kharvel
Apr 29, 12:58 PM
There is just so much wrong with 100% of your post. I can't even begin, nor will I spend time, contradicting every sentence.
There is so much wrong with 100% of your comment above. I can't even begin, nor will I spend time, trying to explain why you're 100% wrong about me being 100% wrong.
In short, there is no war between Apple and Microsoft...nor has been for decades.
You either jumped on the Apple bandwagon after Y2K or you're a MS fanboy. Which is it?
Also, you think Apple is not a monopoly? Apple makes the hardware, the OS, the apps, and Appstore, and APPROVES what apps consumers can purchase. No...that's not a monopoly. No, sir.
Sony makes Playstation 2, the Playstation 2 OS, the Playstation 2 network, and APPROVES what can or cannot be done on the Playstation 2 network and to some extent, APPROVES what games consumers can or cannot play on Playstation 2.
Therefore, based on your logic, Sony is a . . . MONOPOLY!
Let's do another one:
RIM makes the Playbook, the Playbook OS, the Playbook apps and Playbook app store, and APPROVES what apps consumer can purchase.
Therefore, based on your logic, RIM is a. . . .. MONOPOLY!
There is so much wrong with 100% of your comment above. I can't even begin, nor will I spend time, trying to explain why you're 100% wrong about me being 100% wrong.
In short, there is no war between Apple and Microsoft...nor has been for decades.
You either jumped on the Apple bandwagon after Y2K or you're a MS fanboy. Which is it?
Also, you think Apple is not a monopoly? Apple makes the hardware, the OS, the apps, and Appstore, and APPROVES what apps consumers can purchase. No...that's not a monopoly. No, sir.
Sony makes Playstation 2, the Playstation 2 OS, the Playstation 2 network, and APPROVES what can or cannot be done on the Playstation 2 network and to some extent, APPROVES what games consumers can or cannot play on Playstation 2.
Therefore, based on your logic, Sony is a . . . MONOPOLY!
Let's do another one:
RIM makes the Playbook, the Playbook OS, the Playbook apps and Playbook app store, and APPROVES what apps consumer can purchase.
Therefore, based on your logic, RIM is a. . . .. MONOPOLY!
waltchui
Apr 4, 12:35 PM
just fyi, being from san diego. Otay Mesa/Otay ranch is only 5-10 minutes from the Mexican border/Tijuana
iCrizzo
Mar 23, 05:44 PM
I downloaded all of these apps yesterday just in case!! I don't drink, but yes I am a smoker, not while I am driving.. but I have yet to find a good delivery service so some days I must ride dirty!! :cool: :apple:
skwert
Sep 13, 09:03 PM
I assume the screen would be a touch screen. I would hate to start dialing numbers using the click wheel.
"The click-wheel portion of the device reportedly slides down to reveal a traditional numeric dial-pad underneath."
someone was too excited to read the whole thing :p
"The click-wheel portion of the device reportedly slides down to reveal a traditional numeric dial-pad underneath."
someone was too excited to read the whole thing :p
OrangeSVTguy
May 3, 10:22 AM
Now I want my mini with 4 thunderbolt ports and quad core. Bring on the new SB Mini :p
Those iMacs are so nice looking tho!
Those iMacs are so nice looking tho!
DZMacNutZ
Mar 18, 10:44 AM
The biggest reason that we have been Virus and attack free in general is because we have been such an exclusive club for so long. We have never been mainstream. We were always elitist and as such not a very lucrative target for hackers and virus creators.
Now that the Apple Club is becoming more and more mainstream and more of a middle class status symbol (and less of an upper class one), and therefore with a wider and larger user base, we will be more of a target for hackers.
I mean really when 92% of the world runs on Windows, and mere 5% runs on OSX, who would you target? But as that percentage begins to increase, and the typical Mac user has more money that the typical Windows user, the value associated with target us is becoming more and more lucrative.
Anyway, just my 2.
Now that the Apple Club is becoming more and more mainstream and more of a middle class status symbol (and less of an upper class one), and therefore with a wider and larger user base, we will be more of a target for hackers.
I mean really when 92% of the world runs on Windows, and mere 5% runs on OSX, who would you target? But as that percentage begins to increase, and the typical Mac user has more money that the typical Windows user, the value associated with target us is becoming more and more lucrative.
