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Apples Agenda for the media event?

rtdunham said:
Lots of people point out the desirability of wireless so you don't have to have your computer in close proximity to the TV, or alternately, the desire for a new hardware product (usually a version of a mac mini) with the form factor of an audio-video component so it could fit on the stack and stay on the stack.

It seems to me there's a simpler alternative that could sell a lot of units, and work for a lot of us, while facilitating the laptop-to-TV conundrum:

Wouldn't any of the apple laptops work as a temporary component-on-the-stack if apple simply offered a dock with an AC and s-video connection?

Yes, you'd have to carry your laptop to the tv setup; yes, people with desktop 'puters wouldn't be served by this solution. And yes, with only those two connections it's merely a more elegant version of ddrueckhammer's fix. But add to that little component the ability to control via the apple remote, and bingo: Wouldn't that be an accessory lots of us would want and use, especially at a time when apple laptops outsell apple desktops by what, 4 to 1?

I'm brainstorming here. Throw the necessary rocks at the idea. Or elaborate upon it.
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I think you do make a good point. Wireless is really nice and very possible solution but it seems like it is very expensive as well. Your dock idea is good but it doesn't help the desktop users out there and didn't Jobs say that computers don't belong in the living room a year or two ago? Of course, I guess they broke that rule when they put a remote in the mini....

The thing is, none of these solutions will sell unless Apple captures the downloadable movie market which means that they need lower prices, and/or more choice, and/or a rental option as well. If they don't have at least something better than what Amazon released last week then who cares.
 
peharri said:
Well, that depends on what codec they're using. To put it bluntly, if it's not compressed small enough for 802.11g, how on Earth is anyone going to download content via their DSL or cable connection in anything like a reasonable amount of time, especially if, as rumoured (not just here but elsewhere) your movie will be "stored" on an iDisk and streamed to you in real time, rather than downloaded to your PC?
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You're completely right here. We're missing the point when we're comparing 801.11g, ultra-wideband, etc. The primary gating factor will be the bandwidth of the typical consumer's broadband connection, which I doubt is anything close to 25 Mbps (sustained throughput of 801.11g). I get about 4 Mbps through my cable modem, which I consider above average. With it, I can stream 480p without a hitch, like butter.
720p is also no problem, although it needs to buffer for a while.
 
Wi-Fi on an iPod??

I'm 99% sure you won't see wi-fi on an iPod!
Jobs himself recently joked that he really hoped MS would add wi-fi to the Zune, because that would destroy its battery life.

Plus, wi-fi adds a level of complexity that I don't think Apple wants to put in a consumer electronics device like an iPod. (EG. How do you explain entering hexidecimal 128-bit WEP keys, or choosing the right version of WPA encryption protocol so your iPod can connect to a secure wireless network at somebody's friend's house?)

If you're going to do anything wireless with a music player, Bluetooth makes more sense - because the "pairing" procedure can be done with just a couple of "clicks" on appropriate menus, and people are already getting familiar with the technology on their cellphones and hands-free kits.


hvfsl said:
I hope this is wrong because I really want the next gen iPod to have wifi. The MS Zune has it, so it would be a disadvantage if Apple didn't.

Being able to wirelessly stream music to my airport express or listen to other people's iTunes librarys using an iPod is something I have always wanted to do since I got my first iPod back in 2004.
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yg17 said:
If movies really are 20 bucks, then that's just a ripoff. Especially considering the fact that I pay 15 a month and get 2 DVDs at a time with Netflix.
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If it were an HD movie, I'd probably pay $20, though then I'd have to get a terabyte drive in order to store all of the HD movies I'd be downloading.
 
raggedjimmi said:
Tube... thanks to the branding of YouTube I think internet videos have become synonymous with that website. Which is where I think the "leaker" is playing with us. It sounds credible with that name, but Apple don't want you to think YouTube, they want you to think iTunes, and of course to fit in with their Air products - AirTunes? It has been done.
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I just refuse to believe a word of it until I hear it from Steve's mouth. Some of this stuff seems absurb, some of it seems very reasonable. On the day of the event, I'm done speculating and I just want to be informed by Apple. :)
 
HecubusPro said:
If it were an HD movie, I'd probably pay $20, though then I'd have to get a terabyte drive in order to store all of the HD movies I'd be downloading.
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Given that Apple hasn't yet released a consumer machine that has the capacity to download and keep more than a handful of HD movies (on top of photos and music), then I really doubt there'll be any HD movies available for download.

I'm quite happy with standard DVD quality anyway.
 
rtdgoldfish said:
TubePort?? Why would Apple make something with a "USB Dongle" when they could just add video support to the AirPort Express?? Sounds like a load of crap to me...
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"Tubeport" and "Dongle". Two words I will never type again.
 
kingtj said:
I'm 99% sure you won't see wi-fi on an iPod!
Jobs himself recently joked that he really hoped MS would add wi-fi to the Zune, because that would destroy its battery life.

Plus, wi-fi adds a level of complexity that I don't think Apple wants to put in a consumer electronics device like an iPod. (EG. How do you explain entering hexidecimal 128-bit WEP keys, or choosing the right version of WPA encryption protocol so your iPod can connect to a secure wireless network at somebody's friend's house?)

If you're going to do anything wireless with a music player, Bluetooth makes more sense - because the "pairing" procedure can be done with just a couple of "clicks" on appropriate menus, and people are already getting familiar with the technology on their cellphones and hands-free kits.
Click to expand...

You've obviouly not ever used a Nintendo DS. Kids already connect wirelessly and enter a WEP keys on them. The DS solution isn't perfect because you still have to manually set up each connection but it detects most connections automatically and all you have to do is enter the WEP key via the touchscreen keyboard...

I agree that bluetooth probably makes more sense for connecting to speakers, headphones, car stereos etc but if you want to download directly to the iPod from any Wifi hotspot then you need Wifi. Battery life can be managed by putting a switch on the outside to easily turn-on or off the connection much like many Windows laptops have. I wouldn't put too much stock in what Steve says as he often goes back on it at a later date. People aren't as big of idiots as many would have you believe. Many cell phones have bluetooth which you have to turn off if you want maximum battery life. What do you think people are running around getting 4 hours of battery life because they are too stupid to turn off their bluetooth?

PSPs are $200 and can do alot of what the Video iPod should be able to already.
 
FleurDuMal said:
Given that Apple hasn't yet released a consumer machine that has the capacity to download and keep more than a handful of HD movies (on top of photos and music), then I really doubt there'll be any HD movies available for download.

I'm quite happy with standard DVD quality anyway.
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Glad you're happy. Really, I am.

Also glad to know that Apple is releasing a consumer machine (temporarily called iTV) that will allow downloads of HD movies. The device will ship Q1 2007 and cost $299.;)
 
Hoax, and a lame one.

That's what you get for believing rumors from crappy sites with no sources.
 
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