Courtesy of OSWeekly.com
(Column) - Well, it's showtime, folks - at least that's what Apple had told us for a period of time leading up to their latest event. As usual, any hint from Apple causes the rumor mills to start churning, and this occasion was no exception. Among other things, some people expected a true video iPod to be released, but they were probably sorely letdown when their expectations proved to be false. Apple did upgrade the iPod, the Shuffle, and the Nano, but that was as far as they went this time. I guess we'll have to wait a little bit longer, huh?
More importantly, Apple released iTunes 7, and as has been speculated for eons, they finally added the ability to purchase movies from iTunes. The selection isn't completely overwhelming right now, but the concept is in full effect, and people have started to download movies to their computers (and in turn, their iPods) directly from Apple. It's clear that that they're making digital media a priority for people who are on the go or in the office, but the last announcement Apple made provided proof that Apple wants a piece of the living room, too.
Steve Jobs topped all announcements by talking about a set-top box that is currently nicknamed iTV. Apparently the device will ship early next year, but it's definitely something to get excited about. This compact box will include wireless networking capabilities, and it'll be able to wirelessly stream all of your media (pictures, movies, TV shows, music) from your computer to your television set. The interface resembles what Front Row would look like if it was placed on steroids. In reviewing Apple's plans for this product, we begin to see how their digital media plan (as well as their operating system plan) will be carried out, and the differences between their approach and the one that Microsoft is taking become even more evident.
First of all, Microsoft has found it necessary to not only provide expanded software support for digital media like Apple has done with Front Row, but they've actually taken another step forward by releasing a version of their operating system that is built for home entertainment - Windows XP Media Center Edition. As we've seen from Microsoft's track record, they really don't mind releasing another version of their operating system on a whim, and their viewpoint can be summed up in the saying, the more the merrier.
Email this article
