Apple Computer Inc furthered its push into home entertainment on Tuesday with the introduction of a high-fidelity stereo system for the iPod music player, as well as a new version of the Mac Mini computer with features for managing digital music and video.
The announcements, which come as Microsoft Corp pushes its own approach to digital home entertainment based on its Windows Media Center technology, shows Apple's increasing focus on consumer electronics.
In recent quarters, sales of Apple's iPod devices and iTunes music downloads have overtaken the company's sales of Mac computers, rising to 60 percent of sales last quarter from 40 percent a year earlier.
PHOTO: AFP
Just last week, the online Apple iTunes music store sold the billionth song since the service was introduced three years ago. To date, Apple has sold more than 42 million iPods.
"We've put a lot of work into making the iPod a part of on-the-go living," Apple chief executive Steve Jobs said in a presentation to reporters at the company's headquarters here. "Now our second focus is in the home."
Apple's iPod Hi-Fi, an all-in-one speaker system housed in a case roughly the size of a shoebox, is priced at US$349 and available in stores this week. The docking device, though not being promoted as portable, can run off six D batteries or AC power, and comes with a remote control.
"It's home stereo reinvented for the iPod age," Jobs said.
The announcement of the iPod Hi-Fi also indicates an increasing desire by Apple to take part in the lucrative market for iPod add-ons and accessories, a business that until recently Apple had left almost entirely to third-party companies.
Today, the iPod accessories market is valued at more than US$850 million, according to the NPD Group, a market research company. At the MacWorld Expo in January, Apple introduced an FM radio tuner for the iPod, and on Tuesday it introduced a US$99 leather iPod case.
The company's new Mac Mini computer, the third in Apple's computer line to use an Intel processor, also appears to fit squarely in Apple's home entertainment strategy. Available in two models offering as much as five times the performance of earlier versions, the new Mac Mini comes with Apple's Front Row software for managing video collections, music playlists and slideshows, and also comes with a remote control. Apple's enhanced Bonjour software, which works with Front Row, allows users to access content stored on other computers over a wireless network.
The new Mac Mini, priced at US$599 and US$799 depending on the microprocessor, can connect with displays from Apple as well as other companies, and like the earlier Mac Mini can connect directly to a digital television set.
Van Baker, an analyst at Gartner, a market research firm, said the new products heralded the beginning of Apple's aggressive push into home entertainment.
"I fully expect to see more directed at the living room cabinet," he said.
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