Anyway, just my 2.
mmmcheese
Sep 15, 05:58 PM
A shame about scrapping the idea of a ground up design - I hope that doesn't lead to a lack of innovation. That's what really leads Apple along! Although if they just make a killer phone (I'm sure they will at some point...) it's bound to sell buckets loads!
Uber
This doesn't mean they will just re-brand a phone...it might just mean they are buying transmitters/etc. from other sources rather than engineering their own. Depending on what they buying "off the shelf," this only makes sense...why re-create the wheel?
Of course they may end up just re-branding a phone, but that doesn't really seem like the Apple thing to do.
Uber
This doesn't mean they will just re-brand a phone...it might just mean they are buying transmitters/etc. from other sources rather than engineering their own. Depending on what they buying "off the shelf," this only makes sense...why re-create the wheel?
Of course they may end up just re-branding a phone, but that doesn't really seem like the Apple thing to do.
musiclover137
Aug 23, 05:19 PM
This is slightly disheartening news. All the info seems to suggest that Apple wanted this to end quickly so they made an offer to a small company that wouldn't cost as much as they may have lost in the lawsuit.
Makes me wonder how different they were really thinking...
Makes me wonder how different they were really thinking...
tbobmccoy
Mar 23, 05:40 PM
It's illegal. Police need to publicly announce check points before setting up. Ironic they would want to pull the app since this is the basis that makes them legal in the first place.
I'm not sure that's the case in Texas, but I will acquiesce since I don't remember that from school and also am typing on my iPhone. Either way, the app is still a good one, and shouldn't be removed.
I'm not sure that's the case in Texas, but I will acquiesce since I don't remember that from school and also am typing on my iPhone. Either way, the app is still a good one, and shouldn't be removed.
justflie
Sep 13, 09:18 PM
Is this really a page 1 item?
The real news would be a release date, or an upcoming event.
Still, I want one!
agreed. I've come to the decision that whatever apple releases with regards to a phone-like object will probably knock my socks off. The question is WHEN?!?!@?#
The real news would be a release date, or an upcoming event.
Still, I want one!
agreed. I've come to the decision that whatever apple releases with regards to a phone-like object will probably knock my socks off. The question is WHEN?!?!@?#
rpieket
Mar 30, 01:38 PM
Disclaimer: Apple fanboy here. But agree with Microsoft.
App Store is simply the description of the actual thing: An app store. It's just too simple.
It would be a description of the actual thing if the App Store were, in fact, an actual store.
But it isn't an actual store. It is a service and an application.
-Ron.
App Store is simply the description of the actual thing: An app store. It's just too simple.
It would be a description of the actual thing if the App Store were, in fact, an actual store.
But it isn't an actual store. It is a service and an application.
-Ron.
Stella
Sep 5, 06:01 AM
WO0t! PowerBook G5 tuesday after next!
Large Yawn.
You do realise your not funny at all - rather - very irritating.
Can't you be original?
Large Yawn.
You do realise your not funny at all - rather - very irritating.
Can't you be original?
0s and 1s
Sep 13, 09:25 PM
I pray to Shiva that the picture is not authentic.
A chrome back on a cellular phone? Surely they can't be serious?? :(
A chrome back on a cellular phone? Surely they can't be serious?? :(
zombierunner
Apr 30, 04:19 PM
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_2 like Mac OS X; en-gb) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8H7 Safari/6533.18.5)
Will we see 1080p target display support ... It would be really cool to play xbox 360 on iMac in 1080p ... 720p ain't too bad but with all it's 27inch awesomeness 1080p isn't too much to ask for eh?
Will we see 1080p target display support ... It would be really cool to play xbox 360 on iMac in 1080p ... 720p ain't too bad but with all it's 27inch awesomeness 1080p isn't too much to ask for eh?
toddybody
Apr 19, 08:14 AM
This is the GUI wars all over again... Last time Apple sued Microsoft for copying their GUI desktop to make Windows....
(and no Xerox didn't invent that they invented windowing not really a desktop Apple did that bit.)
Anyway Apple lost and Microsoft took over the world while Apple dwindled to a market share of less than 5%.
I don't think they want that to happen this time....
Youre worried that Samsung Phones will start outselling iPhones? Ha ha ha ha ha ha! Good one man! Good one!
Seriously though, I dont think Apple has anything to worry about...and should stop being so flippant in their lawsuites. What happens when Apple incorporates some much needed Android-esque notification system in iOS? Sorry, but rounded edged square icons and side swiping UI isnt unique. Leave Sammy alone Apple!
