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Apple should make Windows users wait longer than February, to max out Mac sales. It should also pitch the mini as the ultimate iPod accessory for those who don't own a computer.

First question = content.

Could someone please explain to me the appeal here? I use Netflix for movies. It could not possibly be any simpler. I don't watch much television, but i hear that Tivo is quite good. Who is the target market for downloadable movies and television content? How much would you pay for downloadable episodes of the Simpsons, when they are on TV 6 times a day? Also, until they release some way to bridge the gap between your mac and your TV, who is going to watch this content on a 15" computer monitor when you also own a 30" tv screen (which displays the same content, either for free through the air, or which you are already paying for in your cable bill)?

Second question = portability.

Who routinely has a couple of hours of free time on the go to watch the above content? Commuters are, i reckon, the most obvious candidates here, but who else? The iPod market is so huge because it (the iPod) is compatible with just about any activity which doesn't require use of your ears. The portable iVideo market is just not obviously that big.

I agree with Mike-- except to say that if there is a new implementation that makes video somehow easier or more compelling to use in some new way, I might be in.

We used to say, "Who wants to be available all the time?" as cell phones were just starting to grow in popularity, only to find out that, well, almost everyone wantes to be available all the time.

It's an important issue that video requires one's attentional focus much more than music or cellphones, but if something new comes out that's pretty cool, I might be game...

Mike K. , You're are the target. If you like netflix, wouldn't you rather enjoy being able to download the movie and watch it instead of waiting for i to get to you in the mail , plus wait for it to get back to netflix before they ship another one.

I am the perfect target for this market.

I don't have a TV. (I don't have cable.) I rent DVDs. I have a 23" display.

I'm gonna be all over iVideo!

Problem is it might take almost as long to download a HiDef full-feature movie than it will to wait 36 hours for a Netflix disc.

Intel is not at war with Microsoft. If they were at war Windows would not be running on Intel's processors. Yes, the PPC XBox may look like incentive for Intel to go to Apple but I think it was Apple that went to Intel for their products. IBM is a disappointment to Apple so they are going to Intel. x86 Macs will not out-sell Windows-only PCs but they will make Apple the best selling PC vendor.

Even if the XBox 360 is modified and sold as a desktop, I doubt it would compare well with conventional PCs. There would not be much software for it because it is PPC and all Windows applications would have to be ported. XBox PC might not be upgradable and if there is one thing PC users love to do, it is upgrading. XBox PC would be more trouble for MS than it is worth.

if you have a cable modem or DSL of 768 or better, you can go to your Mac, to the iVideo store, and before you are done popping your popcorn.

I mean... that is, if it was really coming... how would I know?

In the ancient past when all TV's had CRT's for displaying the image it made sense to sit far away from the TV set and buy bigger and bigger TV's.

Nowadays, when you can buy cheap LCD TV's or LCD monitors for cable and satellite boxes, it doesn't matter how big the screen is, as long as the pixel count is the same. You can have a lower pixel count on a 30" TV than on a 17" widescreen moniter. You just sit closer to the smaller screen.

A 20" high pixel widescreen moniter at a computer moniter distance with good headphones and surround sound is great for watching movies and HDTV.

I think people you need a bit of lateral thinking here. We view video the way we do (by which I mean any visual media) because it has been dictated that way since the beginning. A simple comparison is the lack of enthusiasm for horseless carraiges at first because hundreds of years of conditioning had affected our view. The idea of video on demand is much more sensible than having to wait (and or record) content as the suppliers/broadcasters dictate, its just we don't recognise that yet. It will take time but we will and then we will be amazed that we used to view content in the way we now feel is perfectly natural.

Pardon me for writing this w/o any references, but I read somewhere that Broadband internet speed is going to be faster in the future (around 2006-2007), so that may have a huge impact on d/l movies.

I, for one, am definately for iVideo. The ability to show movies made on FCP w/o a DVD player would be really neat.

If anyone else knows about the internet getting faster, or if I am wrong, please let me know.

Peace out my Mac bros and sis.

check out this Infomercial from Apple from the early 90's. It shows a concept laptop/PDA type of device that has a screen that can be folded.
They can easily use this for an iPod that opens up like a laptop to reveal a bigger screen where u can watch movies...just an idea.

Here, check it out:

http://homepage.mac.com/ericestrada/Movies/iMovieTheater53.html

They're basicly going to do what cable networks(mainly comcast) are doing with on demand. Only the movies won't be free. They'll probably be availible earlier than DVD, but might also cost a little more. I have sbc which is at 1.2 mbps on average, but heard comcast is already at 6 mbps. That's good for regular movies, but to download HD movies at a reasonable time, I think we need about 10-15 mbps. It won't be long until we're there.

iVideo would not just be about movies. Video is a medium. Movies are just one form. Think about eductational content. High def travel content. Think about indie type films that can never be distributed by other means. All of it as easily obtained as an iTune.

