I believe there is a fundamental misconception within the ranks of
many a Mac aficionado. As many of us know and point out every day, the
Mac OS software layer makes the Mac not just another Windows machine
but something more complete, more thought-out, more evolved.
Along the same line of thinking, I believe it is important to
consider that the Mac hardware layer makes the Mac not just another TV,
VCR, PVR (personal video recorder), or "dumb" (in the denotative, not
connotative, meaning) electronic device.
Looking at the issue from a "Why does my Mac not do X consumer
TV/TiVo/etc. function" addresses the issue of Apple's ubiquitous
"Digital Hub" concept from the wrong direction. The fundamental
question that should be asked in addressing why one's Mac does not play
well with one's TV is, "What truly separates a computer from a DVD
player, TV, PVR, etc.?"
When Apple says "digital hub" I believe they are really referring to
the Mac as a tool for the creation of digital content (home
DVDs, CD compilations, desktop videos, etc.) rather than a half-baked,
generally dumb playback engine intended to compete with other
dedicated devices (DVD players, TVs, PVRs, etc.) that generally do the
job better and more in line with consumer's expectations for enjoying
digital content in the living room versus the office.
Supporting this perspective we see both direct statements from Apple
(such as recent comments from Steve Jobs that Apple is not even looking
at the TV-on-Mac market for another 24 months) and market realities
that you can still get considerably better TV/DVD decoding, Dolby sound
output, and general PC-living room convergence in a Windows box than a
Mac or a dedicated electronics box than a Mac (see the Radeon 8500
All-In-Wonder, WinTV-PVR, and Nvidia Personal Cinema cards for a
glimpse of what we're missing on our Macs).
Does this mean that a Windows or TiVo box is better than a Mac? At
dumb playback of digital content, perhaps yes. But at intelligent,
easy-to-use, well-thought-out creation of digital content, not a
chance.
"Digital hub" appears to be a concept intended to convey the ability
to add value to existing digital devices through the easy editing of
their content. As we all know, a "hub" does not replace an object, it
merely allows the transfer of content by linking together various
devices. Perhaps it's time we reconsider the Mac as a hub to our
existing digital devices, rather a replacement of these
devices?
Share your perspective on the Mac by emailing with "My Turn" as your subject.
