Apple Planning March Special Event to Introduce Developer Tools for TV?

[goodcow]

Originally Posted by tkhan456

This analyst is smoking something if he think the TV will launch at that price point. For gods sake their monitor that's just a monitor cost $1000. There is no way their TV will be that cheap.

Then you're smoking something if you think somebody will pay that much for a TV.

[Cynicalone]

Apps is a good first step toward building a video game console.

With better hardware and controller support they could really hurt Sony and Nintendo.

It could be the first video game console to be updated on a yearly basis. That would really change the industry.

[zin]

iOS 7 "Sneak Peak" next month (like iOS 4 since it was arguably the one and only major update thus far) including support for TV Apps?

[WoodNUFC]

An app store would be great! Especially if it meant that Amazon Prime and WatchESPN* would be available. Between those apps and what is currently available on the ATV, my wife and I'd be set.

*Yes, you can currently airplay, but a native app would be a much better solution IMO.

[cbw87]

Originally Posted by KdParker

Cool. But still not sure type of apps I would use on an apple tv.

Don't constrain your thinking to "apps" in the iPhone / iPad sense.

Think of apps as interactive TV channels. Each content provider / network would have an app that can be purchased a-la-carte or be free with a subscription model, that lives on your Apple TV homescreen and is akin to selecting a channel on your live TV (in fact many would have a 'live' mode as well as a stored content / catchup mode). Apple would force them to "hook" their content into a centralised search / guide system so that you could search all past (catch-up) and present / future (live-streamed) programmes in one centralised, seamless, Apple-designed interface and access it from there (rather than through the app).

[Patriot24]

Judging by the comments made by HBO's CEO yesterday, the handwriting is on the wall that they will be one of the first featured apps when Apple holds an event to unveil 3rd party support on the Apple TV.

[M-O]

Originally Posted by spyguy10709

Fart apps and Angry Birds on my TV. SWEET!!!

LOL jk, this could be interesting.

surround sound farts

[8281]

Starting at $1500? I expected it to be pricey, but jeez. It will be interesting to see what Apple will offer to convince people that this new tv is better than an inexpensive set-top box that can plug into any HDTV.

[barnaby117]

Originally Posted by Stuipdboy1000

I could see Apple going back to old ways and introducing a developer preview of iOS in the spring. It would make sense if the rumoured iPhone 5S is coming in the summer and they want a polished version of iOS to go with it. A SDK for the Apple TV could possibly be one of the new features in iOS 7.

This makes a ton of sense to me. If apps for TV come in the iOS 7 SDK, would the current version (3rd gen) be supported? My guess is yes, but I still wonder.

[asiga]

Can anybody please explain those analysts who generate these rumors that what we wish to know is in what event the new Mac Pro shall be introduced?

[wovel]

What part of the channel is talking about an SDK? The bit supplier?

[Rocketman]

Originally Posted by Patriot24

Judging by the comments made by HBO's CEO yesterday, the handwriting is on the wall that they will be one of the first featured apps when Apple holds an event to unveil 3rd party support on the Apple TV.

That announcement implied mere HBO Go for those who already have both Cable/Satellite and HBO.

If HBO were to make it a standalone subscription option on AppleTV, that would be a "killer feature" for a segment of the market.

Rocketman

[SmoMo]

It would be cool if the TV Set has a little slot on the back where you can slide in an ATV.
All the ports are on the back, so I guess it could just click into place. Ok there would be no way to access the infra red, but that can be sent down the HDMI lead anyway, so the TV could have that on the front.

I'd be much happier paying top dollar for a TV knowing that next year I can pay $99 and slot in a new ATV

[Patriot24]

Originally Posted by Rocketman

That announcement implied mere HBO Go for those who already have both Cable/Satellite and HBO.

If HBO were to make it a standalone subscription option on AppleTV, that would be a "killer feature" for a segment of the market.

Rocketman

Just to clarify, I meant that HBO Go would be the app to debut. Obviously getting HBO to allow standalone subscription is a different ballgame entirely.

Either way, we will see an HBO app of some type.

[bbeagle]

Originally Posted by Peace

I can't see an event just to show new developer tools. That's what WWDC is for.

Something else will be shown. If there is an event.

Something like this?

TIM COOK: Introducing the new Apple TV! It plays all the channels of content!

NBC NEWS: What button do I click to do that?

TIM COOK: Not Yet! Just power up XCode and run getStream:(x)ForChannel:(channelName), and send playStream:(x) to your Apple TV. Simple!

CBS NEWS: What about games?

TIM COOK: Any app store game will work! Just power up XCode and run game = getCodeBaseFor:(gameName)At:(server), and send playGame(game) to your Apple TV. Simple!

[cfc]

What the current Apple TV needs to be more useful is an HDMI input as well as an output, so that it can go between set top boxes and the screen. Then apps would be able to superimpose information on top of the TV picture, such as your own news ticker from your customised RSS feeds, weather forecasts for your town, new email/message indicators and text etc.

