Even with all the new Apple gadget and OS upgrades released recently, we couldn't help but wonder where all of the home focus has gone. Surely, we can't be all portability maniacs playing around with augmented reality all day, right? So, while it's a highly opinionated piece that follows this introduction, we ask all of you to pitch in your two cents and let us know whether or not you would like to see an Apple Home Server with the ability to stream local media wirelessly to you anywhere in the world.
Apple's Slow Path Towards the Ultimate Home Media Server
Our premise starts with this; Apple's recent introduction of the Home Sharing feature within iTunes, which allows easy media sharing between (we assume) any Mac or PC on a home network (up to 5 computers). Assuming this goes according as planned, we essentially should be able to finally stream movies onto our Apple TV and music onto our laptops without the need of ever having to plug in another external hard drive to transfer files directly.
So our question is, "Why stop there?" Why not go the Spotify route and free your media from local constraints, giving it the capability to be readily accessible from any location in the world as long as you have an Internet connection? Sure, there are third party software solutions that exist today to implement such intricate demands, but their processes are often so convoluted and full of bugs that we often don't even bother. Compared to the feature sets as an in-house produced and implemented Apple design, there should be no denying which would be deemed more appealing.
Hence, we must emphasize that there truly is a demand out there for such a device. We need something that's more than Time Machine - a device that can back up automatically as well as synchronize across different networks, securely and effectively, even when we're not home. We need more than an Apple TV, since its stripped functionality has always left us yearning for that customizable Mac Mini, our loving media box (which we've upgraded again and again).
Now, say you were to combine the two devices and turn it into something that appears to be completely new, but still features much of the same capabilities, with a few tricks up its sleeve. Let's call it the "Apple Home Media Server," a single box that backs up all your files from all your computers, streams media across both local and outside (via the cloud) networks, and also acts as your central internet hub in your home. Some may argue this obliterates Apple's iTunes business model and iPod's functionality as portable media storage devices, but we beg to differ. The only differences one gets with these changes more are convenience for the consumer, less clutter in the home space, and a much better business model in the long run. People tend to invest more into something that's reasonably priced, but more importantly, something they feel has great value and longevity.
If there is a time to refresh Apple's line of home consumer devices, that time is now. We just hope Apple acts on that instinct instead of releasing another... well, I think we can do much better than Nano cameras, don't you?
Agree or disagree with this article? Let us know below!
[Image by niallkennedy as licensed by CC]
Comments (9)
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I think, i9g they did this right, they could turn any iPod/iPhone into a client for this, allowing us to use our iPhone or iPod as our authentication token, streaming the video through it and out to any device.
view Stace's profile
I am a fanboy. However, it's obvious that Apple really does not have their heart into the Apple TV and all the things we think it should do. It languished after it original introduction because they were slightly ahead of their time and their iTunes wasn't ready to download. Then they introduced it again AppleTV 2.0 and again it seems to just sit there. There is no multiple brand inclusion like netflix, hulu, flickr, facebook, no real internet stuff.
Also I think the Home Sharing is half-assed as well. I could careless about sharing music, IMO, but they should have gone father: I want iLife Sharing between computers, my TV and my portable device, iPhone, in my case.
view thefink's profile
I've thought about the AppleTV but a MacMini with a TV tuner would be much more of what I'd really want. If there were any decent cases for the itx platform I would have built a homebrew home media server/PVR.
@thefink I agree they came ahead of their time, just like the cubes.
view cobberman's profile
I already use an old G3 with screen sharing enabled to stream many terabytes of media all over my house to 3 apple TVs. I do not need it streamed to my wireless devices, although that would be cool.
view carbonadam's profile
This echos something i have been wondering about for so long. Why is there no just one device out there that can do everything media related? Why can't i own one box that quietly sits in my media console that plays music though my amp and wirelessly to every speaker in the house, play video through my tv(s) from either internet or preloaded and can also be used as a pc for web browsing and light work stuff. Just trying to search for a PC that has HDMI output is hard enough and then they are almost all crap.....I don't understand why apple and the rest of the world haven't done this.
Surely the future of computing/home tech is not to have an imac in every room but one house computer and multiple screens
view Landmark's profile
Landmark - ditto.
view Pixie's profile
@Landmark Excellently put.
view ekoshyun's profile
I think people don't quite realize all the Apple TV is capable of doing. I use mine to store a huge amount of lossless music that I output optically to a DAC that in turn fees a very high quality signal to my main audio system. I access those very same music files through Airport Express devices that output to other audio systems throughout my condo. (I can control the Apple TV with my iPhone's Remote application and can direct the audio to the Apple Express of my choice.) And I watch both video files that I downloaded through my computer and those I rent directly on the Apple TV. I do wish it had something similar to Slingbox capability, but I otherwise find it to be a very complete solution.
view bluespark's profile
@ bluespark - Yeah honestly i've been thinking about getting an Apple TV and i think it does have some great uses. Only issues are 1) you can not watch hulu or steam internet tv since the added the new firm ware updates, don't think they are netflix compatible either. 2) i would need to buy myself a new computer to stream downloaded movies. I would love to buy just one computer instead of computer and Apple TV.
Apple brought out the iphone when everyone was wondering why the hell do i need a phone and an ipod? hopefully this mystery new (tablet?) device will also change the game.
view Landmark's profile