# iHome?



## kainjow (Jan 7, 2005)

Pictures and movie:

http://dms.tecknohost.com/macrumors/i/ihome/

Fake?


----------



## Convert (Jan 7, 2005)

That's what I was wondering...

It looks good but I am not up to date with the editing skills of Photoshop users. The video... I do not know if people can fake that.

But it does seem random, having the boxes there. If you were concealing a new product, especially after leaks from within your own company, would you place the item, clearly labelled, on a G5 iMac box, with no covering? I wouldn't.


----------



## ElDiabloConCaca (Jan 7, 2005)

As I posted in another thread, I'd be willing to bet that this iHome device and the "headless $500 iMac" are the same thing...


----------



## Convert (Jan 7, 2005)

Now THAT has made me think twice.

It fits the description of the new mac. Rectangular, slim, and of course small. That thing looks great. I hope it is no fake.


----------



## ElDiabloConCaca (Jan 7, 2005)

Yep -- perfect.  Since it obviously is geared toward home entertainment, I would also bet it does not run a full-featured version of OS X -- but perhaps a slimmed down OS with limited, video/audio entertainment functions.

Just a decent, educated guess.

But then again... if it doubled as a home entertainment device AND a home computer, perhaps it will run a full-featured OS X as well as additional home entertainment functions/applications.


----------



## andychrist (Jan 7, 2005)

Hear it is to be announced Monday.


----------



## ElDiabloConCaca (Jan 7, 2005)

I'm thinking Tuesday, since Jobs is supposed to deliver his keynote on the second day of the MacWorld Expo.

http://macworldexpo.com/live/20/events/20SFO05A/keynotes


----------



## Convert (Jan 7, 2005)

Can you IMAGINE that in your house?

it'd be so sweet!

 Apple, if this turns out to be a fake, THANK the maker, and COPY their design, that is sweet! Lol...


----------



## Captain Code (Jan 7, 2005)

The "photo experts" at Macrumors are doubting it's real
http://forums.macrumors.com/forumdisplay.php?f=43


----------



## Ceroc Addict (Jan 7, 2005)

kainjow said:
			
		

> Pictures and movie:
> 
> http://dms.tecknohost.com/macrumors/i/ihome/
> 
> Fake?


If it is, it's a very beautiful fake.

If it's not, I WANT ONE.

Kap


----------



## gollum84 (Jan 7, 2005)

I'd say it's fake, because here in the United States, "Centre" is spelled "Center".  But what is in the box next to it that has a green label?


----------



## Alex x (Jan 7, 2005)

The photo's are defiantly from the uk, not only by the way centre is spelt, but the tape on the side of the iMac box is from Jigsaw who are the UK's largest mac retailer.

I think it is either a fake or a prototype design model leaked from apple. Perhaps Jonathan Ive lost it on his last trip back home.


----------



## Alex x (Jan 7, 2005)

2nd picture, right hand iMac box and top right of the box.


----------



## kainjow (Jan 7, 2005)

iBox?


----------



## ElDiabloConCaca (Jan 7, 2005)

Yep -- I've changed my mind to "fake" as well.  Cool idea, great mock-up, but definitely not the shipping product, if it's real at all.

Look at the last picture.  The lid of the box is clearly wrapped in paper, probably from the guy's inkjet printer or large format printer.

Second to last picture makes the top of the iHome where the Apple logo and "iHome" are look like a piece of paper glued to a box -- you can clearly see the edge of the paper.  Plus, the dark band across the back is slightly crooked -- something Apple would never allow.  Plus the upper-right hand corner looks like a slighly dented or smashed cardboard box.

Dang it all.


----------



## serpicolugnut (Jan 7, 2005)

It's the real deal folks. Anyone want to make a wager?

I'm glad they went with the iHome label instead of iMac. This thing is Apple's answer to the Windows Media Center PCs, and it's going to lay waste to them. Imagine - iTunes, iPhoto in your living room. 

I'm soooooo looking forward to Tuesday!


----------



## ElDiabloConCaca (Jan 7, 2005)

I'll make a kindly gentleman's bet with you.  I'm betting "a very convincing fake."

While I don't doubt that Apple _may_ introduce some home entertainment device similar to this one, which may or may not be the rumored "headless iMac" or "Q88," I don't think this is it.

Higher-quality pics would be very useful.


----------



## Arden (Jan 7, 2005)

ElDiabloConCaca said:
			
		

> I'll make a kindly gentleman's bet with you.  I'm betting "a very convincing fake."
> 
> While I don't doubt that Apple _may_ introduce some home entertainment device similar to this one, which may or may not be the rumored "headless iMac" or "Q88," I don't think this is it.
> 
> Higher-quality pics would be very useful.


 Just like higher quality pictures of all those alien autopsies, right? 

Now, I wonder why those were so low-resolution... could it be for the same reason these are low-resolution?


