“The first thing I wanted to know when Apple announced the iTV was, what’s under the hood? The answer to this question depends on how soon Apple expects to start selling HD content on iTunes. Right now, you don’t need a whole lot of horsepower to do the kind of DVD-quality playback that the device is alleged to support. So some kind of embedded solution would work for the kinds of media that the iTunes Store currently offers. However, if Apple intends to launch HD video downloads and to add HD support with an iTV software update, then they’ll need a processor that can handle the load,” Jon Stokes reports for Ars Technica.
Stokes reports, “I suppose the real question is, do you think that Apple will offer HD video content for download by Q207, which is when the iTV is supposed to launch, or even shortly thereafter? If you answer in the affirmative, then it becomes interesting to speculate about whether the iTV will have Intel inside.”
“If they can fit it into the form factor, an x86 processor makes sense for the new device, because Apple will want to adapt Front Row for the iTV without the headache of an ISA transition. A Merom part, and especially one of the LV or ULV parts, might seem ideal for the iTV’s form factor, but they’re way too expensive to go into a $299 unit. So in terms of its likely low price and low power consumption, it may be the case that something like the Celeron 400 series could be a good fit for the iTV. In fact, when I first reported on Conroe-L, I mentioned that I thought it might be ideal for the then-rumored Apple media center,” Stokes reports.
Full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “raddoc” for the heads up.]
Related articles:
Cringely: Apple’s iTV strategy is iChat on steroids – September 22, 2006
The Motley Fool examines Apple’s iTV victims – September 22, 2006
Disney CEO Iger: Apple’s ‘iTV’ has ‘small hard drive on it’ – September 19, 2006
Disney sells 125,000 movie downloads via Apple’s iTunes Store in first week – September 19, 2006
The most exciting feature of Apple’s ‘iTV’ may be its USB port – September 15, 2006
Cringely: How Apple plans to own your living room – September 15, 2006
LA Times: With iTV+iTunes Movies, Steve Jobs stumbles over the last 100 feet – September 14, 2006
BusinessWeek: If anyone can make bridge the great divide, Apple can with ‘iTV’ – September 14, 2006
The Beeb asks: Would you buy the Apple iTV? – September 14, 2006
Three markets that are different today after Apple’s ‘It’s Showtime’ event – September 13, 2006
Cramer: Apple’s ‘iTV’ all about ease-of-use; Apple shares are going higher – September 13, 2006
Apple + Living Room = Logical Marriage + Boon for Stockholders – September 13, 2006
The Register: Apple event more like ‘No Show’ than ‘Showtime’ – September 13, 2006
The Telegraph: Steve Jobs’ genius making people desire gadgets for which they have absolutely no use – September 13, 2006
The Guardian: Steve Jobs needs ‘a charisma download, Apple risks being left behind’ – September 13, 2006
Mark Cuban: Things that are special about Apple’s announcements – September 13, 2006
Apple’s ‘iTV’ strategy – September 13, 2006
How will Apple’s ‘iTV’ work? – September 13, 2006
Apple eyes living room market with device codenamed ‘iTV’ – September 12, 2006
Analyst: Apple ‘s iTunes+iPod+iTV model ‘the gold standard for the digital home of the future’ – September 12, 2006
Analyst: Apple ‘s iTunes+iPod+iTV ‘will be hard for other players to match’ – September 12, 2006
Apple gives sneak peek of ‘iTV’ set-top box to debut Q1 2007 (with images) – September 12, 2006
Apple’s QuickTime stream of Steve Jobs special event now live – September 12, 2006
NFL and Apple team up to offer 2006 NFL game highlights via iTunes Store – September 12, 2006
Apple debuts iTunes 7 – September 12, 2006
First?
So dumb
A Celeron 400? No thanks.
I wouldn’t be that concerned if it’s a celeron. This is not a computer we’re talking about. You don’t need that much power for a dedicated movie machine.
What’s an ISA transition?
It’ll have Intel’s Viiv chipset. Hardware DRM for Movie rental and HD decoding.
What I want to know is, why the hell am I getting popups on this site when I’m using Safari? This site is already 90% ads, can we please save the popups for the chumps who still use IE? And I don’t want to hear anything about “We need ads to support the site!” IT’S ALL ADS.
What’s an ISA transition?
Instruction Set Architecture – all PowerPCs share one ISA, all x86 descendants share a different one (with variations).
In this case the argument is apparently that porting FrontRow to – say – an ARM CPU might cause additional headaches. Which might well be true – all optimizations which have already been made to the existing code would have to be re-started from scratch, even if the un-optimized code should normally be portable with merely a recompile.
The still somewhat limited QuickTime performance of the Intel Macs could very well be an example of this point: The extensive low-level optimizations of the PowerPC QT code have not yet been fully matched on the Intel platform, it appears…
So an Intel(-compatible?) CPU for the iTV would certainly make a lot of sense in the long run – the iTV would thus profit from the same optimizations Apple is making for the actual Macs.
The CPU in the iTV wouldn’t have to be a Merom part it could easily be a core duo LV or ULV. It will be plenty powerful enough running as a dedicated H264 decoder.
