the word “personal.”
“

Yep.

However, you get enough “persons” together – and you’ve got a company. (or a country for that matter!)

I was in a meeting with a tech guy who sells into large enterprise customer. The decision maker says ‘we’re an all PC house” and the tech guy says “no, you’re not, I did a WiFi search in your lobby and 50% of the people on your two floors have connected iDevices in use.

It’s a personal interface – but it’s an interface to anything the person chooses.

And that makes it as useful to corporate and enterprise as it is to my kid.

“Before speaking out ask yourself whether your words are true, whether they are respectful and whether they are needed in our civil discussions.”-Justice O’Connor

[Chris Harlan]

[Bill Davis] “[Chris Harlan] “I DO wonder though; other than having less clutter–which admittedly is a big deal for some folk–what the value would be over the current version.
”

One word: Integration.”

Sure. I agree that’s a possibility. Maybe even a strong one. I don’t find that attractive, but I can certainly see that enough people might to make a difference. Just for the record–I’m expecting Apple to introduce a TV, I’m just not certain how well it will actually do. But that may just be because I don’t find the idea particularly attractive. Frankly, it feels to me like a huge step backwards, but that’s a gut feeling, and I’m not sure I really care enough to think it out past that.

[Bill Davis]

[Gary Huff] “And they won’t be able to. There’s more than just coming up with the idea. I don’t think Apple would be able to completely supplement cable TV for at least another decade.

Besides, there’s nothing about this idea that requires an Apple television. Why can’t a set top box add this same functionality?”

You’re going to bet against the guy who re-invented 5 major industries and who said right before his death “We finally cracked the code on TV.”

Now, granted, Steve was often hyperbolic. But way more than normal folks, he managed to transform his hyperbole into successful products.

And anyway, I don’t want him to “supplement” cable. I want Apple to distroy it. It’s a terrible, terrible system.

You aggregate a thousand programs an hour and feed it to everyone even tho any one of those folks only want at most 10 of those programs – and you put in some mystic “tiered” pricing scheme so that every single customer has to pay for vastly more than they actually wish to consume.

If you’re at your office, you’re paying RIGHT NOW for the capacity that the TV that’s TURNED OFF in your home living room is connected to.

We were forced to buy into that model because it was all we had available for decades.

Now, it’s not.

So change will happen.

“Before speaking out ask yourself whether your words are true, whether they are respectful and whether they are needed in our civil discussions.”-Justice O’Connor

[Joseph Owens]

[tony west] “they should just stick with computers”

This won’t be a dumb question in the near future: “What’s a ‘computer’?”

I just installed a new Denon AV Receiver that is network and AirPlay enabled. What a revolution.

Every streaming radio/music, etc., service in the world, plus solid linkage with my (admittedly Apple) portable devices, for even more sources. The new Denon remote has less than half the buttons on my 12-year-old AVR-3300 remote– in fact, the portable devices; iPad, iPhone are the remote. The sound performance, especially with their auto-room placement calibration simply knocked my socks off. Same old speakers, totally different experience. One knob on the front of the AVR, and an intelligent front display, so I don’t need to turn on the plasma to see what I’m doing. I think my wife will be delirious.

Apple don’t really need to build a display — as long as they completely inhabit the connectivity.

jPo

“I always pass on free advice — its never of any use to me” Oscar Wilde.

[Walter Soyka]

[Bill Davis] “However, you get enough “persons” together – and you’ve got a company. (or a country for that matter!) … It’s a personal interface – but it’s an interface to anything the person chooses. And that makes it as useful to corporate and enterprise as it is to my kid.”

I disagree, because organizations have additional sets of considerations that individuals do not. They are not insurmountable, but there are real challenges with top-down organizations integrating bottom-up technology.

I also believe that the sets of professional requirements share intersections with the set of personal requirements, but they are certainly not identical. It’s Venn-tastic.

But I’ve gone off-topic again.

I agree with you that with Apple on our desks, in our briefcases (or messenger bags or backpacks, for the boutique set), and in our pockets, it makes a lot of sense for Apple to be in our living rooms, too. It further strikes me as very un-Apple to have a set-top box instead of a totally self-contained appliance.

Walter Soyka
Principal & Designer at Keen Live
Motion Graphics, Widescreen Events, Presentation Design, and Consulting
RenderBreak Blog – What I’m thinking when my workstation’s thinking
Creative Cow Forum Host: Live & Stage Events