eLifespaces

Much ado about computing, iPhones, and iPads, but nothing has been heard of late from our strategic powerhouse partners, Apple, regarding HDTV and home entertainment. Touted as a “hobby,” AppleTV may soon find itself the center of attention should rumors of next generation high definition resolution and cloud computing have any substance.

There are four forces at play – 1) Apple promoting the next generation video format “4K” (video resolution of 4096x2160) making BluRay quality look archaic; 2) cloud computing (a $1 billion investment by Apple for the famous data center, “Lala,” in North Carolina) and future home of ‘Keychest’; 3) speculation that Apple may included TiVO’s DVR technology in the next iteration of the Apple TV; and 4) finally in the spirit of “plug and play” merge this new AppleTV into a large 4K LED display and offer an iPad remote control and Bluetooth keyboard support. Why not even include in a built-in camera with FaceTime or Skype functions!

Apple, long known (and self touted http://www.apple.com/why-mac/) for quality, may be planning its entry into the HDTV market on the high-end. You certainly don’t need to splurge on a system in the Mac’s price range to be a happy customer. But with electronics, as with most things in life, you generally get what you pay for.