(and no Xerox didn't invent that they invented windowing not really a desktop Apple did that bit.)
Anyway Apple lost and Microsoft took over the world while Apple dwindled to a market share of less than 5%.
I don't think they want that to happen this time....
Youre worried that Samsung Phones will start outselling iPhones? Ha ha ha ha ha ha! Good one man! Good one!
Seriously though, I dont think Apple has anything to worry about...and should stop being so flippant in their lawsuites. What happens when Apple incorporates some much needed Android-esque notification system in iOS? Sorry, but rounded edged square icons and side swiping UI isnt unique. Leave Sammy alone Apple!
Steviejobz
Apr 4, 12:02 PM
The alleged robber was gunned down by Asian scalpers ;)
davelanger
Mar 30, 01:47 PM
You'll find Microsoft's reason to sue Apple is here (http://phone.microsoftplatformready.com/Dashboard.aspx). Guess Microsoft is protecting itself from a legal butt kicking by being preemptive.
wouldnt app hub (store) be ok since its not just appstore?
wouldnt app hub (store) be ok since its not just appstore?
MrWinters
Apr 28, 04:40 PM
Oh yeah - you said it - qualified in "buisiness" [sic] but works in finance - surely that should read - holds some form of accountancy degree and is an accountant? No? under-qualified then. (or clerk)
Oh I see, you're a smart ass. Oh how cute!!!
Tell ya what little boy, Besides a business degree I also hold CCE and CFCC from the AACE as well as a PMP from the PMI. On top of all that, I have worked in the industry for over 35 years. I forgot more about business that your sarcastic smart ass will ever know.
And trust me, my degree and certs have little to do with it. A grade school kid knows that a company that just posted a quarter with revenues of $16.43 billion (which is an increase of 13% from the same period in 2010), and profit of $5.23 billion isn't "DEAD"...
Obviously you don't understand that, in which case, you wouldn't even be a good clerk. Judging from you childish post, I do think I've met before. Haven't I heard you say "Would you like fries with that Sir"????
Oh I see, you're a smart ass. Oh how cute!!!
Tell ya what little boy, Besides a business degree I also hold CCE and CFCC from the AACE as well as a PMP from the PMI. On top of all that, I have worked in the industry for over 35 years. I forgot more about business that your sarcastic smart ass will ever know.
And trust me, my degree and certs have little to do with it. A grade school kid knows that a company that just posted a quarter with revenues of $16.43 billion (which is an increase of 13% from the same period in 2010), and profit of $5.23 billion isn't "DEAD"...
Obviously you don't understand that, in which case, you wouldn't even be a good clerk. Judging from you childish post, I do think I've met before. Haven't I heard you say "Would you like fries with that Sir"????
Nomadski
Apr 13, 07:07 AM
MagnusVonMagnum -
- Sonos is not "way better quality" (AppleTV2 output is DIGITAL and so the "quality" depends entirely on the stereo you connect it to. So sorry but you have no point there.
Unless you've purchased / converted music in Apple lossless format it IS way better quality. Im making the comparison of my situation listening to FLAC vs the masses who purchase mp3s on iTunes. You could rip your music in Apple Lossless for sure, but then your hooked into iTunes, cant play on WMP or most other mp3s other than iPods. Like with a lot of stuff iTunes related, if you go that route, your stuck. Even the all inclusive Sonos S5 sounds better than the best iPod dock on the market (Bose 10 / Zeppelin whichever grabs your boat the most).
- It may not be better quality, but it IS "way more expensive". AppleTV2 costs $99 (same price as an Airport Express which is "audio only" like Sonos). Sonos OTOH costs $349 for a basic receiver which then still requires to either be connected directly to a router (wired) OR you have to pay ANOTHER $99 for a "bridge" to send a separate wireless signal off your router just for Sonos devices (waste of bandwidth and clutters the band with more wireless signals instead of just using your existing wireless router, which most people already have (how many used a wired only router and if you did you cannot use the Sonos wireless for anything else). So already you are at LEAST $450 in the hole for a single room with Sonos and you have ONLY AUDIO capability.
Sonos isnt cheap for sure, but that is why I said people who have no shortage of money at the start of my thread. Some people have massive Mac systems, those people shouldn't skimp when it comes to music, if they like music, or video for that matter.
