Apple will continue to invest in the Apple TV

[ftaok]

Check out Dish's ViP 922 which is said to be coming out this Spring.

It's a DVR, Slingbox, OTA Tuner, 1080P capable (and downloadable) player, it's got widgets and can connect to certain internet sites. This beats the pants off the current TV. The only thing it doesn't have is a Blu-Ray Player, but if you can watch 1080P On-Demand Movies, who needs a Blu-Ray player?

When this thing hits the market, Dish get's my money, not Apple. It's expected to cost about $200 (lease, I believe) with a two year subscription. I'll be saving about $50 bucks a month from my current TWC. I'll have more content than Apple or TWC provides and I'll spend less money getting it.

Apple needs a plan for their living room device. The current TV doesn't cut it and the sales prove it. People want all-in-one devices. They don't want to connect 3rd party hardware. It doesn't have to be the smallest device ever made, it just has to work.

And as for all this movie studio and "business model" talk, it's garbage and doesn't hold weight. The business model is to make money. Make a device that people want and let them play all means of content, then people will buy it. The content providers want their content viewed. They wouldn't try to hold a revenue source back. It's illogical. The more eyeballs, the more money they make.

This device sounds tasty, but it's not relevant to what the aTV is/does. Unless Apple teams up with a content provider or starts their own satellite service, I don't see them doing much more than what the aTV currently is.

The problem with putting in all of the goodies into the aTV without having a deal with a company like Comcast is that you lock out the other services.

If you put in an ATSC-only tuner, you miss out on cable/sat subscribers. If you put in ATSC-QAM, you miss out on premium cable/satellite subs. If you put in ATSC-QAM-Tru2Way-Dish-DirecTV, then you miss out on European/Asian buyers.

So either you open up the USB port(s) for 3rd party devices, or you pick the two or three options that make sense. Or if you're Apple, you zag when everyone else is zigging and work your own plan.

ft

 

[Tilpots]

This device sounds tasty, but it's not relevant to what the aTV is/does. Unless Apple teams up with a content provider or starts their own satellite service, I don't see them doing much more than what the aTV currently is.

Apple is a content provider. What they lack is a large delivery service (cable lines, sattelite service). They've partnered up pretty well with AT&T, so maybe they partner again for a delivery provider with a larger pipe than the internet. Honestly, though, I don't see this happening.

The problem with putting in all of the goodies into the aTV without having a deal with a company like Comcast is that you lock out the other services.

If you put in an ATSC-only tuner, you miss out on cable/sat subscribers. If you put in ATSC-QAM, you miss out on premium cable/satellite subs. If you put in ATSC-QAM-Tru2Way-Dish-DirecTV, then you miss out on European/Asian buyers

.

I think they would only need to include and ATSC tuner for the free OTA content. Everything else could be purchased from iTunes, cutting the satellite/cable providers out of the loop. It may be US only initially, but the design would allow for other countries version of an ATSC tuner.

So either you open up the USB port(s) for 3rd party devices, or you pick the two or three options that make sense. Or if you're Apple, you zag when everyone else is zigging and work your own plan.

lol. That does sound like Apple. My problem with the 3rd parties is they will eventually be including enough of what the current TV does in their own devices (ViP 922, Western Digital TV, etc.) that there won't be a reason to ever buy the TV.



I understand the arguments folks are presenting. But, I know the TV business pretty well and have a pretty good idea of what consumers want. It's not impossible, it may be expensive, but until Apple provides a device to encompass all the aspects of the TV experience into one unit, their product will continue to lag in sales while other's products will continue to gain ground in this new market. They'll be forced to play catch up like evryone else did when they released the iPod.

 

[ftaok]

Apple is a content provider. What they lack is a large delivery service (cable lines, sattelite service). They've partnered up pretty well with AT&T, so maybe they partner again for a delivery provider with a larger pipe than the internet. Honestly, though, I don't see this happening.

I was using "content provider" in terms of a MSP. So yeah, I agree with you here. If Apple does go down this road, then they'd have to partner up with a Comcast or Verizon or etc.

Not likely, I think.

