“Steve Jobs died without fully transforming television, but the day after [before – MDN Ed.] he passed away, Apple unveiled Siri, its natural language interface,” Ben Elowitz writes for AllThingsD.
“Though it’s currently only embedded in the new iPhone 4S, Siri could eventually change the face of the TV industry,” Elowitz writes. “Most observers and analysts believe that Siri’s voice commands could eliminate the need for those clunky TV remote controls. With the blurring and exponential proliferation of television and Web content, telling your TV what you’d like to watch, instead of scrolling through a nearly infinite number of program possibilities, makes a lot more sense.”
Elowitz writes, “But from my perspective, Siri’s greatest impact won’t ultimately be on users, or on device manufacturers (though they certainly risk losing market share to Apple). It will be on the TV industry’s content creators and packagers. Why? Because a voice-controlled television interface will fundamentally disrupt the six-decade-old legacy structure of networks, channels and programs. And that’s a legacy that — until now, at least — has been carried forward from analog to digital.”
Much more in the full article – recommended – here.
Not sure that Apple’s TV will be voice-based as basis, rather than voice-supported. Controlling TV via voice only is tiresome. And you have to talk simultaneously to your TV, by the way.
… *with* your TV
There are bound to be some wacky results from those people who like to shout at their TV.
Well, you’re certainly one of those who didn’t know they needed something until they see it. Keep looking for the puck, you’ll eventually find where it was.
I agree. talking to people is tiresome as well. They seldom do what I tell them to do and this is annoying.
Next channel, next channel, next channel, next channel, next channel, next channel, next channel, next channel, next channel, next channel, next channel, next channel, next channel, next channel, next channel, next channel, next channel . . .
Siri, surf, please.
Now that wasn’t hard was it?
Wonder how they plan on handling all the #@W* people scream at the TV?
I think I’d like to mutter orders quietly into my iPhone, using it as a voice-assisted remote, rather than barking orders across the room.
My take exactly.
I don’t believe it. There are too many people who don’t know what they want to watch. Most want to veg out in front of the TV with the remote channel surfing until they stumble across some idiotic crap that cable providers troll out.
Siri. Find me some mindless crap I can veg out to.
Okay, i found 1200 items matching that description.
“Siri, find me something good to watch.”
There are three items that match that description.
– HBO All You Can Watch service for $4.99 per month.
– PBS streaming app. Free.
– and 139 episodes of Top Gear for $1.99 each, shall I list them for you?
Seen ALL of that… what’s next?
Unfortunately until Apple starts their own studio — not a whole lot : (
I think Siri will augment the remote not replace it.
For instance, If I could ask Siri to record show XYZ or news report ABC and have it ready for me when i get home (or send the tags to an iphone or ipad for mobile viewing) would be great. Maybe even have web links to relevant content for further researching would be nice too. Clicking the remote to hunt for shows is a sport, Siri won`t be doing this, guaranteed. I see a device like this having the potential to be more of a “house” computer than anything. Calling it a TV just makes it more approachable.
Trojan horse.
I’m positively sure it will come !!!
doesn’t matter how programming is manipulated if it’s still crap 24/7.
Love Apple. Don’t want to talk to my TV. I don’t want to talk to my appliances, I don’t want to say “turn the lights on” to turn the lights on. Not talking but simply pushing (well organized) buttons is a much more relaxing mode than having to vocalize my wishes. I am sure I am not alone in this.
My inclination is to think that all this talk about a 7″ ‘iPad’ (rumors of supply chain orders, etc.) might just be about a media/tv controller, in some ways similar to the Bang&Olufsen Beo6.
+100500
Unfortunately, the TV-program itself will not get better.
Just as it didn’t get better by the shift from analog CRT TVs to giant HD flatscreens (it only got bigger).
Technically, if you actually need some “crap to veg out”, you can go to Youtube already.
I’m sure YouTube will be one of the options.
“…telling your TV what you’d like to watch, instead of scrolling through a nearly infinite number of program possibilities, makes a lot more sense.”
Still have to know what is on, somehow — before you can tell your TV you want to watch it.
I think we are approaching a time when we will no longer be limited so much to what happens to be airing now. Imagine telling Siri “I’d like to watch this weeks episode of and watching it whether it is airing that night or not. The days of being tied to your TV on a particular night because that is when your show is on are coming to an end.
Siri, find me some porn. Sorry that type of content is not supported. Try using an Majel TV for your disgusting habit 😉
Sorry dude, but that’s a fantasy world. The content providers and cable and satellite providers will fight this tooth and nail.
Elowitz forgot one big, HUGE problem: with all the other content he used as examples of how traditional media has been broken into component parts, he neglected to realize that someone had to put all that content on the web in a format which could be accessed by component parts.
