Jefflog

It seems like lately, Apple’s been on a tear, selling millions of iPods and increasing its market share (even if it is still only 2.28 percent). They’ve managed to make the transition from PowerPC to Intel chips go very smoothly — in fact, I don’t think any other company could do it as well as they have — which shows the company can stop on a dime and turn itself around if they have to. Thus, I hope they can do it again soon.

During their most recent “fun” special event, they merely announced a new Intel Mac Mini, the overpriced $350 “iPod Boombox”, and the even more overpriced $99 leather cases for the iPod. While I wouldn’t mind picking up a Mac Mini, I would really like it if they added a TV tuner to it. I could replace my aging Tivo once and for all and get a very flexible machine. But even though you can use it to share video, music, and photos throughout the house, you can’t directly record TV with it (at least, not without an expensive add-on).

Alas, Apple probably won’t include a TV tuner anytime soon because it would eat into their TV show sales profits and no doubt anger the networks who they are starting a cozy relationship with. Hmmmm… this sounds a lot like Sony’s problems a few years ago, where the music publishing arm of Sony conflicted with the electronic division which forced them to put out inferior digital music players. Apple won that battle, but unless they wise up and change course, they’ll lose the video one.