"Hobby" No More After Next Release? My Apple TV Fantasy

[d21mike]

I fail to see the appeal of internet on the ATV. There are so many more appropriate and easy ways to surf the net...

I see the AppleTV as my iPod/Touch for the TV. If you can do it on the iPod/Touch then it would be nice to do it on the AppleTV. That includes surfing the web. However, for me more video content is most important. Of course that would not require any changes to the ATV itself. Just make more deals with the studios. As far as adding Netflix, why can't they make the same deals and get more content from the studios. They have done pretty well with getting music content.

 

[almostinsane]

That would be good, but they have to put some sort of restriction for how long you rent movies?
Here's what I hope for in the next Apple TV upgrade, including the stuff you mentioned:
- 160GB $249
- 240GB $349
- Safari with Flash; kinda something in between OS X Safari and Mobile Safari
- Ability to use keyboard for Safari
- Ability to use iPod touch or iPhone to control games on the Apple TV
- Ability to use play music and videos off of an iPod or iPhone through USB port
- Two USB ports

The price point is too high. They need to lower the COGS and price to $149 for mass market adoption. Look at what the entry point used to be for the ATV - $299. They then lowered it to $229 because of slow sales. A DVD player for the home is $99. This is the competition. Apple need to get as close to this $ point as possible while still making a profit.

 

[almostinsane]

Sad/pathetic that I think of these things, I know, but I had a bit of a vision the other day.

In my mind, it goes a little something like this...

Apple announces:

• The death of the 24-hour rental rule
• Some big movie deal, like bringing Star Wars, Indiana Jones and Back to the Future to iTunes
• Apple TV gets an App Store (w/casual games like the iPhone has)
• A new Apple media server comes out at the same time
• They start advertising the heck out of the thing on TV

In my dream they do all this, then make a big official announcement that "Apple TV is no longer a hobby!" and the unit gets snatched up like an iPhone on opening day.

Hey, it could happen! I figure the time is ripe, too. Apple announced robust rental revenue and 3x year over year sales of the Apple TV in the last earnings call, and Netflix is really stepping up the game with all the partnerships they have with X-Box, Roku, TV manufacturers and the like. Apple needs something big to take over/drive the movie download market.

None of those additions make Apple any money. The iTunes Store is a break even business. Right now the ATV is close to break even.

 

[Michael CM1]

I'm with you. I'm don't have BR yet, so I am also considering a $350 player with Netflix streaming. If AppleTV came out, and just did it, I would give my $350 to Apple. But if by the end of March, they still haven't figured out what to do with their cute little hobby, then I'll spring for the BR player, and give my money to Samsung.

My ultimate fantasy would be an Apple TV with Netflix streaming and a BluRay player. I'll throw in HDMI-CEC while I'm at it (hah!). But I certainly won't hold my breath for that.

I'm very interested in whatever Apple does to Apple-TV in it's next iteration, but March is as long as I'll wait.

Apple is going to be dragged kicking and screaming into the Blu-ray world, and it'll take them a while. If they don't add it as an option when the next OS comes out, I'll start to wonder WTF people in Cupertino are thinking. A company with 10 percent of the PC market isn't going to dictate if Blu-ray is worth using. I just wonder how the hell they expect people to start sharing huge 1080p movies created in iMovie. Apple is really getting into the George Lucas level of stupidity. How long did it take Lucas to put Star Wars on DVD? About 6 years? I think Gigli was out on DVD before Star Wars was. Just crazy.

 

[Kurfer]

Everything mentioned so far seems like just a bunch of extra gimmicks to ensure this is still a "hobby".

Apple's biggest problem is that the interface and software are not designed properly around people with large media libraries.

Give a smaller HD, save cost. Most serious ATV users have more than 200gb of data to share. Give the apple TV capabilities to attach to an external library or USB device and allow cacheing of thumbnails for movies locally.

In fact, this feature needs to be added to itunes and iphoto also. Nothing drives me mad more than having all of my data stores on a protected RAID external NAS and have to sit there for 5 minutes every time I open the app because the software has to pull down thumbnails over the LAN.

Bad bad bad.

 

[Tilpots]

]The iTunes Store is a break even business.

Wa-W-W-W-What?

Seriously, you have no idea what you're talking about. Apple is the 2nd largest music supplier in the world.

 

[iParis]

The price point is too high. They need to lower the COGS and price to $149 for mass market adoption. Look at what the entry point used to be for the ATV - $299. They then lowered it to $229 because of slow sales. A DVD player for the home is $99. This is the competition. Apple need to get as close to this $ point as possible while still making a profit.

Ha! A $149 Apple TV is very unlikely. I suspect that if it's not $249 and $349 it will most likely be $199 and $299 or $229 and $329.

 

[hitekalex]

Wa-W-W-W-What?

Seriously, you have no idea what you're talking about. Apple is the 2nd largest music supplier in the world.

Apple has repeatedly stated that iTunes Store is "just above break even". The size of the operation and its profit margins are entirely different things.

 

[BoulderBum]

None of those additions make Apple any money. The iTunes Store is a break even business. Right now the ATV is close to break even.

Disagree. The suggestions would lead to increased hardware sales and cross sales, and improve a recurring revenue stream from increased purchases of content and apps.

Apple noted in their last quarterly earnings call that movie rental revenue was looking quite healthy.

Wa-W-W-W-What?

Seriously, you have no idea what you're talking about. Apple is the 2nd largest music supplier in the world.

Actually, they're the largest from what I understand.

http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2008/04/apple-passes-wal-mart-now-1-music-retailer-in-us.ars

The iTunes Store is also very profitable. Wired reports that they may have netted an estimated 1/2 billion dollars in 2007.

http://blog.wired.com/music/2008/03/apple-apparentl.html