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Apple Sold 1.4M Apple TVs in Most Recent Quarter vs. 2.8M Sold in All of Fiscal 2011

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Apple sold 1.4 million Apple TV set-top boxes in the Q1 2012 quarter, Apple CEO Tim Cook disclosed during today's earnings call. Cook also disclosed that Apple sold 2.8 million Apple TVs in all of fiscal 2011, so the last quarter's results seem to represent a significance acceleration of sales for the product.

appletv.jpg
The current generation Apple TV was released at the beginning of fiscal 2011, which means Apple has sold 4.2 million 2nd Generation (iOS-based) Apple TVs in total. This is fairly impressive, especially considering Google's set-top box efforts have fallen flat thus far. However, even with these numbers, Tim Cook still considers Apple TV a "hobby" simply because on a dollar-for-dollar basis, the device barely makes a dent in Apple's earnings numbers.

Answering an analyst's question about Apple's living room plans for the future, Tim Cook dodged the obvious inference to an Apple-branded television set and instead noted:
We continue to add things to it, and I don't know about you but I couldn't live without it. We continue to pull the strings and see where it takes us.
Click to expand...
In the past year, Apple has added support to Apple TV for the streaming service from Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association, and the National Hockey League, among others.

Article Link: Apple Sold 1.4M Apple TVs in Most Recent Quarter vs. 2.8M Sold in All of Fiscal 2011
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2012/01/24/apple-sold-1-4m-apple-tvs-in-most-recent-quarter-vs-2-4m-sold-in-all-of-fiscal-2011/
for the price of apple tv, you can get a wdtv media player. more features, better value too.
 
If people stopped buying this then Apple might make it better. As it stands, it's probably one of the worst products Apple sells - up there with the Magic Mouse and Final Cut Pro X.
 
Getting one as soon as it refreshes, I was going to get be earlier but read there are potential refreshes soon, so just waiting for that :)
 
neiltc13 said:
Overpriced content, no live TV, no disc playback and low bit rate video that is nowhere close to Blu Ray. It doesn't even do 1080p out. Who is buying these things?
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I thought about it for a minute and realized that it would be a waste of $99. Why invest in a 1080p big screen HDTV and a nice True HD - DTS HD surround sound system to play these low bit rate picture and sound audio files?

I bought an LG BD player that allows me to play high quality BD disks and still stream Netflix. Until Apple can offer downloads that have the same picture and audio quality as BD I will pass.
 
Sky Blue said:
Would love to see Hulu Plus and HBO Go added to the Apple TV.
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Just picked one up for the play room.
Jailbreak and Hulu Plus was only a few clicks away. ;)

neiltc13 said:
Overpriced content, no live TV, no disc playback and low bit rate video that is nowhere close to Blu Ray. It doesn't even do 1080p out. Who is buying these things?
Click to expand...
Wasn't looking for quality and for $99 I wasn't expecting it.
It's cheap enough for me to not care. Good content is available by loading XBMC and Hulu via jailbreak.
On a 32" TV, 720P works just fine.
That said, it would never be used in my living room on the big TV.
720P is blah on a 55" plasma TV.
 
neiltc13 said:
If people stopped buying this then Apple might make it better. As it stands, it's probably one of the worst products Apple sells - up there with the Magic Mouse and Final Cut Pro X.
Click to expand...

What a ridiculous statement. :rolleyes:

Maybe if people stopped voting for XYZ type people we'd be able to get ABC type people. Subsequently, maybe if pigs had wings, they'd fly.

You can't be a small percentage of people who know a product can be greater and continually feel aggravated with the much larger percentage of people who don't grasp the future-think you do. Obviously, 1.4M people like the thing just the way it is to justify $99. I'm one of them.

On the other hand, I'm sure a great percentage of the 1.4M, like me, also know what the Apple TV could be but choose to buy it anyway because it still does a great job with what it's made for. We all know the iPhone could do a billion things it doesn't, but we still ran out in droves to get truck loads of 4Ses when it released.

It is what it is.
 
I was so ready to buy one this Christmas, until I discovered the PS3 I own did the same thing... only better.

Until Apple puts in some serious HD ability, this device will remain a curiously interesting addition instead of a serious TV must-have. As for the nay-sayers with their 1080 doesn't-mean-crap argument: every year 1080 is becoming more and more prevalent in TV and it is the future resolution that is here now. Apple has to step up the ATV asap.
 
rjohnstone said:
Just picked one up for the play room.
Jailbreak and Hulu Plus was only a few clicks away. ;)


Wasn't looking for quality and for $99 I wasn't expecting it.
It's cheap enough for me to not care. Good content is available by loading XBMC and Hulu via jailbreak.
On a 32" TV, 720P works just fine.
That said, it would never be used in my living room on the big TV.
720P is blah on a 55" plasma TV.
Click to expand...

You may not realize it but most of the content from networks are broadcast in 720P.
Or 1080i which is no better than 720P.
 
I like my Apple TV very much and it's a fair price. While it isn't the greatest device in the world it lets me watch all my purchased content and Netflix on my TV seamless and hassle free.

What more could you possibly need?
 
