“Shares of digital video recording device maker TiVo (TIVO) rallied as much as 20 percent Wednesday after Inside Digital Media said that Apple Computer (AAPL) is considering buying TiVo. Research firm Janney Montgomery Scott said a short squeeze is also likely pushing the stock higher. However, ‘Apple is definitely on our list of plausible buyers, given that computer manufacturers could use TiVo’s brand as a centerpiece on their ‘Media PC’ strategies,’ said analyst William Kidd. Apple is not Kidd’s first choice of buyer, since much of TiVo’s value lies in its brand and technology and Apple has one of the strongest brands in the country,” Ciara Linnane reports for CBS MarketWatch.
Full article here.
Related MacDailyNews articles:
Is Apple CEO Steve Jobs thinking about ‘Mac mini TiVo’ possibilities? – January 17, 2005
Beleaguered TiVo is ripe for an Apple takeover – August 12, 2004
Industry Standard founder predicts Apple will takeover TiVo – April 22, 2003
First post….dont know what to think!
Brilliant observation iHung. Keep ’em coming. I hope Apple does buy TiVO. Everybody loves TiVO, just as NOBODY loves Replay TV or Comcast OnDemand. If Apple doesn’t buy TiVO, either somebody else will or TiVO will just go belly up, which would be a shame. An Apple TiVO box would be an instant hit. Of course they’d add their unique vision to its UI, and add lots of connectivity with iLive and iTunes, but basically it would be an Apple TiVO.
The magic word is “hospital,” which sounds suspiciously like “horse spittle,” which just gives me the heeby-jeebies.
Um, everybody? I don’t have a TiVO. What’s so special about it? Paying for a service to record programs just so I don’t have to watch the commercials? If that’s all, I don’t mind staying in the dark ages and fast-forwarding the VCR.
Personally, I think Apple TiVo has rather a nice ring to it. Other than that, I have nothing else to add.
Could someone please tell me, what’s this TiVo-Stuff all about?
Isn’t it just TV with automatic recording? Sounds so 1990…
Caesar, it is not just about missing the commercials. You have your shows on a hard drive; no tapes, no disks. You can it record any show yopu want and it will remember the ones you already have so no duplicates. I have TiVo and a Charter Cable DVR; the TiVo is much nicer and easier to use. I tried to cancel Tivo after I got Charter, and they half my monthly bill if I would keep it.
you don’t know till you try it
commercial? what is that, gonna miss your show? watch it later no prob at the touch of a button
Apple will only make this product better, and integrate it with the Mac
go Stevo
iHung !!!
That’s probably the first wise thing you’ve ever said !
People who write ‘First post ‘ NEVER know what to think – because they don’t.
Never used it, but I believe it is basically VCR (HD, actually) + computer + very user-friendly interface. People who can’t program the clock properly on their VCR’s are able program recording schedules with ease on TiVo. I believe you can effectively pause live television, record more than one thing at a time (not sure about that), and somehow get it to skip recording the commercials (not sure about that either. Anyways, people seem to really, really love it, and commercial advertisers seem to really, really hate it.
But as I say, I ‘ve never used it. Try the TiVo Website perhaps?
I hope if/when they merge up the consumers and press don’t shorten “Apple Tivo” into Apptivo… it sounds too much like those IBM boxes of the past… kinda like the Citroen is for cars
Did some notice, that the iPod mini armband comes in five colors: grey, blue, pink, yellow, orange, that don’t match with ipod mini colors?
Where new colors planned and abandoned?
Very interesting to contemplate PVR capabilities on the Mac mini. It seems to me that it would be relatively painless to accomplish via a software/cable card combo. If Apple purchases TiVo, could they use the platform to deliver new services to the home? Very interesting indeed.
Sorry, clicked submit by mistake. I was going to say that with a cable-ready Mac mini, Apple could expand dotMac, as well as offering Software Updates and new classes of services to home users. iMovie Store anyone?
“Did some notice, that the iPod mini armband comes in five colors: grey, blue, pink, yellow, orange, that don’t match with ipod mini colors?”
I think it’s more of a fashion thing, to allow people to coordinate their armbands with iPod colors. A blue armband with a blue iPod would look pretty bad, from a style perspective.
Old Europe, Tivo can not only automatically record shows but can do it for a whole season by just selecting the show you want to record for the whole season. You can even block it from recording repeats automatically. You can also do things with live tv like pause it while you take a break. Get something to eat. When your done you can come back and start watching right where you left off without missing a second of your program. If you did miss something you can rewind and watch it over again. Yes if you buy the tivo box you pay 9.95 a month for the service. But if you have Directv you can get one for 4.95 extra a month on your Directv bill. If you have the platinum package with Directv then the tivo option is FREE! I wouldn’t go back to a regular VCR anymore after using it.
Who watches TV?
what if you could choose/record a show as easily as buying an iTune. now that would be cool.
Commercials?!?
You mean folks still watch that crap with commercials in between? <G>
No, but REALLY… This is the box Apple needs… connectivity to a computer for control, burning DVD’s, streaming iPics and Fairplay encoded AAC files, AND connectivity to cable and a HD display, via the “box”. I’ll take at LEAST one, if not two.
if steve jobs has anything in mind, I hope that is it rickl. It is so hard to find what is on at a particular time these days with so many stations. But what if the iMac mini is the tivo and searching for programs is like itunes search?
Thank God, They finally get my tivo to see freeplay music. Nothing could be better for tivo.
Long time reader… First time poster…
Oh Please let this be true! I have such a fear that my beloved TiVos will one day stop receiving programming. Seeing that I have a TiVo and Apple sticker on my car, I’m all for this. (Er, let’s forget I said something about stickers on my car… wink, wink).
New Year’s Day is the best time to own a Tivo. Start recording the days ball games, then wake up late. You can FF thru the commercials until you catch up with live TV. Incredible! I tell you. Absolutely amazing!
Ok – part of the media center concept inf nothing else.
A harddrive for iMovie/Final cut/garage band
a storage area for Satellite radio
Tivo could be repackage by Apple into a very desirable product.
This would be great news! Tivo is an excellent product that needs to be energized a little more! For those of you that haven’t experienced it, the only thing I can say is.. try it… it will change your life!!
I think it would be a good acquisition for Apple. There are several reasons for this, but one of biggest IMO is the intangible of having the name. The TiVo name in the DVR realm has the same effect in the general as the iPod does to MP3 players.
People just inherently call MP3 players iPods nowadays, and I always hear people saying thye TiVo their shows, when in fact they don’t have TiVo but a competeing brand.
Apple’s lack of enthusiasm in advertising everything but the iPod wouldn’t be as big an issue for a TiVo box because it’s already very well established in the marketplace and in the public’s mind.