an apple home stereo

[Ulm]

apple seems poised to deliver a home stereo. yes, it isn't at all their market, but many signs aim them to deliver such a product.

- they have compared themselves to Sony, the only other computer manufacturer who also builds home audio equipment.
- with the iPod and iTunes they have already begun to establish a presence in understanding and delivering a music platform.
- with airport and rendevous they have hinted at tying MP3 music across wireless networks. (imagine if with your mac stereo you could tap into your mp3 server).
- they already have a great relationship with Harmon Kardon and could easily deliver a stereo speaker package.
- the digital hub fits perfectly with the idea of a home stereo and having you iPod, etc. tap right into it.

of course, its just a wild guess, but i for one think it would be a great direction for apple.

 

[dricci]

If anything, I think it'll be a PVR. A PVR can hook into a stereo, and provide many other options.

See my idea for an Apple PVR here: http://www.lowendmac.com/myturn/02/1230.html

 

[voicegy]

naw

Let Apple stick with what they know best. As for stereo's, well, they'd have to look a heck of a lot better than these to grab my attention and replace my current B&O:

http://www.bang-olufsen.com/

 

[FelixDerKater]

Re: naw

Originally posted by voicegy
Let Apple stick with what they know best. As for stereo's, well, they'd have to look a heck of a lot better than these to grab my attention and replace my current B&O:

http://www.bang-olufsen.com/

Which model do you have?

 

[voicegy]

B&O stuff

Go here to see what I consider the golden age of design in B&O's history:

http://www.io.tudelft.nl/public/vdm/fda/jensen/b&o/

(the current line up is beautiful, but it's now got a bit long in the tooth for my taste. It's time for a revamp, IMO)

The one I curently have, after going through a couple of models, is the last component they made that still incorporated wood...a loss, I feel, to the line up.

 

[yamadataro]

I have B&O's BeoSound Ouverture and loudspeakers (BeoLab 6000).
I love them for their appearance but since I don't use CDs or cassettes anymore, I have to plug iPod and use them simply as speakers! What a shame.

Well, stereo system is all about the technology and B&O should at least think about it seriously. I personally think their MP3 player was such a failure. One way for them to go for is to concentrate on speakers and amplifiers. These would never go out of date as long as we have ears.

As to the Apple branded stereo system, it would be nice, I think.
When B&O can't deliver the technology,
Apple would be the only other option for me.

 

[bousozoku]

Certainly, HP made quite a splash with their music repository home stereo device.

While Apple wouldn't be the first, they would certainly make improvements on HP's idea.

 

[Nipsy]

Originally posted by bousozoku
Certainly, HP made quite a splash with their music repository home stereo device.

While Apple wouldn't be the first, they would certainly make improvements on HP's idea.

I have the HP De-100c and must say, it is well done. I also know the a few of the developers, and they had some great enhancements in progress which were stopped when HP pulled the plug.

The problem with the HP device was three fold:
Cost-$999
Name-HP is well respected in computing and printing, but their ventures into niche markets often fail
Marketing-I didn't know about the De-100c until after it had been discontinued

I think Apple should avoid this specific of a market, as the element which seems to have the most potential is a combo video audio unit.

Imagine a really great PVR, with a docking station for an iPod, at least 120gb internal, and seamless integration via Rendezvous over TCP/IP. It would act as a Tivo/Replay, Photot & MP3 player. It would have onboard iTunes, iPhoto, & QuickTime, and operate via remote. It would use either on onboard, or remote MP3 library, and could store video either to its drive, or to selected network folders. When it was idle, it would display your photos as a screen saver (a la Replay). It would also need stellar support for exisiting cable/satellite boxes.

I'd buy that in a snap.

Now, price it at $799 in Jan, and get that price to $499 by August.