“Networking gear maker D-Link Corp plans to start selling a media device to link televisions and computers that can connect to the fastest type of Wi-Fi networks, a company spokesman said on Friday,” Jim Finkle reports for Reuters.
“The D-Link media device will run on the same wireless standard as Apple Inc’s Apple TV and go on sale in time for this year’s holiday season,” Finkle reports.
“D-Link already sells these media devices, but they run at slower speeds than the Apple product, which is ahead of the rest of the industry. [D-Link’s media device] will sell for $300,” Finkle reports.
Full article here.
Will D-Link be upgrading features with free updates like Apple? Regardless, we have an impossible time imagining that D-Link’s software and user interface will be anywhere near the quality of Apple TV’s. Although not mentioned in the Reuters report, the history of D-Link products (D-Link seems to take great pains to hide the issue of iTunes Store media-incompatibility on their website) would suggest that the D-Link device will not be compatible with TV Shows, Movies and non-iTunes Plus music purchased from the market-dominating iTunes Music Store.
This is why Apple is doing so great, and is going to win all the marbles. Other companies think they are competing on device features. Apple is competing with a solution.
Released just in time to compete with Apple’s 2nd generation AppleTV?
Like leading the lambs to slaughter.
Why does no one besides Apple get the fact that it’s the user experience that counts? You can’t make a tiny portion of the solution and hope that the user experience will be acceptable.
I thought Apple TV was just a hobby. Apparently now it’s worth “killing.”
This D-Link product will do nothing but help the concept gain traction in the marketplace, where people will then buy Apple TVs.
@chris
that is the question, isn’t it?
as a philosopher, i would love an answer. we are failing at system comprehension to a large degree, and delivering end experience to a large degree, and they seem to feed each other in a negative loop.
i am not sure that people don’t understand that the user experience is what counts. i think they just have no idea how to deliver that….
a lot of people see that the user experience counts, it is obvious. but a solution is less obvious. what exactly is it that apple does that sinks into their culture and methods that makes their approach different?
if you find an answer, let me know…..
The first 3 comments (the only ones posted as I’m writing this) were all spot on. People are willing to pay for convenience which can usually be defined as a combination of speed and ease of use/access. Apple has both the interface and the iTunes/ iPod/ iPhone/ Apple TV integration going for it.
If Apple can wangle movie rentals onto Apple TV, that would be the killer ap that would shoot Apple TV into the stratosphere.
Oh yeah? My D-Link media player is gonna be bigger and faster than your namby pamby Apple TV.
Did you MAC lemmings get that? Bigger AND faster! The user interface takes care of itself. If you’re gonna spend $300 on something you better do some research and—this might be hard for you Apple folks to wrap your heads around—read the manual. Then the user interface will be easy. It’s all you gotta do. Dorks.
Your potential. Our passion.™
Zune Tang is funny. He is probably posting this from his MacBook and watching YouTube on his AppleTV at this moment. He is secretly a Mac Fan Boy with a dry sarcastic sense of humor.
@shen
Apple developer actually use their own stuff, and are too busy making cool stuff to tolerate a frustrating, crappy user experience.
It is that feedback that supports the philosophy.
Windows developers, on the other hand, seem to be into S&M if they use their own stuff. In all fairness there “really” is some very well written windows software out there… rare, but one can encounter it.
@Shiva:
Ya think?
If Apple TV had a DVD player built in, they’d sell a TON more of them.
@Shiva:
That’s just gross. I wouldn’t be caught dead with a MAC Book and certainly wouldn’t be disconnecting my glorious Windows Media PC in favor of some Apple TV garbage. Eewwwwww. At least my Windows Media PC has an ‘Intel Inside’ sticker next to the ‘Designed for Windows XP’ sticker which is next to the Windows license certificate of authenticity sticker. All your dumb little Apple TV has is a little dot or somethinig. Cool… NOT!
So that’s my 3 stickers to your Z-E-R-O! Real machines have stickers. Toys have none. Time for you MAC lemmings to get a real machine: D-Link!
