A Dream Home for the True Blue Apple Fan

Way back in 1950, science fiction giant Ray Bradbury wrote a short story, "There Will Come Soft Rains," about a smart house that did just about everything for its resident family -- including cooking breakfast and keeping track of the bills. Unfortunately, all members of that family, along with all inhabitants of the town, were obliterated by a nuclear explosion. The house, though, kept right on going, complete with robotic mice cleaning the floor. Apocalyptic foreshadowing aside, who hasn't fantasized about a house that makes day-to-day life easier? Certainly the trendy guy on the Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) commercials looks more relaxed -- and like he's having a lot more fun -- than his frumpy, brown-suited, PC counterpart. Perhaps it's because Mac Dude's house is full of gadgets that streamline a busy urbanite's hectic schedule. Maybe he lives in a house something like this one ... Gather Round the Hearth As in many homes today, the centerpiece of Mac Dude's living room is a huge, wall-mounted, high-definition TV. The brand and technology (plasma, LCD) matter less than the size. Fifty inches is a minimum. Compared to this, the small, white Apple TV unit sitting on the shelf below barely is noticeable. Through that little box, though, stream movies, TV shows, and video podcasts to the big screen, all from iTunes. When the host and his guests don't care to watch the glowing screen, they still can listen to audio podcasts and, of course, music through the audio speakers scattered through the house and linked into the home theater system via WiFi . They control all this through the Remote app for iPhone, which also transmits over the house's wireless network. Who wants to carry two clickers around? Cranky Converts Apple TV is the best media convergence device for those who consume most of their media through the iTunes service, Adam Christianson, host of the popular podcast MacCast, told MacNewsWorld. However, some of Mac Dude's friends aren't quite on the all-Apple-all-the-time bandwagon. They love their Macs, but they also like to play by their own rules. One neighbor has manipulated her Apple TV box so she can play any non-DRM content using open source media center software Boxee. Her friends are jealous, because the open alpha phase of Boxee won't be open until Jan. 8. Another friend has a grudge against any type of pay TV. In anticipation of the February deadline for the national conversion to digital television, he got one of those federal government coupons for a converter. Then, he spent US$99 for Roku's Netflix (Nasdaq: NFLX) Player and linked it into his wireless network at home. For the price of less than two months of cable or satellite TV, he brags, he's set to go for movies and TV series. Another option for those who consume media from a variety of sources -- Hulu, Netflix, iTunes, etc. -- is to use a Mac mini as the hub of a home entertainment system, said Christianson. The Inner Sanctum Regardless of their television politics, though, everyone in Mac Dude's gang wants iPod-based media within an arm's reach at any time. In our hero's house, each room has some sort of speaker system, either standalone or with other functionality. It all begins with the iHome alarm clock system that wakes him; a similar model is available in many hotel rooms. The clock-radio-speaker combination continues as the top-selling iPod speaker device in the U.S., Evan Stein, vice president of marketing for SDI Technologies, makers of iHome products, told MacNewsWorld. Mac Dude usually lets the shuffle function on his iPod choose a wake-up tune for him, but he sets the radio tuner on the device to his local NPR station. Sometimes, though, he wants to listen to far-flung radio stations while folding laundry, so our Apple fan downloaded the Public Radio app for the iPod touch he usually keeps in the bedroom. Through this American Public Media program, he can listen to a live stream of any of hundreds of public radio channels whenever he's within range of WiFi. High-Fi Reycling Around the house, Mac Dude has a range of other speaker setups, from lower-end JBL sets to high-fidelity Altec Lansing units. All of them have adapters for the whole iPod family, from the classics up to the new chromatic nanos. Mac Dude has a trusty classic model that won't hold a charge, so he leaves that one seated in its speakers and uses it as a stationary music player. A couple of shuffles have met similar fates in other rooms. It's better to use them than either throw them out or try to hack a battery replacement, he figures. When lounging in the tub, Mac Dude sometimes likes to listen to audiobooks. He's had one too many experiences with valuables going for a dip in the bubbles to trust his iPod touch that close to water, though. He bought one of AquaPac's waterproof MP3 cases because it fits even his older generation iPod nano, and he doesn't like to fuss with sliding iPods in and out of their specialized casings.