Eagerly awaiting an Apple Media Hub...
While I'm on a roll and getting all my wanted-to-post-but-didn't-have-time stuff out in public, I thought I'd just put out my stall again with regards to what I think an Apple Media Hub should be like. With MacWorld only three days away, it's really back on my mind again.
Let's start off with a couple of links: A really rough proposal for an Apple Media Hub (Part One) and Part Two. There's a separate page including some illustrations as well, with larger versions of images like these below:
And if that's not enough for you, and you need more stuff about television and set-top boxes, then you should have a glance over at my pieces on Social Software for Set-Top Boxes, Future Developments in Home Media Centres or in the Television category of the site. Ooh, and an added little extra - I just found my old rather rubbish attempt to do a mock-up of an Apple Set-Top Box in Illustrator. It's not great, but hey...
Should a new media centre from Apple not be announced, then I'm totally going to get myself an iMac with Front Row and a remote control to replace my ailing PowerMac. But I can't help thinking that there's almost inevitably going to be something in this territory. They've got such a great head-start with the iPod that I can't imagine they wouldn't try and extend themselves around the rest of the home. Whatever happens, I'll be glued - as ever - to the rumour sites and IRC channels on Tuesday evening UK time. Hopefully I'll see some of you in them...
Comments
Please stay on-topic, informative and polite. I reserve the right to remove comments for whatever vague capricious reasons seem reasonable at the time.
Have a gander at the CenterStage open-source Mac media centre project. It's only 0.5 but it has a nice Front Row-esque interface with similar functionality. The competing iTheater is imminently relasing too. Both projects are it seems however suffering from a lack of ongoing development… and obviously lack dedicated hardware integration such as might be/is found with Front Row.
→ Posted by: Jacob at January 8, 2006 8:27 AM
Tom,
I love what you have done here, its really amazing; however, you know if they were releasing it on Tuesday, this is a little too late?
Peter
→ Posted by: Peter Mahnke at January 8, 2006 10:35 PM