“One much ballyhooed device will be absent from the conference: a new Apple TV, Apple’s set-top box for televisions. The company planned as recently as mid-May to use the event to spotlight new Apple TV hardware, along with an improved remote control and a tool kit for developers to make apps for the entertainment device,” Brian X. Chen reports for The New York Times. “But those plans were postponed partly because the product was not ready for prime time, according to two people briefed on the product.”
“The company decided to hold off an announcement because the product was not ready to be demonstrated, according to people briefed on the device,” Chen reports. “A major setback for the Apple TV involves content. Apple plans to offer its Apple TV, iPhone and iPad customers a bundle of channels that is smaller and cheaper than the large catalog of offerings in a typical cable subscription, according to people briefed on the service, who discussed the incomplete plans on the condition of anonymity. Media executives have been coy about the existence of the coming Apple TV service — the chief executive of CBS said last week that his network would ‘probably’ sign a deal with Apple. Separately, Showtime announced on Wednesday a new Internet streaming service that would debut on Apple devices in July for a monthly fee of $10.99.”
“But in the background, content providers have also whispered that they are far from reaching deals with Apple to offer an Internet-based TV service, largely because they have not come to an agreement on price, rights and technology issues, according to people briefed on the discussions,” Chen reports. “Despite the delay, many developers remain intrigued by the idea of making apps for the Apple TV. This year, Apple published a graphic that resembled its hockey-puck-shaped Apple TV on a webpage promoting the developer conference, hinting that TV apps would be coming soon.”
MacDailyNews Take: Apple TV (the current gen 3, at least) will have to be there at WWDC as it will serve as the hub for Apple-certified HomeKit-connected devices. Apple’s invitation graphic would also look pretty silly with no mention of Apple TV (gen 3, at least):
Apple’s WWDC 2015 invitation graphic
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Readers “Fred Mertz,” “Currentinterest,” and “Lynn Weiler” for the heads up.]
To hell with the rumors because they can’t be trusted. Let’s wait and see. I’m certainly waiting on a new and revolutionary AppleTV but I’d be happier if Apple were able to solve the available content problems. Hardware is the least of the problem. I’d like to see AppleTV support USB storage but that is unlikely to happen after all these years. I just wish I knew the actual reason why they don’t allow it and everyone else does.
This would be very embarrassing surely, an invite that is clearly about Apple TV being at the centre of your Home and the glue for all your technology indeed in fact being presented as the (very) old Apple TV thats already looking uncompetitive this past 6+ months, with a few extra Homekit add ons that themselves are barely in the market place as yet and a promise of a few extra shows/services, can’t see that inspiring the Developers. Well if true I really wouldn’t want to be in the audience let alone on that stage trying to sell it amongst all the expectation that Apple itself promoted with that invite. However at worst surely they have to present it and various tools to developers and have a launch date for later in the year even if not stipulated. Otherwise I don’t think I can open my eyes or take my hands from my ears that day.
Perhaps Apple has another AppleTV shaped device to reveal? Or, more likely, the new “epicenter of change” will also work with a software update to the most recent versions of the AppleTV.
In any event, it is a bit premature to be worrying so much about the potential for Apple to embarrass itself at WWDC. Even without an AppleTV announcement, I have no doubt that Apple will have plenty of interesting things about which to talk.
And, expanding this topic more broadly, why are so many people so eager to look for downside with respect to Apple? Sure, they have been kicking butt for years, but *this* time they are going to fall flat on their face…*this* time the new product will be a flop…they can no longer innovate…YNBAID.
As far as I am concerned, Apple is like Michael Jordan. Even on his worst day he was pretty awesome.
If there is a rumour that the Apple TV will not be renewed, the stock will likely drop to about $125. The market is in a slight pull back and will be harsh on AAPL.
I love AAPL too. I have made about $300,000 over the last three years with it. The market definitely underestimates Apple repeatedly and it seems to be as a result of Microsoft stealing Windows concepts off Apple and the market believes it will happen again. Just look at Android taking over market share as a stolen product even though AAPL makes almost all the smart phone profit. The market still doesn’t get it and still thinks that it is a replay of the Windows theft.
Laaaame. Really, this is being leaked three days before the event and it’s because the hardware just isn’t ready. Yeah right. They introduced the original iPhone 6 months before the hardware was ready. This is about content, which they don’t have enough of. The leak months ago that it was coming was supposed to encourage content providers to get on board, and this leak is supposed to be a message to them that Apple’s perfectly happy not introducing one at all if they won’t play. It’s all games. Therefore it could all change by Monday.
