“Apple’s latest attempt to revolutionize our TV screens is continuing to lose steam,” Chris O’Brien reports for VentureBeat. “According to the latest data from eMarketer: Apple TV ‘is at the bottom of the U.S. connected TV market, behind Google Chromecast and Roku, with its share shrinking.’” Ouch.”
“That underwhelming assessment comes over a year after Apple relaunched Apple TV (in October 2015) with great expectations,” O’Brien reports. “eMarketer reports that Apple is used by just 11.9 percent of connected TV consumers. That’s down from 12.5 percent in September.”
“It also continues a steady drop from 12.6 percent in 2015 and 13.5 percent in 2014, according to eMarketer,” O’Brien reports. “By contrast, Google’s Chromecast climbed to 19.9 percent over the holiday quarter, up from 18.4 percent in September and 16.2 percent in 2015. Roku may have been the biggest winner this quarter, coming in second with 18.2 percent, up from 15.2 percent in September.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: $35 for Chromecast vs. $149/$199 for Apple TV.
Profit share trumps unit share. Just look at iPhone: 106% of the smartphone market’s profits on unit share in the teens.
That said, perhaps having a 4K-capable Apple TV for Christmas 2016 would have been a good idea.
Apple losing market share in some areas is not problem, the serious matter is the lost of will for innovation .
Most of the Macs are outdated and still priced like brand new technology , no Cinema Display. Maybe Apple needs to go back to 1995-1996 crisis but this time there is not Steve Jobs around to save it.
I think Apple needs to have a web-based setup. Recently Xfinity added Netflix capabilities.
Web-based means that you don’t have to rely on a box and can use any device to view.
NetFlix on Xfinity requires the Xfinity box though.
I returned mine when it was released not ready for prime time. However, with the addition of dark mode, the TV app and the phone app that actually works again, I’ve purchase a 64GB and a 32GB and I got a free one with my 3-month paid subscription to DirecTV Now. It’s a good device and the TV app is great but could use some tweaks. Ready to cut the cord in two weeks.
I have had every version of Apple TV since the very first release. The current version is pretty good, but the remote is a nightmare. Scrolling through large lists is impossible. Not only that, but the damn thing can only pair with one Apple TV remote at a time. I couldn’t believe the specs so I went out and bought a second remote anyway. Sure enough, you have to re-pair when switching from one remote to another. So I have to use the crappier OS app, and my wife gets the crappy remote.
For the first time, I’m actually considering a roku. Yes it is that bad.
I was a Roku lover; then discovered Amazon’s Fire TV.
Get the Fire TV, go to youtube, watch video on “how to jailbreak” it. You will thank me later.
“I went out and bought a second remote anyway. Sure enough, you have to re-pair when switching from one remote to another.”
yeah, Bluetooth is like that. Can you use two pairs of Bluetooth earphones with your phone simultaneously?
On the other hand, Apple TV’s Bluetooth remote means that you don’t need line-of-site, i.e you don’t need to point your remote at the target device to control it. How refreshing! And then there’s the rechargeability of the remote, its excellent voice control capability, gesture control, and gyroscope and accelerometer-based control.
Yeah, I agree a Roku is bad…actually pitiful in comparison.
Uh, I don’t share Bluetooth headphones on a single phone with my wife, kind of a bad comparison.
Also, they couldn’t bother to put two blue tooth receivers in there to support multiple remotes? Why do they even have rows of atv remotes for sale at BestBuy, just for broken remote replacements?? And as a consumer, I don’t technically give a crap how it works, I just want it to work, I shouldn’t have to justify limitations of the box because of technologies they chose. And how come it works with multiple game controllers at the same time, but not it’s own remote??
As for line of sight, I’m looking at my tv anyway, I’m not controlling it from 2 rooms over, nor attempting to hide the tiny appletv. So, not exactly a killer feature.
The voice control is cool, but lately it seems to miss plenty of content in the apps I have, and I have to go manually searching app by app anyway. And roku has a universal search too, for all I know, actually works. wow. And of course the atv voice search will NEVER ever ever search my home library of movies (not even the dozens I’ve purchased through iTunes, I’m not talking just about my DVD rips). They would rather I buy or rent it again, then realize I already own it.
And gesture control, whoopty doo, like I said, you cannot even scroll long lists with it.
Gyroscope and accelerometer support? I guess you actually game on your Apple TV??? Really !? Right. And even if you did, you had better go buy a game controller for the second person, because you can’t use two of those nifty remotes for gaming at the same time.
As for recharging the remote, at first I thought that was an bad idea, just let me use batteries (oh, but then the remote couldn’t be so thin I thought, darn u apple). But then, I have to give this one to you, the charge lasts forever, and when you do need to charge it, there’s always a bunch of lightning cables nearby. Historically, all of my universal remotes have been battery hogs. So this one is actually a win.
And it’s not like I’m a troll, I’m a fanboi who is always rooting for apple. I mean, if you actually own an appletv, you almost have to be a fanboi, right? Especially considering I bought that $300 original appletv that ran hotter than the sun. Anyway, the real killer feature of the Apple TV in my mind is airplay. That is still great to this day, and may be the only thing tying me to Apple TV.
Oh, and I have to admit, although the voice search doesn’t seem to be as reliable as it should be, the ability to do commands via voice is pretty sweet. I constantly use commands like “go back 2 minutes” or “turn on closed captioning” and my favorite “what did he say?”
