“Thanks to Xbox’s popularity, Microsoft already dominates Google and Apple in the living room. And, by leaps and bounds, it owns the desktop/laptop OS market,” Rocco Pendola opines for TheStreet.
Consider the stroke of a brilliant position Microsoft is in point-by-point:
• It used gaming as the gateway to make Xbox the leading full-service streaming device.
• Relatively speaking, both Google TV and Apple TV have been miserable failures.
• Steve Jobs figured out the living room, but a mere mortal, Tim Cook, needs to realize the dream.
• Cook better hurry or iTV will be a niche and Xbox SmartGlass will dominate just as the present Xbox does in the living room and Windows does on computers.
“With Xbox, it appears Microsoft, of all companies, is the one that really had the living room “figured out.” It should come as no surprise that, for many, gaming on Xbox, particularly SmartGlass, will be an afterthought. I’ll likely ditch my Roku player for the device when it comes out later this year,” Pendola writes. “If Microsoft beats Apple (and Google) to living room dominance (wait! It already has)… or, better yet, further extends its lead with SmartGlass, Apple’s next big thing — iTV — will hit the market with a Ping-like thud.”
Pendola writes, “iTV was never a lock, though it absolutely needs to be. Microsoft might have just beat Apple (and Google) to the punch and thrown a wrench in the plans Steve Jobs presumably left for Tim Cook.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Let this be a lesson to you, kiddies: Just say no to drugs.
Pendola’s disdain for Tim Cook is bordering on the pathological. Sheesh. We can already tell you what the hit-whore will write after Monday’s keynote: “Cook, doing nothing but execute Steve Jobs’ plans while offering absolutely nothing of value of his own… blah, blah, blah.”
Give it a rest, Rocco. Is insulting Tim Cook based solely on delusions floating around in your empty coconut all you can ever come up with?
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Why Apple’s television will sell even faster than the iPad – April 26, 2012Microsoft, Xbox, Apple Inc.,
Strategy Analytics: With 32% share, Apple leading ‘Connected TV’ market with ‘hobby’ Apple TV – December 12, 2011
The satellite and cable TV providers own the living room and don’t you forget it Rocco.
I’ve read some asinine comment from so-called analysts in the past but this moron absolutely takes the proverbial. People like this make you want to learn how to say “arsehole” in fifty different languages.
Jesus!!!
=:~)
well said Real “Arsehole”
Amen! TO THAT!
I’m an Apple fan, no doubt. However, I must admit that the Xbox is really nice.
Has MS yet turned a net profit on XBox? Yes, it has been profitable the past few years but I don’t think they’ve recouped all the initial development costs; in those years it was an incredible loss.
Halo alone moves the income statement at Microsoft. They make an incredible amount of money off XBox. Like the iPod, it has its rabid followers and it is a massive money maker. They really proved the model of micropayments and of buying virtual items in the marketplace.
In addition, all those gamers rent movies and TV shows on their XBox. Apparently, more people use their XBox as a media center than solely a game machine.
I wouldn’t count them out in any way when it comes to the XBox.
Xbox is only going to be purchased by gamers. No one else will buy it, no matter how many other features they add to it, particularly when an Apple TV is significantly less expensive and much, much smaller. Plus, people can rent movies with On Demand from DirecTV, Dish, cable, etc.
Exactly. How many “adults” do home theater and don’t do gaming? The majority.
Hmmmmmmmm. How many adults do gaming? None I know. Most are adults.
Let me see if I have this right, GM… So, playing a video game isn’t for adults, but the game where you hit a plastic ball around a golf course is?
Getting outside to do any exercise is far better than sitting on your ass “fragging” some 13 year old kid halfway around the world.
Of course exercise is better than sitting on your ass, but that has nothing to do with the subject at hand. GM implied video games were childish, and I take issue with that. Many hobbies and recreational pursuits are childish on many levels, including recreational sports.
Nobody gets to decide because they don’t like something that it isn’t “for adults”.
Let’s be consistent: Either all games are childish, or all games are legitimate forms of entertainment and recreation.
Touché, ecrabb. Well played.
Golf balls are not made of plastic…
Non-gamers buy Xboxes. I can think of two off the top of my head, both co-hosts of HD podcasts. One of the co-hosts of Engadget HD uses an Xbox primarily as a streaming box for his Media Center box.. One of the co-hosts of the HD & Home Theatre podcast uses one for streaming, and I think NEVER plays games.
(I don’t have one, btw.)
OK, so two people in the tech media have them. I’m not sure that is a convincing argument that non-gamers will think to buy one for things not related to gaming.
In other words, geeks.
Xbox is free with the purchase of Kinect.
That’s how valuable they are.
I have an Xbox and really do like it. The ecosystem they have built is some of the best MS stuff there is. However, I suspect the gaming aspect is going to keep most non-technie consumers for considering it. Some people are just anti-gaming, particularly if they have kids they want to keep away from them.
BTW, though I do like the Xbox, I tend to stream more media via my PS3, but mostly with my Apple TV. When I get another TV, I will get another Apple TV.
MDN, did u iCal this already?
I’m wondering if Playstation and Nintendo didn’t exist, would Microsoft show its “innovative” prowess (cough, cough) and come up with the X-box living room eco system that Rocco touts?
I’m wondering if Playstation and Nintendo didn’t exist, would Microsoft show its “innovative” prowess (cough, cough) and come up with the X-box living room eco system that Rocco touts?
Remember, they laughed at the iPhone!
Remember, “Rocco” and “wrong” are mutually inclusive.
Nice try, but the electricity bill that you rack up by running TV through the x-box adds $20-30/month to your electric bill over the very low powered Apple TV – that’s $240 – $360/yr cost of operation before even adding pay shows/channels.
