One year ago today I was sitting on an aeroplane destined for the Sunshine Coast. I checked my email on my iPhone one last time, before switching it off for takeoff.
And there was the email alert from MacWorld.
It still makes me sad today.
One year ago today I was sitting on an aeroplane destined for the Sunshine Coast. I checked my email on my iPhone one last time, before switching it off for takeoff.
And there was the email alert from MacWorld.
It still makes me sad today.
There’s a lot of internet chat noise about a possible Apple Television at the moment. I guess they’ve moved on from blathering about an iPhone 5 and quoting portions of the Steve Jobs bio.
Here’s a well linked-to run down on what might be an Apple TV: http://www.splatf.com/2011/10/apple-tv-box
Also a post at Daring Fireball about App’s being the new Channels: http://daringfireball.net/2011/10/apps_are_the_new_channels
Of course there is one very big give away that Apple is going to sell a TV and it’s not just Jobs trolling from the beyond the grave: Google rushed out Google TV.
Those irksome little tealeafs over at Google would definatley want to be first to market with a TV device and Schmidt probably knew one was coming from Apple. He was after all happy to steal the iPhone ideas. Its a shame for them they stumbled.
But can Apple really make a Television? Should they?
Firstly the TV is the centre point of many homes. But all TV’s are dreadful. Awful slow UI, hideous remote controls and terrible case designs. I bought the most expensive Sony LCD I could find and it’s mostly rubbish. The picture quality is fine, but beyond that the experience is infuriating. I actually hate using it.
So to have a TV that just started up into an AppleTV interface would be wonderful. There is no question that it would be on my list of home purchases. For those that say that the TV market is all low margins blah blah blah. When have Apple ever cared to compete like that? They make quality products that people actually want to buy. Apple have incredible industrial design and manufacturing capability - just look at the iPad. Of course they can make an affordable well designed television. It might be at a slightly premium price, but it’ll be worth it.
Secondly, there is much chat about Siri being the interface. Sure, maybe. That would be OK. Navigating to search for a podcast on the current Apple TV is arduous. Voice search would solve that. But I also think they could ship a TV with a Touch based remote. Maybe a modified iPod Touch or even just the iPod touch as it stands would work with a touch based remote control app. A new version of a touch remote that could run Siri would be a home-run.
Finally, I used to buy into the idea that a TV is just a monitor that you plug devices into and why would Apple want to get into that market. But I don’t think that anymore. You use your TV more than other home appliance. It’s second only to your iPhone, iPad or MacBook. So yeah, Steve Jobs would have wanted to improve this experience.
TV is also about a socially relaxing experience. My current Sony makes me furious with rage most of the time. I’m preying Apple can fix this annoying problem. It’s a black-hole in my otherwise perfect Apple life.
Under conditions of stress, however, the explicit system sometimes takes over. That’s what it means to choke. When Jana Novotna faltered at Wimbledon, it was because she began thinking about her shots again. She lost her fluidity, her touch
This is my fear for an Apple without Steve Jobs.
Apple is full of talented people. All of them engineered the products they have now. I don’t doubt that there are a slew of interesting and great products to come from Apple even after the Steve Jobs road map has run out.
But will an Apple without Steve Jobs choke? Can they announce products and create the sense of excitement that Jobs could? Even if the products are technically great can they still put on a show and hit with the fluidity they’ve had for the past ten years?
I think they can. If they don’t choke. I think the next time Tim Cook takes the stage at a product launch it’s going to be very emotional.
“In most people’s vocabularies, design means veneer. It’s interior decorating. It’s the fabric of the curtains of the sofa. But to me, nothing could be further from the meaning of design. Design is the fundamental soul of a human-made creation that ends up expressing itself in successive outer layers of the product or service.” - Steve Jobs
He was very right about this. You can think the same yourself when designing your life, when trying to be the person you want to be: Stop being the veneer.
Great interview with Steve Wozniak on Steve Jobs on this weeks TWiT.
