What I do see, is possibilities.

An Apple TV that is a “TV” would have to be more than just a media box like the 1st and 2nd versions of the Apple TV.  I think this device would have to be a media center or iTunes Server.  We know that Apple can make beautiful displays and fantastic hardware.  My vision is that this iTunes Server would need to have a few things to make it work.  It would need to contain a very large hard drive, Seagate recently announced a 4Tb hard drive, and the ability to update the software and hard drive.   The rest of the hardware might stand the test of time or need to be upgradeable over time.  That is the problem, it doesn’t fit Apple’s model.  Not only that but FaceTime Hd camera would have to be capable of upgrades also.

I understand where people want this to go and I have seen the videos’ of Alan Kay’s visionary tablet and Apple’s knowledge navigator.  I also ‘see’ how AirPlay is making some of the sharing possible with a combination of Apple devices.  My first thoughts and impressions are that they will be making a 3rd generation Apple TV that will allow and manage the ‘Cord Free’ connecting and syncing between iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch.  My vision is 2 devices, one that has a large hard drive and one that is like the 2nd generation Apple TV.  My other feeling is that they are working with TV manufacturers to get  AirPlay working on TVs.  This could work as a widget or as an always on service running and ready to receive streams.

I really see a new Apple TV being an iTunes Server … I know I have said it a few times already.  It is the only thing that make sense to me.

ironwil

First, with CDMA you can’t use data and voice at the same time – this is HUGE!!!  I can’t tell you how many times I have needed to get online for some information and was able to while on a phone call.  I guess Verizon customers are used to this limitation and they are okay with it.

Second, I expected Apple would develop and release an LTE iPhone that would cover both AT&T and Verizon.   I based that expectation on both AT&T and Verizon moving to the 700MHz radio band, to which the rights for use were acquired when the FCC auctioned the bandwidth off.

I still anticipate an iPhone 4G that will run on the 700MHz or LTE band this summer; however, this could be the first time that Apple skips a summer release.  I don’t anticipate that Sprint or T-Mobile will come online anytime soon; yet I am wrong … and more often then I would like.

What I can say is that Apple continues to surprise me.

iron wil

HTC and Samsung have also produced the most compelling second tier SmartPhones.  I have to admit that the I wish I had the cash to buy and test these other devices.  I have seen the HTC Incredible and it is a compelling SmartPhone, I would also have liked to see the Droid X, HTC Evo, and the Galaxy S phones up close.

We have seen false starts [JooJoo - discontinued] and demo’s [PlayBook]; however, only one company has a compelling Slate [or Tablet] product.  Samsung has released the Galaxy Tab, the only real contender in the Slate market.  I would love to have one of these to test and use for a month or two.  I really like the form and think that it could be a very useful and usable device.  I also think that its 7″ and 16:9 screen size is a useful size.  In other places … Archos has a few devices yet, because they do not have the same footprint or power in the US market, they have gone mostly unnoticed by the populace.

We have several other Slate devices that are rumored to be coming soon; however, all I am seeing is VaporWare.

The desktop computer market is becoming old hat.  I will agree that they are needed in the business world, but I can actually see more people moving to a Slate PC for everyday usage.  I know that I could go Slate for 85% to 95% of the things that I do, if I have a 3G [or4G] connection.  I have to admit that with a few specialized Apps and more HTML5-based websites … I could be quite happy.  I don’t have a problem syncing my Slate to a central or main PC, especially if it provides a full hard drive back up.  I would love to see Wi-Fi Syncing for everything but OS updates.

I believe the Touch Interface will start to migrate into a whole lot of places and many of them will be places it doesn’t belong.  A few places I would like to see a Touch Interface is on a fridge with weather and some other applications – grocery lists and meal planning options to name a two more.  Another place could be bathroom mirrors with a built in floor scale and historical medical data.  I would be happy to stand on a scale/device that could read Weight, BMI, Blood Pressure, among other bio-readings.

Well, 2011 dawns and 2010 has waned.  What will happen this year in Technology … is anybody’s guess … unless you work for Apple!

iron wil

I was listening to a recent netcast, probably MacBreak Weekly #214 or Windows Weekly #176, and they were discussing the USB port on the back of the Apple TV.  I really started to think about that port and and the iTunes software.  I also felt that my iTunes Server could be met with Apple activating that port for external hard drives.  This could make the Apple TV an iTunes Server IF they add the ability to manage Accounts, Purchase Content, and allow iTunes to act as the intermediary.  Personal Profiles would allow one iTunes Account to manage multiple users (or device profiles) with Bonjour running Apple could enable Bluetooth or Wi-Fi Syncing.  This would solve the iTunes Server issue mentioned below.