TV and movie studios will never allow their content to be provided piecemeal, such that you don’t need to watch their ads or buy each episode individually. They can’t. Their entire revenue model is based off of advertisers paying for spots based on viewership and demographics. Far different from other media, which could have ads on a page with an article, or songs which didn’t rely on advertising anyway.
And if people really think Siri was Steve Jobs’ “solution” to the TV quandary, they’re very shortsighted. Siri may be very useful, but Siri in a TV is nothing more than a different control mechanism. It’s not a TV revolution or solution. You still need a remote to handle rewinding your DVR (how we ever watched TV without DVRs, I don’t know).
No, Jobs had something much bigger in mind.
Thanks for saving me the trouble of posting this. You’re dead on.
——RM
The content providers and cable and satellite providers will fight this tooth and nail.
Satellite and ISPs, for sure, but the content providers, including the cable networks who own studios, will negotiate in the best interests of their companies. Just as they’ve been doing with the iTunes Store for the last several years.
TV and movies studios will be no different. Apple will probably offer to help them through the negotiation process.
Apple’s waterloo is going to be distribution, if they don’t open up a conduit.
Those without imagination will always jump to the conclusion that the last one or two things that Apple came out with will be the basis for the next innovation. Siri is not the way to go guys. It will be something like Apple TV but take all your media sources and kill their remotes by aggregating the content in an easy to use interface like the iPod Touch. Although voice MAY be an input option, people will not be expected to use voice as the primary selection method for choosing what they want to watch and when they will want it.
Voice isn’t an option with a music video blaring.
I will appreciate the “skip commercial” new Siri voice command for sure!
I’m looking forward to the dismemberment of the current content creator – content distributor duopoly (TV networks — cable companies).
According to an article in today’s NY Times, over $10 of my monthly cable bill goes to ESPN for a handful of sports channels I never ever watch. Now it seems that even network TV channels are starting to demand payback from cable companies (all this because of the massive amounts of money they have to pay to the NFL for the games).
Perhaps one day, when this powerful link is broken, and content distributors finally begin offering a la carte programming, I will be able to stop paying for the stuff I don’t care about (sports, reality and similar). Unfortunately, it seems that the majority of America is addicted to sports (and reality TV), so as long as bundles are the only choice, my cable bill will continue to subsidise those who fall into that majority group.
The problems will arise when a voice from the program being watched tells Siri to change channels.
I believe there will have to be a small personal receiver that you give Siri commands through.
Exactly how well is Siri going to work when it’s across the room from you with TV in the background? On the iPhone you have to activate it to accept commands, you’re going to need a remote to do that with a TV. They may as well just integrate it with an iPhone (or other device) as an extra set of functionality much like the remote app for the current apple TV.
Essentially all I use my remote for is to turn the TV on or off, flick through the channels, adjust the volume, and enter channel numbers directly. Sky’s (UK) remote is actually pretty good. The main problem is that you need multiple remotes for multiple devices, unless Apple can fold all these devices into one (which will even more complicated when you consider all the different systems used around the world) which they just aren’t going to be able to do.
Due to the bandwidth involved and the nature of content production and ownership having everything downloaded over the net just isn’t possible currently. One of the problems of internet media is that forgetting the cost of the media itself, is that it costs on both ends to send and receive it. With current TV the cost of getting it into your home is folded into the cost of the service, with the net your ISP rightly charges for data you use (whether the charges are reasonable is a different argument). People have their TV’s on all the time, often as background, if you tried to do that over the net it would cost a fortune and knacker your connection. It’s just not practical.
There are many things Apple can do with their current solution before trying to do a TV.
The other things with TV is that as good as time-shifting content is for the stuff you like, there is still something to be said for just flicking through the channels and finding something new, or that you decide you want to watch – how many times have you stumbled across a film you’ve seen dozens of times and even own, but you still watch it because it’s on? Most of these ideas about TV are based on people knowing what they want to watch at all times, or the TV somehow working it out for you.
The only reason for a TV “network” was because of limited bandwidth and originally because everything was transmitted live or from what was originally on film that a Panavision camera ‘shot’.
The day will come where you pick or question and tell your iTV what you want and it will give you the choice or choices at the time you want, regardless of whether you click it in or say it, depending on your mood and ability.
Apple will likely offer all options. It would take content from whatever sources you had connected; disk, cable, DSL, etc.
Siri still needs a ton of work and much more stability before being the main feature of a new product line.
If Apple make TVs, and make them in only glossy-screen – as they’ve forced only glossy on iMacs and their Cinema Displays — then they’re not going to get a good marketshare. Even among TVs people are getting tired of glossy reflections. See the petition at http://macmatte.wordpress.com and search for the number of people who say they’ve got to darken the room to see videos properly on their glossy screens. The petition is close to 2,000 petitions now.