As an iTune user, I have been exposed to music and artist I would never have otherwise been.

The reason most people can't see the need now is because no one yet invisions the new ways in which the technology will be used. No one except maybe S. Jobs.

Think of your television as having one channel. On Sunday night, you go through a list of content and you decide was programming you want on that one channel for the entire week. Whenever you turn on the television, it is always playing what you want it to, yet can be preempted any time. Just one possibility.

Here in the Washington, DC area there is a new Verizon fiber-optic service called FIOS that goes up to 30Mbps (w/ 5Mbps upload) ($200). That's pretty pricey for home users but there is also a 15Mbps package (w/ 2Mbps upload) for only $50! I believe a few other cities are getting this now, too.

Also don't forget H.264!

The problem with downloading video is that many ISPs have limits on monthly bandwidth, which would be exceeded by just one high quality movie.

I think Eric24601 is on to something both in terms of format and content. Steve has never been about passive activity--hates TV, I believe, and the software that Apple has is all about interaction and doing things. Even the iPod allows you to do things even while listening to it.

So the knowledge navigator, in which iMovie, iCalc, iCal, word processing, spreadsheets calculations and graphing, quicktime, iSight, Keynote are effortlessly available and and seamlessly integrated is absolutely where SJ wants to go with a "Media Center" as opposed to the passive windows device envisioned by BG.

Apple is investigating the flexible screen technology and has been working on alternate forms of input (inkwell) as well so the form factor that is seen in the commercial is not too far fetched as well.

I believe that Apple will come out with a display device measuring about 5 by 7 inches (hitting the niche between iPod screens and the 12 in iBook) which will allow an iPod to slot in its back. the iPod will be balanced by a rechargeable battery which also will slot into the back of the screen. The front will be all screen except, perhaps, a click wheel, and the screen will be a touchscreen in order to navigate like the man did in the infomercial.

It will be wi-fi enabled and will be sold standalone or bundled with the airport express. The high end iMac mini will also have a slot for an iPod to plug in directly, btw.

Rollout will be: iMac minis, iVideo (or whatever it is called--Apple may by out "iFlicks" or "iFlix" just to have the name as it is closer to iTunes (iVideo is closer to iMusic and it's not named that) and then just before xmas SJ will roll out the screen device. That will keep us all occupied and the stock price up while the transition to Intel happens.

imho.

I think iVideo would be great, I'm not sure if I would buy into it, but its still a good concept. Right now I own some DVDs, rent from Netflix, and DL fansubbed anime. I'd like to get a PSP to play video on the go. The thing is, once you get a bunch of videos it becomes less about how fast you can DL them and more about how to store them all. Current base HD configurations tend to me on the small side for storing a lot of video. I just bought my iMac less than a year ago and it came with a 80GB HD, which I upgraded to 160GB and bought a 320GB external Lacie. An iBook, mini or anything else more than a year old would have problems storing a bunch of iVideo downloads.

Certainly Apple could offer a more affordable version of this:

http://www.kaleidescape.com/

The basic system starts at $27000!! It can store 160 DVDs which you have to provide!

dent, arthur dent: I sure hope you're correct!

Having iVideo on your iPod would be like having a good book along
with you to read whenever you felt the urge. It might be a decent
added extra for iPod owners. I don't see people viewing an entire
movie at once from such a small screen though. A few minutes here
and there. The bulk of movies will be viewed on nothing less than a
12" screen. Even that would be a stretch.

CT ======]------------ Conditioning?

regarding iTunes and the legal downloads...

I have downloaded lots of movies in the past.. music? sure..

but you know what.. i've been buying from iTunes recently..

there really is a premium i'm willing to pay for reliable, clean, high quality downloads from bands that maybe aren't as popular with the AcquisitionX/Limewire set.

And I still think $10 for an album with 17 songs (11 of them are 4/5 star) is an awesome deal!

Oh yeah.. and.. convenient and fast..

So the video thing?

Well, if they can appreciate the download speeds, which they can, and make it like a rental service where you pay, maybe 2 bucks to watch a movie or something.. i'm SO THERE.

think about it.. once you know the plot of a movie, you're not gonna watch is 30 times unless it's EXCELLENT.. most movies are great the first time, and then ho hum after that.. it's the nature of storytelling/irony.

Good stuff guys.. the iTunes model gets the thumbs up

I can totally see how Intel could be "at war" with Microsoft. Do you really think Intel could not make a better chip than the P4? The Pentium is stuck with legacy x86 code because Mirosoft cannot build Mac OS X. They won't adopt *nix as a core fore their OS and they seem incapable of developing the Hardware and software abstraction layers that have allowed Apple to migrate hardware platforms twice now and software platforms as with OS9 to OS10.

