“While PC makers still believe the PC should be the center of the digital home, cable and telecom companies champion smarter set-top boxes and services. Companies such as Akimbo, Digeo, and Digital Deck also offer various twists on this theme, delivering a digital centerpiece for controlling, managing, sharing, and viewing all types of digital content,” Tim Bajarin writes for PC Magazine.
Bajarin writes, “Now Apple is extending its digital lifestyle concept to the TV, with Apple TV. I find this move by Apple very interesting and potentially important to the market because of the impact it may have on consumer trends. Of course, Apple is not the first to try to extend Mac/PC content to the living room; in fact, it’s five years late. Microsoft’s Windows Media Center has been doing this since 2002 with mixed results, and various other media adapters have come to market since then and gotten only minimal consumer acceptance.”
Bajarin writes, “On the other hand, you could say the same for Apple’s late entry into the MP3 space. Though MP3 players had been around since 1997, Apple’s iconic player didn’t arrive until 2002. The iPod’s design and simpler, easy-to-use interface has propelled it to a market share of more than 70 percent.”
Bajarin writes, “Although I don’t expect Apple to have quite the same spectacular results with its Apple TV product, the market impact may be similar to that of the iPod. Apple TV could make moving computer content around the house another mainstream digital activity.”
Full article, with mention of “Apple’s not-so-secret weapon: using its own retail stores to demonstrate how the product will work to mainstream consumers,” here.
Related articles:
Bear Stearns: Apple TV and iPhone have changed the Apple story for the better – February 21, 2007
Deutsche Bank: Apple TV could take 30% of set-top box market within a few years – February 21, 2007
How do Apple TV and Elgato’s EyeTV work together? – February 16, 2007
Apple embraces casual gaming; iPhone, Apple TV to join iPod as gaming devices – February 09, 2007
Former GM of Microsoft’s Xbox Live Arcade: Apple TV to become video game console – February 08, 2007
ZDNet’s Graham: Apple TV hits a number of sweet spots, poised to make a big impact – January 25, 2007
Is Apple out to kill cable television? – January 25, 2007
RUMOR: Apple TV sales blowing away Apple’s internal expectations – January 25, 2007
Steve Jobs: Apple TV is the ‘DVD player for the 21st century’ – January 22, 2007
Apple TV beats out iPod, hits top spot on Apple Store sales chart – January 19, 2007
Report: first batch of 100,000 Apple TVs to ship this month – January 11, 2007
Steve Jobs moves to control the living room with Apple TV – January 10, 2007
Analyst Bajarin: Apple’s iPhone and Apple TV are industry game changers – January 09, 2007
Apple premieres Apple TV: movies, TV shows, music & photos on your big screen TV – January 09, 2007
RUMOR: Apple may enter video game market – December 05, 2006
Could Apple become king of game consoles? – September 26, 2006
I *really* wish there was more to the Apple TV. Specifically:
1) An iPod dock. This is a bit of a no-brainer, and a low cost thing to have added on.
2) Support for Divx and various other formats. Imagine how the iPod would’ve done without support for MP3s.
Then, as a higher end Apple TV, a model that had a built-in DVD drive and DVR.
AppleTV is a joke. Nobody is buying it, it doesn’t work with 95% of televisions out there that people already own, and it provides no needed functionality that anybody desires. ESPECIALLY at the price point of $299, it is absolutely a ridiculous & unnecessary product that will make no dent on any consumer segment whatsoever. Apple should be giving these things away for free, and even then, their value is questionable. Steve Jobs has really lost his marbles this time around.
The problem with Tivo functionality is that most cable cos encrypt their channels. And they have the FCC to back their monopolistic ways. I have to pay a monthly fee for each TV I want in the house. Comcast moved SciFi from analog to digital. Even with a digitial receiver you can’t watch it. You have to rent a Comcast Box to decrypt the signal. While Congress mandated that TV’s must be able to recieve Digital signals and have digital tuners, the tuners are useless because the Cable companies will require you to rent a box and use your TV as a monitor.
“Mafia$oft always wants to be the first in these new areas,”
correction here…. M$ was never first with anything! They usually copy stuff, rip off etc and fsck it up well.
i just want an apple designed HD-TV digital box. My plastic remote is ugly.
If iTunes is morphing into an all-media controller, its stranglehold on the player mindshare could be weakened, opening up an opportunity for shareware creators. I’ve got some money ready for a light-footprint player targeted at unprotected and manually-managed files that handles Playlist creation/management smartly. Maybe the folks at Chaotic will step up to the plate. Their MediaRage product is an excellent tags manager though the GUI is a bit weak.
with the Apple TV becoming available soon, I can’t wait. I think it will definitely challenge DVD sales.
http://www.applehdtv.net
I have to say I agree with the nay-sayers on this one. I just don’t see the utility of this product right now. And I don’t think the market is very big. How many non-techie people right now have:
A) A HDTV (because Apple TV is targeted only to HDTVs)
and
B) Loads of content purchased at the iTunes store that they want to stream over to these said tvs (currently the only movies/tv shows you can play are those from the iT store, not compatible with other formats, can only stream stuff from within iTunes)
Another question: why would you buy a huge library of movies from Apple? The quality is FAR inferior to DVDs at not the greatest price break. You get no extras. You can’t burn a backup. Can’t rent them. Who is buying movies from iTunes and why? Really, that’s a serious question.
And I’m sorry, I’m not buying my television shows one at time. Forget that. If I’m going to miss a show I Tivo it, I don’t pay Apple $2 a pop for the previledge of watching a show later. And I don’t care to own my shows. How many times am I going to watch “My Name is Earl”? Come on.
I’m just asking some questions here. I am a huge Apple fan. I just wish this product had more going for it. I love the idea of having all your media easily accesible from your computer to your livingroom. (I think the new Netflix streaming movie solution is really cool, just get it Mac compatible). When that happens it’s going to be a great day. I just don’t think Apple TV is there yet. I guess I’m impatient. I’m sure it will get better. Pointing out its flaws and exploring how people want to get their content to their livingroom is a good thing in the long run.