Apple bringing Blu-ray macs to Macworld?

by Paul Miller posted Jan 3rd 2008 at 11:13AM

This one's a bit of a no brainer: Apple's going to have to ship a next-gen disc drive at some point this decade, and Macworld 2008 is as good a place as any. Apple also has a friendly history with Sony, has Blu-ray happy Disney in its pocket and is on the Blu-ray consortium, so the Blu-ray format seems a bit of a shoo-in. Analyst Shaw Wu thought he'd made the prediction all the same, and while his track record isn't close to immaculate, we'd say he's got a pretty safe bet here. However, Shaw does say that there's a small possibility of Apple picking a hybrid drive just to stay clear of the format wars. Rumors of the drives come alongside word of a major overhaul of the Mac Pro internals, so it seems like the timing is right, but we'll really never know until Steve takes the stage and starts clicking us through the keynote. Wu also has word of a "MacBook mini" or "MacBook slim," iTunes rentals, some sort of "external HDD storage / dock / streaming device that can work with MacBook mini as well as Airport Extreme," and an Apple TV upgrade down the road to allow for more web content and perhaps a TV tuner. Shaw doesn't play the rumor game super conservative, but it sure is a lot more fun this way.

Filed under: Blu-ray, HD DVD, Apple

Tags: formatwar, rumor

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Neutral

Rob @ Feb 23rd 2008 7:22PM

Maybe we'll get lucky and apple will put the BRD into the MBP

Neutral

cckrobinson @ Jan 3rd 2008 11:35AM

I'm hoping for a Blu-ray drive for the Mac Mini (wishful thinking I'm sure). I'm holding off on buying a Blu-ray player until I hear what Apple is planning.

Neutral

Region Free HD @ Jan 3rd 2008 1:25PM

I'd settle for non-integrated graphics, a 7200rpm HDD and Super Drive standard on the cheaper model.

Neutral

Josh* @ Jan 3rd 2008 8:58PM

@Region Free HD

What would be the point of SuperDrive on the cheaper model? The point of it BEING cheaper is that it doesn't have SuperDrive! I think what you mean is you want a price drop.

Neutral

Region Free HD @ Jan 3rd 2008 9:58PM

@Josh*

No, I meant what I said. A price drop wont add better graphics or a faster HDD.

The pricier mini also comes with a larger HDD and a faster CPU standard. Although the HDD is upgradeable in the cheaper model, the CPU is not.

A new desktop computer without a proper DVD+/-RW DL drive at the current lower price point is a bit much to take. I'm not too keen on paying the Apple RAM tax either.

Neutral

John B @ Jan 3rd 2008 11:39AM

Wait... As the article says, Apple "has Blu-ray happy Disney in its pocket and is on the Blu-ray consortium", and Disney is one of the propagators of the format war by going exclusively to one format.

So, wouldn't it be a major bit of hypocrisy for Apple to go dual-format in order to "stay clear of the format wars"?

Neutral

Siva @ Jan 3rd 2008 12:12PM

How can you propogate a war by staying exclusive? Staying exclusive makes the war exciting and aims to shorten it. Warner is the one propagating by staying Swiss.

Neutral

WiFiSpy @ Jan 3rd 2008 11:57AM

No, Apple wants both sides to fail.... they think their upcoming 1080p movie downloads will be king.

Neutral

andyj @ Jan 3rd 2008 12:03PM

Seeing how Microsoft is backing HD DVD, there's pretty much no way Apple would ever make a Mac with an HD DVD player.

Apple releasing their new line of Macs with Blu-ray on board is logical and smart and will only help to further Blu-ray's advantage.

Highly Ranked

FreeRange @ Jan 3rd 2008 12:25PM

I think Microsoft backs Office 2008, also, and it's one of the top sellers on the Apple website.

Neutral

Region Free HD @ Jan 3rd 2008 1:08PM

"DVD Studio Pro 4 allows for the burning of HD DVD content to both standard DVDs and HD DVD media (even though no HD DVD burners are currently available for Macintosh)."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DVD_Studio_Pro

Neutral

MHAithaca @ Jan 3rd 2008 12:02PM

John, avoiding taking sides isn't really Apple's style. They're much more likely to pick one and run with it, and in fact it's a little surprising they hadn't already done so with this technology divide. A move from them would certainly help me decide which way to go.

Neutral

LA26 @ Jan 3rd 2008 12:08PM

With Apple adding a Blu-Ray in the near future I may look into picking up a Apple laptop in the near future.

Highly Ranked

Gremlin @ Jan 3rd 2008 1:01PM

Steve Jobs is a major holder of Disney - he owns at least 5% of its shares. There is absolutely no way that Apple will support HD-DVD. Score one for Blu-Ray.

