Apple Thoughts: Will There Be an Apple DVR Running TiVo?

"Yesterday's rumor du jour was that Apple will be partnering with Tivo for an upcoming update to the Apple TV which will finally bring DVR capabilities to Apple's "hobby". Given that I am in the market for a new DVR, on the surface this would be welcome news for me, as an Apple-branded DVR would likely fit in perfectly with my Mac-Centric entertainment system. However, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that an Apple-branded DVR would likely suck. Here's why."

Dr. Macenstein gives four reasons why an Apple-Branded TiVo DVR would suck. My problem with the whole thing: I don't think there's any truth to the rumor of an Apple/TiVo alliance. I don't usually like to wade into the Apple rumor mill, but I'm pretty confident here that there will never be an Apple DVR, never mind one that would have TiVo's software on it. I see the AppleTV evolving into an iOS-based device, since iOS-on-everything seems to be the direction Apple is headed, at least in their consumer electronics division. Perhaps we'll even see the AppleTV division merged with the iPad division. Just add an HDMI-out to the iPad, and you have a pretty compelling replacement for the AppleTV. TiVo generally insists on their interface being included on any device they work with. Apple likes to control the entire experience. Apple and TiVo is a non-starter. Both companies care a lot about the user experience, but they have very different visions of what that experience should be. A quick look at an Apple Remote and a TiVo Remote will quickly demonstrate the difference. I'd really be interested in hearing what others think about the Apple/Tivo rumors. If you have an opinion, share your thoughts in the comments.