I have noticed that a few videos and articles have surfaced over the last [thinking] 3 years and they are all pointing to the future of where Apple said it was going in the 80′s.  The Newton was their first attempt at a mobile product that would fill the space of the ‘hand-held communicator’ or Dynabook that was talked about by Alan Kay.  In my recent post, the video shared by TUAW, talks about being able to stream media on the fly.  To have total access to your books, music, movies, and documents no matter where an individual is located … they only need access to the internet.

Today we have 2 ubiquitous internet devices from Apple, the iPad and iPhone.  These two devices deliver the majority of the internet to you on the go.  We know that we can buy, rent, listen, and watch content as long as we are connected to the internet.  Yeah for 3G and GSM!!!  We now know that Apple is working on “The Orchard” a large data center in North Carolina.  Apple has now released the updated Apple TV that delivers all of your iTunes content to your TV plus NetFlix and hopefully much more as they continue to work on this platform.  I have heard some discussion for the Apple TV where we can push Hulu, MLB, or even games to our living room or bedroom TVs via AirPlay (or Apps).

With Apple rolling Apple TV and AirPlay out to their 160 million registered iTunes customers they have an instant [upon purchase] test bed.  To play with and work through all the bugs and legal issues.  They have a willing audience of “Fan Boys” that have already ordered their new Apple TV‘s.  They have users like me that will be purchasing one after they start shipping.

Now, what is missing?  One huge thing I think is missing is an iTunes server.  Yeah, I know that HP’s MediaSmart running Windows Home Server with the plug-in will act in this fashion.  What I am looking for is … think a Mac Mini Server form factor that we can add external hard drives to for increased capacity!  [The one extra cool feature would be that we could add more iTunes Servers and they would span the network.  I am thinking of a Drobo + AirPort Wireless Network Extender + SAN.]  We could stream right from that instead of from the family iMac.  It would function as the iTunes back-up for the whole family, accounts for each user.  This would then be coupled with “The Orchard” so that we have 3 copies of our media and we can then stream anything we own to anywhere! Now hold on and don’t forget that Apple purchased Lala.com and they had a really good balance of being able to push music that you already own for 10¢ each track and the ability to buy new music.

So,  if I have a DVD or digital copy of a movie, then I have to pay the 30¢ licensing fee and Apple drops a copy in my Orchard account.  Then if something happens to our Mac we have a copy of everything in the “Cloud”.  The way I see this service really being delivered is via MobileMe.  I am not sure if it would be 99$ still or if it would be free.  I think that free would ‘force’ people to move their content there because there is no barrier to entry.  I know that I would start right away.  I know that it would cost me; but if I could have the guarantee … I would be compelled to do it right away.  We have 2 Macs and 2 iPhones and it would be a no brainer for my wife and I to jump on that right away.

It is very clear to my mind what this will look like and how it will work.  Unfortunately, I don’t actually know and if I did, I wouldn’t be able to write this.

iron wil

After watching this video and seeing the September iPod announcements and the new Apple TV; it really solidifies even more the direction that I think Apple is headed.  If they get there watch out, it will be amazing!!  Think of ubiquitous computing to the next level.  Your TV is connected to your network and you can push video or anything else to it.

I can use my iPad to push a Keynote that I am working on to the TV to check the scale and get an idea of how it will look.  I will be able to put up a spreadsheet and a website I am working from and other resources.  Using the Apple TV and the iPad, iPod Touch, or iPhone.  It allows for a family or coworkers to share and collaborate in the office.  It moves us closer to the Star Trek interface.  Where the screen changes and we can use voice commands to navigate, work, and interact with the computers that will surround us.

What really surprised me was that the TUAW writer didn’t even get to these points.  He missed the kid pushing his project to the ‘chalk board’ from his hand-held device.

The future is coming and Apple is bringing it!!!

iron wil

I love this device.  I really like the 802.11n and I really like the Price Point!  I can afford the 99$ and that makes this an easy buy.  Having access to NetFlix and my iTunes Library in the same place really makes me love this.  I see 3 things that will happen to the device over the next year or two:

1. The Orchard will hold and deliver personal content to any iPhone, iTouch, iPad, and Apple TV.
2. Apple will develop a home iTunes server that will allow for several accounts and multiple account access.  Think HP’s Windows Home Server with the iTunes plug-in.
3. Apple will allow for App development which will bring in more content and some games.  This may require a new Apple TV to handle multiple iPhones, iTouchs, and iPads … to act as game controllers.

