Apple's 'Brick' Continues to Build Up Hype

More and more Mac-driven mouths are beginning to talk of an Apple TV – Mac mini hybrid product, sitting on the launch pad over at Apple. The “Brick,” as it is mostly referred to, would boast home theater capabilities to sell, but would also need to pack serious computing capabilities, some believe.

According to UberReview's C. S. Magor, Apple is not likely to introduce a new, low-cost desktop product, “something that would knock some of the stuffing out of the low-cost Hackintosh products that have been hitting the market.” In his opinion, the facts speak for themselves: a Mac mini already exists, a lighter Mac desktop has no place to be, while any performance boost occurring with the mini line would not make a new product altogether. What does sound possible, he says, is “an affordable, mid-spec home theater PC (HTPC) for masses, that will replace the lackluster Apple TV."

According to Apple's CFO Peter Oppenheimer, speaking at a media event on July 21, 2008, Apple is on track to deliver “state-of-the-art new products.” While Oppenheimer could not disclose more at the time, he did disclose to the press that Apple's upcoming new products would be something their “competitors will not be able to match." This, unfortunately, doesn't confirm anything.

Taking all this into account, it is believed that an “Apple HTPC” waiting to be released in the following months would have to offer both advanced computing capabilities, as well as audio-video features. However, “the balance would be heavily in favor of pushing audio-visual performance rather than floating point calculations,” the author writes.

Lastly, should Apple be working on such a device, it would also have to integrate with users' home networks, as well as Apple's portables, the iPhone and iPods. Does anyone else think Apple's next announcement will not be a low-cost, improved desktop solution?