One of the big features of Sonos which you obviously arent aware of is that Sonos DOESNT hog your bandwidth. It uses its own Mesh network which works independantly of your home wireless network, hence no bandwidth constraints, which is why you can have up to 32 Sonos units all working AT THE SAME TIME on the same or different sources whilst not affecting the bandwidth capability of your home network. Try using even 2 AppleTV2s at the same time and see how much of your bandwidth is left.
Also, if you live in a large house, or one with thick walls, or you want to listen outside, because Sonos recreates its own Mesh network each time it hits a Sonos unit strength signal on the opposite side of the house to the router is still very high, each Zone Player acts like a new Sonos signal source.
Yup its expensive but I bought my first Sonos bit of kit in 2006. Since then ive added 3 more units, 2 of which were new redesigned units released a couple of years ago. Ive also added a second controller when they moved to touchscreen 2 years ago. And you know what? It all works seamlessly with each other. Old hardware, new hardware, built up over time. New features added over time (for free) seamlessly updated into even the oldest bit of hardware with a firmware update, they even added full Touch, iPhone and iPad control options so I could use any of them to control the audio around the house. Can you integrate AppleTV2 with 1? Can you honestly say in 5 years time your money spent will still work with the rest of your AppleTV system as they upgrade and add new features? When 3 year old sounddocks wont even charge new ipods I would hazard a guess...no.
-But then I would be forgetting you need a SOURCE of music. You tout the use of an NAS, but most NAS devices aren't exactly cheap or anything. For all intensive purposes they are a just a headless computer and most run Linux. AppleTV2 is out of the box a PITA if you don't want to leave a computer on, but you can put XBMC on it which will use any NAS or networked source. You then have the same functionality as Sonos BUT you also have full video capability. You could instead get a cheap Netbook for $250 (cheaper than most NAS devices) and connect a hard drive to that and run iTunes and the full Apple interface if you'd like and still have XBMC available as well. Personally, I just use an old PPC G4 PowerMac as a server and 24/7 Internet terminal. Intel machines can also be set to Wake On Lan, so you can have your machine sleep while AppleTV is not in use. In short, NAS isn't as great as you make it sound (most are also dog slow compared to a real computer) and there are alternative options even with Apple software like a cheap Netbook as a server.
NAS or WHS arent cheap but youve just contradicted yourself.
Sonos will also play from any networked PC, MAC, External hard drive on Airport, netbook. To use a NAS you dont have to install XBMC on it, it works out of the box from any source you want. That PPC G4 would also work with Sonos, or you could play Last.FM, or Pandora, or Spotify, or Napster, or unlimited internet radio (you can even add your own internet radio addresses).
Best of all, you DONT have to use iTunes. You can if you want, but you dont have to.
Sonos also gives you multi room grouping. Group 2 or more zones together and enjoy synced music wherever you want it. Not miliseconds out syncing like Sony or Logitech but 100% synced. Dropping zones can be done at the flick of the controller.
Read a review of a new album in the newspaper? Listen to it 5 seconds later on Sonos.
So the kids can listen to their own music streamed in their rooms upstairs, my wife can be listening to the TV, or some music in the living room, and I can be in my little den listening to my music whilst enjoying near full speed wireless capability on my pc or mac, or maybe my wife likes a song shes hearing upstairs and links zones so she can hear it downstairs.
You can buy a standalone unit which sounds better than the B&W Zeppelin, or get the amped unit for attaching to any speaker system you want, or get the small unit for use (as you do) with your existing stereo system. You can add these anytime you want, building up your Sonos system over time, without the fear it will be redundant over time.
Its a high end multi room music system vs a limited single streaming unit.
-Now I come to the heart of the matter...VIDEO. You suggest a Popcorn Hour in ADDITION to the already out of this world priced Sonos system. They start at $179 and go up to $299. That brings your total minimum price for a wireless system for a single room to $629 AND you have to switch between two separate devices to listen to audio and/or watch videos. With AppleTV you have all your movies, tv shows, photos, music, music videos, YouTube and Internet Radio (plus the options of XBMC with a quick hack including non-Apple formats) and your TOTAL COST for **one** room wireless using an existing wireless router is $99. $629 versus $99...Hmmmmmm. And then there's the matter of Popcorn Hour's crappy interface versus Apple's polished one. XBMC makes Popcorn Hour look bad as well. Bugs or popcorn? :confused:
Cost seems to be the big issue with you, so I wonder if you own a mac mini as opposed to 3 macbook pros, an imac, apple tv2 etc etc as many posters here have? If so, Sonos etc wont be for you. If you do own multiple Apple systems why are you so concerned with price? If you want the best you got to pay for it.
