This is a momentous year for anniversaries for geeks like me. In less than a month, on April 1, Apple Computer will turn 30. Like many thousands of other Mac geeks worldwide, I'm expecting something big to be announced by Apple...maybe something having to do with the mysterious touch screen iPod-like device that was conspicuously missing from the "Fun New Products" event last week (if it does indeed exist). That would be enough in and of itself -- I believe that such a device would be the next step in the evolution of consumer media technology, and could revolutionize the way we interact with our digital content (purchased or otherwise).
But, as fate would have it, 2006 marks another anniversary: it's the 40th year of Star Trek. Although there are no current Star Trek series in production, there is an archive of over 700 television episodes syndicated in some form or another in seeming perpetuity. But aside from some conventions and some standard self-promotional (low key) campaigns, the Star Trek people seem to be keeping below the radar. Unusually so, considering the occasion.
Why would this be? 40 years of any TV brand is a big deal. And given the fact that Star Trek's new owner is one of the oldest TV broadcast networks, this seems just a bit odd. CBS, you ask? Why, yes...Star Trek was under the Paramount Television banner for its entire modern existence until early 2006, when Paramount Television was folded into CBS (out from under the Viacom family of brands).
Now, these two anniversaries, separately, are cause enough for the geek in all of us to celebrate. But what if something -- somehow -- tied these two cultural icons together?
Something like, say, the iTunes Music Store.
This seems a natural fit: if the full-screen iPod is indeed a reality, it would very much resemble Star Trek-like technology. CBS is rumored to be in negotiations with Apple for an iTunes Music Store distribution deal. With one of the largest episodic television libraries ever, and a cultural fan base of millions, Star Trek on iTunes would be the ultimate foray into portable content distribution. At a few episodes a time, purchasing the entire Trek library would ensure a steady stream of revenue to the iTMS (and CBS) at a higher return than the DVD box sets (note: this is purely a guess on my part).
A combined launch of a full-screen iPod and a CBS content distribution deal (featuring the Star Trek license, initially) would virtually guarantee the top position for Apple, at least in the short term, in the digital video content distribution wars that are just ramping up.
[note: edited to correct the typo in the title, as pointed out by the first commentator below...(thanks!)]
Wednesday, March 08, 2006
The revolution has already started...
[note: I originally wrote most of this on March 2 (last Thursday), but I thought I had lost it...it was, in fact, in the Drafts folder, so I finished it up and posted it today. Sorry for any confusion.]
OK, so maybe my knee-jerk reaction to Apple's "Fun New Products" event was a bit negative.
Apple is going exactly the route I was expecting. Not that I'm any sort of prophet; everyone seemed to be expecting some sort of media center Mac mini and an "iPod boombox." I think it's just that most folks (me included) were expecting a more radical change for the mini.
And I think that's why we don't run Apple, and Steve Jobs does.
Where anyone of the "Fun New Product" event's critics would have taken a bold new direction, Steve has made a slight alteration in course. Steady as she goes, so to speak.
The Mac mini is the most important product Apple has at the moment. Before you ask me to pass the crack pipe, let me explain: yes, the iPod is a juggernaut, and it shows no signs of slowing. The iPod has shown the world that people actually care about their portable media, and they're not afraid to spend more money on a good product to help them transport and enjoy that media. However, the iPod as it currently exists (in its various incarnations) is approaching the top of its arc in popularity. The iPod is about to undergo a fundamental shift in architecture, and when it does, the world will once again have to adjust its perceptions on how to interact with personal information and media.
More than any other product currently in Apple's portfolio, the Mac mini has the potential to change the way we experience the wealth of digital information we are so quickly collecting. It is poised as the progenitor (along with the iPod) of a new class of computing and portable media device. Along with the infrastructure of iTunes and AirPort Extreme, the Mac mini is set to partner with the iPod to provide a home digital content management system that will take consumers by storm. The iPod HiFi is testament to this.
Remember, the Mac mini is essentially just a reconfigured laptop. Imagine having a portable power source for it...like, say...a car? Imagine a standard docking solution integrated in an automobile -- heck, people have already started integrating minis into vehicles.
When I first heard of that phenomenon, I was a bit taken aback...I mean, how can you drive and use your Mac at the same time? But let's go to the land of imagination once more:
You're getting set for a family trip. You make sure to pack the digital camera, the DV camcorder, and your Mac Media mini (mobileMe, anyone?). Since the mini is so small, you just grab it from its power base on the entertainment center, carry it to the minivan, and plug it into its dock in the console. You know you have plenty of music and video for the trip, because your iTunes library is on the HD. The fold-down displays and headphone jacks in the back seats for the kids (and optionally, for the front passenger) are already integrated into the digital content management system. If the kids don't want to watch the same movie or listen to the same music, that's OK...you're bringing the iPod along, too...little Johnny or Suzie can just plug the iPod into the dock next to his or her headphones and enjoy something else.
