“For the last two weeks we’ve been discussing Apple’s video download strategy and associated products, especially what Apple is calling for now its iTV video extender, which I have been calling the Video Express since I first wrote about it 18 months ago. It’s evident from its High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) connector (and lack of an S-Video connector) that the iTV is intended to connect primarily to high definition televisions. Yet these were never mentioned in the product announcement by Apple CEO Steve Jobs. In fact, the term HDTV was never used despite Jobs declaration that 2005 had been the ‘Year of HD,'” Robert X. Cringely writes for PBS.
Cringely writes, “So there is a lot about this product and the underlying services it will provide that Apple isn’t saying. Of course Apple will eventually sell and rent HD movies over this device. Then why aren’t they saying so?
Cringely writes, “The answer is more complex than you’d guess, and might be answered best by another question: Where are the Blu-ray high definition DVD drives in Apple’s latest computers? Sony is selling computers with Blu-ray drives, why not Apple? Apple long ago pledged allegiance to Blu-ray over the rival HD-DVD. Certainly Apple’s top-of-the-line Mac Pro, a double dual-core machine aimed straight at rich media creators, would have Blu-ray, wouldn’t it?”
“One would think so, but I’m quite certain we won’t see any Blu-ray drives in Apple computers until the iTunes Store has a deal to sell Sony films. There is a simple quid pro quo here, not just in the lack of Blu-ray drives, but also in the on-again, off-again nature of Sony camcorder sales in the Apple stores. Negotiations are continuing, sometimes in the marketplace itself,” Cringely writes,
Cringely writes, “Now what about that USB port on the back of each iTV box? Giving his tour of the gizmo last week, Jobs rushed right past the USB port. What could that port be for? It’s not for a USB hard drive, that’s for sure, because the key brain in this system is back in your Mac or PC and its very large hard drive. Nor will Apple (immediately) enable the iTV to act as a digital video recorder, because that might step on TV network toes before Apple is ready to do so. The USB port is clearly intended for an Apple iSight camera, a webcam to go with your HDTV. It’s iChat for Grandma.”
Much more in the full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Pogo” for the heads up.]
Related articles:
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
Get out your Jane Jetson morning face mask.
Yeah sure. And Apple will also be coming out with iSight Telescope so that you can actually see Grandma’s face from her paisley couch.
No No, the USB port is for the 2 Terrabyte Array that Apple will sell that will hold all you digital life files. The USB port will provide network abilities for the device.
I’m just waiting to get Ampar’s take on this.
I can see it now: Plug your favorite personal sex toy into de USB port while watching porn and get synchronized feedback during all de ins and outs showing on de screen. Yeh-heh-hehessssss . . .
How stupid. I poop–
Waitaminute. That’s actually a good idea.
iSight is firewire
iSights are Firewire fool
An iSight camera?
If this is the case, I can see a lot of people getting carpet burns making their own home ‘movies’, watching themselves on a big screen TV!
Channel 69 anyone?
iSight is firewire. Good call Cingely. If that is your real name.
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Or it is for a digital camera. you know so that you can just hook it up and look at all the great photos you just took. Or maybe it is for your iPod?
Wow, firewire storm. LOL
“Apple long ago pledged allegiance to Blu-ray over the rival HD-DVD”
not over rival hd-dvd, they are already in dvd consortium
iPod’s were Firewire too at one point. There is no reason why an iSight couldn’t be USB.
This guy really thinks he knows something, too bad iSight is firewire and they would probably build in a camera, maybe into the next generation cinema displays have the built-in camera.
iSights are firewire but they haven’t been updated. That might be the next update, an iSight that works for all computers. It works under bootcamp, why not on any windows machine?
Let’s make one thing clear, Cringely is by far the best mac tech writer around. That doesn’t mean he’s always right but he always make you think and very few bloggers do. In this case what he says makes total sense. If you limit his comments to firewire or not you guys are missing the point.
iSight may be USB with their next revision. In case you haven’t noticed, they are pretty hard to come by these days…the iSights are. I think you’ll find them missing from most Apple stores.
The USB is clearly for an iPod so friends can bring theirs round and you can watch/listen to each others TV/Photos/Music etc. I am sure it will also allow for storage expansion from 3rd party manufacturers or even Apple itself.
Tim Coughlin
True sg, but since most of us sit more than 30″ from our TVs lens length, focal length and light sensitivity becomes issues too. Size, weight and cost prevent a powered zoom lens, so would Apple offer an “Office iSight” and a “Living Room iSight”? Doubt it.
Interesting idea, but I’m not convinced.
More likely, the USB port is to plug in a camera or flash memory reader. Your friend brings over the camera, you can plug it into the device and view the pictures on the TV.
Or, more likely, it’s for future expansion or maintenance. Heck, my cable box has a USB port.
About eight years ago my spouse’s elderly parents gifted us with a ViaTV videophone setup. It added the capacity of video conferencing on the TV screen to a regular telephone call. We actually liked this thing a lot and used it quite a bit to visit regularly cross-continent. Based on that experience, I would predict that Grandmas everywhere would indeed go for a simple and computer-unencumbered iTV if the device were to include such a video conferencing-via-television capacity.
the iSight would be built into the HDTV just like the computer. Come get on the sj page.
Sorry, pr. I’m on hiatus. Like being on a hyena but completely different.
USB is for a USB TV tuner
Also … the iChat comparison is interestingly ironic, however. I mean .. who do you know that actually uses iChat? Hardly anybody will agree to do it, right? Regardless .. stick it on the tube minus the computer and it would indeed sell like hotcakes, imho. I find that sorta funny. heh