Brian X. Chen, writing for the New York Times:
Yet one much ballyhooed device will be absent from the conference: a new Apple TV, Apple’s set-top box for televisions. The company planned as recently as mid-May to use the event to spotlight new Apple TV hardware, along with an improved remote control and a tool kit for developers to make apps for the entertainment device. But those plans were postponed partly because the product was not ready for prime time, according to two people briefed on the product.
Apple declined to comment.
And:
Those eager for a new Apple TV, however, will have to wait. The company decided to hold off an announcement because the product was not ready to be demonstrated, according to people briefed on the device.
A major setback for the Apple TV involves content. Apple plans to offer its Apple TV, iPhone and iPad customers a bundle of channels that is smaller and cheaper than the large catalog of offerings in a typical cable subscription, according to people briefed on the service, who discussed the incomplete plans on the condition of anonymity. Media executives have been coy about the existence of the coming Apple TV service — the chief executive of CBS said last week that his network would “probably” sign a deal with Apple. Separately, Showtime announced on Wednesday a new Internet streaming service that would debut on Apple devices in July for a monthly fee of $10.99.
Feh. I’m really looking forward to the new Apple TV. I want the content control, but I also want the SDK.
Just imagine the possibility of being able to build an app that had access to both streaming content and the content metadata. Every modern TV is controlled by an interface purposefully limited by a need to be both bulletproof (well, mostly) and a lowest common denominator (the same interface for both techies and non-techies). Imagine being able to break that barrier, to customize that interface.
My first wish would be to add a button that did an IMDB, Metacritic, and RottenTomatoes lookup for a show I was thinking of recording. I’d put in preferences that let me add review sites as I encountered them.
Have to put that dream on hold for a bit. Feh.
They need to kill it with the next iteration. I’d be disappointed to see the current iPhone style UI/UX continue. I think that needs to work more like current cable or traditional TV works. I also wonder how interested people would be in the cable tv replacement service if Apple doesn’t improve caching and various interruptions that currently occur.
And don’t even get me started on the sign up process for new services they add on. Having to constantly go through what’s essentially the same process of letting some channel know what your cable company is and entering a code. F that.
I’m anxious to see what Apple’s next steps in this space will be, but I’m also a bit leery. When I sit down in front of my TV, I’m pretty much admitting that I don’t want to think. Part of what makes the Apple TV work so well now is that the UI is baked in and standard/predictable. Sure this means that the interface is somewhat boring, but it typically also means the apps load quicker and are easier to understand than apps on competing platforms.
Navigation of all Apple TV apps use two or three stock navigation approaches and video player controls are identical for all apps. The fact that the player controls are the same can’t be understated. Use a few video apps on Xbox One, PS4, Amazon Fire TV, or Android TV. Player controls are different across most apps on these other platforms, and it can be incredibly frustrating.
As for IMDB and RottenTomatoes integration, you are starting to see this in show guides for Comcast’s newer X2 service and similar offerings. I think that is definitely going to become more prevalent.
I’d like to see a new Apple TV too, but a big part of me thinks so what if they don’t announce a TV streaming deal next week or even new Apple TV hardware. This is a developers conference and the focus is software. I think that HomeKit and an SDK will be far more important to developers than a streaming TV deal. The latter is for consumers and, even though it’s likely to be tied to new hardware, it’s a software solution. I’ll be happy to see how the software that drives the device is going to evolve. The hardware can come later.
