“The worst-kept secret this week was that Apple plans to unveil a re-vamped Apple TV, with a subscription-based over-the-top (OTT) TV service – the delivery of content over the Internet without a tie-in to a traditional pay-TV (cable, satellite, or telco) subscription,” Nelson Granados writes for Forbes. “Other sources claim the company just isn’t ready to announce it on June 8th, but even CBS has publicly acknowledged that it’s probably signing a deal with Apple.”
“But given the fast-growing market of OTT-based TV channel bundles, what will be Apple’s differentiating points?” Granados writes. “Apple can leverage its iOS / OS X roots as a differentiator. Few competitors are as strong as Apple’s ad-supported VOD platform and multi-device interface (iPhone, iPad, Mac). With its iTunes database of hundreds of millions of customers worldwide (and their credit cards!), the opportunity for accurately targeted ads will be very attractive to advertisers and content providers.”
“Apple TV may also incorporate local TV integration to differentiate itself from other OTT offerings,” Granados writes. “And finally, the Apple TV platform allows for even wider penetration in the home beyond streaming of content, since it can connect to HomeKit-enabled, Apple-certified gadgets and sensors.”
Much more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: The home automation play rumored for Apple TV – where Apple TV acts as the always-on hub for a wide array of Apple-certified Sir-controllable HomeKit devices – will be a strong differentiator for the Apple TV hardware, especially if Apple can keep the price down to levels palatable to Joe and Jane Six Pack.