Time gadget of the week: Apple in the living room

"I think it may be Constitutionally required that Time name every new Apple product gadget of the week."

Hahahaha.... So very true.

My comment got cut off. Let's try this again...



Because I have notions of ponying up for this thing, I'd like to pose a serious question to both the supporters and detractors of the HiFi: What are the alternatives?

Now, before you respond, consider my parameters...

---The unit will be driven by a Mac Mini (turned home theater) and will never see an iPod. As such, I don't want to see -any- dock when viewing the unit straight-on.

---I have a tiny living room (less than 80 sq-ft) and no real need for 5.1-surround.

---I want to see as few wires as possible and no satellites. The less speaker, the better.

---The unit will live on an 11"-deep shelf at ear-level.

---No need for a FM tuner, especially since Clear Channel owns my burg. NPR streams well-enough over the WWW.

---It has to look expensive and designery, not like a typical boom box "blobject" or a silver-painted bookshelf stereo. I'm an adult after all and gots to maintain my sophistomocation.

---It has to have better range than using a high-end center channel speaker by itself.

---It can't cost more than $350.

So, what's left out there?

The more I search for a solution, the better the HiFi looks. And I also can't discount the fact that if I'm going to be giving my money to someone... it might as well be a company whose other products I like.

I definitely welcome your suggestions and advice.

Because I have notions of ponying up for this thing, I'd like to pose a serious question to both the supporters and detractors of the HiFi: What are the alternatives?

Now, before you respond, consider my parameters...

---The unit will be driven by a Mac Mini (turned home theater) and will never see an iPod. As such, I don't want to see -any- dock when viewing the unit straight-on.

---I have a tiny living room (

Nah... the real reason for the hostility is that Steve has assembled a crack team of Kick Ass Hi-fi Ninjas (known as Project KAHN) to creep into people's bedrooms at night and beat them mercilessly until they agree to buy one.

So the hostility is entirely understandable: Steve is FORCING people to buy this product for frak's sake!

disagreed, number 7. I wasn't expecting anything big, and I don't have any hostility towards the products that Apple came out with. I do believe that the iPod HiFi and Mac Mini are not anything new and shouldn't be called the gadget of the week.

Not True. I think the Bose speakers look just as good, and They sound great too. But I do understand being annoyed by the hostility to the product. I think the only reason hostility exists is because for some reason everybody got their hopes up as high as a video ipod or tablet mac. If people stop doing that people wont be so disappointed by their products.

I think the hostility is that people buying this $350 white elephant are simply being fleeced. It's too much for too little regardless of the quality of the sound. Price out any decent boom box and then you'll realize what an amazng rip-off this product is. TIME magazine is really just shilling for Apple in this case if they can't provide a critical voice of reason.

I mean, the damned thing does not even have video out? You mean Apple's $40 Universal Dock has S-Video out by this $350 box does not?

Or heck, what about an AM/FM tuner? Would it really cost much more for makers of speakers like this to simply add an AM/FM tuner? Good lord they have me a free FM radio when I donated blood! This technology is not expensive.

I'm quite sure the profit margin for Apple on this "thing" is disturbingly high. I would expect $275 to $300 is simply fat/profit.

While I like Apple products, I think the acceptance/rejection of Apple's Hi-Fi is a good benchmark as to whether the person one is talking to about it is an Apple "zombie" or a sane person who realizes that Apple is just stamping their logo on an overpriced shiny object.

Griffin's "Tune Center". Now that's a COOL gadget. This thing? Ugggh.

Why such hostile comments about this product? I just picked one up for my office, and I think it sounds great for a medim sized room. The problem with the other products out there, is that they are ugly. HiFi it is much much better looking than any other iPod speaker product out there.

I agree with number two, the iPod Hi-Fi and Mac mini don't deserve the gadget of the week. Especially since there are MANY versions of the iPod Hi-fi out there.

Time does kinda suck.

Yes, because a brand new high-tech automobile is a 'gadget'.

Give me a break.