[kuliand2]

if you have watched the keynote presentation then you will have seen that steve jobs invited the president of sony to give a talk. it wasn't just some sony rep or marketing guy but the top man. this sugest that perhaps sony is interested in either buying or working closer with apple on future computers. it would make sense as sony fights MS in the console war and apple fights MS in the computer world. this idea has been posted before but i don't if apple have ever had the sony president there before. a playstation branded mac would sell quite well i think especaily if sony do a decent advertising campain which they usually do.

[Brad]

Several other huge executives have come on the MacWorld stage before, too. When the "top men" of Aspyr or Adobe or Quark or Sony Ericsson (3 years ago) walked up there, did that mean there was a merger on the horizon?

Nope.

[scratt]

Hey and didn't Mr Gates appear at one... Albeit by video link!

But then I suppose he did chuck some money in.....

[morningstarrising]

It's just buisness, as they say. all companies these days fight each other in one division or another, but that doesn't mean they shouldn't work in other divisions...

Apple make HD softwear..Sony makes HD Hardwear, forget about that the iPod is kicking sony's butt..that doesn't matter.

[thequicksilver]

Originally Posted by Brad Several other huge executives have come on the MacWorld stage before, too. When the "top men" of Aspyr or Adobe or Quark or Sony Ericsson (3 years ago) walked up there, did that mean there was a merger on the horizon? Nope.

I would agree in principle with your point, but I'd also point this out:

We're not talking about the head of a software company here, who is praising the Mac platform for earning them however many million dollars in the past year, and nor are we talking about the head of a division of Sony dedicated to their mobile phone venture with Ericsson, or indeed their HD camcorder division. We're talking about the CEO of Sony, arguably the most recognised consumer electronics company in the world. This is not your average guest.

I'm not going to suggest a merger between Sony and Apple or anything like that, but I'd be surprised if we don't see some more formal partnerships between Sony and Apple over the next year or so.

[scratt]

Well they announced that for all the world to hear at Macworld....
In the Keynote!

HD DVDs as a format.

There are two competing systems and Sony are back in a war again like they were back in the Betamax days.. They will win this one..

Remember, they are a Japanese company and they are very very tactical. Strategic partnerships are what will enable their format to suceed, hence the purchase of film companies over the past decade etc. etc.

Apple and Sony want the system they use to suceed and no better way than to cooperate.

They have also said in the past, and very openly in the Keynote that they admire each others product... Which they genuinely do, and they also admit freely that they compete on a friendly stage.

Sony and Apple both mean quality, and as quality providers of kit for discerning punters they have nothing to fear in working side by side or against each other.

It's good for all.

I for one only use Sony and Apple kit for audio visual work... With the exception of Canon for still cameras..

A few months ago Sony was trying to gain some groound back in the personal walkman area... Apple won that round.

Good for Apple.

It's just good business and no hard feelings.

If all companies could be confident in their product and cooperate in this way on a general level it would be better for innovation and us as the end user.

I applaud both companies for everything they have brought us.

If I had a gun to my head and had to have a PC you nkow damn well it would be the Vaio. I was looking at their laptops the other day when I had my DV Cam in for service and they are neat..

They have some really funky ipod / video player machines out too.

And that new phone is what I am buying since the iPhone didn't show up...

[morningstarrising]

uhh...I'm lost...You do know Sony is behind Blu-Ray disk..not HD-DVD...

So what side is Apple on? Because both uses Apple's new quicktime video compression...

[scratt]

Neither Blu-ray nor DVD-HD drives are available in the market yet, and Apple has not thrown its support behind either format as of yet.

MacInsider

Sorry... I wasn't very clear...

Apple have not publicly backed either, yes.

But I am sure Sony would like Apple to throw in with them.

There is space for much more data on a Blu-ray disk and (as with Betamax) Sony are promoting a much better system. Historically this means nothing... Which is a shame..

But I am sure privately Apple would prefer the superior medium.

Hey... I wonder if the fact that Disney is backing Blu-ray will have any bearing on this.. What with their strained relationship with Pixar...

Politics. Politics.

It also wouldn't be the first time that Apple have gone with a controversial choice of standard... and they haven't done bad to date...

EDIT - I tell you what though you have raised an interesting point.. Sony may be worried (In fact I am sure they are) about yet another format going bad for them... So perhaps their need is greater right now and they are doing the rounds to try and lobby support... Too much. I am off to bed. Night all.

[Baron Munchausen]

My guess is that Sony are pushing HD video and blu-ray together - one drives the other, thus needs to perform a 'land-grab' over HD-DVD before it is ready (blu-ray is not only superior in capacity, but is more mature).

Sony needs a place for consumers to do something/edit their HD material. Mac is the best place to get prosumers and consumers to begin to use HD and thus blu-ray as a format.

For all their VAIO hardware, Sony does not have iMovie and iDVD. I believe Sony would be very happy if they can get Apple to include a blu-ray drive. Sony may not sell as many laptops, but they will get a head start in computer-configured blu-ray drive sales and sell HD cams into the bargain.