No Dave you didn’t do it right. Do it like “Jim” where he would say “nope” and suddenly give us the ray of hope we are looking. You were kidding right… right? 🙁
If Brian is going to give credibility to sources who claim that a new Apple TV will be absent from WWDC, he should at least then ask why the invite STILL features Apple TV as the centerpiece of its graphic design. He should also wonder what the “epicenter” of change theme is all about. The idea that only weeks before WWDC, Apple would suddenly realize Apple TV isn’t ready for primetime and back off featuring it, is hard to believe. Content deals will come along incrementally, as providers realize that Apple TV really is the future. That will only happen once the new “epicentric” hardware is deployed and getting traction with consumers. By focusing on the user experience in the living room, Apple has figured out how to get that traction before sewing up all the content deals. Just like the iPhone, and the Watch, content follows form and function. For Brian to believe that Apple is betting a new product launch on the myriad and many negotiations with providers, such that any holdup could constitute a “major setback,” is absurd. Build and they will come – that is the only viable strategy. When Steve Jobs said “I finally cracked it” – he certainly did not mean content deals.
That’s interesting, because I love the current UI. I wish my cable box had something like this. I especially wish my 90 year-old grandfather’s cable box had this, instead of the 50 button remote. (And we’re on different cable companies.)
Except for signing in, of course. You’re fucking right about that.
You should learn from this, Dave: Rumours are worth dick unless they’re been Yepped by Jim.
I simply don’t believe that Apple changed their release date for a major product line weeks from WWDC. It’s barely possible, but it’s far more likely the rumours were always full of shit.
The ‘New Apple TV’ is simply a chimera. I’d say the Apple train is just about to go off the rails. Too many balls for Cook & Co. to juggle. Product launches are becoming non-events and software releases are half-baked. Cook, the honeymoon is over, now get back to work, please.
50 button remote or 50 icon’s of scrolling, not sure there’s a difference.
Mainly I want to be able to jump around in content without my choices being such a commitment by which I mean. Clicking on an icon, clicking through more screens to get to what I want, clicking on what I want, waiting for content to cache. Meh, I’m not in the mood for this, back out out of app and start again.
One example of this was the ESPN Watch app during the World Cup. I loved having access to a bunch of concurrent games, I hated how I couldn’t bounce between games quickly and smoothly. There was a pause to drop the current game followed by a pause to cache the other game.
To me that’s not an improvement over the existing cable tv experience, it’s worse.
I’ve been confused by the idea that local content is a sticking point and that the core of the new content is the main traditional networks (ABC,CBS,NBC,FOX).
I don’t watch anything on the networks anymore. The only logic to it seems to be they own all the cable channels.
But sticking with the channel paradigm seems like a loser also. I watch Mad Men do I have to have a relationship with AMC to do that? Do I have to pass by all the other AMC offerings to get to it? I just want the latest episode of a show as soon as it’s available. I want an NFL package or an EPL package not to have to deal with one or more channels to get it.
Both the local content and the networks seems like old timey thinking. To me Apple TV’s next generation has to unify that stuff with video from the webmobile in some sort of seamless way..
Your point about the invite is a great one.
You mean metacritic, you got autocorrected dude!
Sounds like content providers are pretending they want/have final say about negotiations. Apple has been down this path before, and plays the waiting game better than most.
There’s always room for improvement, of course, but I’d say my grandfather’s system in particular (Telus) was designed to be as hostile as possible.
It’s not enough to know where the number buttons are. You regularly use 5-10 more buttons on the remote, each for one thing each. (Off the top of my head: Guide instead of 02, arrows and enter to navigate it, extra time navigation buttons, Cancel whenever the system goes off the rails. But there’s at least three more single-purpose buttons.) And the remote itself is a quite stylish but completely unreadable black on black. Try teaching this system to a legally blind 90 year old who thinks poorly under stress (and the system definitely induces stress).
Apple TV needs some work, sure, but it’d be a lot easier to fix it.
My prediction is that, they will be no new Apple TV…
Instead, Apple will launch a new device call Apple Hub, a central station for home kit, wifi router, backup storage and all streaming (apple play, itunes streaming, etc…)
An optional accessory will be an HDMI dongle for connecting the TV to the hub !
Thanks. I did indeed. Fixed.
Exactly. Fix and improve the current interface. BUt to go to something like what I’ve seen on cable boxes? Oh, for the love of all the gods, no.