And if licencing allows apps to actually look at the content in the input stream then the possibilities become even more interesting. How about an advanced version of the IMDB app that can use the TV guide and facial recognition to determine who the actor currently on the screen is and then tell you what they have been in before? Or an app for epileptics that automatically removes the effects of flash photography? Or for fun an app that always superimposes a clown's nose on the face of your least favourite actor or politician?

All they need to do is to add an HDMI input to the hardware...

[whooleytoo]

Oddly, I got an email (spam!) from Motley Fool talking about how the TV market is going to 'fall', mentioning Apple's March announcement as a factor. Now, normally I take these emails with unhealthy amounts of salt.. but interesting timing.

[dazza611]

Originally Posted by SmoMo

It would be cool if the TV Set has a little slot on the back where you can slide in an ATV.
All the ports are on the back, so I guess it could just click into place. Ok there would be no way to access the infra red, but that can be sent down the HDMI lead anyway, so the TV could have that on the front.

I'd be much happier paying top dollar for a TV knowing that next year I can pay $99 and slot in a new ATV

Totally Agree!!!

[HobeSoundDarryl]

Originally Posted by cfc

All they need to do is to add an HDMI input to the hardware...

...and write a ton of fairly sophisticated software...

...and get the sources that feed the video into that HDMI port to add some data packets to help the new TV recognize what's on, what's available, etc...

...etc.

[johnnielse]

Originally Posted by Patriot24

Just to clarify, I meant that HBO Go would be the app to debut. Obviously getting HBO to allow standalone subscription is a different ballgame entirely.

Either way, we will see an HBO app of some type.

HBO entered the Nordic countries (Denmark, Sweden, Norway & Finland) with a stand-alone service in late 2012 so it is certainly not an impossible thought.

[HobeSoundDarryl]

Originally Posted by Rocketman

If HBO were to make it a standalone subscription option on AppleTV, that would be a "killer feature" for a segment of the market.

I can see that coming sooner or later but probably premium priced for the cable-cutter benefit. In other words, one might currently think about the HBO bundle at around $10-$15/month and some will then throw out that they would pay about $25/month for HBO GO alone (if they didn't have to have a cable subscription too). But I imagine the actual price would be something like $40-$50/month for HBO GO alone, looking at the price of premium adult channels as a bit of a pricing guide.

So many of us dream of al-a-carte but don't want to pay what the dream would likely cost. We imagine it's something like 50 cents per channel but it wouldn't be. Instead it would involve pricing to keep the existing players making at least what they are making now PLUS let Apple squeeze into the chain and take an additional amount. And if we dream of commercial-free, then we are killing the other people's money stream that helps make television cost what it does now, meaning if our dream is of commercial-free al-a-carte, we have to make up for the loss of that subsidy too (and it's not even close to what anyone would call "cheap" in and of itself).

Al-a-carte seems like a wonderful goal where we somehow pay a lot less than we pay now, Apple gets to squeeze in and make a big cut and everything like quality and breadth & depth of new programming just magically continues to flow. But if there is ever a solution where the consumer masses pay a lot less than they pay now, somebody else in the chain takes a big hit... some quality of programming and/or new show creation and/or variety of programming is likely to plunge. That's great if the crowd that votes for the survivors happens to align with one's own tastes... not so great if your favorite programming is not mainstream appealing.

[johnnielse]

Originally Posted by whooleytoo

Oddly, I got an email (spam!) from Motley Fool talking about how the TV market is going to 'fall', mentioning Apple's March announcement as a factor. Now, normally I take these emails with unhealthy amounts of salt.. but interesting timing.

I just went back to check my inbox, too. Wow, pretty interesting timing.

Motley Fool wrote:
"Another major industry is about to fall. Hard. And it will happen much sooner than anyone on Wall Street expects. (All signs are pointing to 2014.)

Everyone will claim they saw it coming. They'll say they knew all about the experimental project that Google launched in Kansas City. They'll say when they heard Apple's big March announcement, they knew for sure. They'll say that the one last "insurmountable" obstacle was obviously no big deal.

And they'll be lying. But that's okay. Because you'll be the one who knew which 3 overlooked stocks to invest in now for max profit... before 57.3 million Americans hit the OFF button."

[Rocketman]

All of this is going to bring to light and mindshare, the haves and have-nots of bandwidth to support all this. Dial-up and DSL are out and Cable internet and Fiber are in. Maybe LTE with crippled image size or depth, at extraordinary expense.

In LA, ATT offers residential high speed broadband for $14.95/mo.

Rocketman

[BC2009]

Channel checks indicate Apple has a product event in March that is Apple-TV related (possibly an iTV SDK introduction). We think a Sep/Oct iTV launch is being targeted.

It seems to me that this Misek guy is just squawking nonsense. How would "channel checks" indicate the introduction of an SDK? There are no supply channels that fuel an SDK -- it is all software based. I think this Peter Misek guy knows less than he is letting on after reading his expanded timeline on the 4.8-inch iPhone which he calls "iPhone 6". He seems to be covering all his bases so he is either right on something or eventually right on something. I've never seen a Piper Jeffries analyst have a solid understanding of Apple's future products.

[Mike MA]

So please fix the disappearing ATV in iTunes beforehand!!