Apple's Front Row Media Center App

Along with the video ipod Apple also released a new media center application called ‘Front Row’. This appears to be their first attempt at a media center application and with this release it only does music, videos, photos, and DVD’s so there is no PVR capability – yet. Here’s what Apple has to say about it:

The new Apple Remote makes it easy to navigate through all the digital goodies you’ve collected and created on your iMac G5. Apple designers simplified the average remote from 60 buttons you’ll never use to just the six buttons you really need. So you can navigate quickly and easily through the Front Row interface to enjoy your music, video, photos and DVDs exactly as you wish. Play. Pause. Skip. Rewind. Crank up the volume. Whatever your pleasure, wherever you sit.

Apple also released a new remote as well – it looks like an iPod shuffle to me.

Front Row doesn’t look too bad – it has a simple and clean interface. Here’s some sample screen shots:

Matt Goyer has a good write up on what everyone is thinking about it so far and this Green Button thread has lot’s of opinions too.

Co-worker, Charlie Owen, Apple Finally Has An Answer to Media Center with Front Row

Frankly, I'm underwhelmed -- I really expected Apple to have much more to brag about, especially given their momentum with iPod over the last couple of years. Based on everything I'm seeing, Front Row doesn't even have feature parity with the first version of Media Center released back in October 2002. No hint of a developer platform either

I think it’s too early to count Apple out – look at the iPod. I think they are just getting started with their takeover plans for video and I think Front Row is going to play a prominent role down the line. What if they add a built-in tuner to a Mac mini? Plus, as some people have pointed out, the future of the living room is not in putting your cd’s and dvd’s on your computer but downloading it. And Apple so far has done a great job in getting Hollywood to partner with them and offer content that consumer’s want. Add to the fact that Windows Media Center won’t fully support HDTV until Vista and Apple may not be that far behind.

The fight for the living room just got a lot more interesting.