With Apple TV you DONT have all your movies or music or internet radio. you have limited experiences with all 3. No 1080p, no DVD images (Popcorn will load your dvd image in exactly the same way your dvd player would), wont play .mp4 .m4v .mkv .wmv .avi .aac .divx, doesnt have full support for all subtitle formats, wont play FLAC or anything else outside of your iTunes library audio wise and its internet radio function is gimped.
Its sure nice to have it in one box, but *it* is very very limited. Dedicated systems will always trump jack of all trade systems.
The interface is nice on AppleTV2 for sure, my popcorn looks better though with my skin on it. The default layout looks boring ill agree.
So for the price of your ONE room audio and video, I could have SIX rooms using AppleTV2 with both video and audio and still have $29 to spare
Except you couldnt do that could you? Your wireless network would be crippled with half that many running at the same time. I can assure you I can play a 1080P movie AND have 3 other Sonos units streaming at the same time. Try that sometime with 4 AppleTVs...
With XBMC installed, it can play any format (just like Popcorn Hour).
No, no it cant. DVD isos? All subtitle formats? 1080P? Also your slightly expanded feature set (not out of the box) is achieved by essentially hacking your AppleTV 2, so good luck on the next firmware update.
Hell, I can even buy a cheap 3.5" internal hard drive and slot that into my popcorn hour if I want to store the films locally, what sized hard drive does Apple TV2 have? Oh wait.
Your not seeing the advantages with zero configuration audio system, and a play all with no hassles video system? The only mucking about in my system is if you want a nice shinier interface with Popcorn Hour. You have to convert audio, replace (essentially) the OS to XBMC, have a linux system and a Crystal card to play 1080p on an OLDER Apple TV (your not factoring in this stuff with your price or integrated system arguments are you?) and you STILL have a far more limited setup.
Reading thru your post I guarantee you your costs are higher than $99 and in about 2 years time your system will be redundant.
Im not saying the AppleTV 2 is useless for everyone, for many of the dumb masses who are locked into iTunes already its probably the best thing since sliced bread, and really its only advantage is a cheap price and movie rentals, in glorious 720P, but if I want to feed my 42" 1080p plasma with subpar 720P video I could use the xbox or PS3 sitting under the TV, which I also dont bother with. For audiophiles or moviephiles it doesn't cut it.
- Sonos is not "way better quality" (AppleTV2 output is DIGITAL and so the "quality" depends entirely on the stereo you connect it to. So sorry but you have no point there.
Unless you've purchased / converted music in Apple lossless format it IS way better quality. Im making the comparison of my situation listening to FLAC vs the masses who purchase mp3s on iTunes. You could rip your music in Apple Lossless for sure, but then your hooked into iTunes, cant play on WMP or most other mp3s other than iPods. Like with a lot of stuff iTunes related, if you go that route, your stuck. Even the all inclusive Sonos S5 sounds better than the best iPod dock on the market (Bose 10 / Zeppelin whichever grabs your boat the most).
- It may not be better quality, but it IS "way more expensive". AppleTV2 costs $99 (same price as an Airport Express which is "audio only" like Sonos). Sonos OTOH costs $349 for a basic receiver which then still requires to either be connected directly to a router (wired) OR you have to pay ANOTHER $99 for a "bridge" to send a separate wireless signal off your router just for Sonos devices (waste of bandwidth and clutters the band with more wireless signals instead of just using your existing wireless router, which most people already have (how many used a wired only router and if you did you cannot use the Sonos wireless for anything else). So already you are at LEAST $450 in the hole for a single room with Sonos and you have ONLY AUDIO capability.
Sonos isnt cheap for sure, but that is why I said people who have no shortage of money at the start of my thread. Some people have massive Mac systems, those people shouldn't skimp when it comes to music, if they like music, or video for that matter.
One of the big features of Sonos which you obviously arent aware of is that Sonos DOESNT hog your bandwidth. It uses its own Mesh network which works independantly of your home wireless network, hence no bandwidth constraints, which is why you can have up to 32 Sonos units all working AT THE SAME TIME on the same or different sources whilst not affecting the bandwidth capability of your home network. Try using even 2 AppleTV2s at the same time and see how much of your bandwidth is left.
Also, if you live in a large house, or one with thick walls, or you want to listen outside, because Sonos recreates its own Mesh network each time it hits a Sonos unit strength signal on the opposite side of the house to the router is still very high, each Zone Player acts like a new Sonos signal source.