I think they would only need to include and ATSC tuner for the free OTA content. Everything else could be purchased from iTunes, cutting the satellite/cable providers out of the loop. It may be US only initially, but the design would allow for other countries version of an ATSC tuner.

Herein lies the rub. The market for an ATSC-only device is extremely limited. I don't have any numbers to support this, but I'll throw it out there anyways ... my guess is that most ATSC-only folks aren't in the target demographic set of an "AppleTV Plus".

lol. That does sound like Apple. My problem with the 3rd parties is they will eventually be including enough of what the current TV does in their own devices (ViP 922, Western Digital TV, etc.) that there won't be a reason to ever buy the TV.

Well, my idea of 3rd party support was really more about El Gato. I'm sure if Apple opened up the aTV to allow for plug-ins and applications, El Gato would jump in.

I understand the arguments folks are presenting. But, I know the TV business pretty well and have a pretty good idea of what consumers want. It's not impossible, it may be expensive, but until Apple provides a device to encompass all the aspects of the TV experience into one unit, their product will continue to lag in sales while other's products will continue to gain ground in this new market. They'll be forced to play catch up like evryone else did when they released the iPod.

Here's where I think Apple can do it. Right now, the aTV is basically a media extender, but it competes against other devices that offer the same services ... like the PS3/XBox360, the Roku/WD devices, Tivo, the Cable/Sat DVRs, etc. If Apple can come up with something novel and exciting (read game-changer), I think they can chart the direction for the media extender market-space.

For me, instead of adding hardware to the aTV, I would prefer they add software. Add streaming sites like Hulu and Netflix and MLB.tv to the equation. Add internet widgets. Add simple games like Sodoku and Tetris. To me, these are all easy to do right now and can give the potential buyer more of a reason to buy.

Then, add something new so that everyone will want one. I have no idea what that something is, but I know that it's not BD functionality or DVR ability.

Just my .02

 

[Tilpots]

Here's where I think Apple can do it. Right now, the aTV is basically a media extender, but it competes against other devices that offer the same services ... like the PS3/XBox360, the Roku/WD devices, Tivo, the Cable/Sat DVRs, etc. If Apple can come up with something novel and exciting (read game-changer), I think they can chart the direction for the media extender market-space.

For me, instead of adding hardware to the aTV, I would prefer they add software. Add streaming sites like Hulu and Netflix and MLB.tv to the equation. Add internet widgets. Add simple games like Sodoku and Tetris. To me, these are all easy to do right now and can give the potential buyer more of a reason to buy.

Then, add something new so that everyone will want one. I have no idea what that something is, but I know that it's not BD functionality or DVR ability.

Just my .02

I agree that the things you've mentioned here are extremely do-able and should be implemented post-haste, I just don't know that it will be enough to draw the public.

If Apple can make a device that eliminates the need for other TV devices (DVD players, DVR boxes, Gaming devices) and services (cable/satellilte, Netflix, Blockbuster) then I think that would be the game changer they need. People are willing to pay a one time (large) sum to completely cut out monthly subscriptions and the need to continually upgrade other devices.

Who knows what they're gonna do? Only time will tell. Stupid time!

 

[Rich1963]

Actually, the way to implement all of this, and keep it feeling decidedly Apple, AND still use the existing AppleTV, is to incorporate it at the iTunes end.

Think about this. Apple sells a device that is hooked up to the computer that already serves as your iTunes server. It has the capability of having your comcast/dish/directv feed hooked up to it. This can then be recorded into iTunes, or streamed to any of the AppleTVs around your house. Now that's more like Apple. You would also do all of your DVR activities into iTunes, allowing you to then watch what was recorded at any of your Apple TVs.

That's more the way Apple would do it.

 

[BaldiMac]

The only thing that keeps me from ditching my cable subscription in favor on an AppleTV is live sports on all of the ESPN channels. Everything else that I watch is available over the air or on iTunes.

 

[rayward]

Why not put all the hardware/software on the computer end, and just let the ATV be the sleek interface at the TV end? All the Mac would need would be a TV decoder dongle, and some DVR software. I wouldn't be surprised if it's all available right now through third parties, with the only thing missing being the Mac to ATV interface.