This is not the first time we've heard talk of an Apple media download kiosk, nor does it seem any more plausible this time around, but who knows? According to patent docs dredged up by Apple Insider and dating back to the halcyon days of late 2007, the company has certainly put some thought into this, detailing a wireless iTunes station that would allow users to access the iTunes store on the go, using a "virtual physical connection" to the player. As for the kiosk, it would both access media stored locally (perennial faves and new releases) and the rest of the iTunes store over its Internet connection, with users ponying up by either providing their iTunes account credentials or by credit card. Not a bad idea, eh? Well, we won't hold our breath. One more pic for you after the jump, jump, jump...
Im not an apple fan at all but quit your whining. Nobody is forcing you to read the apple articles much less post comments on them or keep track of the time between apple posts.
Days without somebody complaining about an Apple-related article after obviously clicking on and reading said article: 0 days, 0 hours, 0 min.
Seems like engadget has a pretty standard ratio of stories. Out of the last 50 stories in my RSS reader, 4 are about Apple. That's about 8-10%, which is about Apple's computer market share.
There were 4 stories about the Kindle, and 3 about the Pre. Kindle has an unknown market share, but about 500,000 units rumored in circulation. And the Pre doesn't even exist yet in the public. No complaints in those comment threads.... weird.
Of course, there's the 80% plus market share of iPods in the music player market. Just be happy 80% of engadget isn't Apple-related.
I'm an Apple fan but I care more about technology than about one company. I never read TUAW; maybe once a month I look at Appleinsider. It's easier to get all my tech news on one site. And, as mentioned above, Apple gets about the right amount of coverage for their marketshare. More important is mindshare. If a company is releasing lots of innovative products, maybe they deserve more articles. I'm not complaining about all the Palm Pre articles even though *nobody here has used one yet*. It's an interesting new device. I don't care enough to read every article, so I skip over the boring details and read the occasional interesting article.
I know, choosing what to read and what not to read is hard.
I dunno how many readers remember this, but Kriss Kross was popular enough that some company started making backwards clothing, including jeans that looked like they were backwards with a hidden fly in the middle of the butt, and a fake one in the back...the shirts were just as uncomfortable to wear backwards as they look.
I never had them personally. My parents' argument: "We're not buying you special clothes so you can look like you don't know how to dress yourself."
Gotta love how in that "Jump" video there is numerous footage of the two kids (who were 13 at the time) driving cars...
I am a huge iTunes customer and I can't imagine using an "iTunes Vending Machine" ever. The simplicity and safety of using the store online in the comfort of home is perfect.
Interesting, my employer sent a letter to Apple in 1992 proposing a similar (networked and locally updated) touch screen kiosk system for content download - based on what was at the time Apple's top of the line desktop Mac. When the 'World Wide Web' began to creap into everyday life (1993/4) we dropped the project - known as PiN (People's Interactive Network.) I'm wondering if our designs for a kiosk stuck around at Apple. It is interesting how old ideas can become appropriate again. May post our proposal on the web in due course for a giggle. For situations where no network connectivity was possible, our proposal was to have FedEx drop off content laden 600MB magneto optical disks overnight at each kiosk! (Back then, 600MB was a lot, capacity and dollar wise...)
Yes, iPod was originally a kiosk internet device. The original owner of said trademark (Joseph Grasso) assigned it to Apple.
As for this particular kiosk, it sounds a LOT like one of those modern-day computer-based jukeboxes that have a library or songs, and then you pay extra for it to download something from the central server into the local library. The only difference is what happens next: instead of playing publicly at a bar, the song gets stored on one's iPod. For some reason, this reminds me of Steve Jobs's idea of being social when listening to music: sharing earbuds.
Also... After that song came out, I remember thinking I was such a failure for not accomplishing anything in my life by the age of 12.
They just need wifi and 3G/4G built into future iPods. Link them to your mobile service, or just use them on wifi to download yer music. Bonus points for syncing with your cloud-based library while on the go.
Yeah. I wrote about this in January. 2008. (Consumer Electronics Show, Vegas Baby!) And it wasn't even new then.