Yup its expensive but I bought my first Sonos bit of kit in 2006. Since then ive added 3 more units, 2 of which were new redesigned units released a couple of years ago. Ive also added a second controller when they moved to touchscreen 2 years ago. And you know what? It all works seamlessly with each other. Old hardware, new hardware, built up over time. New features added over time (for free) seamlessly updated into even the oldest bit of hardware with a firmware update, they even added full Touch, iPhone and iPad control options so I could use any of them to control the audio around the house. Can you integrate AppleTV2 with 1? Can you honestly say in 5 years time your money spent will still work with the rest of your AppleTV system as they upgrade and add new features? When 3 year old sounddocks wont even charge new ipods I would hazard a guess...no.
-But then I would be forgetting you need a SOURCE of music. You tout the use of an NAS, but most NAS devices aren't exactly cheap or anything. For all intensive purposes they are a just a headless computer and most run Linux. AppleTV2 is out of the box a PITA if you don't want to leave a computer on, but you can put XBMC on it which will use any NAS or networked source. You then have the same functionality as Sonos BUT you also have full video capability. You could instead get a cheap Netbook for $250 (cheaper than most NAS devices) and connect a hard drive to that and run iTunes and the full Apple interface if you'd like and still have XBMC available as well. Personally, I just use an old PPC G4 PowerMac as a server and 24/7 Internet terminal. Intel machines can also be set to Wake On Lan, so you can have your machine sleep while AppleTV is not in use. In short, NAS isn't as great as you make it sound (most are also dog slow compared to a real computer) and there are alternative options even with Apple software like a cheap Netbook as a server.
NAS or WHS arent cheap but youve just contradicted yourself.
Sonos will also play from any networked PC, MAC, External hard drive on Airport, netbook. To use a NAS you dont have to install XBMC on it, it works out of the box from any source you want. That PPC G4 would also work with Sonos, or you could play Last.FM, or Pandora, or Spotify, or Napster, or unlimited internet radio (you can even add your own internet radio addresses).
Best of all, you DONT have to use iTunes. You can if you want, but you dont have to.
Sonos also gives you multi room grouping. Group 2 or more zones together and enjoy synced music wherever you want it. Not miliseconds out syncing like Sony or Logitech but 100% synced. Dropping zones can be done at the flick of the controller.
Read a review of a new album in the newspaper? Listen to it 5 seconds later on Sonos.
So the kids can listen to their own music streamed in their rooms upstairs, my wife can be listening to the TV, or some music in the living room, and I can be in my little den listening to my music whilst enjoying near full speed wireless capability on my pc or mac, or maybe my wife likes a song shes hearing upstairs and links zones so she can hear it downstairs.
You can buy a standalone unit which sounds better than the B&W Zeppelin, or get the amped unit for attaching to any speaker system you want, or get the small unit for use (as you do) with your existing stereo system. You can add these anytime you want, building up your Sonos system over time, without the fear it will be redundant over time.
Its a high end multi room music system vs a limited single streaming unit.
-Now I come to the heart of the matter...VIDEO. You suggest a Popcorn Hour in ADDITION to the already out of this world priced Sonos system. They start at $179 and go up to $299. That brings your total minimum price for a wireless system for a single room to $629 AND you have to switch between two separate devices to listen to audio and/or watch videos. With AppleTV you have all your movies, tv shows, photos, music, music videos, YouTube and Internet Radio (plus the options of XBMC with a quick hack including non-Apple formats) and your TOTAL COST for **one** room wireless using an existing wireless router is $99. $629 versus $99...Hmmmmmm. And then there's the matter of Popcorn Hour's crappy interface versus Apple's polished one. XBMC makes Popcorn Hour look bad as well. Bugs or popcorn? :confused:
Cost seems to be the big issue with you, so I wonder if you own a mac mini as opposed to 3 macbook pros, an imac, apple tv2 etc etc as many posters here have? If so, Sonos etc wont be for you. If you do own multiple Apple systems why are you so concerned with price? If you want the best you got to pay for it.
With Apple TV you DONT have all your movies or music or internet radio. you have limited experiences with all 3. No 1080p, no DVD images (Popcorn will load your dvd image in exactly the same way your dvd player would), wont play .mp4 .m4v .mkv .wmv .avi .aac .divx, doesnt have full support for all subtitle formats, wont play FLAC or anything else outside of your iTunes library audio wise and its internet radio function is gimped.