Neutral

Region Free HD @ Jan 3rd 2008 1:11PM

Neutral

Gremlin @ Jan 3rd 2008 1:25PM

I thought it was clear, but I meant that I don't expect any Apple model to offer an HD-DVD player (ie. no Macbook will have it built-in any time soon). I am not referring to any software or OS limitations as that is a separate story altogether.

Neutral

Greg @ Jan 3rd 2008 12:49PM

Too early to count chickens imho :)
Wait for the CES or MacWorld ;)

Neutral

andyj @ Jan 3rd 2008 12:48PM

http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/08/01/03/apple_set_to_ship_macs_with_blu_ray_support_report.html

Apple Inc. at this month's Macworld Expo will will outline a high-definition video strategy that will see its weight thrown further behind Sony Corp's Blu-ray DVD format as opposed to Toshiba's HD-DVD, according to one Wall Street analyst.

Neutral

EEL @ Jan 3rd 2008 1:43PM

I doubt that Apple would risk alienating any of their fans, so I expect to see a hybrid drive.

Neutral

Haxxy @ Jan 3rd 2008 2:15PM

Fans of Apple don't often turn down a decision Apple makes, so I'm pretty sure Apple isn't too concerned about what will maintain their fanbase; they're more concerned about drawing in new users. Their decision would be based on which format they believe will draw in more new users, and based on the philosophy of Apple, it sounds like they'd be much more likely to go for Blu-ray. Which I whole-heartedly support, by the way.

Neutral

JimC @ Jan 3rd 2008 3:24PM

Also, Mac Fans generally relish in being associated with "not-Microsoft" so Apple using hardware that flies in the face of MS would not be frowned upon. (I know Macs use MS Office but usually because they need to share docs/work with the Windows world, a necessary evil for them). I would imagine a media drive that wasn't backed by MS would be a hit with Mac Fans. I'm just guessing....

Highly Ranked

theefman @ Jan 3rd 2008 2:12PM

Putting blu ray in macs will be news worthy but wont really make much difference. After all pc's have had drives from both formats and they havent made a significant impact on sales. The averege joe wont buy a mac solely to play blu ray. However as we've seen getting the price closer to $200 is what will have the biggest effect on consumer adoption.

Neutral

Gremlin @ Jan 3rd 2008 2:27PM

I think that the decision is slightly more important than you make it seem.

Apple users might be swayed to choose Blu-ray based on the fact that Apple has chosen Blu-ray.

Neutral

andyj @ Jan 3rd 2008 4:05PM

Agreed. Apple is a mighty powerful ally to have in this war.

Blu-ray drives in Macs IMO will lead to increased media sales and exposure, and further the Blu-ray dominance in the mainstream of Hi Definition.

Neutral

EJNelly @ Jan 3rd 2008 11:08PM

I completely agree with theefman, adding Blu-Ray drives to Macs won't make an impact on the format war. I would guess that the number of people who use HDM in their computer is roughly the same percentage as those that use their PS3 as a player, but in far smaller numbers.

I also wouldn't consider Apple that great of an ally in the format war, seeing as how they control a minority share in the computer market. They also chose to "support" Blu-Ray a long time ago, but have yet to create anything resembling a player.

Japanese hardware sales, Oct. 26 - Nov. 1: Away we Go edition Final Fantasy XIII announcement possibly due on Nov. 13 EA Sports MMA gameplay footage revealed during Strikeforce match	HTML5 YouTube viewer: close, but not quite there Photoshop.com Mobile now available for Android devices Jailbroken iPhones in Australia getting Rickrolled by a worm
YouTube with all of the sizzle but none of the Flash Balloons! Sending out a mystery message on your iPhone Brenthaven: The best computer backpack I've ever seen	Sunday Funnies: Barron's predicting profits? Entrepreneur's Journal: Putting together a solid sales contract Walmart, Amazon now slash DVD prices: What's next?
Reminder: Watch the first episode of Halo Legends today [update: It's gone] Homemade Fallout 3 Shishkebab, make 'em now before the apocalypse Gears of War 2 celebrates first anniversary with triple XP	SEMA 2009 Worst of Show: This car stinks... The Tony Fox "Proud American" and "Bonneville Boss" Rocket Truck High Speed, High Fashion: Izod secures deal as IndyCar title sponsor
The Best of Big Download: November 2-8 BioWare's Neverwinter Nights downloadable modules no longer available PC Modern Warfare 2 can't be played until Tuesday, even if you get it early	Philip Rivers Redeems Self in 'Eli Bowl' Patriots Taking Control in AFC East Mike Holmgren on Cleveland's Radar