“The new Apple TV announced yesterday has lots of intriguing improvements, but it lacks 4K or Ultra HD support,” Dennis Sellers writes for Apple World Today. “I think that’s a mistake.”
“Ultra HD is on track to become an established feature of TVs by 2020, according to Strategy Analytics’ latest predictions. Falling prices, increased retailer support and strong customer satisfaction are the main reasons for Ultra HD TV’s success,” Sellers writes. “Strategy Analytics now predicts that global sales of Ultra HD TVs this year may exceed 30 million units, and by 2020 61% of annual TV sales will be Ultra HD. The analyst firm also predicts that more than 20% of households in leading markets will be using Ultra HD services from pay TV or online video providers by 2020.”
“In Strategy Analytics’ August 2015 survey of 2000 US consumers, nearly two thirds of people have heard of Ultra HD, and 30% now claim to have seen Ultra HD TV in a home, retail store or other location. Ratings of Ultra HD video quality remain extremely high, with 95% of people saying they were extremely or somewhat impressed,” Sellers writes. “Of course, not everyone agrees that the lack of 4K support in the new Apple TV is an issue. 4K is great, but it’s still in its infancy. And there simply isn’t much to watch in 4K yet. While Netflix and Amazon both added 4K streaming to their video services last year, their 4K offerings remain limited. Still, Apple likes to ‘future-proof’ its products. Adding 4K support would have helped future-proof the 2015 Apple TV. As for said TV, yes, I plan to get one. Despite the lack of 4K support, it sounds like a great upgrade.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Apple knows that there’s already more than enough offered by the new Apple TV (and much more on deck) that an insignificant number of potential buyers are going to eschew Apple TV due to the lack of 4K support. Our 65-inch Sony 4K will have to subsist on paltry offerings, including those from Netflix and Amazon, for its 4K diet. We expect our new Apple TVs to be used exponentially more than they are currently.
As we predicted last Friday:
If Apple has no answer for the 4K Ultra HD question — if it’s not at the very least “the hardware is capable, the content will be coming at a later date” — they’re going to get absolutely reamed in certain quarters.
SEE ALSO:
Apple TV: What features should it offer to users? – September 4, 2015
Why Apple TV is critical; investors shouldn’t underestimate its importance – September 4, 2015
Why Apple needs so much space for their September 9th event: A series of living rooms? – September 4, 2015
Did Apple pick the right or wrong time to unveil reimagined Apple TV? – September 4, 2015
Apple finally gets serious about pushing into our living rooms with new Apple TV – September 4, 2015
Apple dominates pay TV streaming with 61.9% viewership on Apple devices – September 4, 2015
Analyst: New Apple TV platform is bad news for Netflix – September 3, 2015
The new Apple TV’s potential beyond gaming – September 3, 2015
New Apple TV to offer A8 chip, 8/16GB storage, same ports, no 4K, and new black remote – September 2, 2015
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Apple TV said to have motion-sensitive Siri-capable remote with touchpad – August 28, 2015
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