Your potential. Our passion.™
Shouldn’t be too hard to be an Apple Tv killer because Apple Tv isn’t that good. A disappointing product to be sure.
Infinity the symbol is the key to Apple’s ecosystem. That is why their HQ is called Infinite Loop.
1) Build products that nobody thought they needed in such a stylish way that makes you feel you must have it.
2) Create a delivery system that is painless and a joy to use.
3) Create software using tried & tested technology and release it for testing & verification by your peers.
4) Ensure that all the products however diverse will work seamlessly for the purpose they are to be used for and are backward/forward compatible via updates.
5) Sign up third parties that will provide a service for your products to commit to your quality standards.
For those reasons and a lot more…D-Link will find it difficult to break into the Inifite Loop.
It may find or create an opening in the loop, but the problem then is to seal the opening so that its own software can operate within the loop successfully.
Anyone buying the device will find that it probably doesn’t work with Airport, itunes & Apples remote. They will probably discover later on that whilst Programs & devices created for the infinite loop can be updated & upgraded via free downloads, their device will be outdated or disabled upon a free upgrade download. Beware of the snake oil wallahs!
That it, user experience. However, I do like that D-Link is entering the market. They will not hurt Apple sales and will even help. As more people hear of the technology, it will be come more “household name friendly”.
OH, and AppleTV works with Apple, iTunes, iPhone, iPod, can read the near by Windows computers with iTunes. Everything just works.
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en
“Infinity the symbol is the key to Apple’s ecosystem. That is why their HQ is called Infinite Loop.”
As in stuck in an infinite loop. get some market share, screw the pooch, watch while somebody else takes over the market, lose market share, get some market share in another market, screw the pooch, watch while somebody else takes over the market, lose market share, repeat endlessly.
Isn’t the big problem with Apple TV that it’s all about connecting it to your HDTV, but the content you pay for is far from HD resolution? Seems totally incongruous to me. That and it needs DVD playback capability so I don’t have to take up a Component or HDMI slot I may or may not have on the back of my set. Plus it doesn’t seem like much of a leap to up to go up to a Mini – a full blown computer that will also play divx or xvid files with no hacking required. Other than those issues the UI is great (of course) and the form factor perfect. Real mixed bag in my opinion.
I would buy one if it has compatibility with mac and pc, it will stream mp3, xvid, divx, (DVDs?) and photos and it can record TV.
Competition is good. Maybe after this Apple will make their product better.
@ Zune Tang @ Shiva
Thanks pune tang, now I have a good reason to get a windoze machine – stickers ! How mature and adult ! I’ll take performance over little stickers any day.
Apple designs products for its customers, most other companies design products to maximize profits and shareholder returns.
Large companies that keep the customer as their primary focus are quite rare, usually this feature is only found in owner run businesses. It’s mostly down to the financial system, get past a certain level and all that counts is the money. Once you borrow big time or take on investors (stock markets) they have a seat(s) on the board, directly or indirectly. They are investors, they think first (only) about the money, as short-term thinking takes over more and more this will continue and extend. If another apparently better short term investment arises they are gone.
Big companies usually make crap and advertise like mad because word of mouth on their products is bad. Lets keep Apple spending money on products not on advertising.
Zune Tang makes me crack up everytime. oh and for those that dont notice, hes joking on windows, not on mac, sarcasm folks. lmao
Hey (imitation) Zune Tang (I say imaitation because today’s ZT is obvious NOT the real ZT!):
At least once a day someone ducks into the office of one of my colleagues and makes some comment about the two Macs on his desk. He teaches computer science at a local university and used to run Windows and Linux but now has a TiBook and an iMac. Once each day he listens as someone derides his choice of a “toy machine.”
I ask him what his answer is, and he shrugs and responds, “What’s the point?”
“What’s the point?” I exclaim. “The point is that your Mac ships with Java, Ruby, Python, and Perl. The point is that you can open up a Terminal window and edit using vi or emacs. You can set up sendmail or use lynx. You can enable the Apache Web server that ships with every Mac by checking a check box. That’s the point.”
