“It’s long been the PC industry’s dream, to take center stage in the vast home entertainment market. Success, however, has been elusive,” Matthew Fordahl reports for The Associated Press. “And so the industry will launch in 2006 its most aggressive effort yet to persuade people to buy computers for wrangling the expanding universe of digital content. Leading the charge are longtime PC collaborators Intel Corp. and Microsoft Corp., both of which are promising better support for high-definition programming and an improved ability to send video, still pictures and music throughout the home and to portable gadgets. Macintosh maker Apple Computer Inc. is also widely expected to join the fray and, perhaps, do for entertainment computers what it did for digital music players when it unleashed the iPod in 2001.”
Fordahl reports, “Most companies haven’t taken close enough notice of the what’s behind Apple’s iPod success, says Rob Enderle, an analyst at the Enderle Group research firm. ‘Most of the technology products being thrown at the home market aren’t particularly attractive or well priced, and ease of use isn’t anywhere in their description,’ he said. ‘Until that gets fixed, we’re going to have some serious problems.’
“Intel’s answer is Viiv, a hardware and quality assurance platform that’s expected to be launched in the first part of the year. As Intel did with its Centrino brand for notebooks and Wi-Fi hot spots, it will make sure Viiv-stickered PCs, gadgets, services and content play well with one another… Apple — the leading seller of music players, online music and video — also has its own flavor of DRM that it hasn’t shared with anyone. ‘In as much as Apple is successful, it’s a fly in the ointment for everybody else,’ Kay said. At the same time, there’s growing speculation that Apple will make a run for the living room. In October, it launched new iMac G5 computers with a simply designed program called Front Row that can be controlled from a distance with a six-button remote control. The computer doesn’t support live video, and the iMac’s all-in-one design doesn’t make it an obvious choice for living rooms outside of dorms and studio apartments. But Apple does have a small, inexpensive computer, the Mac Mini, which would blend well in an entertainment center. The Cupertino company also is switching to Intel chips in 2006 — a move that could help bring down Mac prices. It’s not known whether it will participate in Viiv, and neither company is commenting on the plans, if any.”
Full article here.
Advertisements:
• The New iPod with Video. The ultimate music & video experience on the go. From $299. Free shipping.
• Connect iPod to your television set with the iPod AV Cable. Just $19.00.
• The New iMac G5. Built-in camera and remote control. From $1299. Free shipping.
• Apple USB Modem. Easily connect to the Internet using your dial-up service. $49.00.
Related articles:
Hedge fund manager Cody Willard: ‘Apple could become more valuable than Microsoft sometime in 2007’ – December 15, 2005
Intel’s Yonah demo shows TiVo-like features buoying rumors of Apple Mac mini digital hub with DVR – December 14, 2005
Intel: no comment on Apple participating in ‘Viiv’ entertainment platform – November 30, 2005
RUMOR: Apple to employ Intel’s ‘Robson’ NAND flash tech to create ‘instant-on’ Macs – November 22, 2005
Apple CEO Steve Jobs’ ultimate goal: ‘to take back the computer business from Microsoft’ – June 16, 2005
Apple and Microsoft battle for control of future living rooms – June 01, 2005
Apple’s shift to Intel really all about Hollywood, owning the living room, and Transitive – June 05, 2005
With Mac mini Apple CEO Jobs attacks the Achilles heel of Windows dominance: the living room – January 14, 2005
Apple Computer will own the living room, not Microsoft – January 10, 2005
Can Apple crack the living-room conundrum before Microsoft? – December 30, 2004
NY Times: Can Steve Jobs put Apple in the center of your living room? – March 23, 2004
MacViiv
iiViiV
why for the love of all things sacred would an idiot like Enderle be used as a source. the “Enderle group” consists of this one loser and maybe his plump wife. that’s it!
idiots!
Apple, Intel, Microsoft plan living room assault in 2006
Damm, I got the Playboy’s model’s nude mudwrestling teams booked solid next year.
Sorry guys, you have to take your “assault” someplace else.
