There’s a problem with the idea of an iTV, rumors of which have been sloshing about for a long time, but with greater intensity since Steve Jobs’ biography hinted at one. Unlike an Apple TV, an iPhone, an iPad, or other devices, an Apple TV wouldn’t be tied to a Mac, and it wouldn’t take advantage of iTunes the way those devices do. It’ll be related, of course, but it doesn’t promote the “hub” idea that drives iPhone owners to buy Macs, Mac owners to buy iPhones, and all the other crossover purchases that interweave the Apple ecosystem.
Instead, it would be an Apple-designed window into content that Apple has very little control over. And while you can bring a new idea to the TV space, as set-top boxes and Google TV have, you can’t make the TV space play nice. Google learned that the hard way. And it looks like Apple may be facing a similar challenge. → Read More
Chances are Apple is releasing an updated version of its Apple TV product today, but it might not use the heavily rumored iTV name. Instead, the new product might keep the original name of Apple TV. At least that Australian Macworld is saying, which makes us wonder where the iTV name came from. → Read More
Perhaps you’ve heard: Apple is having an event tomorrow. Normally, this means that a sea of tech bloggers descends upon the Bay Area to cover it live for those sitting by their computers at home. But this time things are a bit different: Apple is actually streaming the event live — something they haven’t done in a very, very long time. Cue Double Rainbow: what does this mean?
It’s been so long since an Apple event has been live streamed that no one can seem to agree when the last one actually was. The consensus seems to be that it was a Macworld keynote (which IDG put on but Apple produced) back in the 2003 or 2004 timeframe. But what’s interesting is why Apple streamed one of these last ones: as some recall, it was at least in part to show off their then-new streaming technology — QuickTime Streaming Server. Might that be a hint about the intentions for tomorrow’s event? → Read More
Including access to Netflix on the rumored iTV seems like a no-brainer at first — every set-top box worth its salt has it. It’d be suicide not to, right? But then you start thinking about how Apple would probably like nothing more than to launch a full-scale competitor to Netflix in the form of 99¢ rentals. Chances are it was actually a difficult decision to make: it’s like acknowledging that Netflix has something Apple needs, and I’m sure you can imagine how much they like that idea. → Read More
It’s like clockwork. 9 PM PT rolls around on Monday evening, and Apple rolls out an update to the iTunes Store. You see, Tuesday is the day that new movies and music are typically released in the U.S., so it makes sense to overhaul the store at this time to show off that new content. Only tonight, that didn’t happen. Why? Because why roll out an update when you’re going to completely overhaul the store the following day?
As you’re probably well aware, Apple is holding an event in San Francisco this Wednesday. They tend to hold events related to iTunes and the iPod every year around this time, though this is a little earlier than normal. The invitation gives every indication that it will be music-related, but it will likely be more than that. Speculation is mounting that we’ll see an update to the Apple TV, called iTV, and some new iPod hardware as well. But iTunes itself is also due for some changes, and that’s very likely why we’re not seeing any updates tonight. → Read More
Apple has an event on the books for this coming Wednesday and it’s widely expected that Steve-O will announce new iDevices, specifically an iOS-version of the Apple TV and new iPods. Most of the pre-iTV news is purely speculative as we really don’t know much about it, although it should hit at a lower price point and a new cloud-based iTunes should debut alongside the device. Forget about the cable TV assault for a quick minute though. Let’s talk about these new iPods. If things go down as the leaks seem to say, you might actually want a dedicated PMP device again. The iPod is set to have a second coming. → Read More
Google, Apple, Microsoft, Netflix, Amazon — when you hear these names, you usually think about how these tech giants all compete with one another. But what if they all teamed up for one cause? They’d be unstoppable, right? We’re about to find out.
All of these companies are currently sitting in the same boat about to storm the beaches. Which beaches? Those belonging to the the cable television providers in the U.S. It has only just begun, but the assault is underway.
Let me start by saying that of course the cable companies aren’t about to go away. Even if the mega assault by the tech juggernauts is successful, it will be many years before everyone’s addiction to cable gives way to something else. But it will. And that something else will be content served over the Internet. → Read More
When looking at the current incarnation of Apple TV we find a tragically flawed device that overshot and underperformed at the same time. Essentially an iPod Classic with HDMI out, the Apple TV had a pitiful hard drive and a useless OS unless hacked. In the end, it was more expensive and more underpowered than anyone liked and competitors quickly filled the niche, offering format agnostic streaming boxes with Netflix support and devices like the Xbox 360 that allowed UPNP access to content on your network.
In the end, I got rid of my Apple TV even after hacking it to oblivion. I tried to love it. I really did. Unfortunately, however, I probably won’t be going back to the platform, even if the $99 mini-iTV Apple TV thinger appears on September 1st. Here’s why. → Read More
We’ve just received an invite to an Apple event taking place on Wednesday, September 1. Yes, next week. The event will be at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater in San Francisco at 10 AM PT.
While Apple will only say that this is a “special event,” the image above makes it clear that just as with their events every September, this one will be mainly about music — or at least the iTunes ecosystem. At this event, Apple is widely expected to unveil (or at least talk about) their new iTV device — the next-generation Apple TV. And they may have a thing or two to say about an iTunes television show rental service. → Read More
It can be argued that Apple eventually dominates in every consumer electronic market it enters. I’m sure I don’t need to point out the history of iPod, iPhone, and iPad. They are market leaders. However, the one exception is with the Apple TV. It didn’t exactly flop, but the media streamer is far from the blockbuster hit of its iDevice brothers.
