No, MacWorld does not stand for the Mac Donald's Healthy Food Institute... That's Mac Donald University. You would have thought that taking a break and breathing after the CES frenzy was a good idea. Sadly, or gladly, depending on your by-the-hour billing capacity and level of exhaustion, here you are back into the fury. iPod, naturally.
And guess what, there's much to see and do there too...
Take Harman Multimedia for instance, well they chose last week's MacWorld San Francisco to uncover their new JBL iPod speaker dock, which is also a “Time Machine". "JBL On Time" is the name of this innovative device which is priced $300, and should be delivered... just in time, i.e. in March.
First, however, is the look of that machine... Remember the old cult UK series "The Prisoner" (starring Patrick Mc Goohan)? Well, all the bads would sit on something that looked very much like your Time Machine. Only the iPod has replaced the evil -well, sort of anyway... And for sure, this gadget will have its absolute devouts and most furious detractors. Have a look:
The fantastic experience consists in waking up at the sound of your favourites, those that are stored on the Apple wonder. Forget the old radio alarm clock and the always bad news of the crazy world. Here you are, in your autistic sphere... It's (almost) you, listening to you.
JBL On Time includes a radio clock and dual alarm, the user drives a menu, the sound system is a highly performing one, there is a large backlit LCD, and a dome light with brightness control. Also, a function retrieves the accurate hour, minute, AND second from your local radio stations -you see, you'll still have to listen to the crap from time to time.
Harman claims that the JBL On Time is compatible with docking versions of the iPod.
Said Fred Faulkner, Harman Multimedia's vice president of sales and marketing: "JBL On Time joins a family of award-winning Harman Multimedia products that addresses the needs of iPod enthusiasts," "JBL On Time adapts to every docking model of iPod, allowing users to further integrate digital music with their lifestyles. We are pleased to continue our collaboration with Apple, a collaboration that combines JBL's legendary audio quality with Apple's innovative market-leading products," he added.
Well, sort of mixed sensation here. Not that the overall quality of sound delivered is not up to the reputation of its conceptors, but the device is... special enough, aesthetically, to divide, hence maybe not to conquer so much.
Time will tell...