“I usually tell them that,” he says, “but then they ask me if they can play the latest version of some game on it like they can on a Windows box.”
“Well then,” I reply, “which one is the toy machine?”
http://www.macdevcenter.com/pub/a/mac/2002/12/10/osx_java.html
you know, due to my past experiences w/ D-Link, i don’t care if they say that they’re product is the greatest the best whatever, if it got mad reviews, and everyone else loved it, i would never buy it. maybe i had an isolated problem with them, but i bought a wireless router from them, and a wireless notebook card for my old laptop (yeah, it was a PC, it was my dad’s old one, and it was before i finally got my Mac) and neither of them worked. tried their tech support probably 50 times, they never helped me. so i said screw it, and ran a freaking LAN cord, cuz that’s all i could do. i will never buy D-Link again.
MDN word-doubt, as in i doubt D-Link’s product will even function.
I don’t see the actual article calling it the “Apple TV killer.”
While I see the Apple TV as being innovative and modestly successful (“modestly” when compared to Apple’s other products), I don’t think it deserves to have the competition wanting to “kill it,” as in the more commonly used labels like so-and-so is the “iPod killer” or “iTunes killer.” Not yet, anyways…
Poor little HaHaHaHa,
He’s sitting in mommies basement, tears streaming down his face, waiting for some Mythical Microsoft Device to topple the iPod.
Yes, HaHaHaHa, we do feel sorry for you, so please, won’t you post some more?
“If Apple TV had a DVD player built in, they’d sell a TON more of them.”
Make that a BluRay player or a HD DVD player.
Like Mr. Jobs said in his keynote speech, AppleTv was not intended to replace DVD players which most households have also included on your Mac or Pc.
It was placed as the conduit for your Pc based Audio Visual Content (YouTube, Photo’s, Home made Video’s, downloaded films, mobile phone clips, itunes music etc) so that you and your friends or family can have a pleasurable experience viewing or listening to the contents, either in normal DVD quality or HD quality.
If you are looking for something to stream Xvid, DivX, outdated low quality MP3 format and Windows type crap, you don’t have far to look for! just get yourself a Windows media centre or a PC capable of delivering M$ exploding content.
Just don’t equate your total ignorance and understanding of what Apple hardware does as the reason why you are waiting.
The reason why those of you on this blog are waiting or critical of AppleTv is because you are outside the Infinite Loop! Even the most critical of Apple’s products have test driven Apple’s hardware and have finally admitted that without doing so, they would never have realised how much frustration & suffering they had been conditioned to endure by Microcraps watery shit!!!
Bluray/HDDVD is highly over rated when you figure in the equipment and media cost to rent or buy movies in that format. The value just isn’t there….yet. A plain ol DVD player would work fine. I think the AppleTV will have to support full HD if it ever wants to gain serious footing. That means buying/renting movies from iTunes in full HD and streaming them from your PC without major delays. AppleTV v.2 will need some serious breakthroughs to get to this level of functionality. Fact is HD programming is scarce. So to pump it in at full resolution would justify your $1500-$3000 LCD TV purchase. AppleTV has a future it’s just not ready for mainstream.
If D-Link products would last longer that 18 months before dieing they might just have a small chance. Of course they can always sell one to Zune Tang/Shiva.
Unlike many on this board… I’m glad to see someone else enter the market. I probably won’t buy one, but then again AppleTV wasn’t all that interesting to start with either.
More competition = better products!
But they’re not entering the market really. They’ve been in it, have been unenthusiastically received, and now are “re-entering” the market with a hope that people will not think their stuff still stinks.
Woo hoo! What a plan!
D-LINK make inferior products that rely on price to sell. (Does this approach sound familiar?) If their adsl routers are anything to go by, configuration of the device will probably require several days, a severe migraine, a degree course in rocket science and eventually a trip back to the store to demand a refund.
More competition = better products” sounds good. So why do we see Zune, Vista and endless pseudo ipods, iphones and music download services so pathetically failing the market test?
