Video iPods
Before I make my bold predictions about the future of television, I'd like to start with something a bit smaller. Pocket-sized, even. By now, anyone who hasn't been living in a bomb shelter for the past coupla years knows what an iPod is. But the two displayed below aren't just any old iPods, of course -- they're video iPods. That is, after all, what this blog is all about!
Is the video iPod "worth it"?
I mean, sure, it looks pretty enough, but do you get the bang for the buck?
Well, let's consider. At $249, it's the same price as the highest capacity non-video iPod (which only stores 8GB, by comparison!) When you factor in that the video iPods are the only ones that allow you to play the downloadable games from iTunes, the question really shifts from "Do I want to go video" to "Do I want the 30GB, or the 80GB iPod?"
Of course, this is all presuming that you're in the market for an iPod or MP3 player at all.
The Future of TV?
Now, it's time to get to my prediction about the future of television. And it sort of ties into this other piece of Apple technology -- the Apple TV:
Another neat thing about it is that it automatically grabs the digital media on your computer and makes it available on your TV. It also automatically updates whenever you buy or download video from iTunes.
So what's my prediction? I believe the internet will be available directly on most of our televisions by the end of 2008. I know. Some people are already sort of doing it, but I'm talking about wide-spread usage. Like, most of us are using our televisions to watch YouTube, instead of the computer screen.
Beyond Apple, other set-top video recorders are, of course, being made. And beyond iTunes, other companies, such as AT&T with it's HomeZone Interactive TV, are providing mass quantities of consumable video content online.
One noteworthy service called Movielink, recently purchased by Blockbuster, is hard core evidence that the rental realm is definitely headed for the internet. They offer "rental downloads" much like you may have experienced in a hotel room, that offer unlimited viewings over a 24 hour time period. If you'd like to get a glimpse of that internet movie-rental future, you can check out these Movielink's Free Samples .
Help Me!
Now, as much as I believe that it's a natural progression, and we'll almost all be doing it by the end of 2008, I have to confess, I'm a late-bandwagoner. Or is it wagoneer...? Either way, I traded in my tapes for CDs around 1992, and I finally jumped on the laserdisc bandwagon about 2 months before they stopped making 'em.
So I would really like to be ahead of the curve, for a change. I, of course, am totally on board. The only trick is to convince my wife. I know I can use the argument that we spend more in late fees at the video store than I would on a season of The Office, but I don't think that'll be enough. I know that the 160GB version is $399, which isn't much more than a fancy DVR.... And I'm going to go with those arguments, believe me. But I want to have all the ammo I can, so....If you have any suggestions on how I could do that, please add them to the comments of this post!
1 comment:
I agree with a lot of what you're saying, but I back off the prediction of internet access on TV. I think, in general, people only want TV-type stuff on TV. W
There will be widespread downloads of TV material -- so I guess in a way, you're right -- but I don't think anyone wants to surf via their TV. About 97% of all households have TVs. That's how much a part of the American household it's become. It's more than an invention, it's a piece of furniture that's as important and ubiquitous as the refrigerator. And, in general, people don't like messing with those sort of things.
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