> True, its closed... except that what portion of 'normal' (i.e.
> non-techie)
> popel use anything except itunes? I remember people on slashdot saying
> the
> ipod would flop because it didn't use something called 'ogg vorbis'...
Typically products and vendors fall into two categories, products that
are very flexible and can be developed and modified by the end user,
and products that are the opposite -- closed and well defined by their
manufacturers (Apple, Microsoft, you name it). I have quite a few of
these open and developable products around and in the basement,
many/most that never got finished by their original vendor or the
public community.
AirTunes will probably work and sell pretty well because it's closed
enough -- it will work for the masses. The niche services with
RealPlayer and other similar content don't change the world. It also
isn't "everything included" device, it'll just do a simple task. The
major fault with the AirTunes device is that you need the Mac or PC to
control it. More obvious choice would have been a WLAN or Bluetooth
controlled, two-way remote control with screen big enough. Or if
they'd included a BT support in the device so it could be controlled
with an application on the mobile phone.. perhaps with an USB-BT
module?
Nice job from Apple, though. The device works with a number of power
plug adapters, already used with the Apple laptops and ipod's. It's
integrated, not a combination of power supply and device and bunch of
cables. Technically it's most likely a trouble-free device. The price
is suprisingly low for an Apple product. There are number of other
devices that can play streamed music over the WLAN but Apple was smart
enough to add the base station/wlan extender features. Very portable
with little cables.
Petri
Received on Wed Jun 9 14:37:40 2004