It’s very easy to post a rumor like this. A week later and no one will remember it if it turns out to be false. In the meantime the stock could drop and someone will cash in on the movement.
The iPhone and Apple Watch were announced months before they were ready because they had to submit info to get FCC and other regulatory approvals, and those take months. Those submissions are public, so the cat would’ve been out of the bag anyway.
The latest Mac Pro, on the other hand… though to be fair they *had* to announce something months before it was ready, to reassure their high-end pro users they hadn’t been totally abandoned.
I agree with MDN that the Apple WWDC graphic is pretty telling. The graphic consists of the Apple TV square with rounded corners that is repeated 40% of the time, plus circles that occur 60% of the time. One may speculate that Apple are changing the form factor and that a new device will be round.
Epicenter clearly refers to the Bay Area being prone to earthquakes but also may suggest the Apple TV and maybe new device will be the center of a new offering, hence change.
There have been rumors for SOMETHING new regarding AppleTV. Whether that be new hardware, a development kit, and App store, new streaming services, etc.
Apple may very well have seeded this new rumor – that there won’t be anything new related to AppleTV – to keep people guessing and to make it more of a surprise than it would have been otherwise.
I believe there will be SOMETHING new regarding AppleTV. What, I know not. New hardware announcement in conjunction with an ATV development kit for ATV app store is what I’m hoping for.
To quote Tommy Lee Jones from the movie “The Fugitive”:
I. Don’t. Care.
Frankly, good for Apple to hold off, if indeed the rumors prove to be true. If so, my hunch is that it has nothing to do with hardware, and everything to do with having to deal with the comb-over bastiches who run the networks and studios. They’ve been playing hardball for years, and my gut suggests that delaying Apple from being able to make an announcement is part of their negotiation tactics. Of course, when a deadline like WWDC is missed, then the networks will have less leverage. The Apple TV as a piece of hardware has always been a mere conveyance for something with greater intrinsic value: content. And the comb-overs know that.
Given the potential magnitude that an envisioned Apple TV would have with what we dream about, it would warrant a separate special event anyway.
So I won’t worry about what I can’t have yet. As it is, I think next week’s event will focus on:
1. The streaming, steaming music service (which is why Apple bought Beats).
2. HomeKit and ResearchKit will likely have more very cool demos. We’ll see how they interact with the iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch. We’ll get an intro to how HomeKit can power many things in your house. And how ResearchKit is having an impact on medical research.
3. Apple Watch SDK (expect big developers to get trotted out on the stage to show what they can do with access to core functions on the watch). And we’ll likely see an update to the Apple Watch’s OS, and learn of the enhancements and refinements to its functionality. No doubt, Apple has learned a lot based on user experience in a short period of time.
4. The latest versions of OS-X and iOS (hopefully, they are focusing on stability and not bells and whistles – I would be thrilled with that). I do want to see how the rumored Proactive technology gets applied to take Siri to the next level, and give Apple a good competitor to Google Now.
5. See what’s new with iCloud. Hopefully, we’ll see that in the background, Apple has been hard at work at expanding its utility.
6. Learning how all the disparate products and services work together. Don’t underestimate this one. The media and pundits will turn their noses up if there isn’t something shiny and new. But Apple’s strength is in building an archipelago of products and services that interact to be something much greater than the individual items alone. THAT is where I believe Apple is heading. And this is what potentially excites me the most.
One more thing: I’m looking forward to what Apple does with Maps. Far too many pundits wrote it off after the Scott Forrestal mess. But quietly, Apple Maps has dramatically improved. I know that Apple has been hard at work employing acquisitions, new technologies and integration with expanded flyover views, inclusion of transit information, the ubiquitous vans spotted around the country and more. I think we will see that Maps is no longer a stand-alone app, but integrated into many other applications and the core OS features on the Mac, iPhone, iPad and Watch.
Oh, and we’ll also see an appearance from IBM to update everyone on the progress of their partnership in the enterprise. That might not sound sexy, but it’s important, not just at a business to business level, but to show that Apple has matured in terms of successful partnerships (and make it more than talk).
As a result, we’ll likely see improvements in the functionality of iOS, whether it’s a split screen, or as I hope, a true file manager in iOS, and the ability to attach all kinds of documents to an email. I don’t think that’s too much to ask. I use third party file manager apps like Readdle’s Documents every day on my iPad and iPhone. It’s high time that Apple realizes that it needs a true integrated file manager for iOS, especially so if it is going to work in an enterprise environment.