I always find it interesting when people debate the Apple TV's merits vs. price. I find all it's features, save one, rather irrelevant. I look at the price like this: for $50 I have to plug my iPad in to my TV to mirror it on the big screen, or for $99 I can mirror it wirelessly. And so can everyone else in the room. The extra cost is easily worth the hassle saved. All those other things it can do? Icing.
 
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_0_1 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9A405 Safari/7534.48.3)

AirPlay for music, video and mirroring is what I use mine for.
 
the 720p vs 1080p is over stated. its nothing more then tech talk most of the time. You have to be sitting at the proper distance and have the proper size tv to even notice the differences between 720p and 1080p. its nothing more then a bragging right. I have a 58" plasma perfect for 1080p. I still rent movies on the ATV in 720p because its cheaper then buying blurays and the difference isnt all that dramatic.
 
DakotaGuy said:
I thought about it for a minute and realized that it would be a waste of $99. Why invest in a 1080p big screen HDTV and a nice True HD - DTS HD surround sound system to play these low bit rate picture and sound audio files?

I bought an LG BD player that allows me to play high quality BD disks and still stream Netflix. Until Apple can offer downloads that have the same picture and audio quality as BD I will pass.
Click to expand...

Ya know what is funny? I have a Blu Ray player and an Apple TV... and I use the Apple TV far more often and I own more movies and tv shows for it.

Digital is the way to go. No more discs. The Blu Ray player will become the record player of its time.
 
Airplay is it

redscull said:
I always find it interesting when people debate the Apple TV's merits vs. price. I find all it's features, save one, rather irrelevant. I look at the price like this: for $50 I have to plug my iPad in to my TV to mirror it on the big screen, or for $99 I can mirror it wirelessly. And so can everyone else in the room. The extra cost is easily worth the hassle saved. All those other things it can do? Icing.
Click to expand...

This.

I bought ATV2 in late 2010 (cut the cord and never looked back). I use it for music and photo viewing (via home sharing), radio, netflix streaming and especially airplay (the ace in the hole). Granted, it's only 720p and has limited features (more iOS apps please!), but what it does, it does very well... and for $99, it was a no-brainer buy.

With the sudden upsurge in the number of sold units, I think many others are appreciating the simplicity of the device.
 
richman555 said:
Ya know what is funny? I have a Blu Ray player and an Apple TV... and I use the Apple TV far more often and I own more movies and tv shows for it.

Digital is the way to go. No more discs. The Blu Ray player will become the record player of its time.
Click to expand...

Well to be correct BD is certainly digital ;), but yes you are correct in saying that over time downloads will become the most popular way to receive content.

I just think that downloads at this point in time lack in quality. They aren't even close in bit-rate, resolution and don't offer HD audio. To make a download equal to BD disc in all those areas imagine the file sizes and download times? I bet the ISPs would love data usage like that!

Downloads are always going to have to rely on compression. In time compression technologies will get better, but it is going to be years until we see a download equal a BD in total picture and audio quality. Even today MP3s and AAC files can't compare in quality to a CD. The difference is much less then what it used to be, but if one wants the best sound quality possible CD still offers the best experience.

If anything discs will become niche products for people who care about quality in the future, but I think BD still has a long life ahead of it. No doubt it is the last disc standard we will ever see, but CD is still chugging along 25 years later.
 
For what I use it for, I love my Apple TV.

I mostly use it for internet radio, because commercial radio around here is AWFUL. And while the radio's going, I have a slideshow of some of our favourite photos on the screen. Plus, it handles Netflix better than the Wii or PS3.
 
DakotaGuy said:
I just think that downloads at this point in time lack in quality. They aren't even close in bit-rate, resolution and don't offer HD audio. To make a download equal to BD disc in all those areas imagine the file sizes and download times? I bet the ISPs would love data usage like that!
Click to expand...

I agree, they do lack similar quality to Blu ray and HD audio. But for me it is more than acceptable and I don't even have HD cable television. The major breakthrough for me was purchasing an external hard drive to store my content. Once disc space was no longer an issue I started using it a lot more. Also I have a Dolby 5.1 receiver which works fine with it.

I still keep my Blu Ray for the occasional movie which pushes the visual envelope like Avatar, Transformers, etc.

Someday I feel Apple will provide 1080p content for those who want it, its just a matter of time.
 
i bought an apple tv the other day, always disconnects from itunes. :apple: support are no help to me. disappointed.
 
hugo7 said:
This.

I bought ATV2 in late 2010 (cut the cord and never looked back). I use it for music and photo viewing (via home sharing), radio, netflix streaming and especially airplay (the ace in the hole). Granted, it's only 720p and has limited features (more iOS apps please!), but what it does, it does very well... and for $99, it was a no-brainer buy.

With the sudden upsurge in the number of sold units, I think many others are appreciating the simplicity of the device.
Click to expand...

I too cut the cord over a year ago and bought ATV2. Works great for me and my family. I only have an 46" LCD 1080p 240ghz but ATV2 works rather well. Bought a second tv for the bedroom (32") and picked another ATV2. No cord still and very happy family. Very happy to get rid of those pesky commercials. PVR recorded the commercials. Still had to fast forward them. Not paying for tv anymore and enjoying ATV2; both of them. Oh yes, never bought a blu ray machine. Didn't want to invest in the discs to go along with it. Don't even touch my dvd player anymore. Probably use my old VCR more than the dvd player.

But to each their own.
 
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