"At the NBC Universal booth, NBC's partner MediaPort had their kiosks on display and handed out 2GB USB drives. Visitors were encouraged to plug their drive into a kiosk and select from a few dozen TV shows to download. The videos have to be activated using a computer and then can be viewed for two weeks, as determined by NBC. The technology could be used for longer or shorter rental times. Their kiosks are popular in places from prisons to army barracks, and could really change the way we buy or rent videos."
Seriously, the never-ending abuse of phrases "past the break" and "after the jump" irritate me even more than... even more than.. EVEN MORE THAN APPLE NEWS!!
Am I the only one who slightly see's this as something pretty worthless? I barely see any usefulness on this.
Guy1: (hmm I think I'll download some music, but I'm at the mall...oh wait...an Apple Media Kiosk, I can finally download that song I heard today)
*connects iPod Touch*
Guy2: (hmm I think I'll download some music, but I'm at the mall....oh wait...an Apple Media Kiosk, I can finally download that song I heard today...wait...who's this guy?)
*peeks at other guy with super ninja peripheral vision*
Guy2: (Jonas Brothers? DoubleYou Tee Eff!) "You listen to the Jonas Brothers?"
iPod filling station! I have been doing it since last year at the kiosk in InMotion at several airports! It is very cool, works and last week I got a recorded book too! Hasn't everyone seen this yet????
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posted May 7th 2009 3:17PM
Thank You engadget.
Because without Engadget, you'd be wiggidy wiggidy wiggidy WHACK!
I miss college. *sniff*
Days Without An Apple Related Artlcle:
2 hours, 17 minutes. Can we please leave the Apple articles on TUAW? Pretty please?
Im not an apple fan at all but quit your whining. Nobody is forcing you to read the apple articles much less post comments on them or keep track of the time between apple posts.
Can you just continue to scroll without being a little bitch? Pretty please?
Days without somebody complaining about an Apple-related article after obviously clicking on and reading said article: 0 days, 0 hours, 0 min.
Seems like engadget has a pretty standard ratio of stories. Out of the last 50 stories in my RSS reader, 4 are about Apple. That's about 8-10%, which is about Apple's computer market share.
There were 4 stories about the Kindle, and 3 about the Pre. Kindle has an unknown market share, but about 500,000 units rumored in circulation. And the Pre doesn't even exist yet in the public. No complaints in those comment threads.... weird.
Of course, there's the 80% plus market share of iPods in the music player market. Just be happy 80% of engadget isn't Apple-related.
I'm an Apple fan but I care more about technology than about one company. I never read TUAW; maybe once a month I look at Appleinsider. It's easier to get all my tech news on one site. And, as mentioned above, Apple gets about the right amount of coverage for their marketshare. More important is mindshare. If a company is releasing lots of innovative products, maybe they deserve more articles. I'm not complaining about all the Palm Pre articles even though *nobody here has used one yet*. It's an interesting new device. I don't care enough to read every article, so I skip over the boring details and read the occasional interesting article.
I know, choosing what to read and what not to read is hard.
Raise your hand if you wore your clothes backwards back in the day...
*looks around*
*slowly lowers hand*
dressing like that was actually banned in my jr. high back then.
Not that I even wanted to wear clothes that way.
we took it a (step) further, two different kicks on, man kids these days just consume no imagination, thank you hip hop.
why do they wear their clothes backwards?
It was just a fashion fad.
I dunno how many readers remember this, but Kriss Kross was popular enough that some company started making backwards clothing, including jeans that looked like they were backwards with a hidden fly in the middle of the butt, and a fake one in the back...the shirts were just as uncomfortable to wear backwards as they look.
I never had them personally. My parents' argument: "We're not buying you special clothes so you can look like you don't know how to dress yourself."
Gotta love how in that "Jump" video there is numerous footage of the two kids (who were 13 at the time) driving cars...
because they're "totally crossed out"...or something
cause inside out, is wiggidy wiggidy wiggidy WHACK!
@itsonlymonday
don't try to compare them to another bad little fad :-P
Oh man...you should have been in my class when this crap was huge. Tons of kids wearing their clothes backwards. Hilarious, to say the least.
I am a huge iTunes customer and I can't imagine using an "iTunes Vending Machine" ever. The simplicity and safety of using the store online in the comfort of home is perfect.
If Apple pondered this just two years ago they are way late to the idea. Vending Machines are so last millennium.