That may change once the rumored $99 iTV hits, but analyst Gene Munster of Piper Jaffray indicated in a note to investors that the iTV is just the beginning. He believes the cloud media service hints of a true Apple HDTV: a flat panel HDTV that’s designed to be a stand-alone TV, allowing users to give up their game console, Blu-ray player, media streamer, and most importantly cable TV. The only thing is, Gene’s wrong — at least about the physical HDTV part. An Apple TV would go down in history as the biggest flop in the company’s history. → Read More
As soon as the rumor broke that Apple would be renaming its struggling Apple TV to iTV, to better fit with the company’s i[Device] naming system, I thought to myself, “Isn’t ITV the name of a television network in England that always misses key goals in soccer games?” Yes, yes it is. In fact, the network isn’t too keen on Apple using the name iTV, and has promised to “vigorously defend” its IP. → Read More
The next version of the Apple TV is coming soon. There’s been a few rumors over the last month that the next version will be around $99 and feature some sort of cloud-based streaming. But that’s about it. Well, the crazy kids over at Engadget apparently have it on good authority that those two rumors are correct and the next Apple TV, or as it will be called, the iTV, is right around the corner. Like it or not, this might be the device to finally spring media streamers from a niche market to the mainstream. Just in time for the Boxee box and the Popbox to swing in and steal the show. → Read More
Monster Cable: hate ‘em or love ‘em, they are a driving force in the CE world. Their 2009 lineup, at least according to its wares spread out in front, doesn’t look to innovate. A few headphones we’ve already seen and reviewed, a couple of new power centers, and HP branded HDMI cables that are sure to carry a high MSRP. Hopefully the head monster, Noel Lee, will have something special for us. And later to rag on. → Read More
The major broadcasters in the U.K. are in the process of prepping their mobile portals, as a result of mobile operators offering flat-rate data tariffs. Thus the BBC, Channel 4 and ITV are all starting to ramp up their mobile strategies. Channel 4 hired former MTV executive Ben Lister to head its mobile business development, and ITV is also planning to develop new portals around specific programming, including major sporting events. The BBC may have the biggest issues to overcome, notably how to program for the new platforms while maintaining the public service mandate that comes with being a state-run TV network. [Via NewMediaAge] → Read More
If you missed our previous coverage of Apple TV, here’s a second chance to take a look at Apple’s new product that changes the way we can experience our digital media. Apple TV features HDMI, component outputs, built-in 802.11 g/b/n, Ethernet, an Intel CPU, 40GB of space and can support 720p resolution. On top of all that, Apple TV can also wirelessly stream media from up to 5 different computers. → Read More
At the Apple keynote this morning, Jobs announced a couple of products that could maybe, possibly be of interest to at least one or two people. One of those products was the Apple TV, formerly dubbed the iTV. It’s a set top box that aims at media convergence. In addition to all of the standard features, the Apple TV has features ethernet, 802.11b/g/n, USB 2.0 and HDMI. The box supports 720p video and is powered by an Intel CPU and has a 40GB hard drive that can store up to 50 hours of video. The system can connect to up to five computers for streaming media. And of course it will have all sorts of iTunes integration for delivering media directly to the Apple TV. You can get yours now for $299. → Read More
As admitted Apple fanboys, we are 100-percent stoked to finally have our MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo on order. The rumor of this little upgrade has been at the top of the queue on the Apple sites, and his Steveness’s quiet launch is about what we were expecting. But that moves the other rampant rumors up the column. Two that are appearing over-and-over again are the iPhone and the iHDTV. The iPhone is all-but-confirmed by Cupertino, but now we have word that Apple has enacted a hiring freeze to make room for the carrier liasons. That’s plural, meaning Cingular might not have a lock on the iPhone at launch as has been rumored. That’s all fairly well known. The new hotness revolves around a refresh to Apple’s stagnant monitor line. Apple has a reputation for its monitors that’s well deserved, and rumor has it that it will drop prices on its current lineup and add super-high-end 42″ and 50″ monitors. True, that has been circulating for awhile, but the new hotness is that these monsters would also feature HDTV engines, to double as your computer monitor and your TV. Chances are the monitor/TVs would also feature Apple’s remote, Front Row, and WiFi to work with the iTV and iTunes Movie Store. This would be a slick (but expensive) addition to Apple’s non-computer line-up, but would further its press out of the den and into the living room. It will be interesting to see if Apple turns its current LCDs into HDTVs as well, or if it advertises that it’s “iTV-ready”, which is what we’d suspect. iPhone in Januray and 50 inch monitor [MacSimum News] → Read More
During a Conference yesterday, Disney CEO Bob Igor spilled a key detail about Apple’s forthcoming iTV: it has a hard drive. While he didn’t state how large the hard drive was, he did explain that it would be able to store media directly within the unit. Iger see’s the iTV as having a significant impact: It felt like a game changer to me in many respects… What I like about it, by the way, it may be an opportunity to actually charge people for a TVR experience. In that if they’ve forgotten to set their TiVo device or their TVR or they just have no plan to do it but they want to watch an episode that they missed, they can go to iTunes, buy it for $1.99, [send it] to the set-top box source wirelessly and watch it on the television. I’m not sure it will be as significant as they seem to think, but I do hope it’ll be a solid product. I guess we’ll see next spring. Disney’s Iger: iTV Has a Small Hard Drive [The iPod Observer] → Read More
video streaming device will be able to watch Google Video on their TVs. Apple’s iTV, in case you weren’t here last week, broadcasts audio and video from iTunes on your PC to your TV and home theatre system. By being the first, and probably only one of the two big name internet clip distributors (the other is YouTube) to negotiate a deal with Apple, Google will get a big leg up on their otherwise floundering Google Video. Google in talks with Apple to supply video clips for iTV [Pocketlint] → Read More