Why Apple REALLY switched to Intel chips
Guess what I came across today. A little information about the new copy protection scheme called HDCP.
Apparantly it was designed by Intel to protect Hollywoods high priced digital content and will be incorporated into all new Intel processors.
As you know all new HDTV TV’s are now HDCP compliant, as well as set top cable and sat boxes.
Since Intel and IBM are competitors in the processor market (Intel didn’t play fair) and Apple simply can’t be left behind while M$ owns the living room.
APPLE HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO SWITCH TO INTEL
IBM decided not to pursue a cooler laptop chip as it would have been a waste of time without Intel’s HDCP.
Content is king and without it a device is dead.
http://www.digitalconnection.com/FAQ/HDTV_12.asp
One might can get HDCP on their (non Intel) Mac in a clear format for recording at full HDTV quality.
Cable box outputs DVI (or HDMI to DVI via adapter) >DVI to VGA D/A Video Converter with HDCP>VGA to Component cable>EyeTV 200 component input recording into MPEG 4>Quicktime Pro or iMovie
MacDude:
IMHO that’s only partially true. The “switch” to Intel was planned 5 years ago, according to Freescale’s (Motorola) CEO, long before the hype about new Intel chips that we are hearing now. He “convinced” (read: suckered) Apple into sticking with the PowerPC. Remember: OSX is basically a variant of NeXTStep, which was developed on the x86 platform. If it were up to Jobs, we’d have all been on Intel ages ago, copy-protected CPU’s or not.
Doggone, i almost got hit by one of the many flying pigs around here. Associated Press saying something nice about Apple, Enderle actually saying something intelligent…
All this must be very grating on Gates, with Apple now taking its new position as the fair haired Golden Boy darling of the press. Nobody gives a rat’s ass that M$ has been in that market for a couple years; all the attention is focused on what Apple might up to.
Karma’s such a bitch, Billy Boy.
gzero writes: “Remember: OSX is basically a variant of NeXTStep, which was developed on the x86 platform. If it were up to Jobs, we’d have all been on Intel ages ago, copy-protected CPU’s or not.”
Well, it was up to Steve Jobs!
But i agree with you that the processor switch has nothing to do with DRM. I also think that such a switch five years ago may have been more problematic than it is now. Clearly MacOS X can run on either platform, so NeXTStep’s lineage is not a factor.
I think it all boils down to this: IBM couldn’t deliver a low power G5. Wasn’t it at MWSF 2003 that Steve Jobs said he thought portables were the key to the future of computing? Two and a half years later, still no G5 PB in sight, Jobs made the only move he could. It’s as simple as that.
Why do people always think the intel transition will bring down mac prices?
If anything, Apple will just pack better specs into the same price points- I doubt they will compromise their prices and end up like Dell, selling mostly low-end computers. I think that in all likelihood, the mac mini is as low as they are willing to go. I see no reason why the iMacs and so on will not remain about the same price.
“Remember: OSX is basically a variant of NeXTStep, which was developed on the x86 platform.”
gzero,
Didn’t the NeXT black cube originally have a 33Mhz Motorola 68030 processor in it?
Everything Intel makes for Apple will be available for the Windows platform for Dell, etc, etc, etc.
Intel now gets to play all the computer companies against each other – less competition, less choice for us.
http://www.blackholeinc.com/product/cube.html
Some neXt cube specs….At that time neXt Step was built to be cross platfrom, but the cubes were on Motorola……
By the way, guys,
90% of mac users accoreding to Year 2005 Poll (http://www.belightsoft.com/special/event) consider Apple’s switch to Intel as a very smart move.
I don’t think Apple was suckered into anything, more like we were. These guys plan years ahead and know just about exactly what the other needs.
Look at the facts.
5 years ago Steve wanted to switch to Intel because of HDCP and his plans on invading the living room or be shutdown by M$.
However Mac OS X wasn’t ready, because Mac OS X86 was kept in total secret for 5 years. A switch 5 years ago would have devestated developers and the Mac consumer base, we were still in OS 9 for crying out loud, we had to be prepared and all the eye candy of Mac OS X sold us that Apple was coming back from the dead.
