Seriously Apple. People Don't change their TV's Yearly.

Jinsou · Jul 18, 2012

Yeah I'm pretty excited about the rumors of apple launching a "retina display/Siri/iTunes integrated/whatever else tv" And yeah I'll probably go out and get it. I currently own an HP Branded 32'' tv. And it's like from 2005, and it works like a charm, it was built by sharp.

I don't believe one needs to research to know that people don't just go out changing their tv's every year like most people do with their ipods/ipads/even macbooks/ and everything apple for that matter.

So what do you think Apple's plan for the TV business is? Somewhat like the Mac Pro?( and by that I mean it's the least they seem to care about when it comes to updating ) I mean people screw their Tv's to walls, do whole room changes to hook it up, it even feels like a pain just talking about it...

So.. Yearly change or maybe 2-3 years refresh?

Thoughts >>>

nuckinfutz · Jul 18, 2012

Probably a 2-3 year cycle for a HDTV. People don't upgrade every year but that doesn't matter as they don't upgrade their computers every year either.

MacDawg · Jul 18, 2012

I think they will upgrade as newer/better technology becomes available
No, people don't upgrade TV's every year, but new customers will want to buy the latest technology
Nobody will be forced to upgrade

StevenB14 · Jul 18, 2012

MacDawg said:
I think they will upgrade as newer/better technology becomes available
No, people don't upgrade TV's every year, but new customers will want to buy the latest technology
Nobody will be forced to upgrade

As new customers buy the newer versions it will get to the point that there will be a different portion of the customer base wanting to upgrade their version of the TV every year. Provided this becomes a substantial amount then that would give Apple the justification to release a yearly TV upgrade.

Nitrocide · Jul 18, 2012

Yeah, I could see them updating new tech as it comes along as they do with iPhone/iPad/MacBook's etc. Probably supporting major software updates for a few years. If I still had my original G5 Powermac it would still be useable today, but stuck on leopard.

KeithJenner · Jul 18, 2012

Jinsou said:
I don't believe one needs to research to know that people don't just go out changing their tv's every year like most people do with their ipods/ipads/even macbooks/ and everything apple for that matter

Most people?

I very much doubt it.

Apple fanboy · Jul 18, 2012

My dad just updated his CRT TV this month. He is a bit of a dinosaur though. I tend to upgrade all my tech the same. When it's either broken or no longer current. Eg to slow or missing latest features I really want/need. Mostly though if its still working I just move it to some other part of the house or pass it on to someone who needs it.

Nitrocide · Jul 18, 2012

KeithJenner said:
Most people?

I very much doubt it.

Indeed, I've had 3 macs since 2003 and I almost feel like that's been a bit indulgent.

xlii · Jul 18, 2012

I just upgraded our tube tv that we have owned since 1993. It still worked great but technology has passed it by and it was time to upgrade. I plan to keep this hdtv till it shows it's age. That should be at least 10 years or until they change the broadcast standards to some newer standard that it cannot receive.

waw74 · Jul 18, 2012

and that's why a lot of people aren't buying the apple television rumors.

as far as retina display, most people already have one. at the distance you watch your TV from, it qualifies as retina.
a 50" 1080 becomes retina in less than 7 feet. source

E.Lizardo · Jul 18, 2012

Jinsou said:
Yeah I'm pretty excited about the rumors of apple launching a "retina display/Siri/iTunes integrated/whatever else tv" And yeah I'll probably go out and get it. I currently own an HP Branded 32'' tv. And it's like from 2005, and it works like a charm, it was built by sharp.

I don't believe one needs to research to know that people don't just go out changing their tv's every year like most people do with their ipods/ipads/even macbooks/ and everything apple for that matter.

So what do you think Apple's plan for the TV business is? Somewhat like the Mac Pro?( and by that I mean it's the least they seem to care about when it comes to updating ) I mean people screw their Tv's to walls, do whole room changes to hook it up, it even feels like a pain just talking about it...

So.. Yearly change or maybe 2-3 years refresh?

Thoughts >>>

Um,TV manufacturers release new/updated models every year.You're saying Apple shouldn't??

goMac · Jul 18, 2012

All other TV manufacturers are on a yearly upgrade cycle. I'm not sure Apple would have to be, but I'm also not sure there is a reason why it would be unusual either.

s15119 · Jul 18, 2012

I think they are looking at making more money off of content than hardware.

NewbieCanada · Jul 18, 2012

The issue isn't the model cycle.

