“90 – million – iPods. 2 – billion – songs. Those are HUGE numbers. There are currently 9.36 million Xbox 360s and 2 million PS3s based upon the latest worldwide console sales numbers (from VG Charts). Don’t you think Apple has got to have an advantage rolling out an IPTV product to its user base relative to either Microsoft or Sony? Even if one assumes that the demographics of the three user bases are similar, the sheer reach of Apple’s audience gives it a built-in head start relative to its top competitors. At least it seems that way to me,” Roger Ehrenberg writes for Information Arbitrage.
Ehrenberg writes, “IPTV is right at the intersection of two technology and user mega-trends – light, flexible, powerful and easy-to-use web-based applications (Consumer Era of Computing) and on-demand content that is exactly what I want, when I want it that can be consumed where I want it (Asynchronous World). The online conversation clearly sees IPTV as massively disruptive to legacy content creation and distribution platforms, forcing recognition of and adaption to these new mega-trends. Apple has been the recipient of most of the favorable discussion in this burgeoning arena, notwithstanding a spate of recent competitive offerings. That said, it appears that some technological hurdles need to be overcome – and performance proven – before the IPTV medium is accepted in the same way as, say, music downloads. But the handicapping is that these technical hurdles will be overcome and that IPTV will be massively disruptive, with Apple likely being the big winner. Surprise, surprise.”
Full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “LinuxGuy and Mac Prodigal Son” for the heads up.]
Related articles:
PC Magazine: Why Apple TV matters – February 23, 2007
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
90 million iPods is just a drop in the bucket!
If Apple produced a iPod that didn’t need a computer to operate, the sales would be in the BILLIONS!!
Just image all the computer illerate out there and you’ll see what I mean.
Of course there is a great black market for selling loaded iPods, but music tastes change unfortunatly.
Sorry for the dumb question, but what does IPTV stand for? It wou’dve been nice had the author spelled it out at least once in the article.
If Apple produced a iPod that didn’t need a computer to operate, the sales would be in the BILLIONS!!
——————-
Macdude, haven’t we been over this argument at least one time for each of the different names that you use?
“Sorry for the dumb question, but what does IPTV stand for? It wou’dve been nice had the author spelled it out at least once in the article.”
————–
My best guess… IPTV = Internet Protocol TV. Similar to VOIP or Voice Over Internet Protocol.
I could be wrong however.
If the iPod didn’t need a computer to for use, billions would be sold??????
How would you get your Purchased CD’s onto said “computer free” IPOD??????
Even SJ said over 90%(?) of our music on pods is from cd’s.
IPTV
erock
you probably could be but you are not…. this time, no disclaimer on future statements though )) IPTV is simply TV sent over the internet
I don’t think IPTV is here yet, especially in a big way. But, like they did with iPod, Apple can move the market in that direction over time. In five years a lot can happen. There may be other even more disruptive tech on the horizon.
on the subject of a computer-less ipod, there’s a device out there called iLoad that is for just that. seems pretty simple and straightforward.
HDTV requires over 10 Mbps of bandwidth to stream H.263 (MPEG-4 AVC) signals.
The rollout of IPTV will be dependent on the bandwidth providers, not the content providers. Very few households have the required downstream bandwidth today.
at&t has done a deal with the devil (M$), and will stream content using the devil’s technology.
Perhaps the iPhone deal with at&t portends a bigger relationship with Apple where at&t exorcises the devil and goes forward with industry standard H.263 instead of proprietary (devil) technology.
Personally, I believe the bandwidth providers (e.g. at&t, Verizon) should be kept out of the content business. Just provides Mbps/$.
Death to the cable companies! Long live the content producers!
If the iPod didn’t need a computer to for use, billions would be sold??????
How would you get your Purchased CD’s onto said “computer free” IPOD??????
Well, my be iPhone is the answer… You can download or purchase the music or videos directly from your iPhone.
Matt…..
I thought an ILoad was a Zune!
TR
so you wanna be a millionaire?
1. buy a mil in aapl today
2. sell in a year
Wouldn’t you already have over 80 million dollars is you could buy a million shares of AAPL today?
IPTV wont hit its true potential until I can TOTALLY STOP getting service from a Cable or Sat provider and still watch ANYTHING I want at FULL HD res.
end of story.
I don’t want a digital tv experience that is exactly the same crapola experience as traditional network or cable television. I will wait.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPTV
@ bandwidthman
Not quite right there fella…It’s actually H.264, not the older H.263 standard which is alligned MPEG-4 AVC.
H.263 is used in the .3gp standard usually for delivery to mobile phones
overhyped…
reality check: are downloads directly from iTunes Music Store to the iPhone actually possible? I don’t remember this explicit feature listed.
“HDTV requires over 10 Mbps of bandwidth to stream H.263 (MPEG-4 AVC) signals.”
H.263? H.264 streams just fine on my system with just the tiniest bit of buffering.
“The rollout of IPTV will be dependent on the bandwidth providers, not the content providers. Very few households have the required downstream bandwidth today.” It’s not “very few”. But it doesn’t have to be “a lot” either. It only needs to be “enough”.
“Personally, I believe the bandwidth providers (e.g. at&t, Verizon) should be kept out of the content business. Just provides Mbps/$.”
With the coming widespread deployment of WiMax wireless broadband, with a 30 mile range, not only fixed but also mobile high speed broadband will become available almost everywhere. These frequencies are licensed (owned) and Sprint is the only major current player with large amounts of licenses. Clearwire is #2. Comcast and most of the major phone service providers are currently out in the cold.
“Death to the cable companies! Long live the content producers!”
WiMax just may produce your desired result.
erock,
you’re right. IPTV means Internet Protocol Television.
At least it does according to a very good acronym dictionary called Acronym Finder, which, by the way, is worth bookmarking:-
http://www.acronymfinder.com/
two step-
but if I guy a mil of aapl today, aren’t I already a millionaire? =p
You can download or purchase the music or videos directly from your iPhone…
This is an interesting point. The iPhone can indeed be thought of as an iPod that doesn’t require computer ownership; but then, most cell phones sold today can download and play music at least after a fashion. So much depends on the speed of the internet connection. Theoretically, an iPhone user could use that device plus web apps to accomplish most of the tasks that most consumers use home computers for. Not that it isn’t more convenient to sit in front of real computer monitor and type on a real keyboard. But the point is that a product like the iPhone may represent, among other things, a way for some people to leap in a single bound from computerless have-nots to fully-connected citizens of the digital world. From this angle, Apple is really throwing in the cell phone for free!
Viktor,
Dumb answer.
WHO is going to repurchase their whole music collection, be realistic. 100-3000+ songs?
No matter what, I STILL won’t be able to watch Blackhawk home games in Chicago!
Good thing they SUCK!
MW I’m just “Saying”