Exclusive Insider News - iBox

Alex

Alex

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Last night someone sent us an email with detailed knowledge of some kind of interactive tv system project at Apple. We're still looking into this, seeing what we can find out... We've posted the email as it was sent to us only leaving out his email address. You can find it here: http://www.macosx.com/content/article.php?cid=53
 
This sounds interesting. The problem with stuff Apple has done in the past, like Pippin and the Newton is that the products have been a bit ahead of their time and the market wasn't quite ready for them. Now however, with iTMS, iPod and the crossover between the PC and home entertainment, it looks like iBox could work.

Also, don't want to go too off topic but has there been any more news about the small/cheap iPod? There were rumours about a cut down 2GB or so version but the reaction didn't seem to positive. However, one of my friends told me he had heard that it was definitely going ahead and would be released in the spring for about £65/$100. Supposedly there had been some mention of it by Steve himself. Can anyone confirm this or am I just dragging up dead rumours? :)
 
iBox. *cough*... 500 MHz G3? Naaaaah. 900 MHz G3? Hmm... With MPEG encoding? Naaah. Not with 128 MB RAM, either. That box would definitely need a G4 (AltiVec is good for MPEG) of at least 800 MHz (and why not?) and a bit more RAM, too. I think that someone's just written up what he or she would _like_ Apple to release.
 
Remember this? ... I suppose "iBox" is a concept name. I don't see Apple marketing a product with this name. There have been rumors about an Apple-branded set top box for years ... this looks like a hoax to me ... especially the "watered down" versions of the iApps sound very doubtful.

Edit: BTW if it could be used without owning a Mac, it would be a double-edged sword. On the one hand it would appeal to a greater market segment, on the other it would not promote sales of other Macintoshes ... hmmm ... a bit like the iPod ...
 
Makes marketing sense alright if Apple can make money off the machine per se (i.e. it's not just a teaser to buy a Mac). Whether people would use such an iBox with a Mac or a PC doesn't matter to Apple as long as they make their profit. (Still: It helps the Mac's image if the iBox is received well.)

But: I don't see much truth in this rumour right now... (as I've mentioned above...)
 
It would be very interesting to see such a thing. Whether or not I'd ever get one is beyond me, but you never know. I have to agree tho, a G3?? I know it's not running much under the hood (supposedly) but if Apple killed off the G3 within their computer line, I don't see why they don't simply toss in a G4 instead, and Im pretty sure theres gonna be more than 128 of RAM in there, of course though, these are just rumors.

Either way, it still sounds intersting and cool, regardless of whether or not it's true. :p
 
I thought they called it "TiVo".

People use WebTV because it is supposedly easier and you can watch television. It also has limited capabilities and the same problems that every pc has.

Let's assume Apple calls it QTV or Quicktime Television. Yeah we already have that online but it would give people access to Quicktime trailers, keynotes, streaming music, independent movies, and other things you can download from the net that are in the quicktime format from their living rooms. Of course if you have a laptop and fast connection it wouldn't be a problem right.

I think with the Movie industry beginning their campaign about stealing, that might be another market to take advantage of. Only Apple can show us.
:p
 
Assuming it would run on some stripped down version of OSX Panther, I still don't think that'd be enough to run it on a G3 with only 128 MB of RAM. Most TV(not HDTV) is only 320 by something pixels, so MAYBE they might get it to work fast enough.

It does sound awesome, but is quite expensive.
There is a lot of stuff packed in it from the description though, so that does justify the price.
 
Based on its described purpose, a G3 is plenty as well as 128 RAM. It's not like it's really doing much. It's just a storage, throughput and playback device as I see it. The G3 will let be quiet and cheap(er). Again, based on its current description, what would a G4 and more memory get you? I guess maybe sorting iPhoto/iTunes files faster or something minimal like that.

