The aftermath

Apple didn't give us the full screen ipod we wanted but we did get a new shuffle, a new(er) ipod that was much improved, streaming movies and itv. I did throw the thoughts around about itv. I myself am an early adopter when it comes to technology. Ok i have 2 airport expresses setup in a loop network in my apartment(dont ask me how i figured that one out). Apple's iTV allows downloadable content to be streamed from your computer to your television. Which just happens to be the focus of the new and improved itunes. Initially i thought wow Apple is giving us yet another half-baked product. Who needs near DVD quality movies streamed when you have netflix and tivo, both of which provid similar solutions. But the more I thought about it Apple isn't taking on just blockbuster, netflix or amazon here. This is a battle with microsoft and sony for the living room. Surprisingly Microsoft is already here in the form of xbox live which offers downloadable games and content to be streamed from pcs. Yet the xbox is the only hardward piece sitting in the living room and its somewhat limited. Sony should launch its Ps3 sometime this fall/winter and that too will be limited to mostly games (as far as we know too). So this is clearly a logical move for Apple, if not brillant in the long run. It already owns content channels in the form of music and has a loyal online following. If its movie service can establish itself Apple is sitting well to be a provider of content and a creator of content. It doesn't have to make tvs like sony. These days companies like Youtube or Flickr are the most successful because they have a loyal following amongst their consumer channels. Also another major component is the format wars. Sony wants blu-ray, Microsoft wants HD-DVD, yet the future is streaming and online storage (i.e. Youtube, Ondemand). So Apple could be uping the electronic giants but do we really need iTV now, since an eventual upgrade would be needed for true HD in the proper ratio. In the long run this is a smart move for Apple, the only short term stumbling block is if people hesitate on the near DVD quality. Sorry for the bad grammared rambling, more thoughts on this when i am not working late.
Of My Eye