----------



## Sogni (Jan 7, 2005)

I call fake.
Why is a product box inside another product box?   
Why is a product box inside another product box protected from being scratched - when it's just a product box and not the actual product?  
CUZ IT'S FAKE!!!


----------



## mindbend (Jan 7, 2005)

I totally bought it at first. Very nice hoax.

After reviewing the other site's analysis, they make some very good arguments for it being a fake. Damn them!

The one argument I didn't see (though it may be here somewhwere) was the first thing I noticed on first view of the video. The device didn't seem to have any weight to it as he pulls it out. The device should have had more "gravity" on the end furthest away from his fingers.

Also, the font in iHome seems off, though I haven't bothered to actually compare it to anything. That "e" doesn't seem right.

And, since we're being nitpicky, the graphic design for the photos on the side of the box doesn't allow any breathing room. They're too tight to the egde. 

And I just don't see Apple putting the product name on the top like that. The logo, yes, but not the product name so big and obnoxious like that.

Mark me down for fake, though it is VERY close to what I had in my head for this headless Mac. Almost exact in fact. White, beveled edges, cute, but not too cute, elegantly simple. Nice fake.


----------



## Arden (Jan 7, 2005)

Doesn't that band around the middle look really out of place?  Besides most-likely being taped on, of course.  It rather mars the look; you don't see that on the iMac.


----------



## Sogni (Jan 7, 2005)

Wait...
I just realized something, is the thing being pulled out from inside supposed to be the actual product??? HAHAHAHA

Sorry, no! I was calling that "another product packaging" because, people - that's another cardboard box! That's not a device!  I was wondering why they where showing a 2nd product box. Notice there is no depth to any of the "plugs". shesh! 

TOTALLY FAKE! Ha!


----------



## serpicolugnut (Jan 7, 2005)

They were low resolution because they were taken with a Nokia camera phone. The Nokia camera phones take 640x480 VGA res pics with a high degree of artifacting. It also takes very short movies in 3GP format. 

I don't think there were any Nokia camera phones available back in the 70's for the alien autopsie photo's were allegedly taken.



			
				Arden said:
			
		

> Just like higher quality pictures of all those alien autopsies, right?
> 
> Now, I wonder why those were so low-resolution... could it be for the same reason these are low-resolution?


----------



## Sogni (Jan 7, 2005)

Wow... like I am seeing tons of problems with it!

There is defiantly something on the top, a paper or sticker with "iHome" and the apple logo printed on it. A hard edge can be seen on two of the pictures. Difference shade of white. Pretty bad. This is the reason for the low resolution pictures, just as Arden suspected. 

Totally 100% without a doubt FAKE!!!!
Move along people, nothing to see here!


----------



## ElDiabloConCaca (Jan 7, 2005)

Hehe... good fake, and it worked on me!  I guess I wanted so much to believe it that my eyes overlooked the multitude of really obvious hints that it was a fake.

Uh oh, Serpico, looks like you won the bet before the product was even announced!

I'm gonna go retreat into a corner for a while... 

Edit: Oops, I forgot I voted "fake!"  Back to the corner...


----------



## adambyte (Jan 8, 2005)

Mark me down for fake, too. No Apple designer in their right mind would allow "iHome" to be written in such big-ass lettering. Fake

To be honest, I'm under-whelmed with it. I hope the real thing is even more svelt and sexy. I don't doubt that Apple may make an "iHome"-like device, but this is not it.


----------



## mrfluffy (Jan 8, 2005)

its the wrong typeface - http://phark.typepad.com/phark/2005/01/apple_ihome_iph.html


----------



## lnoelstorr (Jan 8, 2005)

gollum84 said:
			
		

> But what is in the box next to it that has a green label?



I think that's the box that spare iBook batteries come in.



This thing is clearly a fake - I think the iHome device is simply a block of polystyrene with some print-outs stuck to it.  Just look how light it is in the video.

Plus:

- The picture on the side of the box would be upside down when you carried it using the handle.

- The picture isn't even centred properly.

- The 5 pictures in a line, don't actually seem to hae any relevance to the product (a couple seem to be of people using PowerBooks).


----------



## ScottW (Jan 8, 2005)

Fake. Yep. At first blush it looks real, but look at it a little more and you realize, it's all fake. hahahaha!


----------



## JRJ26 (Jan 8, 2005)

as most people have already said, it is a fake.  I mean, if this was real, Apple most likely would sue whoever released the pics, etc.  Also, if you look closely, you can see that the ports were pasted on.  

Also, I was reading my 20th anniversary edition of Macworld, and Steve Jobs had said that media PCs have all been failures, and the Mac and a TV are "two different animals", and they shouldn't be integrated.  You use a TV to turn off your brain, and you use a computer to turn it on, according to him.  So I highly doubt that we'll be seeing a media center Mac.


----------



## spitty27 (Jan 8, 2005)

also, wasnt the $499 headless imac rumored to be 1.73" thick?


----------



## Arden (Jan 8, 2005)

As we've seen, rumors don't mean squat.

iHome?  Nope, not a chance.