I think the true brilliance of the product is yet to be determined.
powerpc had it’s day as did 68k
now it’s intel’s chance to REALLY shine
i think it’s gonna be grate !!!
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”wink” style=”border:0;” />
Viiv is obviously the way to go given that Apple and Intel are keen to exploit each others talents as far as possible.
Apple need cheap components and high level support for this new technology. Intel need thoughful design and user kudos that clearly Apple seem to be only able to deliver.
It’s a match made in heaven. At 299 the unit isn’t totally expensive. I’m sure Intel will subsidize chip prices to get this puppy adopted. And Apple going with iTunes connectivity ensures they can sell to PC owners without having to port any other new software (except the Front Row-like app).
“What I want to know is, why the hell am I getting popups on this site when I’m using Safari? This site is already 90% ads, can we please save the popups for the chumps who still use IE? And I don’t want to hear anything about “We need ads to support the site!” IT’S ALL ADS.”
I’ve never seen the ads on this or many other sites. I’m running Safari with Pithhelmet and SafariBlocker, and life is glorious. Try ’em sometime.
Neil says: “Viiv is obviously the way to go given that Apple and Intel are keen to exploit each others talents as far as possible.”
Things being equal I’d agree, but what Steve described isn’t the ‘multimedia server’ that many (me too) thought it would/should be, so no full-out Viiv system is necessary.
The thin form factor indicates that isn’t the way he went. First, the power supply (Jobs said its built in) is way too small for even a Merom, let alone Conroe-L. Second, with HDMI out, it’s clear some form of HD is built in to this thing, yet a simple Digital Signal Processor can do that efficiently. Also, since the HDMI controller is the only DRM Apple will really need in a transmission device, no need to incorporate a TPM either (all that is handled on the computer/server anyway). Third, a more comprehensive device doesn’t seem to fit with Apple’s current, focused approach with mulitmedia hardware. iPod could’ve been an uber-PDA a long time ago, but Apple steadfastly keeps it ‘on point’. If they wanted iTV to be more than a wireless gateway, they’d put a proper HDD in there, a Conroe-L, a graphic proc, a bigger PSU … and the resulting extra size would leave no doubt. Yet at that point, you’re essentially talking about the Intel version of the Wii, or a new Mac Mini … and again, Steve could’ve done that already.
Of course, Jobs could be pulling a fast one, and what debuted is nothing like what’ll be sold. Yet, if seeing WAS believing, then iTV will simply be a hopped-up Airport Extreme, distributing content to whatever you hook it to, & your computer will be the true repository of your media files (I suppose this makes for some interesting possible uses for Xserve).
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”raspberry” style=”border:0;” />
“Apple need cheap components and high level support for this new technology. Intel need thoughful design and user kudos that clearly Apple seem to be only able to deliver… At 299 the unit isn’t totally expensive. I’m sure Intel will subsidize chip prices to get this puppy adopted. And Apple going with iTunes connectivity ensures they can sell to PC owners without having to port any other new software (except the Front Row-like app).”
You’re right – it’s pretty cheap. And Apple’s legendary profit margins are another reason to not expect ‘Viiv Inside’, cause Intel is NOT cheap.
Exhibit A: Teardowns of the new Nano show the components are the cheapest they’ve ever been. Yet Apple didn’t drop the price. They’re making something like 80%/unit on average. That’s not how they’ve done it in the past, when keeping a foot on the throat of any possible competitor (with moderate price reductions when possible) was the strategy. Even the price of Shuffle isn’t low in comparison to how cheap it now is to make it. So, they’re squeezing the iPod Goose wherever they can. Why?
Exhibit B: Higher unit costs on Intel based computer hardware. Remember; all the low-end stuff went up $100-200 when they switched. No way they’d do that unless they had to. The high-end stuff has been holding the line for the most part, but the margins are bigger so there’s more wiggle room. Teardowns of MacPro show its incredibly pricy – the CPUs & FBDIMMs alone are way more expensive than what was in the PowerMac. Apple might be getting better prices from Intel than everyone else, but since they’re raising computer prices on average & really squeezing the profits out of iPod, the conclusion has to be that whatever the arrangment, they’re still not getting x86 parts as cheaply as the PPC stuff.
Thus if Apple’s selling iTV for $300, then either Intel is giving them parts at a loss, or they’re not using Intel at all.
I think if Apple wasn’t so concerned (blindsided?) with the high cost of Intel’s parts, if they could make money off an Intelized iTV, we’d be seeing a much more capable device. My bet is that Apple said, ‘We’re putting up with what everything we can with the computers, but this … thanks but no thanks.’ That would explain why Apple making this thing on their own actually makes more sense than partnering with Intel.
Anyway this could be a good thing. With all competitors utterly failing multimedia wise, Jobs should be getting braver about bucking the DRM/TPM trend. He went to Intel for that reason, assured adopting them would placate the content providers, yet obviously was shunned by every studio (except the one he practically owns) anyway. So what’s the incentive to play anyone else’s game (including Intel’s) when Apple seems to hit doubles & triples alone? All the ‘favored’ companies (>cough< NAPSTER >cough< AMAZON) can’t even lay down bunts! In the end, they’ll all come to Apple anyway, just to avoid losing money they could otherwise be making.