Was that article so dry/boring that you had to include a Kriss Kross video?! ;)
Don't diss the mac daddies drum! :|
Maybe at the airport may work... I always forget to load new music or movies when I travel :|
Whatever happened to KrissKross. dem kids had a weird sense of fashion but that sh!t was pumping yo
Interesting, my employer sent a letter to Apple in 1992 proposing a similar (networked and locally updated) touch screen kiosk system for content download - based on what was at the time Apple's top of the line desktop Mac. When the 'World Wide Web' began to creap into everyday life (1993/4) we dropped the project - known as PiN (People's Interactive Network.) I'm wondering if our designs for a kiosk stuck around at Apple. It is interesting how old ideas can become appropriate again. May post our proposal on the web in due course for a giggle. For situations where no network connectivity was possible, our proposal was to have FedEx drop off content laden 600MB magneto optical disks overnight at each kiosk! (Back then, 600MB was a lot, capacity and dollar wise...)
Kriss Kross? WTF?
Where are they now: http://www.myspace.com/darealkriskross
Well, wasn't the iPod trademark initially going to be used for some kiosk thingy?
Yes, iPod was originally a kiosk internet device. The original owner of said trademark (Joseph Grasso) assigned it to Apple.
As for this particular kiosk, it sounds a LOT like one of those modern-day computer-based jukeboxes that have a library or songs, and then you pay extra for it to download something from the central server into the local library. The only difference is what happens next: instead of playing publicly at a bar, the song gets stored on one's iPod. For some reason, this reminds me of Steve Jobs's idea of being social when listening to music: sharing earbuds.
Also... After that song came out, I remember thinking I was such a failure for not accomplishing anything in my life by the age of 12.
If this were a Zune all they'd need is a wifi hub.
If it were a Zune all you'd need to do is find the nearest cafe in your city.
Thanks, I'm gonna have 'I missed the Bus' stuck in my head for another decade.
They just need wifi and 3G/4G built into future iPods. Link them to your mobile service, or just use them on wifi to download yer music. Bonus points for syncing with your cloud-based library while on the go.
"virtual physical"
does that even make sense?
Yeah. I wrote about this in January. 2008. (Consumer Electronics Show, Vegas Baby!) And it wasn't even new then.
"At the NBC Universal booth, NBC's partner MediaPort had their kiosks on display and handed out 2GB USB drives. Visitors were encouraged to plug their drive into a kiosk and select from a few dozen TV shows to download. The videos have to be activated using a computer and then can be viewed for two weeks, as determined by NBC. The technology could be used for longer or shorter rental times. Their kiosks are popular in places from prisons to army barracks, and could really change the way we buy or rent videos."
http://www.techny.com/articles.cfm?getarticle=1117
Is it just me, or was the patent department website designed by a 4 year old?
Seriously, the never-ending abuse of phrases "past the break" and "after the jump" irritate me even more than... even more than.. EVEN MORE THAN APPLE NEWS!!
zune has this feature already.
I can't even wireless sync to itunes from the iphone to computer, how will this ever work?
Apple's kind of late to the game; all the Zunes can access the Marketplace store via a WiFi hub.
I wonder what every guild in the city is going to think about this idea?
Apple is very creative with all the products, this kiosk should be real fun to use.
That not a bad idea i would use it
Am I the only one who slightly see's this as something pretty worthless? I barely see any usefulness on this.
Guy1: (hmm I think I'll download some music, but I'm at the mall...oh wait...an Apple Media Kiosk, I can finally download that song I heard today)
*connects iPod Touch*
Guy2: (hmm I think I'll download some music, but I'm at the mall....oh wait...an Apple Media Kiosk, I can finally download that song I heard today...wait...who's this guy?)
*peeks at other guy with super ninja peripheral vision*
Guy2: (Jonas Brothers? DoubleYou Tee Eff!) "You listen to the Jonas Brothers?"
Guy1: 0_0
Guy2: O_o
Guy1: T_T
Guy 2: >_>
Posts like this make me jealous that I wasn't picked to be an Engadget writer -___-.
Well, they should have room at Target stores in the spots where they yanked all of the "Games for Windows" machines out of.
iPod filling station! I have been doing it since last year at the kiosk in InMotion at several airports! It is very cool, works and last week I got a recorded book too! Hasn't everyone seen this yet????