Apple TV is for shit! Haven’t used mine into two years now. Netflix, Roku or just about anyone else is better than ATV
That means you haven’t used the 4th generation Apple TV which is vastly greater than the previous Apple TVs, and better than Roku IMHO. It’s also better than the Netflix, considering Netflix doesn’t make a box.
Apple needs to buy a content provider like Time Warner so that they could give the cord cutters a better choice. Or even buy Disney. That would be a match made in heaven. I read an article on Seeking Alpha about that and sounds like a great idea the way they explain it. They also have ABC and Sports Channels as well. I am surprised that the Disney person that sits on Apple’s Board of Directors did not say anything about a merger.
The AppleTV hardware is good it’s the way Apple ties it all together. The new Apple TV app sucks. Hard to navagate and no binge watching. Apple still ignores you library like the plague. Still hasn’t setup an search for your library shows. Only useable app is remote on iOS.
APPLE TV would be a lot better if they would just go ahead and pull all the engineers they have working on the Mac Pro, new monitor and WiFi router and put them on the TV project.
Most likely those engineers are involved in or moved to other departments already by the looks of Apple today.
I like all of the ATV units I have used. HOWEVER…..my 4k Roku box is the go-to unit since 4k looks best on my 80″ TV.
Why ATV was not 4k ready is beyond all logic…..!!!
I’m sure Roku holiday sales are through the roof……
I, too, was a Roku lover. Then I discovered Amazon’s Fire TV.
Get the Fire TV, go to youtube, watch video on “how to jailbreak” it. You will thank me later.
You have to get out of the new App., go to “Computer” to get to all of your movies and videos in your iTunes database. Does anyone at Apple really use their Apple TV? Here you have a “hub” App. that can’t even get to all the movies and TV shows in my own iTunes database. And with no 4K possible, it makes it just a so,so product at best with little imagination and features.
I bought a Rokinon top of the line 4K compatible TV unit late last year and it’s fine. I also have Apple’s latest. To say I don’t really have a preference between the two is a gigantic fail for Apple. I will say I don’t think anyone has the UI right yet.
I think they need to do the whole TV.
I want a great display, great sound, a great interface, a great remote and great content in a oneadtop shop. Not assembled from AppleTV+Samsung+Sony+Netflix or something.
Might need to at least partner with TV manufacturers to create an Apple TV included set like Google with Android TV and Amazon recently with Fire TV OS.
http://venturebeat.com/2017/01/03/amazon-brings-fire-tv-os-to-element-seiki-and-westinghouse-4k-tvs/
I have ATV4 and I can tell you it’s weak.
Maybe if they sold the thing for $9.99, then it may be worth it, but they are selling it at premium and you get bad performance, horrible ergonomics and a mess of an OS.
It’s junk.
IT’s clear you’re unfamiliar with Apple TV 4. Why comment on something you clearly know nothing about?
Dont Know, At&t has been handing out Apple TV’s since
November 30, like candy, so I don’t know…..
They’ve been doing the same with Amazon Fire Sticks at the 1-month subscribe level since Nov. 30 too.
I bought a newer AppleTV a year and a half ago as a present for my sister, then discovered while setting it up that the optical output was gone and that there was no easy way to hook it up to her sound system. That made me stick with my older AppleTV and wait for something better before buying a new one for me. A case of Apple deciding what consumers shouldn’t want instead of giving them what they do want.
Cook sucks.
Thanks for your insight and the elegant – nay, poetic – way you have laid out your brilliant thoughts.
Picking ATV4 over the others was a simple choice. The ATV 4 is the only device that can turn the TV/device on and off. The others can turn your TV on but not off. And why the noise about the Apple TV app? We just use Sony PSVue, Netflix and PBS. Finally, if you don’t like the Siri remote, there are several inexpensive cases for it making the remote easier to hold and use.
For those that have completely cut the cable out of their system I suppose having the “turn on/off all devices” feature built into the Apple TV remote is great. For those of us where the AppleTV/FireStick/Chromecast/Roku are secondary devices, that function is usually connected to the Cable remote. And if you’re not primarily buying an AppleTV for Apple media play, the other’s are more than adequate for PSVue, Netflix and PBS at a more reasonable cost.
Optical out on the 3rd gen never worked well on my sound system. It was a refurbished rca so I always assumed it was the sound system cutting out. Analog works fine though. My mother loves the four, even though it has not reached full potential yet. We need good two player head to head local games please. Replace our Wii U, and you will sell even more. As for 4K, our household is on a 3mb cable internet plan… everything is in standard def in this house. Works well as long as we buffer a couple of minutes ahead. Believe it or not, we are happy. Movies and shows do fine.
Errm, can’t you use HDMI then optical out from your TV?
The television at the time did not support it, have to get back with you on model when I can.
PLEASE sign this..
https://www.change.org/p/apple-board-of-directors-remove-tim-cook-as-ceo-of-apple
ATv is has value to people who have invested in iTunes and have 1080p or 720p tv. For 4k owners I would advise to buy on VUDU or amazon for 4k content. If apple growth plan is for the 1080p crowd they are doomed or they should announce they will not support ATv. So people like me who thought apple will upgrade ATv to 4k will not be fooled. All my new digital content will be on VUDU which has far better PQ and AQ than Apple TV, I am a big apple fan but I think apple is a follower now, all other companies are moving with big ideas, apple can not morph iPod any more for growth. All their products were from that iPod touch nothing else new in last 15 years or so. All iPhone features comes a year late after competition, same for Apple Watch.
Apple TV is better than Chromecast. Having said that there are some things (important things) Chromecast does better, and Apple TV costs WAY too much compared to Chromecast.