The Kingdom Microsoft has

The Kingdom

Microsoft has already publicly declared its hand in the high definition video war, lining up firmly behind the Toshiba led HD DVD camp. The software giant turned games console maker plans to incorporate HD DVD into its Xbox 360 platform in direct opposition to games console king and Blu-ray champion Sony. Meanwhile, Apple has kept a relatively low profile in the building optical disc war as far as the general consumer public is concerned. In fact, however, Apple has already declared its hand. Apple is board member of the Blu-ray Disc Association. This, as others have pointed out, would suggest very strongly that Blu-ray players will be a feature of future Macintosh computers. Apples support for Blu-ray probably doesnt sit well with Intel, which supports HD DVD, but given Dell also supports Blu-ray what is the chip The Kingdom going to do. Are HD DVD supporters NEC and Toshiba more important to Intel than Dell and Apple? Despite Microsofts overt support for HD DVD, it is notable that so far its commitment has amounted to little more than words. When a Toshiba executive put out the claim that Microsoft was planning to release an Xbox 360 with integrated HD DVD player, Microsoft issued a denial. To be sure, a plug-in for an external HD DVD player may become available but thats something quite different from an integrated player. The difference between Microsofts commitment to HD DVD and Sonys adoption of Blu-ray is stark. Sony has laid its cards on the table, while Microsoft appears to be taking an each way bet appearing to support HD DVD but still leaving its the door slightly ajar with Xbox 3 Apple, which has always been a technology driven company, appears to be in the Blu-ray camp and, given its once again growing influence in the home computer market, will, like Sony PlayStation 3, be a critical driver of Blu-ray going forward. Hmm, I guess Im not the only one who thinks Apple will be serving up a Blu-ray especial soon. Yet another report regarding Apple and the press preparing us for something? WWDC announcement of some dont know if Id go that far, but as stated by the article, I think January of 2007 is nice timing. The competition between the competing next-generation optical disk technologies of Blu-ray and HD DVD has entered a new phase, as optical drive makers start rolling out the first products based on the rival technologies. As products based on these formats begin to arrive in stores, one major question for Mac users is: When will Apple integrate this new technology into its computers? The question is more than just idle speculation. Apple enjoys a long track record of embracing emerging technologiesthink FireWire, Bluetooth, and wireless networking, among othersand incorporating them into its offerings. Also consider The Kingdom Apple is on the board of directors for the Blu-ray Disc Association, and its not hard to envision a future where Macs are sporting Blu-ray-based drives. As with any future product, Apple is keeping its plans for Blu-ray under wraps. But industry analysts dont think well have long to wait before Apple puts a Blu-ray drive in an Intel-based Mac. The most likely candidate? The as-yet unreleased machine that will replace the Power Mac as Apples professional desktop offering. Apples past practices favor bringing new optical technologies to professional systems first, said Jupiter Research senior analyst Joe Wilcox. DVD-RAM and DVD-R formats are excellent examples. Ross Rubin, director of analysis at market-research firm NPD Group, agrees that Apple will work with the professional machines first. However, noting that Intel-based pro desktops have yet to appear, he predicts Blu-ray drives wont wind up in Apple systems for a few more months. January would be goodthe timing for that would The Kingdom out pretty well, Rubin said. It comes down to the introduction cycle, but we would see it in desktops first, no doubt.