Additionally, you've already planned the trip, and you've saved some reference files for various stops along the trip. Part of the digital system in the car allows you to toggle a heads-up display on the windshield in front of you to view quick reference visuals (thankfully, rich media content is filtered from that display to prevent distractions from driving).
You also remembered to pack your iBook, since you or your spouse (whoever is sitting in the passenger's seat), may want to pass the travel time putting together the family photos and videos while the vacation is still a fresh memory. By the time you get home, you'll have a complete (or near-complete) home video of the trip; all you'll need to do is burn the DVD (if you didn't already do so in the van).
I can see that scenario playing out within the next 24 - 36 months. And the thing is, the foundation has already been poured with the iPod / iTunes combo. Airport Express is another key element in this strategy, and the Mac mini is evolving into one of the last key pieces of this infrastructure.
Steve Jobs is reigniting the platform wars. He has been for the past five years; it's only just now becoming clear. Apple has already claimed our personal space and our vehicles with the iPod. It's now taking our homes with the current iPod / Mac mini combo. In appealing to our passions and our intellects, Apple is harvesting the consumer's mindshare in scores. This, in turn, will raise consumer awareness of Apple branding and quality, which will eventually spill over into the office.
OK, so maybe my knee-jerk reaction to Apple's "Fun New Products" event was a bit negative.
Apple is going exactly the route I was expecting. Not that I'm any sort of prophet; everyone seemed to be expecting some sort of media center Mac mini and an "iPod boombox." I think it's just that most folks (me included) were expecting a more radical change for the mini.
And I think that's why we don't run Apple, and Steve Jobs does.
Where anyone of the "Fun New Product" event's critics would have taken a bold new direction, Steve has made a slight alteration in course. Steady as she goes, so to speak.
The Mac mini is the most important product Apple has at the moment. Before you ask me to pass the crack pipe, let me explain: yes, the iPod is a juggernaut, and it shows no signs of slowing. The iPod has shown the world that people actually care about their portable media, and they're not afraid to spend more money on a good product to help them transport and enjoy that media. However, the iPod as it currently exists (in its various incarnations) is approaching the top of its arc in popularity. The iPod is about to undergo a fundamental shift in architecture, and when it does, the world will once again have to adjust its perceptions on how to interact with personal information and media.
More than any other product currently in Apple's portfolio, the Mac mini has the potential to change the way we experience the wealth of digital information we are so quickly collecting. It is poised as the progenitor (along with the iPod) of a new class of computing and portable media device. Along with the infrastructure of iTunes and AirPort Extreme, the Mac mini is set to partner with the iPod to provide a home digital content management system that will take consumers by storm. The iPod HiFi is testament to this.
Remember, the Mac mini is essentially just a reconfigured laptop. Imagine having a portable power source for it...like, say...a car? Imagine a standard docking solution integrated in an automobile -- heck, people have already started integrating minis into vehicles.
When I first heard of that phenomenon, I was a bit taken aback...I mean, how can you drive and use your Mac at the same time? But let's go to the land of imagination once more:
You're getting set for a family trip. You make sure to pack the digital camera, the DV camcorder, and your Mac Media mini (mobileMe, anyone?). Since the mini is so small, you just grab it from its power base on the entertainment center, carry it to the minivan, and plug it into its dock in the console. You know you have plenty of music and video for the trip, because your iTunes library is on the HD. The fold-down displays and headphone jacks in the back seats for the kids (and optionally, for the front passenger) are already integrated into the digital content management system. If the kids don't want to watch the same movie or listen to the same music, that's OK...you're bringing the iPod along, too...little Johnny or Suzie can just plug the iPod into the dock next to his or her headphones and enjoy something else.
Additionally, you've already planned the trip, and you've saved some reference files for various stops along the trip. Part of the digital system in the car allows you to toggle a heads-up display on the windshield in front of you to view quick reference visuals (thankfully, rich media content is filtered from that display to prevent distractions from driving).
You also remembered to pack your iBook, since you or your spouse (whoever is sitting in the passenger's seat), may want to pass the travel time putting together the family photos and videos while the vacation is still a fresh memory. By the time you get home, you'll have a complete (or near-complete) home video of the trip; all you'll need to do is burn the DVD (if you didn't already do so in the van).
I can see that scenario playing out within the next 24 - 36 months. And the thing is, the foundation has already been poured with the iPod / iTunes combo. Airport Express is another key element in this strategy, and the Mac mini is evolving into one of the last key pieces of this infrastructure.
Steve Jobs is reigniting the platform wars. He has been for the past five years; it's only just now becoming clear. Apple has already claimed our personal space and our vehicles with the iPod. It's now taking our homes with the current iPod / Mac mini combo. In appealing to our passions and our intellects, Apple is harvesting the consumer's mindshare in scores. This, in turn, will raise consumer awareness of Apple branding and quality, which will eventually spill over into the office.
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