“Apple CEO Steve Jobs may be looking to take one last victory lap — around the living room,” Garett Sloane reports for The New York Post. “One Wall Street analyst believes Jobs is working on a “final hurrah” before retirement: a plan to transform the TV set just as he revolutionized computers, mobile phones and music players.”
“Jefferies analyst Peter Misek said Apple will launch another ‘assault on the living room’ in the form of a cloud-based video service along the lines of Netflix,” Sloane reports. “Such an offering would go well beyond Apple TV, a Web-enabled device with limited capabilities and content that hasn’t caught on with consumers.”
Sloane reports, “Misek also said in his report that TV content providers suing cable companies and others over the rights to stream their shows to iPads is proof they want to deal directly with Apple.
Negotiations with content owners could take a while, which is why Apple won’t roll out its service until 2012 or 2013, Misek said.
Read more in the full article here.
Lots of places with insufficient bandwidth. Hope the new paradigm provides impetus to build out bandwidth, just like the Interstate Highway System did with roads.
Ahhh, Bandwidth…. Yes there is the rub…. or not???
In your home, if you have cable, an Apple extreeme router (n) and apple tv or such, you can stream your cable or tv directly to the screen. Watch Netflix anytime on your big screen.
The parts are already here, its just the licensing and paying that is being worked out.
Just a thought,
en
Can someone expand on this thought (if it makes sense)…
– Apple was having difficulties getting the networks to provide content through iTunes.
– Apple allowed apps from cable/sat companies that stream content to their tablets assuming that it would get the networks attention/cause them to react.
– Apple lends their ear the networks who are now upset that the cable companies are distributing their content and they’re not getting a cut of it.
– Apple tells them that they have a solution that will cut out the middle man (cable companies) and this solution becomes whatever Apple was planning on launching (netflix competitor, tv rentals, etc.. whatever their idea is).
Last frontier? NOT! There is this little market called automotive. And another called banking (I.e., ATM’s). Then maybe retail transactions. And wouldn’t Apple designed home appliances be nice? Like a security / environmental control center. And then there is the APHMC (Apple Personal Health Management Center). With all the records, all the advice, and all the reminders that you will ever need. Maybe on a nice necklace — choose your form (crucifix, caduceus, apple).
Um, I don’t think so. The New York Post’s track record on predicting Apple’s future products is about as close to ZERO as you can get.
I think the next product Apple will come up with is the iBap. iBap stands for the Bad Ass Pad. It will be a 24″ iPad which you can carry as a briefcase, set up on a table or hang on a wall. It will function both as a pad and as a Mac with bluetooth keyboard and mouse. Works everywhere and sets up anywhere. School desktop, presentation board, work desk or picture frame with Facetime, CAD, Photoshop, music, art, TV, finances, 3D… the whole enchilada.
The lion will bring it. Bye bye PC.
Cars need a radical overhaul. And energy. Sell a Mac Mini sized fuel cell, endless energy with no dangers.
Apple is going to do *something* in the living room, but the focus will be on content and off-site content delivery. It *won’t* be producing a TV.
http://themacadvocate.com/2011/04/13/please-shut-up-about-apple-making-a-tv/
I agree.
I don’t see this happening myself.
To really make it work Apple would need to license out the software.
Why would I buy yet another set top box when I have NetFlix on almost every device I currently own? Its built into my TV even!
I hate to say this but…
Apple is seriously hurting in the living room.
Sure, the Apple TV is selling well and It’s a great product. BUT, unless an SDK is released for it or it expands in other ways soon, the living room will become a huge weak link in Apple’s ecosystem.
Right now, the killer apps of the Apple TV are Netflix and Airplay (actually any iTunes ecosystem connectivity).
Apple, unfortunately, doesn’t own Netflix. Apple had the opportunity *twice* to develop a Netflix like system, but instead went with movie/tv purchases, and then rentals.
Meanwhile, as killer of an app as Netflix is, and while it’s very far from being perfect, it is ubiquitous. I have 9 devices in my bedroom right now with Netflix built-in. While I prefer the implementation in the Apple TV, it’s not enough to make me add a device over using any one of my other devices.
While my system may be unusual, the fact remains that it’s now hard to find devices for the living room that don’t come with Netflix.
How many people who would buy an Apple TV, wouldn’t also buy a Wii, Playstation, Xbox, DVD/BR, or something else?
The Netflix model works, and it’s kicking Apple in the rear..big time. Here’s an interesting factoid, which stock would you rather have owned for the past 1 year, 2 years, 5 years, or 9 years. In all of those, you would’ve come out way ahead with Netflix.
It may be too late for Apple to buy Netflix. It’s at 12.35B with a P/E ratio through the roof (it’s wickedly over valued). However, the model should be replicated, and done so with improving upon where Netflix is today, and that would be by expanding the library of content.
That, combined with an SDK would be incredibly helpful. After that, Apple should look at where the money is and what their strategy should be. Selling $99 Apple TVs doesn’t seem like a great way to make money. Licensing iOS for TVs and bringing the ecosytem to other devices such as Wii, Playstation, Xbox, etc… would not only make more money directly as well as through content and app delivery, but allow them to create a dominate presence in the living room and keep it from being the weak link in their ecosystem.
As far as selling TV sets…I just see this as being incredibly distracting and very difficult for Apple to break into in a significant way.
I agree to a point here.
But Netflix got a big slap in the face when the Studios made hold back on new releases, some studio’s anyway.
They were getting killed by netflix having them on day 1, they lost all the PPV/on demand revenue from the cable companies. You see the “watch them before Netflix/Redbox gets them” commercials? thats why they started all those commercials.
I use Netflix constantly, but i hate having to wait 30+ days before the movies are released for netflix.
I would have loved Apple buying Netflix.. but i dont see that happening now.
Wasn’t there some big deal with Netflix that is coming to an end in the next year or something? I know that Showtime stuff will be gone this summer… Starz is having negotiations on price (which will mean higher netflix sub costs..)
Dont get me wrong, Netflix is great.. but i can see the sub price going through the roof if everyone re-negotiates their deals. and Netflix losing subs due to it..
They should do it. If there is one thing most Westerners love and CANNOT live without, it is TV. The iPad and iPhone have caused them to wander away a little, but an iTV would bring the focus right back again as a family-centric TV/Media centre/’net surfer and app player.
And of course it is high-end TV that Apple is interested in. There is a huge worldwide market for a true high-end HD TV. One that evolves towards Super-HD and Retina pixel density over five years would do it for almost everyone.
The TV market is huge and it is ripe for disruption through innovation and reimagination.
I wouldnt say can’t live without..
I watch like 3 hours of TV a week..
Live/current that is. old shows/movies, thats a different story.
I don’t really think the living room is actually Apple’s final frontier. Just its next frontier! There’ll be more products to come, just wait and see.