Now THAT is the first original speculative idea I’ve read in a long time (even if it isn’t original to you 🙂 — is it? ) That would make a bit more sense for the long term, especially as we move to a home hub setup for many things. HDMI dongle. Nice.
One could put the hub anywhere if the dongle also handle Siri for voice-activated channel and media selection. Hmmm….
I love the UI as well. And as far as logging in, that’s not Apples fault! If they had it their way you’d log in with your Apple ID and have access to all of your subscribed content that way. However it’s the media companies that are keeping them from doing that.
wow you really don’t get it. Apple doesn’t program the apps! The Channels do!
I disagree. I think at the very least there could be a way to register your Comcast info (or whoever your cable company is.) in settings and that would get verified with them and apply to any new channels.
I’m just saying it should work mostly like TV works now. I turn it on and there is content. I switch easily and quickly between content. Waiting for caching of content is a horrible step back. I don’t want it to have cable box style navigation or UI/UX.
You should be able to search for content across providers. I want to see Mad Men, I search for it and it shows me all options (by which I mean iTunes, Netflix, etc.)
Do people really love going into Netflix. Picking themselves as the user. Digging through screens to finally arrive at something they MIGHT want to watch? You really want to have that as the model for all content sources?
Cable’s UI/UX could be a lot better but otherwise it’s terrific. There’s a ton of choice easily found. The thing that sucks about it is the price and customer support. And guess what? Apple is only going to improve the price by reducing available content.
It’s not about apps. It’s about the new Apple streaming service.
That’s what I’m saying, the app paradigm is not the long term solution.
No new hardware but an SDK would still be a great result. I wonder if that might happen? I’ve been waiting for an Apple TV SDK since day 1…
I call BS. There will be a squarish/puck shaped device that will be the center of WWDC. Maybe the “TV” part of it does not have all the content deals lined up but the Home Automation /HomeKit side will be ready.
I hope for the day I won’t have to register my cable provider info — because I have no cable provider and I don’t plan on getting one any time soon. CBS has taken that step some by charging for their channel. A lot of people gripe about that, but if you want access to all the CBS programs all the time instead of just a handful of the most recent and no older shows, then you have to pay. Storage and bandwidth isn’t free.
Yes, that model will add up, and I personally hope that the larger networks like ABC, CBS, etc. go to simple advertising like they do on broadcast television. Leave the pay model to the premium networks and the aggregators (Netflix, Hulu, etc.)
And while I’ve mentioned Hulu, I’ll never subscribe to them. I won’t pay a few AND watch advertisements. Nope.
if only this site were owned by a well connected guy who made his fame by confirming rumors w/ a “yep” or a “nope”…
i have no problems w/ the UI, nor run into any caching issues w/ itunes content whatsoever. it’s likely your network.
why do you have 50 icons to scroll thru? i have just two rows of icons below the built-ins…just turn off the things you dont use.
I didn’t like Netflix DVD service because I was never in the mood for whatever came in the mail. I’m pretty sure that was a common issue.
well, except that you dont know that. the shape is also identical to an iOS app icon. theyre the same shape.
Do this for me if you have cable. Go to ESPN and watch something. Switch to whatever is on another ESPN channel. Now go to Watch ESPN and execute the same thing and tell me the experience is as good.
It would be a better test during something like the world cup when the speed of switching really matters.
Even goddamned Clinkle made me go to their website and get a code! WTF?
no, im pretty sure they made a boatload of money and became a very successful publicly traded company. thats what we call “success”, not “failure” IRL.
i dont have cable and dont have any idea what the various ESPNs are, or why id need to be switching between them.
but i have seen HD cable at a friends and i thought it looked like total garbage — whats the point of HD if your crummy cable operator is going to compress it so badly you can see the artifacts all over the screen?
no thanks, mate. i prefer to subscribe to high-quality content that i hunker down and watch without interruption. on the rare occasions im watching my local football team and not in a bad, the OTA HD signal is terrific and also looks better than “cable-crud”.