If they get the head start, HD-DVD might stall in the computer arena (where storage is more important).

However, I believe Sony needs a superdrive version - CD/DVD±RW/blu-ray-R - as a minimum.

[morningstarrising]

I figure as much, because Sony didn't go alone this time with Blu-Ray. Both Panasonic and HP are both apart of creating Blu-Ray, so Sony isn't the only one who will get hurt if it flops.

Microsoft hasn't said which side they are on, but most figure it'd the side that chooses WM9. Right now the last rumor had Microsoft choosing HD-DVD, but it isn't going to trap itself like that...this is afterall Microsoft.

[Akumulator]

Just thought I'd post this:
http://leoville.tv/tlr/TLR20050111-2.mp3

Leo Laporte and former TechTV crew talking post MWSF. A few of them kind of thought Jobs purposely dropped a hint at some sort of Sony/Apple partnership which may be Sony aquiring Apple.... or something. Listen to it if you like.

Also, during the keynote (51:00) at one point Steve said "...and we're anxiously awaiting Blu-Ray DVDs so we can burn our own Hidef DVDs". Sounded like Apple is planning to use Blu-Ray.

[Xaqtly]

Yeah, I was gonna say, Jobs mentioned blu-ray specifically in the keynote. I just think all this Sony friendliness came about because Apple wanted to bring HD (filming, edtiting, burning) to the desktop, and Sony is offering an HD camcorder that can do it. I doubt it will amount to much more than that, in the end.

[sCreeD]

Get Your Format War On
The Digital Bits

Well folks, this DVD format war is for real. At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas today, Electronic Arts, Vivendi Universal Games, Sun Microsystems and Texas Instruments pledged their allegiance to Blu-ray Disc format. Oh, but that's not all. It gets even more serious. At the HD-DVD presentation at CES today, Toshiba, NEC and Sanyo Electric all said that HD-DVD players will be available to consumers in the U.S. starting as early as September. Thomson Consumer Electronics was announced as the newest member of the HD-DVD group. What's more, Warner, Universal and Paramount together announced some 89 titles that will be available on HD-DVD in time for the format's 4th Qtr launch. Warner and its affiliates (New Line, HBO) alone will release some 50 titles (click here for another story on this). ... You can bet the list of initial Blu-ray Disc titles will be heavy-duty as well when its announced later this year. FYI, it's now looking as if Blu-ray Disc titles and hardware will launch here in the U.S. in early 2006.

(Emphasis mine)

It would be a mistake for Apple to align themselves to either format until a clear leader arises. Both formats have H.264 and that as Steve also said gives Apple an advantage regardless of the outcome.

Screed

[scratt]

Originally Posted by Xaqtly Yeah, I was gonna say, Jobs mentioned blu-ray specifically in the keynote. I just think all this Sony friendliness came about because Apple wanted to bring HD (filming, edtiting, burning) to the desktop, and Sony is offering an HD camcorder that can do it. I doubt it will amount to much more than that, in the end.

Sony buying Apple.. Not a chance.

A pro-consumer box with one of those cameras that Steve was clutching like a boy's new toy and an HD editting pack with Motion and a few other goodies might be a possible partnership with Sony.

Let's not forget they have been in a kind of unnofficial partnership with i-Link and FireWire for some time now...

I do think they will partner on storage media too.

EDIT: Although Screed makes a valid point..

[sCreeD]

The disconnect for me with this whole Apple [hearts] Sony - "Year of HD" thing is that $3k+ camcorder.
Unless Sony can pull a sub-$1300 HDV camcorder out of the ether or at least a HD burner then Final Cut HD and iMovie HD are a year ahead (or more) of being useful.

Screed

[oldmacfan]

Maybe sub-$800... Yeah, $3500 for making home movies I know plenty of rich people who are going to laugh at that price. Although wedding video-graphers are going to get one and pitch the "big up-sell".

[scratt]

I am thinking this is more gonna be aimed at the Pro and Semi-pro market.

I spent over £1500 on my camera for filming skydiving, and then some on Motion, Final Cut etc. etc.

Not to mention a Dual G5 2Gig with a 20" monitor, oh and a £3000 17" G4 (UK price when they came out!!)..

So $3500 figures for a camera are not that high, really.

[morningstarrising]

a 3K HD Cam is the lowest any of them are so far and any amature filmmaker casn make HD films with that and Final Cut HD.

It's not for te avarage joe yet, but with DV cams today, the HD helps the quality.

[drewprops]

I mentioned in another thread somewhere that Steve looked really antsy with the old gentleman up on stage. Now I wonder if he was afraid the guy was going to slip and let something out of the bag. Gosh I hope there are no formal alliances going on here and I shudder the imagine Sony owning Apple. Mergers SUCK.

[TednDi]

sony pictures and itms itunes movie store in HD after Tiger and QT7 is released. one more reason to switch to a mac. Now even cheaper!