News flash – Apple designed products are better because of Apple’s coherent design goals and refusal to compromise (go downmarket). As always, Apple sets its own standards and goals. Inevitably the competition (sic) just doesn’t get it and tries to impose its will and desires on its users. Classic case of the “customer is always wrong” approach.
btw. Lately Zune Tang seems to have reached rock bottom and is searching around desperately for a shovel.
Has anyone tried installing an AppleTV in a car/van/SUV? I think that is a great next step for this. Think about it. All your music/videdos/photos sync’ed automatically when you pull into the driveway and available to listen to through your car’s stereo and watched on the screen that many people have installed anyway.
OK, I have an apple tv and must say…… it sucks. Sorry to say so but it does. Not happy with mine at all and I would not advise anyone to buy one. Common, No HD quality and the hard drive is way too small so you have to “stream” stuff from your computer which is a pain in the neck. Plus the system itself is just slow in response, not a real quick interface. The only parental control is for youtube and who really wants to watch that crap anyway. Not sure what the value to apple tv is.
@zachcube
I guess you shouldn’t have bought it then. You should have done your homework before purchasing it.
@Zachcube
Try learning about Smart Playlists. I have the 40Gb AppleTV and about 120Gb of media for it. I don’t stream anything.
I find the system response time just fine. Next time, try the device before you buy it – if that’s your only gripe – nobhead.
Oh, and what the hell do you need parental controls for? Again, learn how to set up your iTunes library properly.
@shen
bill gates called it “magic” while also saying he wish he had it.
I juest bought a USB Wireless Adapter from D-Link the other day; it sucks! I just can’t fathom paying 300 bucks for a Apple TV alternative from a company that can’t even connect my PC to the internet without excessive amount of pain and suffereing!
“No HD quality and the hard drive is way too small so you have to “stream” stuff from your computer which is a pain in the neck.”
720 is considered HD video.
How many broadcasters are broadcasting in HD right now?
How many broadcasters are broadcasting to the internet in HD right now?
Apart from HDVD & Blueray players which are not streamlining over the internet, H.264 & VC-1 is the closest format to HD for the internet that is available & streaming.
Who uses H.264 to stream content over the internet? Apple inc & YouTube.
Who uses VC-1 to stream content over the internet? M$ in its media players.
How many people are familiar with H.264 as opposed to VC-1? Do the maths!!!
I’ve installed several wireless D-Link cards. Mac support is almost non-existent and if the PC experience is carried over to this device- forget it. D-Link like most PC software writers (Microsoft included) can barely write software.
“User experience be damned.” Must be the credo of every PC manufacturer – Hardware and Software. Apple not included.
Apple knows – it’s all about the user.
My mind is trying to kill me… C&H
Apple TV with a burner… oh cool. But why will this not sell a lot more Apple TV units.
Hmmmmmmm. COS the thing requires a computer to communicate to it… Duh!
Apple GETS it. Plus they provide the solution and experience for both PC and MAC os platform. Burn with the computer dude… cos u need the computer to broadcast to the device hooked into the computer.
Apple is different… and provides nice slick solution because it studies the competition in Apple terms. D-Link had a device long ago… what did they do with it.
Like cell phones… Apple studied the area, and THOUGHT… well Think Different is APPLE… they thought HOW can we do that BUT with all Apple Style. And an all Apple eco-system. Apple makes solutions that tie-in and fit well to this system and that is the experience… AND remember they do it for Windows too!
Crabapple HAS it right… read his comments!!!!
@ Jay & my mind;
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Since AppleTV works with purchased music and video, how, exactly, does D-Link profess to create an AppleTV killer? I guess that sounds cooler than “Just-another-box-that-can-stream-your-content-to-your-TV killer”
@chris, @shen,
There may be some deep philosophical food here, but quite honestly, I believe this whole, “…why doesn’t the industry get it…?” question is the sum total of where we’ve all been lead by Microsoft. MS has watered down and dumbed down the consumer’s expections of what any kind of computing experience can be to the point where we either don’t have any expecatations (except what we’ve come to know), or we don’t know what we should expect, (except that we know we wish it could somehow be better). MS has stripped the end user of any sense of having any influence on how or where computing technology goes, and filled that gap with a sense of utter dependence on whatever thing MS chooses to shell out next, without any regard for filling the real needs of the end user, or any accountability for such things as “user experience”.