It sounds kind of cool, I guess. I'm not quite buying into the whole TV/Computer cross-experience, though in general. I like to keep my TV and my computer experiences as two very different things. But then if my house were wired differently or if I had airport and this iBox, I might Think Different(ly).

Definitely want to see it in action.
 
Just think about how you would use it. iPhoto is pretty slow on a 400MHz G4, which is what I used to have. What if you wanted to record a TV show(decoding analog and converting to digital, maybe MPEG2, or MPEG4(very CPU intensive)), and us iPhoto or iTunes at the same time? That is a pretty realistic thing to do, and unless they don't let you do those things at the same time(bad idea) then I don't think a 500MHz G3 is going to cut it.

Do you really want to use a bogged down iPhoto while it records your TV show? The whole concept sounds great, but some of the specs don't seem realistic.
 
I suppose this "iBox" that you folks are talking about is something that would be a counterpart for Windows XP Multimedia Version? I remember reading old threads about iBox and wasn't really incorporated w/ multimedia stuff. iBox (conceptual images that I saw before) somewhat resembled the Power Macintosh 4400.
 
Macosrumors.com has a similar story, but is not really that similar. I don't know if they had this up before this site, or just made it up based on this story, or if someone made up 2 stories, or if one is true, or if both are true.
 
We recived the email around 8PM last night (Dec 30th), their article was posted some time the same day, while they seem similar I don't think they are. They say it would be more like the eyeTV or something that would connect to a mac, while this is said to be a whole different unit. What is interesting though, is that they say their sources are telling them about apple researching this technology. If not the "iBox" or what they talk about, maybe a combination of some sort.

After reading a bunch of replys to the article I've gathered that while the processor/ram speed seems low for such a box, it never specifies what kind of os or system runs this. Assuming it is MacOSX of some sort, it would probualy be a bare bones version which might make up for it's questionable specs.

I'd really like to hear back from this person, see if they can answer any of the questions surrounding this.
 
I have a device now that lets me view photos that are in my iPhoto libary. Play music that's in my iTunes library. Connect wirelessly or via Ethernet. Schedule TV recordings remotely - from my network or Internet.

It's called a TiVo Series2 with Home Media Option. It works great and interfaces with my OS X Mac great too.

If this is true it had better be REALLY good as what it does and be cheap or else I just don't see the point.

Don't get me wrong - I'd love an Apple TV recorder and I understand the specs here listed more than what my current TiVo can do. But if Apple gets into this game they better bring something new to the table.

And this better not be true unless the MiniPod rumors are true too because I already have my heart set on one of those! ;)
 
Much as I wish this were true, I don't really see this as a likely move by Apple. But the real question is, if it was true, why would anybody involved in the test program bother to send an email to macosx.com about it? Also, when was the last time Apple conducted a "test program" even remotely like this one claims to be? All of their R&D seems to be kept very much in-house.
The alternative theory, that its just a dreamed up bit of baloney posted for the heck of it, is much more easily believed. So, any reply in regards to this email yet? And did the author include any hint of how the authenticity of the email might be verified?

That said though, if it is true, I'll be looking forward to seeing it.
 
Very cool idea...it solves a ton of my "problems" in connectivity and usability.

The biggest thing it would need, for me to jump on it and buy it, would be digital optical outputs, so I could hook that thing into my stereo for iTunes use and Rendezvous iTunes use. I am dying for a full digital way to easily connect my iPod, TiBook, or G4's to my theater system, which this *could* do. Airport to that iBox using iTunes sharing, fed through optical to the stereo system would be niiiiiice.

Second thing would be component video out put, but that's a far second to my optical request...S-Video would suffice. :)
 
That remote control doesn't look very complicated, which this kind of device would probably necessitate. Of course, if it's simply an artistic rendering, it wouldn't make a hoot of difference.

What would the pricing be on a device like this? If it's anything more than about $500, it'll never. But if it cost $150 and worked without need for a Mac, it could go like hotcakes.
 
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