Wired:
Fearful of relegating TV to remaining “dumb,” consumer electronics manufacturers look to the success of Apple’s iPhone/iPad/iTunes, Google/Android, or Amazon ecosystems as examples of what could happen with smart TV.
But do consumer electronics companies really think they can monetize the new feature of accessing the web with smart TVs? Even with an industry standard for smart TVs, it’s not likely that those companies could start charging Netflix, Amazon, Pandora, and others for access to their screens. And conversely, by not controlling the device, these service providers operate at the whim of the smart TV.
I’m one of those people that think, Gene Munster’s “predictions” notwithstanding, that Apple has no intention of releasing an actual television set but instead will develop the present Apple TV into a fuller featured set-top box.
It doesn’t make sense for Apple to get into the cut throat, low margin TV hardware business when all they need to do is make a better box that can literally turn ANY TV into an Apple TV. And given the amount of content you have access to these days when you purchase a streaming box, I would be GLAD to upgrade my Apple TV hardware every so often to take advantage of new technologies–especially if it stays around the $100 range.
If anyone can pull this off, it’s Apple. The answer is not trying to standardize Smart TVs, because that doesn’t work. (Miracast is the perfect example of how ineffective and fragmented it becomes). The answer is to make a discreet box that most people can afford. Apple then rakes in money from content and doesn’t need to necessarily care about hardware updates.
I know in our house, the Apple TV is the most used gadget we own. We subscribe to shows, rent/buy movies, stream music, look at pictures, etc. every single day, and Apple TV is so easy to use, even my kids can do it. (Though they do tend to lose that tiny little remote about once a day.) I know Apple still refers to Apple TV as a hobby, but I think it’s a sleeping giant. It could be used for so much more if the correct deals are made. I’m just a bit skeptical that the content providers are willing to play ball.
Whether it makes sense or not, one thing you can’t convince me of (and Tim Cook confirmed, can’t remember when), is that the living room right now is a mess. Cook said something like “It is 30 years behind”.
You can’t fix this with a set-top box. The TV itself is a mess. Even if an Apple device was the ONLY thing you plugged into the TV, it is still a mess. Users don’t know how to configure the TV properly, the TV doesn’t turn on with the rest of the system, there are no sensors whatsoever, I can go on and on.
I’m sorry, but if Apple doesn’t make a TV, and by TV I mean the actual screen itself, the living room will remain a mess.
Everyone keeps saying that the TV business is a cut-throat, low margin, ridiculous market, where people rarely upgrade, and add a thousand more reasons. Well, fine, but if Apple doesn’t fix it, nobody will. Certainly not Microsoft, Google, Samsung (HA!), Sony.
That would be shitty, just because (the usually wrong) pundits think that there’s no money to be made.
How about this for a cleanup:
Apple improves the Apple TV set-top box.
Apple releases an (optional) 60″ display for the Apple TV.
That way, the majority of TV owners could plug in the Apple TV and possibly leave their TV on it. It would work like an improved version of the current Apple TV box. (More content, especially live streaming of news and sports events, etc.) Easy. Same old Apple Remote. And it would likely stay at $100.
The minority who buy the Apple TV Display, or whatever it might be called, would essentially be getting a 60″ Thunderbolt 4K Display. There might be a built-in microphone for Siri and a built-in iSight camera for gesture-based controls and/or biometric recognition of users in the room. Those would be the value-add features. The Apple TV box itself wouldn’t have the Siri mic or iSight camera.
And neither of these options requires any super-advanced technology. It’s all here right now, just not for the mass market yet in some cases: broadband internet, AX-powered Apple TV box, iOS, Siri, Thunderbolt 2, 4K screen technology. Apple has no gesture-based or face biometrics in any released product yet, but they have applied for at least one gesture-based control patent and have been working on face recognition for years now in iPhoto.
So what’s holding Apple back? Contract negotiations with legacy incumbents and content providers. Money and legal matters, not the technology.
All of the technological pieces of the puzzle are in place. The last hurdle Apple needs to clear before disrupting the television industry is the negotiation of all manner of deals with the legacy players in the industry.
If you want a sneak peek at Apple’s future TV infrastructure, check out iTunes Festival. Live streaming of concerts through the whole month of September, worldwide from London, with cinematic production values and HD quality. Plus on-demand replay of all concerts.
There you have it. Live streaming for news, sports, weather, whatever. Pre-recorded streaming of everything that has already been live-streamed or pre-packaged (e.g. TV shows and movies.) That’s all you need.
Yup. Apple will improve the Apple TV box.
The only thing stopping these companies from releasing a true smart tv is the content companies. They are already making money, and if they let Microsft, Apple or Google use their shows and movies, they could lose the current control over the cable companies. There is no win for them.
C’mon, a TV set from Apple would be so fetch.
Nice, but just one point: Apple always starts with reasonable resolution (iPhone, iPad, Macs) before going “Retina”. In this case, 1080p is what I’d bet you would be used. There isn’t 4K material yet, and even if there is, people don’t have the bandwidth for it. 4K will be an eventual upgrade. Apple clearly won’t use Blu-Ray for distribution of 4K material.
I agree, Apple should not make a TV. I wrote about it (http://goo.gl/hbeOPU) back when I thought I could be a blogger. Basically the TVs aren’t the problem with TV. The problem is the networks and cable companies. The hardware is fine.
Apple should just beef up the Apple TV and control the content that way. Add a QAM tuner and Bob’s your uncle.
As per my tweet, I agree that Apple won’t get into TV’s but would LOVE an Apple TV box with a built in LED projector or add-on. My own movie theater in a box. Kids would love it. Presenters too!
Make that 32 inch IGZO 4K display that Sharp is coming out with bigger and I could pair that with an Apple set top box. I just don’t know if the ARM tech is fast enough to do that for one, maybe the A7 is. Maybe the A8 would. Apple’s own chipset fabless operation is moving at really fast pace. Or integrate that into one Jony Ive designed piece of goodness.
I still can’t get over the whole thing about Jobs solving the TV though in the autobiography. It has to be something big the technology can’t yet support. I think you’re on the right track here.