I have always said that I see MS as the politburo of personal computing, and they keep trying to spread that power and control into all facets of computing technology. And bear in mind that MS infultrates and gains control not only directly, but also through its too-numerous-to-count “partners”, including D-Link.
Microsoft has screwed the planet Earth so badly we don’t even begin to realize how badly we’re all screwed. The real question is, what do we really do about it. All I can do is to continue to not buy MS products, and when a third party developer makes something for the Mac I try and recommend those things, but the truth is, the whole population of the planet must ween itself of dependence on MS.
I did the math. My household has 5 region-blind dvd players that can handle music and photos (four of which can also handle divx), and I have zero TVs.
With the exception of the Slingbox and Xbox Media Center, I have yet to see any of these devices really take off in terms of popularity…
This will crash and burn — and not just because Apple’s product is superior.
I’ve had the misfortune of helping people with their PCs on occasion, and D-Link makes absolutely the worst crap on the market.
I’ve had 2 Bluetooth USB adapters die on me within a week, and a wireless card that was not able to be set up without a “wired” computer. Calling tech support meant dealing with clods who made Beavis and Butthead sound like Rhodes scholars.
D-Link is one of those “how the hell do they stay in business” companies. But they seem to like them at Fry’s.
@Mr. Peabody
it is entirely possible that it IS all the fault of MS and a few bad companies, in fact i suspect that is the case.
but i am still curious as to how to turn that around, and what goes on at Apple that is, in many ways the reverse of “business as usual” for other companies.
yeah, i agree, “the greatest impact by microsoft on technology may be the extent to which they have lowered user expectations.”
…but knowing the cause is not the same as knowing a cure.
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Ok I confess, I’m using a D-Link Dir-625 Wireless Broadband Router. It just works, both the wireless and the wired ports. If that isn’t enough I got a D-Link Wireless USB Dongle for my daughter’s B&W G3, and it also works very well, go figure. Yup everything worked just fine until I got my Slingbox. Now to be clear, in the house the Slingbox works flawlesslessly over wired and wireless connections, but the D-Link router will not allow me to enter any new gateways as per Slingbox instructions, so I cannot connect to my Slingbox while working on the road. I’ve called and emailed D-Link serveral times and the “clods”, (and that’s being very kind), at D-Link just sit there and read the manual back to me, and I’ve been through each and every word of the manual already. I’m thinking I may have to connect it to a Windows machine to get it to work – but there you have it for whatever it’s worth.
@ Zune Tang,
“…At least my Windows Media PC has an ‘Intel Inside’ sticker next to the ‘Designed for Windows XP’ sticker which is next to the Windows license certificate of authenticity sticker…”
Until now, I was more than willing to believe you were a typical Windows lemming. While there has always been a certain humor in your posts…depending how one looked at them, there was always the underlying notion you were completely serious… if one read your posts simply straight on.
But, now I know that Shiva and others are correct. You really had me going. Thanks for finally being so out and out obvious about it. There is no way a true Windows lemming would post something like the quote above. Even brain-washed, no one who can use a computer at all… is that flat stupid.
Thanks for the laffs.
> R wrote: They’ve been in it, have been unenthusiastically received…
So you’re saying… If at first you don’t succeed, give up.
Interesting bit of wisdom there. Well, not really.
“Even brain-washed, no one who can use a computer at all… is that flat stupid.”
used to have that problem in tech support…..
“please box up your machine and send it back.”
“is it that bad?”
“yes, i am afraid you are too damn stupid to be allowed to own a computer.”
Did any of you bother reading the press release?
This site is the one who said “AppleTV killer” D-Link never did.
Why because they are for completely different demographics. AppleTV is to AOL what the MediaLounge is to the Internet. AppleTV takes the walled garden approach, just as Macs do. Where the MediaLounge products are more for people that want more control over their content.