Cisco and Apple About to Enter Your Living Room?

What if this next-generation video conferencing technology -- known as TelePresence -- could be scaled down for use in your living room? Apparently, Apple is quite interested in making that dream a reality. If true, they should give Cisco Systems (CSCO) a call.

Several blogs are buzzing about Apple's (AAPL) potential plan to transform AppleTV into an interactive platform featuring chat, video conferencing and other capabilities. AppleInsider has in-depth details. And TelePresenceOptions.com, another blog, is connecting the dots between Apple's concept and the TelePresence market.

I have a slightly different take on the situation. For about a year now, I've been calling on Cisco and Apple to work far more closely together. The iPhone should be transformed into a strong device for unified communications -- a big area of Focus for Cisco. And later, Cisco's corporate TelePresence systems should integrate well with consumer-based systems.

Cisco CEO John Chambers thinks TelePresence could move into the home by 2010 (see item 6 on this list of Cisco-related trends I've been tracking). Working with Apple, Cisco could accelerate that schedule.

You'll recall that Apple and Cisco battled a bit over the iPhone name (Cisco held the trademark but eventually allowed Apple to move forward with the name). But the duo never really announced any significant work together.

That's too bad. Cisco wants the network to be the platform for applications. Yet, Apple increasingly dominates front-end and back-end access to digital entertainment applications. Surely, there's a partnership in here waiting to happen.

Disclosure: None

Comments

[Tom B]

Interesting piece. Video conferencing has been around a long time. MSFT has a long-standing interest in the Enterprise vid conferencing market. All you can say about it, is that it pretty much universally sucks. Approaching video conferencing from the living room side sounds like a potentially cool idea. It should be no surprise that consumers are 5-10 years AHEAD of Enterprise IT in therms of technology. IT is pretty much the department of "no, we can't do that here".

I don't see this as a win for Cisco, particularly, though. I think my longs on Apple and Akamai expose me adequately to this potential market.

[.crazylegs.]

This works when Apple TV actually turns into a TV with a built in video camera at the top. Apple could make it happen with a simple user interface. Fun stuff to think about. Interesting article.

[ThinkingAhed]

iChat works great already. Any two Macs can have a video chat with good (approx. analog TV) quality video and sound. It is free and it is idiot-proof. I have tested that last part myself. If you have a Mac give it a try with a friend or distant relative. I'm surprised this Mac freebie doesn't get more attention.

[digivision]

that's right ichat is awesome the quality is spectacular , better than anything already out there.. unless you are a webcam porn model I don't see much growth potential in this as of yet, even in the corporate world video conferencing is still not relevant to multibillion company's bottom line such as Cisco and Apple

[blah-blah]

Since this article doesn't even mention MSFT, Thomas has just found another place to say that MSFT sucks for absolutely no reason.

Have you use it before or is this like your other posts, unsubstantiated and meaningless?

[Iowa]

I would not get very excited about this idea from any company but Apple. (Disclosure: I'm long Apple.) I agree with Abe that people have a natural affinity for face-to-face, and the telephone or teleconference is the acceptable, easy, affordable alternative to face-to-face. I thus believe that videoconferencing is only promising when it is as easy and almost as affordable as teleconferencing. I think only Apple can truly make it easy. The question is: can they make it affordable? An easy-to-use vid as part of an enhanced Apple TV, especially an Apple TV that delivers features like a hard drive/DVR and/or direct purchasing from iTunes (without a computer middleman) could become a must-have item. This will not be easy. But, if Apple could deliver on it, it might give Apple another in-road into business IT departments.

[KenC]

@Iowa, you have heard that AppleTV version 2 was released and that it allows you to directly rent movies, watch podcasts, flickr, etc without a computer middleman? Having a DVR defeats the purpose of AppleTV, so that won't happen soon. Adding an iChat camera to the USB port of AppleTV is dirt cheap. Since the software is already written, it wouldn't take too much for Apple to add this functionality. I'm sure some AppleTV hacker has already done it.