“Barclays’ Ben Reitzes talks Apple TV in a note out today, writing that the company’s talks with cable providers likely means that it is pushing toward ‘a software-driven ecosystem linked to iTunes,’ even if its goal of a fully integrated TV is farther off,” Teresa Rivas reports for Barron’s.
“He notes that this kind of set-top box approach isn’t without its challenges, but ‘we expect Apple to eventually link iPads, iPhones and Macs with iTunes in the living room,'” Rivas reports. “As for Apple’s new title as world’s most valuable company, Reitzes writes that investors have been piling into the shares, grateful that the new iPhone 5 seems to be on track for next month’s launch, skirting potential problem areas. ‘We believe investors are willing to look through near-term weakness in Macs, iPhones and even the new iPad for the upside in the holiday quarter.'”
Much more in the full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Fred Mertz” for the heads up.]
I’m hoping AppleTV is just the box that gateways your iCloud world to your TV; and that iCloud allows you to watch “tv” on any Apple screen you own.
I “get it” that cable companies have to encode their programming to enforce a subscription model, but when I subscribe to a package, that’s what I’m subscribing to, not a set top box. So why shouldn’t any screen in my house be able to watch what I subscribe to: The TV to NCIS for the kids, my iPad to an HBO movie, etc. Today Comcast is pretty close to that, but only to Comcast media.
So I’ve been kicking around this idea…
What if Apple took the media out of the Mac? Have a wifi (or LAN) connected ‘set-top’ device, basically a media server, that did all of the storage for the media as well as did most of your cloud interaction (at least with respect to media). Leave the computer for computing, word processing, taxes, media editing, photo work, etc, and off-load all this entertainment stuff.
It would still be just as accessible from your computer, for those that like to consume it that way. Add video matching for those people that want to rip a DVD collection (or don’t even rip it – just load it once for iTunes to prove you possess it). If it was me, I’d also like to see a 4K-capable BluRay player (I know, ‘bag of hurt’), HDMI connections, and maybe a 1TB hard drive (after all, they’re dirt cheap and could be used for DVR capability), with a Thunderbolt port for future connectivity (drive expansions, etc.), and USB ports for attaching a charging/sync cable or base for your idevice(s). WiFi, of course (might even pack the router and switch of an Airport base station in there), and an app for iPad, iPhone management and controls. Your AppleTV and any Apple Express could be used in other parts of the house for whole-home connectivity. And then, of course, using the iPad/iPhone app, you’d be able to connect to the smart home appliances, security cameras, intercom system, as well, all from the couch (or on the road, for that matter).
This would fit in with my idea of a post-PC home.
Apologies: I don’t usually gush like this. This one just got me carried away.
The Apple TV already integrates the iPad, iPhone, with iTunes. I have hundreds of movies in iTunes that I can watch on any Apple device. The real news will be when the content providers let the Apple TV serve up new shows live, ala cart. I’m really tired of paying $100 a month to a satellite service to watch the 10-15 or so stations I prefer, while subsidizing the hundreds others I don’t.