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http://www.macnn.com/articles/01/10/19/apple.device/

Apple device launch to steal XP thunder?

updated 04:15 am EDT, Fri October 19, 2001

 
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An OSOpinion.com piece theorizes that Apple's October 23rd announcement may be an effort to draw attention away from Microsoft's much-hyped Windows XP launch party, due on October 25th. Author Kelly McNeill suggests that the device will likely have something to do with either DVD or MP3, since Apple has invested significant software development resources into each area.


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  1. countb

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    10/19, 06:43am | report spam | Reply | delete

    shock horror

    talk about stating the bleeding obvious! Of course Apple is trying to steal MS' thunder. I just hope it isn't just a fancy MP3 player as that is in no way ground breaking anc will just cause bad press reviews.

    OSOpinion is really low qualiry isn't it?

  1. \0

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    10/19, 07:30am | report spam | Reply | delete

    Hello!

    "OSOpinion is really low qualiry isn't it?"

    Its NFN! Of *course* it is! ;)

  1. majinbutz

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    10/19, 08:17am | report spam | Reply | delete

    The Device

    MacOS Rumors suggested that the device is linked to both iTunes and QuickTime. If they are right (first time for everything) then the device may be a component that hooks up to both a stereo system and a television allowing you to play MP3s through your stereo and QT compatible multimedia on your television. There are obvious and not so obvious advantages to a device like this.

    First of all, we'd all like to be able to play our MP3s through our stereos in a way that is easier and more flexible than current solutions. I imagine that a device of this nature would be controllable through iTunes but do all of the decoding itself, that would allow your processor to do more important stuff like draw that aqua interface.

    The QuickTime side of the deal has less obvious advantages. Sure it would be fun to play movie trailors on our big screen tvs but there are more important things involved. Several big movie companies will soon be offering movie "rentals" over the internet. For "about the cost of pay per view" you'll be able to download a movie and watch it as much as you want for a certain period of time. There are a lot of problems with this concept but probably the biggest is: people want to watch movies on their televisions, not their computer monitors. A device like this would solve that problem and do it exclusively with QuickTime. So it's good news for consumers who want to watch movies on their TVs and it's a good way for Apple to convince these movie companies to choose QuickTime. Let's face it, we Mac users need them to make that choice, the other media formats do not work nearly as well on the Mac as QuickTime does. If these movie services use something like Windows Media Format and they actually become popular, then people who consider using those services to be a major reason to own a computer will be much more likely to buy a PC.

    Anyway, that's what I'm hoping for.

  1. ParkgatePete

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    10/19, 08:20am | report spam | Reply |

    Purchases

    Didn't Apple buy out a couple of software developers in the Video Authoring field this year?

    It's about time they got a return on their investment.

    I reckon that this new thing will be something to keep in the living room, not the study. Something to plug into the HiFi or TV, not a monitor.

    A remote iTunes player that draws the music from your Mac and blows you away with visuals on the TV.

    Hardly ground breaking though.

  1. ParkgatePete

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    10/19, 08:24am | report spam | Reply |

    Whatever it is...

    ... it's going to have to be completely mind blowing to compete with the $billions marketing budget for XP.

    Realistically, there's no way that anything Apple do can steal any thunder from XP.

    They don't know how to market OSX properly - their crown jewels - how can they be expected to market this better than M$?

  1. Joined:

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    10/19, 09:09am | report spam | Reply | delete

    Slightly OT...

    But have you seen the XP Commercials? Madonna music while people fly around looking at XP screens. WTF? MS is selling a fantastical pipe-dream that no sane person buys into.

    Apple ads, however, either show simple, seductive images of the hardware, or in the case of "digital hub" ads, reality (if humorous) situations showing *real applications of their product*.

    I sure hope they start showing OS X commercials (or at least *in* commercials), but I like that they take the high-road and don't use bizarro hype around it.

    Now chip-speed claims are another story... ;)

  1. countb

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    10/19, 09:44am | report spam | Reply | delete

    MP3 through hifi

    I hope not.

    MP3 sound quality is pretty good when you hear it on a computer, but burned back to CD the hissyness starts showing through. Of course it's better at higher bitrates but most people want small files.

    The same goes for QT video. It looks great in a 480x320 window but piped through a 28" TV it will look like a 10th generation vhs copy. Home bandwidth is still too low for PPV movies over the net, especially now DVD is popular.

    Like the rest of the Mac owning world, I want a non PalmOS PDA - something to counter the impressive PocketPC 2002 unit. A cheap Webpad might do it, or a new eMate.

    I can dream...

  1. ParkgatePete

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    10/19, 09:57am | report spam | Reply |

    XP Commercials haven't

    reached UK yet (thank goodness)

    If they are cheesy as the Win95 ones were "Start Me Up" and all that, then they can keep them.

    (Notice how they never got to the line in the song about making a "poor man cry"? ;-)

  1. Joined:

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    10/19, 11:17am | report spam | Reply | delete

    re: Purchases

    A remote iTunes player that draws the music from your Mac and blows you away with visuals on the TV.

    I have one of these... it's called an iBook.

  1. Joined:

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    10/19, 11:35am | report spam | Reply | delete

    XP Commercials

    Yeah, XP commercials are so ... not informative, but you know, I thought it was cool how the guy was running and kept jumping. I was like ... WTF is he smoking? And then he all of sudden just takes off and it says "Yes you can" -- gotta admit, it's neat.

    It's all a matter of opinion I guess... here's hoping for a good announcement from AAPL on Tuesday ...

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