“I have an X-Box, therefore, everyone has one”. That is definitely a flawless logic to make assumptions about X-box being in living rooms everywhere.
Outside of Best Buy, I have yet to see X-Box in action. Therefore, I conclude that nobody out there actually has an X-Box.
Well once MS releases a new console they’ll be starting over so I don’t see the 360 killing Apple and I’m an avid 360 fan.
I have an Xbox. I also have AppleTV. I also have Roku. I also have a MacMini acting as a media server connected to my TV. I don’t pay for TV though. There will be no big winners and or losers here, except for the consumer as choice grows. I just used my iPad to tell the MacMini to purchase and download a movie from iTunes later this evening. Life is good. Xbox? It ceased to exist when the Master Chief wad left stranded in suspended animation on a derelict ship after saving the univers from the Scourage. I worked hard for that last bit of animation, and after that ending, the Xbox was banished to the closet.
Same except the Roku.
The Xbox S is a fairly nice unit and wasn’t that bad- $299 for a 250 GB model. I can watch HBO and all the rest on demand without the damnable Cable box on the Xbox.
I’m not much of a gamer, although I do love playing a little Football and B-Ball with my nephews now and then.
XBox makes you buy annual Gold membership just to run Netflix. Ya know the same service that almost every other device has for free. Apple TVs abilties through AirPlay to stream what’s on my mobile devices and soon with Mountain Lion from my desktops and laptops, blows Xbox away for living room utility. I have turned on my Xbox in almost 2 years, and see no reason why I would anytime soon.
Rocco was paid by the Microsoft mafia to write that crap.
actually, curretly Apple TV and XBox sales are fairly close. MS reported selling 1.4 million in its more recent quarter, and Cook said last week Apple has sold 2.7 million ATV’s so far “this year” (not clear if he meant calendar or fiscal). either way, that does not = “XBox dominantion” of the current market. one factor is that the 360 model is nearing end of life.
what he probably did mean was the installed based of 67 million XBox’s sold over 7 years. even with attrition, there are 40 million Gold subscribers today. and, yes, the ATV installed base is much smaller, not even 10 million yet.
but the little secret he left out is that the XBox is mainly for kids/teens. and Kinect especially. aside from hard core gamers, few adults actually use the thing. they got it for their kids to start with. for most adults, the XBox is still seen as a toy.
it’s adults that make the buying decisions about home media ecosystems, since they pay for them. all the parts add to up several thousand $’s at least. they buy an XBox to shut the kids up, not to use it themsevles. but the Apple TV and other Apple gear, that’s their own.
Man anyone claiming adults don’t buy xbox consoles for themselves is just showing their age.
Here is a news flash for you 55+ folks. Guys in their 40s and under buy video game consoles, we grew up video games and many of us game. As you get down into the 30-40 age range its even more common to see multiple consoles.
So yes “ADULTS” do buy video game consoles, and not just for their kids. Heck I have 2 xbox 360s and 2 wiis mainly because I don’t want my kids hogging them. I want to game myself!
for every one of you there are a many more of same gen who don’t. and what about women? gadget guys of all ages are about 10% of the home market, but a much larger chunk of the game console market. i got a PS3 instead myself (that was back in the ‘red ring of death’ XBox era).
we know there are about 40 million XBox in use now world wide. how many – half? 20 million? – in US. there are 117 million US households (2010 Census), 35 million with under 18 children. so where do you think the large majority of those XBox’s are? those 35 million, or the other 82 million? if it’s 10% of the households without kids (the gadget guys), that’s 8 million. that would put the other 12 million in the households with kids, about one-third. that sounds about right.
Hmmm…. Let’s see… Giant clunky heat emitting Xbox vs. small sleek unobtrusive iTunes cloud enabled plus iPod music compatible Apple TV. IS THIS IDIOT BLIND?
No way Microsoft lets you push from an IOS device to an XBOX without the Gold membership. I like the idea, but I won’t pay for it annually. I’ll stick with Airplay; hopefully, we can get Fullscreen capabilities with IOS 6.
Poor Rocco. Microsoft beat Apple to the tablet market by TEN years (“wait- It already has”). Don’t forget about the big a** table or the “Courier”. “Cook better hurry” … why? Rocco can write about RIM or Nokia because we all need laughs!
No wonder Rocco Pendola is such a douche bag, he used to be a radio DJ. I’d say that makes hin as unitellectual as Ryan Seactest. (Seacrest also is a former radio DJ)
Um…what is an xBox?
You can’t throw a wrench in Apples plans. Apple doesn’t care about you.
As other ha e said, enjoy that 50.00$ to 60.00$ gold subscription you need to enjoy that stolen feature.
Also, just plain simple information has showed this guy is biased and very delusional.
A 99.00$ Apple Tv or a 300.00$ Xbox that requires a Gold subscription at 50-60 dollars yearly to even watch Netflix, Etc… It also doesn’t do itunes or directly link to icloud bought movies or Music, the only killer here is this guys Propaganda delusions..
I’ll say it: Rocco is a homophobe. Despicable.
We have two Xbox systems in our house that are used regularly for gaming by my four kids (three of which are teens). They refuse to rent movies on them, however they do use them for Netflix on occasion. Any video rentals go through our Apple TV. They don’t like the annoying fan sound that is a constant anytime the little hotbox is on and they prefer the more convienient Apple interface.
The fun, crazy, Who woulda thunk it? thought is this if Apple really wants something THEY CAN OUTSPEND MICROSOFT. They make more money!
Of course the REASON they make more money is they don’t spend billions on money losing products.
But then I love my “failed” apple tv. Netflix, iTunes ecosystem, mlb.tv. And that’s before…..