do not know anybody had post this :

http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/02/05/apple_planning_connected_television_apple_tv_with_dvr_report.html

as a tv buyer and a mac user , i hope it will come true ; as a beofan , it is a big worry .

you can do it now , just buy a mac mini and add eye tv

i record all my tv shows on my mac pro that way , the epg is amazing

I read this article earlier, and that was the same thing that crossed my mind - will Apple come out with something that will render my expensive B&O TV less appealing.  Granted, at this time, my only working B&O TV is the least expensive B&O TV, the BV8.  But, I'm waiting for the upgrades to the BV7, including the possibility that B&O will offer a LCD larger than 40".

You could argue that waiting for upgrades could easily end up being a permanent endeavor as there will always be something better coming around the corner - particularly in the electronics field.  Maybe it's better to simply buy now and enjoy?  Well, there's one problem with the "live now" philosophy of electronic purchasing -- I've been able to thus far justify my B&O fetish by reasoning that the exorbitant fees associated with things like their flat panel TVs can be somewhat justified by the fact that there's some longevity built in to B&Os.  If the company that I feel is most likely to bring the digital media revolution in to our living room (i.e. Apple) is going to come out with their own TV, well, that doesn't bode well for B&O or any other TV manufacturer in the long run that wants my money.

I'm tempted to recite my endless diatribe about B&O and Apple's similarities and B&O's need to partner with Apple, but I've worn that argument out in the past in these forums, you guys are tired of hearing that, and you guys have done a good job of convincing me that B&O isn't adept enough (at least until now) to do this.  However, even if it weren't an Apple co-branded item (I don't need B&O to do something like the Samsung partnering), I'd be satisfied simply knowing that the expensive B&O TV that I'd just purchased was going to be compatible with Apple's future plans.

So, my point?  Well, I probably spend too much time waiting for electronic upgrades and to a certain degree it's probably sad that I'd already perused the Apple rumor site to which the original post is linked.  Also, I want a new B&O TV soon and I'll probably purchase one regardless.  However, at the same time, I sure would like the new guys running B&O to "smell the roses" and find a way to somehow partner (even if only mildly so) with Apple.  Sure, partnering with Apple might mean some sales of the BS5 lost to more adept Apple products, but for many of us, I sense that we'd be more inclined to invest in B&O if we thought they were tapped in to Apple's insights.

One other thing:  I'm not at all convinced that Apple will build an actual TV - my musings pertain more to B&O having their TVs and audio equipment becoming more compatible with Apple's digital media hubs which I am much more confident will become a part of our future living rooms than an actual Apple branded flat panel.

Just my (probably predictable) .02,

Mark D

I like Apple design very much almost as B&O. If Apple offeres a better solution, with great design and quality i sure will not buy B&O in the future.

B&O TVs for instance are so expensive, and for a lot of money offer small screens, if you want a 50'' or more you have to pay almost the price of a very good family car.

So if I think this way I am sure I can buy a new family car and enjoy a big Apple screen too.

I've been using Eye-TV with my Macs for about three years, brilliant, and can be controlled with the Apple-Remote. Automatic storage of the recorded content, easy retrieval, can be streamed around the house, easy to convert to iPod, etc. Full SD resolution, or HD-digital in areas where that is transmitted (check that Eye-TV has units compatible for local signals).

In some areas, you even get programming guides and pre-recording options. Better than anything my STB-provider has offered so far. As Flappo says, amazing EPG.

Agreed - the programming capabilities are enormous. I can set it to record a complete series of a certain program, record any programs to do with anything about F.E. Thumbs (they're usually Quite Interesting) and it'll be automatically recorded and exported into iTunes so it's available on my iPod + Apple TV. Very clever.

That analysis that was referenced in the article looks sloppy. Some of the information provided in that overview table is incorrect. Hulu works on a Mac, hell even on an Apple TV.

Anyway, I am not a big fan of the new Imac design, neither of the Macbooks Pros. I do like the Air though ..... Still, it is not in the same league as B&O look wise so I am not worried.

And, B&O with their PUC/STB concept manages today to integrate Apple Products. I use my Beo4  like many others with my ATV.

JK

in 2010 Apple will join the Consumer electronics Show. And Apple will create its own flat TV and Audiosystem very soon. In Apple Design of course. It wont be easy for BnO !!!!

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/now-apple-has-designs-on-the-television-market-1548434.html

I have my television viewing set up like this already. The internet streams to the Mac mini, and goes from there to the screen, works a treat - waching AppleTV, Fora.tv, TED, television stations, etc. Plus my own sources. All easily navigated. If TBS hadn't been a windows man (he was behind the robot-LEGO for windows machines and got his connections to Microsoft then), we might have seen B&O approaching Apple much sooner.

