The Boat Jobs Missed
It was a great day for Apple if you were waiting for a boom box and another version of the Mac Mini. It wasn’t such a great day if you were looking for something substantive. Steve Jobs missed a grand opportunity to stick a pin in Microsoft and Intel both.
With what, you ask? How about the first word in a real media center PC?
Picture this: a Mac Mini with a iPod dock on top, it’s WiFi enabled (all right, Bluetooth, or both, if you must), and there are two compatible wireless accessories –one that will mate the Mini Mactel to your stereo and the other that tacks it onto your television. Forget about using the TV for the standard Mac display, that’s why you have a monitor. Besides, on most of our TVs, the quality (or lack of it) would pretty much rot. That’s okay because your Mini Mactel and its monitor are upstairs somewhere. All you have is a Bluetooth remote that brings up an OSD from the box onto the TV screen. That menu let’s you select what you want to do –play audio or video, download either or, whatever. And with that one control in your hand and your Mactel Mini upstairs you could have couch potatoed for hours on end.
It’s not just a way to make your world easier. It’s also a way for Apple to further promote its audio sales –and, presumably, its upcoming movie deals as well. But no, what we get is another iteration of the Mini plus a recreation of the Bose powered speakers Apple sold during the late ‘80s, this time packed in a single enclosure. And instead of tying together Apple’s computer and consumer gadget business into a nice, neat ball, Jobs gave you parts.
Well, if that’s what you wanted…
With what, you ask? How about the first word in a real media center PC?
Picture this: a Mac Mini with a iPod dock on top, it’s WiFi enabled (all right, Bluetooth, or both, if you must), and there are two compatible wireless accessories –one that will mate the Mini Mactel to your stereo and the other that tacks it onto your television. Forget about using the TV for the standard Mac display, that’s why you have a monitor. Besides, on most of our TVs, the quality (or lack of it) would pretty much rot. That’s okay because your Mini Mactel and its monitor are upstairs somewhere. All you have is a Bluetooth remote that brings up an OSD from the box onto the TV screen. That menu let’s you select what you want to do –play audio or video, download either or, whatever. And with that one control in your hand and your Mactel Mini upstairs you could have couch potatoed for hours on end.
It’s not just a way to make your world easier. It’s also a way for Apple to further promote its audio sales –and, presumably, its upcoming movie deals as well. But no, what we get is another iteration of the Mini plus a recreation of the Bose powered speakers Apple sold during the late ‘80s, this time packed in a single enclosure. And instead of tying together Apple’s computer and consumer gadget business into a nice, neat ball, Jobs gave you parts.
Well, if that’s what you wanted…
posted by Bill at 10:25 PM
4 Comments:
I was pretty disappointed. A smooth working Apple media pc would have been able to use the iPod to push their pc sales.
At some point, Apple should really sit down with itself and try to recognize why its computer sales are so poor.
Actually, they should have done that over a decade ago. I'm not too optimistic that they are ever going to do that.
Not with Jobs running the place...
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