Media Center PCs: is the demand there?
Noted over at Microsoft: Bridging the Product Gap: hardware makers shipped a mere total 189,031 Media Center PCs worldwide during the third quarter — a tiny fraction of the overall 44 million computer shipments during that period, according to market research firm IDC.
Going to take something special to speed that up, I think. Is it just that the time is wrong? Or the design and user interface?
- These posts might be related (the database thinks..):
- Fiorina's curse lives on after HP kills Apple deal to resell iPod (1 August 2005; score: 45.19%)
- Well, that about wraps it up for the Portable Media Center (or Centre) (12 July 2004; score: 42.95%)
- Robert Fripp and Martin Freeman - separated at birth? (And Josh Homme too?) (6 August 2008; score: 35.81%)
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January 4th, 2005 at 9:51 am
I reckon it’s a combination of UI and DRM. TiVo’s huge in the US, isn’t it? They put a lot of effort into the UI, and people just record whatever they want, for free. If someone can make a box that makes tv and movies and music that easy, they might sell. But I’d imagine it’d be more like a modern tv than a PC.
I think people just feel like they’re working if they’re sat at a desk, typing on a keyboard, clicking on a mouse. And tv/music/movies are entirely not about work.
January 5th, 2005 at 2:43 pm
Repost due to yesterdays’ post somehow getting lost:
I agree with Small Paul on the DRM/UI obstacles (interesting article I think on CNet yesterday about Hollywood fearing Apple and Microsoft which reinforces view Apple will have a harder time with video than with music - sorry can’t find link as limitation of NetNewsWire for history!). Also, an interesting article in the FT today on how much Microsoft has thrown at this.
Anyway, a few things relevant are:
1. The low-cost Mac and the media server Mac are two different things, which I don’t think can be met with one solution. I am personally sceptical about Apple going for a REALLY low-cost Mac - they just don’t do that.
2. I think the opportunity is really to NOT take a PC-centric view of the living room, but to take a fresh look. Apple’s iPod experience allows it to do this with a device that may run MacOS X but is not sold as a computer per se.
3. 180,000 devices (Charles’s original posting) is low when compared with 44million PC’s, but is not a bad market in itself, especially when you consider growth, and take out the business sales of PC’s. When the iPod was released the 1st quarter sales were considerably less than this for instance. If Apple’s share of this market is 2% (as in PC market), then they won’t do it. But if Apple thinks it can get 1/5th the share in this market that it has in the MP3 player market, then it would already sell 40,000 a quarter - starting to look more attractive already.
I also think it’s really TIME for this now - everyone is talking about it finally - heh, even the FT. If Apple breaks the mould with a breakthrough device it can really open up this market in much the same way the iPod did. Such a device will have some element of iTunes main server, PVR, DVD player (though better than current software offering), web surfing (think of teletext replacement), family email (via Fast user switching), photo/home video server, and perhaps iChat device (thanks to other poster). All capable within current Apple technology under Mac OS X, but perhaps packaged even neater. Perhaps Apple will rely on aftermarket for add-ons - just like iPod rather than initially try to be all things.
So, in summary, I don’t think the media server numbers are enough to say there’s no point in going there. But I think if Apple is to play in this, they’ll want to redefine it with a device that will seem less like a computer and as different as the iPod was. Then it will be down to sorting the DRM out!
Ian