----------



## Will_Richo (Jan 8, 2005)

Beats me why anyone would spend time making a fake?  

What do they get out of it?


----------



## gollum84 (Jan 8, 2005)

Will_Richo said:
			
		

> Beats me why anyone would spend time making a fake?
> 
> What do they get out of it?



They get to see people like us arguing whether or not the product is a fake or not.


----------



## Will_Richo (Jan 8, 2005)

gollum84 said:
			
		

> They get to see people like us arguing whether or not the product is a fake or not.



Very Odd way to spend your time? What ever floats your boat i guess.


----------



## drunkmac (Jan 8, 2005)

Fake. Why would Apple make a UK release (read: Centre) before a US release?


----------



## eschance (Jan 8, 2005)

I have followed this forum for quite some time but have never posted.

I for one want to believe these are real pics but I think it is obvious they are fake.

The main thing I see wrong is the orientation of the iHome logo in relation to the inputs such as the slot drive and inputs on the oposing side.  Seems to me that Apple would design it so that the slot drive would face the user if stood on its side AND have it so the logo is oriented parallel to the table.  In the pictures for that to happen the slot drive would be facing up in the air facing the ceiling and the inputs would be facing down.

Doesn't make much sense to me but then again maybe I am just looking at the pictures wrong.

Anyway....just my quick thoughts.  Have a good weekend.


----------



## mfsri (Jan 8, 2005)

Mark me down for fake. The Styrofoam in the the box has been cut and extra pieces where jamed on the right side to hold the thing in place.  Also, looks like paper is wrapped around the box and poorly glued.

BTW, to hook it up to the TV you need RCA inputs which this does not have.


----------



## JetwingX (Jan 8, 2005)

and how exactly is it supposed to connect to the TV? Mini-VGA-out?


----------



## Pengu (Jan 8, 2005)

perhaps something like apple's DVI->video out (RCA, S-Video) adapter..


----------



## smithy (Jan 9, 2005)

Hahahah that is soooooooo fake man.... Why did they even bother about making it though, that really does stump me. I know i wouldn't be bothered to go that far with making a hoax. You can soo tell that it is made out of cardboard, but i dont think i have to go any further because i think everyone does know that it is fake. 

I hope apple do not bring out a mac that connects to your tv like those media centre edition pc's. I think Apple should be alittle more creative than that, and i know they will be because i dont think those pc's will last very long. Like honestly who wants to buy a brand new pc and  have it in your lounge room.


----------



## Arden (Jan 9, 2005)

Okay, if it's not blindingly to anyone obvious that this is a cardboard box with paper taped to it in a rebranded Windows Media Center box (Apple doesn't put "PR shots" on their packaging), then they need to get glasses.  For the rest of us, I think we can all agree that it's a fake and call it a day.


----------



## CreativeEye (Jan 9, 2005)

to add to the thoughts of this being a fake...

if this was a real concept / product and is aimed at sitting in the living room as the media hub of the home - then surely there would be at least one each of a usb / firewire port on the front of the box? everytime a user wants to plug in a camera etc (which could potentially be every few days) they'd have to struggle to get the cables in around the back.

the g5 has a couple of 'easy access' ports - and the new imac has the same ease of plugging in due to its design / slimness.

and wouldn't there also be a docking area for an ipod?


----------



## Arden (Jan 9, 2005)

What I want to know is why the iHome box is sitting next to $10,000 worth of other computer equipment.


----------



## mfsri (Jan 9, 2005)

Arden said:
			
		

> What I want to know is why the iHome box is sitting next to $10,000 worth of other computer equipment.



To make it look good!


----------



## ElDiabloConCaca (Jan 9, 2005)

There's probably not equipment in those boxes at all, you know... just cardboard mock-ups!


----------



## senne (Jan 9, 2005)

Knowing the design of Apple's boxes, Apple will never put 4 pictures asymmetrical on the side of the box. This fake _does_ have such a asymmetrical design. Which can be seen here. Also the margins of the top and the bottom space are too thight.

Then, Apple's boxes usually (read: always) have a life-sized picture of the hardware printed on the box. In this case too, but there's a difference. Example: the side of the box of the iMac G5 has a picture of the side of the iMac G5, the front of the box has a frontview of the iMac. (other examples: iBook, iPod, Powermac G5, Powerbook) In this fake, the top of the box has a frontview of the iHome and not a topview, which never occures in any other hardware box Apple has ever made.

For me, these fakies haven't look good enough to Apple's way of designing.


----------



## Convert (Jan 9, 2005)

ElDiabloConCaca said:
			
		

> There's probably not equipment in those boxes at all, you know... just cardboard mock-ups!



Reminds me of a classmate years ago.

I'd go round his house and he'd have a few boxes of high spec machines, PC's, and I never saw the actual product lol. Come to think of it, this is similar.


----------



## Arden (Jan 10, 2005)

mfsri said:
			
		

> To make it look good!


 If that's the case, then why isn't it working?


----------