IBM’s PPC was tapped, at a cheaper price than Intels chips, but it was a last act of defiance because Intel wouldn’t give HDCP specs to IBM.
Without HDCP content, consumer PC’s are worthless, so IBM sold it’s PC division to the Chinese and didn’t bother with a cool G5 chip.
Apple sold a TON of G5 X-Serve and PowerMac G5 hardware for a excellent profit, developed and refined Mac OS X so we wouldn’t run to Windows.
It might even be that the professional Apple hardware may stay on PPC for a bit longer, but eventually it will all have to go x86.
So Hollywood DRM is to blame and since it’s already cracked, it’s really meaningless, it’s used to gain control and push the competition out.
I wonder what will happen to AMD?
So when we here Real’s CEO bitch and moan about “opening up the iPod” it’s DRM insisted by the content makers that’s to blame.
Because content is king and sells hardware.
<quote>’In as much as Apple is successful, it’s a fly in the ointment for everybody else.'</quote>
Talk about getting it backward! Apple is THE OINTMENT. Everyone else are the flies.
For ANYONE to make any attempt at predicting what Apple plans on doing in the future, media centers or anything else, is pure speculation and a cheap means to get their name publicized.
Just because Apple is looking to Intel for CPUs has absolutely NOTHING to do with any similarities with the way Wintel box manufacturers utilize Intel chips. Apple’s have always used custom designed chips in their products for bus handling tasks and I don’t see any reason why they won’t continue to do so. Apple also never goes backward in technological advancements, so you can expect Apple to continue with the 64-bit platform, even with Intel. WIndows is not ready to support a home or small business 64-platform, they can’t even get 32-bit Vista working right.
Trying to predict Apple next new product is the hobby of fools and idiots.
Viiv….Vingle….Viiv….Vingle…hmmmmmm
MacDude, I would like to see a way to go from HDCP to Component video.
I have a DVD player that upconverts to HDTV but my plasma TV that I got 2 years ago doesn’t have DVI inputs, only VGA and component. I have been told that a converter to go from HDCP (DVI-D with HDCP) to *any* analog medium is illegal, screwing us all.
<quote> 90% of mac users accoreding to Year 2005 Poll (http://www.belightsoft.com/special/event) consider Apple’s switch to Intel as a very smart move. </quote>
Bob and they are totaly correct. All I have to say about any of this, and all of this, is Intel is a solid competitor, and they want better and can accept a challenge and meet the needs of the manufacturers. Give Apple Intel chips, and we all have laptops that are MUCH cooler, and also G5!! There are in the end several main key factors that play into this of course, and EVERYONE and their grannies can try to figure it out, but in the end you don’t make a solid switch like this over one issue. Apple has their reasons, and all of them sound and for the better of the company, and if its better for the company, we can all bet our asses that means its better for the consumers, because THAT is what Apple stands for. Quality products that do what they are meant to do, and DAMN good at doing it. Bring on the change, I want better laptops, because five years ago, Steve Jobs was right.
MS is going to have a hard time with this since Apple hasnt done much yet, therefore they dont have any ideas to steal or designs to copy.
This continued perception that Macs are more expensive just blows my mind.
“APPLE HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO SWITCH TO INTEL”
You can put that in bold all you want but that isn’t why they switched.
I think there is one more company that was left off the list: SONY.
The Playstation 3 will try to be the hub in most people’s living room. Remember, the Playstation 2 crushed M$ and Nintendo in sales.
Just a thought….
It’s time for Jobs to put the Fairplay chips on the table. The article clearly shows that home entertainment is not simply Apple vs MS, it Apple vs a slew of technologies (most of which are already entrenched to some degree). Apple needs partners, and that can’t happen without selectively sharing the Fairplay DRM. Otherwise, Apple will once again be a sliver in the market share pie chart.
The reason a game console will never be “the hub” is because more people see a need for a computer than a console even though the cost is higher. End of story. Can you see Grandmama buying a PS7 so she can watch Lost and get her email? Doubt it.