So, yes. There will be much to consume the time at Monday’s event, with or without a TV product. And frankly, that is an event by itself.
Note to pundits: bite me. Let Apple take the time it needs to get Apple TV right, and not rush something half-baked just to please you. I’m looking at you, Munster. And other miserable analysts. And Gizmodo. And The Verge. And Business Insider. And The Street. Bite me. Hard. Bastiches.
I say we wait until WWDC and see what happens.
What a great idea, since we don’t really have a choice!
To hell with the rumors because they can’t be trusted. Let’s wait and see. I’m certainly waiting on a new and revolutionary AppleTV but I’d be happier if Apple were able to solve the available content problems. Hardware is the least of the problem. I’d like to see AppleTV support USB storage but that is unlikely to happen after all these years. I just wish I knew the actual reason why they don’t allow it and everyone else does.
This would be very embarrassing surely, an invite that is clearly about Apple TV being at the centre of your Home and the glue for all your technology indeed in fact being presented as the (very) old Apple TV thats already looking uncompetitive this past 6+ months, with a few extra Homekit add ons that themselves are barely in the market place as yet and a promise of a few extra shows/services, can’t see that inspiring the Developers. Well if true I really wouldn’t want to be in the audience let alone on that stage trying to sell it amongst all the expectation that Apple itself promoted with that invite. However at worst surely they have to present it and various tools to developers and have a launch date for later in the year even if not stipulated. Otherwise I don’t think I can open my eyes or take my hands from my ears that day.
Perhaps Apple has another AppleTV shaped device to reveal? Or, more likely, the new “epicenter of change” will also work with a software update to the most recent versions of the AppleTV.
In any event, it is a bit premature to be worrying so much about the potential for Apple to embarrass itself at WWDC. Even without an AppleTV announcement, I have no doubt that Apple will have plenty of interesting things about which to talk.
And, expanding this topic more broadly, why are so many people so eager to look for downside with respect to Apple? Sure, they have been kicking butt for years, but *this* time they are going to fall flat on their face…*this* time the new product will be a flop…they can no longer innovate…YNBAID.
As far as I am concerned, Apple is like Michael Jordan. Even on his worst day he was pretty awesome.
If there is a rumour that the Apple TV will not be renewed, the stock will likely drop to about $125. The market is in a slight pull back and will be harsh on AAPL.
The stock market hasn’t got a clue what to do with AAPL. That’s the lesson.
Apple the company is NOT the norm. They’re beyond the norm. That’s one reason I <3 Apple.
I love AAPL too. I have made about $300,000 over the last three years with it. The market definitely underestimates Apple repeatedly and it seems to be as a result of Microsoft stealing Windows concepts off Apple and the market believes it will happen again. Just look at Android taking over market share as a stolen product even though AAPL makes almost all the smart phone profit. The market still doesn’t get it and still thinks that it is a replay of the Windows theft.
Probably not…the AppleTV has been a hobby for years. Few analysts even thing about the AppleTV when evaluating AAPL.
Laaaame. Really, this is being leaked three days before the event and it’s because the hardware just isn’t ready. Yeah right. They introduced the original iPhone 6 months before the hardware was ready. This is about content, which they don’t have enough of. The leak months ago that it was coming was supposed to encourage content providers to get on board, and this leak is supposed to be a message to them that Apple’s perfectly happy not introducing one at all if they won’t play. It’s all games. Therefore it could all change by Monday.
It’s very easy to post a rumor like this. A week later and no one will remember it if it turns out to be false. In the meantime the stock could drop and someone will cash in on the movement.
The iPhone and Apple Watch were announced months before they were ready because they had to submit info to get FCC and other regulatory approvals, and those take months. Those submissions are public, so the cat would’ve been out of the bag anyway.
The latest Mac Pro, on the other hand… though to be fair they *had* to announce something months before it was ready, to reassure their high-end pro users they hadn’t been totally abandoned.
I agree with MDN that the Apple WWDC graphic is pretty telling. The graphic consists of the Apple TV square with rounded corners that is repeated 40% of the time, plus circles that occur 60% of the time. One may speculate that Apple are changing the form factor and that a new device will be round.
Epicenter clearly refers to the Bay Area being prone to earthquakes but also may suggest the Apple TV and maybe new device will be the center of a new offering, hence change.