Apple doesn't need to switch the Mac to Intel just to have Intel-based video iPods. I think IBM may have been able to build DRM into the PPC platform. They built the 970 because of Apple and no one else.

IBM can't seem to make a laptop chip, so Apple make the correct decision there. I DO see Intel changing their processor platform though. Heck AMD could even do it if it were compelling enough for Apple to run OS X on an AMD platform.

Apple's software is the hardware enabler. I think Intel is excited about that. Microsoft has been a huge barrier to innovation for the entire industry. It is time for Microsoft to evolve or die. I think Apple will quickly overtake Microsoft as top OS maker and everyone will be happy about it. Backward compatibility along with embacing future innovation is a huge enabler. We'll all be happy to go along for the ride.

Microsoft is targeting the Xbox to be your the home media center. Microsoft knows it needs a consumer electronics device (Xbox) to win over the mainstream home consumer - the complex Media Center PC has only been "successful" with the fringe Windows first-adopters and gadgeteers; it's a flop with everyone else due to its complexity. Who powers the Xbox? Not Intel. Even the PC mfrs realize they are on the wrong side of this equation. Sony (Playstation), HP (iPod), and Dell ("willing to sell a Mac") have all indicated their willingness to compete with Microsoft. (And now Microsoft rumors about buying Creative?!?!)

So Apple will solve the problem of Internet-to-Computer-to-TV - which mike k is right to point out as the deal-breaker. But supposedly Firewire ports are showing up on TVs. I haven't seen it and question it but the CEA (ce.org) and the Firewire WG (1394ta.org) are reporting this. And Firewire over some sort of 802 wireless (.11n, UWB, WiMax, or something) must be almost here. Again basic news reports don't give me confidence about this but I can't see Apple makng this simple without wireless fast enough to bridge this gap. And of course, all of this is coupled with Bonjour for instant finding and connecting.

And the iVideo video-on-demand nature will make TiVo look complex (recording TV is old-fashioned!). Especially if coupled with personalized search - you tell iVideo what you like (or it learns by studying your suggestions). It then automatically finds and downloads the shows/movies overnight (or during the day while you're at work) for your instant viewing. Watch the 2-minute preview piece of it. If you like it, click okay (1-click), and it's yours. No waiting or no deciding beforehand - this is way better than recording TV broadcasts!

If this Apple device (including hard drive) costs less than $500, I'm in. I can't wait.

Naraa Haras,

I agree, and I've said the same since the Intel announcement. Sure, Intel couldn't go wrong with that other 2 - 5% of the desktop market, but would Otellini really bother with an on-stage appearance at WWDC if this weren't an important step for Intel? And would Jobs bother if it were just a little chip change?

Intel wants to renew its persona in the industry, and is really pushing hard on its "platform innovation" theme. Nobody is going to recognize Intel as an innovator — or even a major, stand-alone hardware player for that matter — as long as it continues as Microsoft's lapdog.

Microsoft's operating system and everything that happens within that system is what business and the public know about Intel.

Intel Inside stickers. Four tones. That's it.

Intel has as much to gain in this alliance as Apple does.

To all ye with dreadful foresight, let us slap some existing Apple technologies together and see what we get...

What would happen if we take Podcasting and add video to it? You would get something infinitely better than TiVo. You no longer have to wait for your machine to download the scheduled broadcast, but instead you could download whatever you want NOW. Imagine all of the FREE global broadcast content currently available, but it is now made available upon demand.

Just as others have suggested that our video viewing habits will probably change from trying to get the mega-theatre experience in our home, we may be more interested in higher quality in a more intimate space.

Also changing is the way we get our information. Because of the internet, we want everything now. If we apply this new social habit to television, we get something very similar to Video Podcasting. This could be the downfall of cable/broadcast TV as we know it (based on the old concept of sharing radio frequencies). Instead, we go to iVideo, select ABCNews.com and download their up-to-the-minute "casts" rather than waiting for it to be broadcasted.

Now, our Macs could compile an RSS-like page of videocasts that would be waiting for us when we got home. This differs greatly from TiVo in that it is global (via internet), not limited to the channels that my cable company THINKS I want to see. It can be downloaded as soon as the info is available, and not based on some broadcast time-slot that forces me to wait for it. For example, you can select just the Apple related newscasts from all of the stations, including the ones in Bombay and Moscow, even if they are all broadcasting at the same time. You can see anything, from anywhere, at any time.

These are just my measly little combinations of Apple's existing technology. I am quite sure they have even bigger and better things yet to be dreamed possible by us, at Cupertino.

From reading on here, I never new there were so many people with so little imaginations. Open your minds to the new possibilities.

check http://centerstageproject.com

see whats coming

Here is an article that I think will address the possibilities of overcoming current cable speeds...
http://news.com.com/Super-fast+broadband+coming+via+cable/2100-1035_3-5796054.html

What about an update to the airport express. Maybe a video out to go along with the audio out.