IronWil Blog » TWiT

Apple TV?!?

Iron Wil — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 14:52:48 +0000

I was listening to MacBreak Weekly 263 this week as the gang talked about the Apple TV Rumors that have been floating around. If you haven’t heard, the most current is that Apple is developing an TV. Yes, like Samsung, Philips, Sony, Vizio, and others. While this is not impossible, I am having a hard time seeing the vision.

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

The Apple TV Rev

Iron Wil — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 12:29:16 +0000

I am currently listening to MacBreak Weekly 210: Apple’s Fall Announcement and considering the pronostication for the Apple TV from the September 1st Apple Event.

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:

The Orchard will hold and deliver personal content to any iPhone, iTouch, iPad, and Apple TV.
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.
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

Wired’s Epicenter, How Apple Just Disrupted the Cable Guys.
Ars Technica, No longer a hobby? $99 Apple TV drops storage, integrates Netflix.
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.

The Next iPhone, will it be 700MHz?

Iron Wil — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 03:17:42 +0000

There is a lot of rumor about when the next iPhone, the Verizon iPhone, will be out in January. I have to admit that this does 2 things, it puts the iPhone out of the standard development cycle and releases a phone onto a brand new network, an UNTESTED network. Well, the network trials are going on now and limited user trials are rumored to be going on now.

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.

Online Authentication

Iron Wil — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 14:47:17 +0000

This is a huge subject that covers many aspects. We have Facebook pushing Facebook Connect, we have Open Authentication, a small group looking at delivering a distributed ID system, and browsers taking a crack at possible ways to deliver our online identities. There are opinions all over the map from guys like Jason Calacanis, Leo Laporte, and Steve Gibson.

I am not sure what the answer is; but I have to admit that I like Diaspora and am interested in what they end up doing. They received massive amounts of cash to deliver a product they came up with. Each person will hold their own ID and control how it is used. Mozilla has presented Thirdparty and Fingerprinting. Jason Calacanis has also ranted his displeasure on Facebook‘s Privacy while Leo Laporte has walked away from Facebook because the Privacy Policy has changed several times.

Facebook has now reached 500 Million daily users and is showing very little slowdown. Twitter is great for short messages and sharing right now news. Google is now working on a not so secret project titled ‘Google Me‘ a potential competitor to Facebook. Then we have Open Authentication or Open ID which is designed to deliver single sign on across the web; something that Microsoft tried to deliver years ago with Passport. There is such confusion over what the best solution will be.

Diaspora seems to bring the best ideas together by allowing the users to own the server, software, and information. It provides a single sign on that is controlled by the user.

What should the solution be?

That is a really good question. One, I have been considering for weeks, which is obvious since I am just getting this article finished & posted. I think that the best solution will allow for cross platform compatibility and easy user deployment. Software that can be installed similar to WordPress or Joomla. Plug-ins to enable additional features and content or games and video. It should be easy to update and take care of so that the average web user can manage their account and software. I imagine that several hosting companies, like DreamHost and SquareSpace, will provide managed installs. I hope that it will interface with Facebook and Twitter and several other services. It would make sense to me, that is always the hitch, that in order to compete and over take the competition; it will have to be very open and powerful. It would also need to provide Open Authentication [Open ID] like access to websites and deliver single sign-on services to a multitude of sites and services.

When it happens … the next social network evolution will change the way we communicate and interact. It will also change who owns the data and where that data resides. My personal hope is that projects like Diaspora will finally overcome the larger social juggernauts.

iron wil

Where’s the Brand?!?

Iron Wil — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 14:57:45 +0000

I was reading in Wired this morning about Mr. Kutcher, yes – Ashton Kutcher, and his work with UStream and his own company Katalyst Media. As some of you may know he is a huge Twitter user and has over 4 million followers. He was interviewed by Scott Brown in Don’t Laugh: Ashton Kutcher Is The Future of Video. I can’t say that the article was very insightful except for one comment, “The consumer is the brand“.

Now this is the correct concept when it comes to reaching the consumer and ‘selling’ products to them. It can also be called smart advertising, Leo Laporte “gets this” concept which can be seen by the growth of the TWiT.tv network that he has built over the last several years. Those, like myself, that listen to TWiT network shows understand the content and are not blind buyers. We are people that research and look into products that we purchase. Leo said once in a talk that advertisers are seeing real returns from those that listen [& now watch] shows on the TWiT network. I am an Audible subscriber now because I love to read, but I have a long commute (sometimes) during the week and my physical book reading time is reduced to nill. Now, I read books while driving or taking the train. It has allowed me to read Tarzan, Free, and John Adams in the last few months.

There are other products that I have been made aware of via the NetCasts from TWiT because they covered and talked about, not because they were a sponsor of the shows. I am not interested in everything mentioned on the shows I listen to; however, I do spend time on the pages of the products mentioned so that I can get a better understanding of them and become more informed about that product.

So, the Brand is the Consumer, the products that we use and consume key to us for a reason, they resonate with our culture or our needs. They maybe something that we are already using; like on TWiT’s book pick section of the Audible ad it extends our awareness of something that we maybe interested in. I have picked up Free: The Future of a Radical Price, Ringworld, John Adams, and The World is Flat from listening to Audible ads in the NetCasts. These books are not something that I would have picked up on my own.

What the future holds will be in show ad placement and ads that reflect the audience you are trying to reach. The days of TV commercial ads are going out and companies will have to be able to adapt to the changing consumer. Smart, engaging, and doing research on the things they may want to purchase. That is social media and that is the future.

iron wil

Net TWIT NetCasts – 2009.08.29

Iron Wil — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 10:30:06 +0000

TWiT 209: Dvorak Shrugged

Hosts: Leo Laporte, John C. Dvorak, Om Malik, and Kirk Harnack

The Apple-Google-ATT conspiracy, the US CIO babbles, and TWiT goes digital…

IronWil Blog » TWiT

Apple TV?!?

The Apple TV Rev

The Next iPhone, will it be 700MHz?

Update, 2010.08.16

Online Authentication

Where’s the Brand?!?

Net TWIT NetCasts – 2009.08.29

Snow Leopard – Round One

New TWiT NetCasts – 2009.08.15

New TWiT NetCasts – 2009.07.25

New TWiT NetCasts – 2009.06.13

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