Its sure nice to have it in one box, but *it* is very very limited. Dedicated systems will always trump jack of all trade systems.
The interface is nice on AppleTV2 for sure, my popcorn looks better though with my skin on it. The default layout looks boring ill agree.
So for the price of your ONE room audio and video, I could have SIX rooms using AppleTV2 with both video and audio and still have $29 to spare
Except you couldnt do that could you? Your wireless network would be crippled with half that many running at the same time. I can assure you I can play a 1080P movie AND have 3 other Sonos units streaming at the same time. Try that sometime with 4 AppleTVs...
With XBMC installed, it can play any format (just like Popcorn Hour).
No, no it cant. DVD isos? All subtitle formats? 1080P? Also your slightly expanded feature set (not out of the box) is achieved by essentially hacking your AppleTV 2, so good luck on the next firmware update.
Hell, I can even buy a cheap 3.5" internal hard drive and slot that into my popcorn hour if I want to store the films locally, what sized hard drive does Apple TV2 have? Oh wait.
Your not seeing the advantages with zero configuration audio system, and a play all with no hassles video system? The only mucking about in my system is if you want a nice shinier interface with Popcorn Hour. You have to convert audio, replace (essentially) the OS to XBMC, have a linux system and a Crystal card to play 1080p on an OLDER Apple TV (your not factoring in this stuff with your price or integrated system arguments are you?) and you STILL have a far more limited setup.
Reading thru your post I guarantee you your costs are higher than $99 and in about 2 years time your system will be redundant.
Im not saying the AppleTV 2 is useless for everyone, for many of the dumb masses who are locked into iTunes already its probably the best thing since sliced bread, and really its only advantage is a cheap price and movie rentals, in glorious 720P, but if I want to feed my 42" 1080p plasma with subpar 720P video I could use the xbox or PS3 sitting under the TV, which I also dont bother with. For audiophiles or moviephiles it doesn't cut it.
Bonte
Sep 5, 08:30 AM
Maybe Apple wants to be ahead of the rumors. :)
http://images.apple.com/r/store/backsoon/title_backsoon.gif
http://images.apple.com/r/store/backsoon/title_backsoon.gif
KilGil27
Sep 19, 02:40 PM
This is fairly remarkable, considering that the really only viable place to watch these movies is on an iPod! Yes, you can watch it on your iMac, or on your television hooked to a Mac Mini.
or... any other computer you wanted to...
or... any other computer you wanted to...
freiheit
Sep 9, 02:22 AM
But because not all applications and tasks take full advantage of the Mac multiprocessing capabilities,
And I'm thinking... why?! 10 years ago BeOS had this down pat. The whole system was multi-threaded and multi-processor aware from the kernel all the way up through the user interface including the system services used by all native applications. It was amazingly responsive and was reported (in major publications) to gain as much as 60-70% performance by having a second CPU. I realize MacOS X is based on some old NeXTStep code which was not made for multiple processors, but come on! This is the 21st century and Apple's been selling dual processor machines for about 5 years now.
Anyway, this is great news. I'd been drooling over the new iMacs since they were announced and wondering how much I might gain by upgrading from my 2GHz G5 PowerMac. It's very enticing.
And I'm thinking... why?! 10 years ago BeOS had this down pat. The whole system was multi-threaded and multi-processor aware from the kernel all the way up through the user interface including the system services used by all native applications. It was amazingly responsive and was reported (in major publications) to gain as much as 60-70% performance by having a second CPU. I realize MacOS X is based on some old NeXTStep code which was not made for multiple processors, but come on! This is the 21st century and Apple's been selling dual processor machines for about 5 years now.
Anyway, this is great news. I'd been drooling over the new iMacs since they were announced and wondering how much I might gain by upgrading from my 2GHz G5 PowerMac. It's very enticing.
M-O
May 3, 10:16 AM
what about target display mode on the 21/24" models?
snack
Sep 10, 05:10 AM
Kentsfield is Intel's next revision of their "Core" processors which was originally scheduled to be released in the 1st Quarter of 2007. According to the article, it is now planned for late 2006 availability.
Uh, you guys reported this part (http://www.macrumors.com/pages/2006/07/20060720090504.shtml) some time ago.
Uh, you guys reported this part (http://www.macrumors.com/pages/2006/07/20060720090504.shtml) some time ago.