Once, Apple puts these pieces into place, it defines the paradigm and concept of what that device in the living room is that handles TV Shows, Movies, Music, and Gaming!

I need to pre-order mine.

iron wil

P.S.

Others Thoughts

1. Wired’s Epicenter, How Apple Just Disrupted the Cable Guys.
2. Ars Technica, No longer a hobby? $99 Apple TV drops storage, integrates Netflix.
3. Fortune Tech, Apple TV swings hard but misses.

I  have to disagree with Fortune, I think that they are wanting a solution to a problem that everyone is searching for.  Wired & Ars, I think are on the same train of thought as I am and Apple.  It isn’t the answer yet … another step or iteration on the path to getting it right.  I look forward to seeing what comes next.  I hope they see and realize that this can’t be a stand alone box; it has to have a robust back-end of content.

1. Sell the App for $20
2. Change the Subscription Model
   1. $10 for the paper magazine ONLY
   2. $20 for Digital delivery to the mobile app and website access

What this means is that each month a subscriber can get the digital version of the magazine BEFORE the delivery of the paper version; yes, that means mobile app and website.

I don’t know about other subscribers; but I would pay for this.  Of course, I read Wired.com everyday for news & information that is going on in the Technology space.

iron wil

LTE or 4G is being rolled out this January by Verizon.  LTE is built on the 700MHz band that was purchased a few years ago by Verizon and AT&T.  The promised speeds can be up to 5 – 12 Mbps.  This is different from Sprint’s 4G service which is WiMax and it is not based on the 700MHz radio band.

There are several articles on Verizon’s 4G network and the Verizon iPhone.  What I think we will see is an iPhone 4[X], or 4G, that is the same device with the 700MHz chip set.  That way there will be a phone that covers the new services being rolled out by Verizon and AT&T in 2011.  It makes sense that even if Verizon is rolling out the new service in January that Apple would wait until the summer before delivering the new device; that way Apple will cover 2 networks at once.  I believe there will be an announcement in January and the phone in late June.  Apple likes to plan things out and deliver their products with panache.

iron wil

Update, 2010.08.16

Adam from MacCast also supports my beliefs on the full 700MHz spectrum iPhone 4.  It was also discussed on TWIT.tv on TWiT #260 and TNT #49.  Some of the panelists feel the same way, others share their points of view.

I don’t think that Apple will move off OS X unless it is to another desktop OS [11?].  I don’t think that they will move to iOS for their “Trucks” either, how else would people program for Apple products [pro & consumer]?  I think that if they move to a touch based OS for “OS 11″ then we will see programming change to a modular and visual interface and the keyboard will still be needed for some functions.  The only way the keyboard could be minimized is if a Star Trek like voice command is implemented.

What I think will happen is Apple will develop it’s Siri acquisition to build a more robust voice command interface and then over time move it into the desktop computer while beefing up the touch interface.  I also think that the home desktop will turn into a media server that will be connected via Wi-Fi to the TV, stereo, and hand-held devices [iPads, iPhones, and iPod Touches].  We will use the Knowledge Navigator [hand-held device] to interface with the home server and it will do the heavy lifting and data crunching.  It will store and back-up all the data from our devices and allow for the transfer of songs, movies, and other data back and forth via Wi-Fi.  Yes, this will work with the iPod Nano and Classic too!

The future of Apple is the Federation.  No really, the future is going  to be both trucks and cars, the desktop or work horse machine and the hand-held device.  The number of desktop machines will diminish because a family will own one & then they will all have hand-held devices.  The delivery of media will continue to be in two places the TV and the hand-held.  We will see the ability to move from one device to another and the media will follow seamlessly.

Ahhh, the future, please come now!!!

iron wil

Scoopertino is a well done FAKE news site that targets Apple and the shenanigans that surround the company; things like the lost iPhone, iPad 2.0 Demo, and several other items that have been in the news and rumor mill.

Mark’s NewsToons App for the iPhone received a lot of attention when it was turned down and then approved at the App Store.  I came across his video Obama vs. Obama; but don’ t let that discourage you; because he mocks everyone.

Scoopertino & Mark Fiore.

I hope you enjoy these sites.

iron wil