TVs are pretty much a commodity right now. You may prefer Samsung, and your neighbour may like Sony and your brother-in-law likes Panasonic, but they all do the same thing.

People are assuming:

1. People won't buy a TV just because it has an Apple logo on it. It has to be some kind of game changer.

2. If it is a game changer, there's the problem that most people who might be interested in it already have one or more large-screen TVs.

Through all the months of speculation I've yet to see an idea that seems both compelling enough to be a game-changer and possible. I am not for a minute convinced that people want to control their TV by voice or gesture, or want to use it for FaceTime. And I don't believe that Apple can deliver unique content.

robjulo · Jul 18, 2012

nuckinfutz said:
Probably a 2-3 year cycle for a HDTV. People don't upgrade every year but that doesn't matter as they don't upgrade their computers every year either.

I don't know a single person who is on a 2-3 year cycle to upgrade their TVs.

nuckinfutz · Jul 18, 2012

robjulo said:
I don't know a single person who is on a 2-3 year cycle to upgrade their TVs.

Why would they? In recent times the only incentive to buying a new TV was largely size or adding a second unit.

With the advent of so called Smart TV now there's a wider feature-set that users may be accustomed to and 3 years will make a big difference in the "smart" capabilities of the TV.

Mackan · Jul 18, 2012

The more Apple products on the market, the more "forced" yearly upgrades we will see. That's how Apple's dollar business works. Will be a pain to be stuck in the Apple ecosystem when you own 5 Apple products that need yearly upgrade in order to function well together.

CocoaPuffs · Jul 19, 2012

Come on, tell the truth: if Apple makes a toilet, you and I are upgrading it every year.

wovel · Jul 19, 2012

E.Lizardo said:
Um,TV manufacturers release new/updated models every year.You're saying Apple shouldn't??

Yep. Within 12 months of my last TV purchase, Samsung had made two updates to the model. If anything TV manufactures are changing things at a more rapid clip than many CE markets.

----------

Mackan said:
The more Apple products on the market, the more "forced" yearly upgrades we will see. That's how Apple's dollar business works. Will be a pain to be stuck in the Apple ecosystem when you own 5 Apple products that need yearly upgrade in order to function well together.

You dont own a single Apple product do you? None of them are on a "forced" yearly upgrade schedule. Apple products receive longer free software updates than any competing devices on the market. They also release less new models than every other manufacturer.

robjulo · Jul 19, 2012

nuckinfutz said:
Why would they? In recent times the only incentive to buying a new TV was largely size or adding a second unit.

With the advent of so called Smart TV now there's a wider feature-set that users may be accustomed to and 3 years will make a big difference in the "smart" capabilities of the TV.

Sorry, the vast percentage of consumers are not going to swap out a TV every 2-3 years to add features, especially when the large bulk of the Smart features can be had with a $75 Roku box.

ssgrif · Jul 19, 2012

My thoughts are that the new "tv" from apple is a smart tv as as such hardware wise refreshes will be around the 2-3 year cycle, simply because apple will look to provide additional functionality with software updates much like it does today with IOS.

hismikeness · Jul 19, 2012

s15119 said:
I think they are looking at making more money off of content than hardware.

Agreed. If there is a true game changer, I believe it will be with content delivery rather than hardware.

Macman45 · Jul 19, 2012

My TV upgrade policy is...Buy the latest TV ( just done it a Sony Bravia 46" 3D ) for the living room.

Put the older TV in the bedroom.

Wait for the next MAJOR leap forward for the next upgrade. Since I just bought the Sony, and it's state of the art smart etc. I just couldn't justify the new Apple offering for at least a year.

WRP · Jul 19, 2012

Jinsou said:
I don't believe one needs to research to know that people don't just go out changing their tv's every year like most people do with their ipods/ipads/even macbooks/ and everything apple for that matter.

The MOST PEOPLE are stupid. I have a 5 year old Macbook Pro, 2010 Mac Pro (which I upgraded from Dual G5), I skip every other generation of iphone, have a 5 year old ipod and an original iPad. People who upgrade every year just want the newest shiny thing to puff their chest out, they don't NEED that crap. I bet 99% of the people who upgrade their computer every year have ZERO need to actually do so.

aarond12 · Jul 19, 2012

I just upgraded my 26" CRT TV, purchased in 1996, in the bedroom to a 32" LCD TV. I'm on the bleeding edge, man!

Seriously Apple. People Don't change their TV's Yearly.

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