If they have any sense in Struer they'll suggest that B&O put out Apple-enabled sets.

soundproof:

If they have any sense in Struer they'll suggest that B&O put out Apple-enabled sets.

I couldn't agree more; partnering with Apple makes perfect sense (and will therefore probably never be done).  If B&O were to do this, an added benefit would be the Apple masses taking note of B&O for the first time.

Mark D

Very compelling at first blush, but I think it's a bigger thorn in Sony or Samsung's side than ours. Apple has brought convenience to digital content and little else. Innovation in sorting and retrieval is lackluster at best. Genius is only about as innovative as Amazon's commerce engine and flipping album art has turned out to be more a novelty with a recent move to copy Kaleidoscape's interface. 

Let's not forget that Apple has already released an audio system and it was a complete dud when set next to competitors as varied as JBL and B&W. 

I think that, provided it comes in at a high but reasonable price-point like most Apple products, we'll have little to worry about. Apple's shown no inclination to move into high performance devices and it seems unlikely that they'd choose this product category to start. 

For "real-world" examples of peaceful coexistence, you need look no further than the BeoSound 5. This device is, by and large, fed by iTunes and builds on Apple's database program to bring a higher quality output, more personal user experience, and a more innovative form of search and retrieval. I'm sure that whatever Apple puts in a television will also be available as a box that we will support just as we do now. 

The world will keep on turning. 

I agree with whom you believe the primary competitors are, after all, Apple is a volume consumer electronics play. But the B&O differentiation is fast running out. What happens if Apple build this new TV in an Ali unibody structure (like the new MacBook) - well thats your materials argument gone. Apples electronics engineering is in a different class to B&O (contrast the guts of the Beosound 5 and Apple TV for a comparison). Then you look at the software engineering contrast; where you have products like Apple TV which are highly integrated with a good user interface versus a $99 license of Windows XP embedded with a skin on the top or worse you look at the BeoSystem 3 and just how bug ridden that is.

Sorry - sounds like I'm loosing the faith and I probably am. Lets hope the new CEO has a clearer and more innovative vision as the last guy built a division called IdeaLabs that took years to deliver a Windows XP embedded product designed for enabling fast time to market.

B&O needs to build a more adventurous software team in my opinion and head down a route that enables them to create greater differentiation and integration. Taking the lazy route with VIA system boards and Windows XP embedded is not what I expect from B&O - I want to be inspired and to be able to look at a product knowing that it has had heart and soul thrown at it. 

Mark.

Apple make some great products for sure. But the big difference between B&O and any computer company is continuity - Beolink allows systems made 20 years apart work together in an (almost) seamless manner. That is a big attraction for may people and it is not something that computer based companies understand.

I work in media and I can tell you that Apple's media policy is to not even make available pictures of non-current products available. If it is not current as far as they are concerned it does not exist! Thankfully B&O is not (yet) quite so fast to forget about its customers.

Hardwriter, there's a big difference between whether photos of products are available, and whether those products are supported by the platform. True, if you're in PC-land, then a computer with two-three years on its back is not current (consider all the people who couldn't upgrade to Vista ...). But Apple ensures that previous product is compatible. I have a Blueberry iMac that I can use with ease, over ten years old, and which fetches music from my LAN, as well as surfs the net.

Now that an entire generation of music and media users are growing up with the computer as their primary source, it's fairly obvious why Apple is taking the next step; and why B&O needs to consider implementing the computer. But B&O can always decide not to do so, and leave the field to Loewe, LG and others.

Hi Hardwriter,

"B&O is not yet quite so fast to forget its customers."

I can very clearly contrast the customer service experience difference between Apple and B&O having just gone through both. Apple looked after me, wanting to maintain my custom and sending me a free pair of the new in-ear headphones. B&O didn't bother to call back when they said they would then sent an impersonal email demonstrating a total disconnect from understanding their customers issues and frustrations. And this was on one of B&O most expensive and current products.

I think we all recognise B&O has a lot of stepping up to do on the product and service side currently. Being an advocate for the brand, I hope they are reading this and taking note.

Mark

Soundproof and Mawheele, You both make very fair points. What I really meant to point out is that there is a big difference beteen being a computer company and a premium audio visual company. Look at the product lifetime of an iPod or iPhone - a matter of months - and the volumes you have to sell to be viable. 

To return to the original post, however. I think Apple can do a lot more with and around the Apple TV/iTunes model. But I do not think it makes much sense for them to get into making TVs, even though they would certainly make very attractive ones.