The squircles are app icons for Mac, iPad, and iPhone. The circles are app icons for Watch.
Epicenter suggests earth-shattering and centerpoint, which but could refer to the iHome thing.
Epicenter may suggest Mac OS X 10.11 Compton
Yes, everyone has assumed the squircles match the shape of the Apple TV. I think you are correct in your observation.
There have been rumors for SOMETHING new regarding AppleTV. Whether that be new hardware, a development kit, and App store, new streaming services, etc.
Apple may very well have seeded this new rumor – that there won’t be anything new related to AppleTV – to keep people guessing and to make it more of a surprise than it would have been otherwise.
I believe there will be SOMETHING new regarding AppleTV. What, I know not. New hardware announcement in conjunction with an ATV development kit for ATV app store is what I’m hoping for.
To quote Tommy Lee Jones from the movie “The Fugitive”:
I. Don’t. Care.
Frankly, good for Apple to hold off, if indeed the rumors prove to be true. If so, my hunch is that it has nothing to do with hardware, and everything to do with having to deal with the comb-over bastiches who run the networks and studios. They’ve been playing hardball for years, and my gut suggests that delaying Apple from being able to make an announcement is part of their negotiation tactics. Of course, when a deadline like WWDC is missed, then the networks will have less leverage. The Apple TV as a piece of hardware has always been a mere conveyance for something with greater intrinsic value: content. And the comb-overs know that.
Given the potential magnitude that an envisioned Apple TV would have with what we dream about, it would warrant a separate special event anyway.
So I won’t worry about what I can’t have yet. As it is, I think next week’s event will focus on:
1. The streaming, steaming music service (which is why Apple bought Beats).
2. HomeKit and ResearchKit will likely have more very cool demos. We’ll see how they interact with the iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch. We’ll get an intro to how HomeKit can power many things in your house. And how ResearchKit is having an impact on medical research.
3. Apple Watch SDK (expect big developers to get trotted out on the stage to show what they can do with access to core functions on the watch). And we’ll likely see an update to the Apple Watch’s OS, and learn of the enhancements and refinements to its functionality. No doubt, Apple has learned a lot based on user experience in a short period of time.
4. The latest versions of OS-X and iOS (hopefully, they are focusing on stability and not bells and whistles – I would be thrilled with that). I do want to see how the rumored Proactive technology gets applied to take Siri to the next level, and give Apple a good competitor to Google Now.
5. See what’s new with iCloud. Hopefully, we’ll see that in the background, Apple has been hard at work at expanding its utility.
6. Learning how all the disparate products and services work together. Don’t underestimate this one. The media and pundits will turn their noses up if there isn’t something shiny and new. But Apple’s strength is in building an archipelago of products and services that interact to be something much greater than the individual items alone. THAT is where I believe Apple is heading. And this is what potentially excites me the most.
They announced the Mac Pro and the Apple watch long before they went on sale .
One more thing: I’m looking forward to what Apple does with Maps. Far too many pundits wrote it off after the Scott Forrestal mess. But quietly, Apple Maps has dramatically improved. I know that Apple has been hard at work employing acquisitions, new technologies and integration with expanded flyover views, inclusion of transit information, the ubiquitous vans spotted around the country and more. I think we will see that Maps is no longer a stand-alone app, but integrated into many other applications and the core OS features on the Mac, iPhone, iPad and Watch.
Oh, and we’ll also see an appearance from IBM to update everyone on the progress of their partnership in the enterprise. That might not sound sexy, but it’s important, not just at a business to business level, but to show that Apple has matured in terms of successful partnerships (and make it more than talk).
As a result, we’ll likely see improvements in the functionality of iOS, whether it’s a split screen, or as I hope, a true file manager in iOS, and the ability to attach all kinds of documents to an email. I don’t think that’s too much to ask. I use third party file manager apps like Readdle’s Documents every day on my iPad and iPhone. It’s high time that Apple realizes that it needs a true integrated file manager for iOS, especially so if it is going to work in an enterprise environment.
So, yes. There will be much to consume the time at Monday’s event, with or without a TV product. And frankly, that is an event by itself.
Note to pundits: bite me. Let Apple take the time it needs to get Apple TV right, and not rush something half-baked just to please you. I’m looking at you, Munster. And other miserable analysts. And Gizmodo. And The Verge. And Business Insider. And The Street. Bite me. Hard. Bastiches.
*sigh* But as usual: WWDC is about software. It’s not about hardware.