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applezulu

macrumors 6502
Apr 24, 2015
309
336
i'd say other than the beginning years working primarily on PCs, i'd say nearly all of apple's biggest successes were reactions to the markets. there's only so many strokes of mad genius to be had when the rest of the industry has essentially adopted your business model and throws features and customizations at fragmented lines of their own devices....

You're right, you know. Apple didn't invent the personal computer or the mouse/pointer/WYSIWYG user interface. Their innovation was to put those things together. They didn't invent the smartphone or touchscreen handheld device, but they put those things together and came up with something new. They didn't invent the idea of software applications, but before the iOS app store, the idea of free/cheap apps was not mainstream. Most of Apple's successes are built on putting things together in ways that others missed, or skipped, because they assumed there was no market.

The vast majority of tweaks and upgrades are incremental, and they always have been. The game changing things are actually few and far between, but Apple has had a knack for occasionally finding them and making huge successes out of them, eventually (and almost never instantaneously).
 

Popeye206

macrumors 68040
Sep 6, 2007
3,148
836
NE PA USA
They should just buy HBO... Also, leverage their connections to Disney... tons of content there.

I don't think it hurts them to do original content unless they pick some really bad content to produce.
 

desaihj

macrumors newbie
Jan 29, 2016
2
3
Charlotte
The comments saying the Apple is too late or far too behind remind me of the browser wars. IE and Firefox were de facto browsers when Chrome came along. And over time it toppled these established incumbents. Apple can do the same. It may not make strong gains in the short term, but give it a 5 year runway and it could easily upset the balance.
 

Popeye206

macrumors 68040
Sep 6, 2007
3,148
836
NE PA USA
Not many original ideas coming from Apple leadership these days. Seems like they are late to the party again if they are really considering this.

It saddens me to say, but these days, Apple reacts to markets rather than creating them.

Honestly... this is one party they can be late to and still make a splash. Also, I'm surprised it's taken them this long, and it might be easier to just open the vault and buy one of the existing content players. Like HBO or Netflix.
 
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ninjadex

macrumors 6502
Jun 1, 2004
328
215
There were MP3 players before iPod and "smart" phones before iPhone. Are you suggesting that Amazon and Netflix are it and no one else should bother entering this space? Or Apple shouldn't because they didn't think of Netflix before Netflix?

That's true, I should have said market "leader".

My point is though that I think they are too late and lack the direction. I'd like to believe that they're capable of putting together a stellar product, and there really isn't any good reason why they shouldn't be able to. I mean, they're the most valuable company in the world, with untold resources at their disposal.

But history has shown continued half-baked attempts with Apple's "services" (aka Eddy Cue), and I don't see this working out any differently unless they make major changes at the top. And that's not going to happen anytime soon.
 
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bpeeps

Suspended
May 6, 2011
3,678
4,629
They should just buy HBO... Also, leverage their connections to Disney... tons of content there.

I don't think it hurts them to do original content unless they pick some really bad content to produce.
The 'Apple should buy X company' comment makes its way into every other post. Why would Apple buy a company they're already on great terms with who also was the first to offer them exclusivity when their cable-free content service launched? Makes sense to me.
 

SeattleMoose

macrumors 68000
Jul 17, 2009
1,960
1,670
Der Wald
I hope that by "develop" they only mean cutting out the middle men and not using Apple engineers as actors.:rolleyes:
Video producers would then be able to cut out the "major networks" and provide their art to the masses via Apple similar to what musicians can do today with iTunes. The world has been held hostage by the whims of the major networks for too long. Time to shake off the parasites.
 

danakin

macrumors 6502
Dec 6, 2012
330
740
Toronto
The App Store is very prudent when it comes edgy content (nudity etc.). I wonder if Apple produced video content on their own service would have the liberty to take the artistic chances/license that Netflix does. I know rentals on iTunes aren't censored but I'm just thinking out loud if Apple would risk the backlash of producing content that a significant segment of the population (and shareholders) would consider "smut". The degree of separation would become 0.
 

scott911

macrumors 6502a
Aug 24, 2009
758
456
Could this be the point when they stretch themselves too thin? I kinda miss the Apple that was so heavily focused on great software being paired with great hardware. Do they really need to become their own picture studio now?

That a good point. The quality of interfaces and innovation in new hardware seems to have slipped quite a bit.

Don't do more, do better Apple.
 

bpeeps

Suspended
May 6, 2011
3,678
4,629
I hope that by "develop" they only mean cutting out the middle men and not using Apple engineers as actors.:rolleyes:
Video producers would then be able to cut out the "major networks" and provide their art to the masses via Apple similar to what musicians can do today with iTunes. The world has been held hostage by the whims of the major networks for too long. Time to shake off the parasites.
It is truly fascinating how little MR members know about television and film production.
 

Asarien

macrumors 6502
Sep 24, 2015
386
3,474
I would prefer if Apple just killed the Apple TV altogether. Personally, "exclusive" and "original" programming is a turn off. It's one of the reasons my wife and I might be canceling Netflix soon. I don't care for their original content and thats all they seem to push now instead of trying to get rights to stream good movies and tv shows.

That's fine. Move along.
 
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ChrisCW11

macrumors 65816
Jul 21, 2011
1,037
1,433
Why not, Apple continues to follow their competition years later with their me too attitude.
 

GQB

macrumors 65816
Sep 26, 2007
1,196
109
I really don't like 'exclusive' programming, no matter from whom. On what planet do they think that 5 $12.99 monthly subscriptions (in order to get 5 or 6 exclusive shows) is somehow better than cable? The answer to cable monopoly shouldn't be death by a thousand different subscriptions.
 

Otaviano

macrumors 6502a
Nov 22, 2007
621
295
I'm going to say that in my opinion Eddy Cue is one of the weak links in the Apple executive team. In my opinion Apple Music is a complete cluster "#€% from the actual application to the it's initial presentation. Just completely botched.

So many other of Apple's store services (which fall under his umbrella) are just sitting and stagnating. Not getting new features. Not becoming better storefronts with better shopping experience. For example why does iBooks show me results for books in languages I do not speak? Why can't I specify the languages I speak somewhere and only receive results for those? I'm not interested in the book I was search for if it is in German. Or why don't I get a push notification letting me know an item on my wish list has gone on sale?

There is so much low hanging fruit with all of the store fronts and nothing seems to be moving there.

Seeing an article where it is stated Apple is pursing original content for "iTunes" fills me with worries. iTunes as a brand needs to die. The app has become horrible. With Apple Music tacked on navigation has become a nightmare. There are actually sections in iTunes that become in accessible depending on how you interact with the app. The "New" section for example, good luck accessing it if you did a search before loading it.

I just do not see why this is something Apple should be pursuing. If nothing else just buy Netflix and keep it running by the team currently in place. Then use your stretched resources to retire iTunes once and for all.
 

subjonas

macrumors 603
Feb 10, 2014
5,572
5,910
I think eventually Apple really wants to make their own ecosystem. Literally. They want to buy the moon and set up a self-sustained Apple-topia where people breathe, eat, and sleep Apple all day, every day. That's the only way they'll reach their goal of controlling the user experience end to end.
And if they can't buy the moon they may build a Death Star. But hey I say go for it. More options for me the better.
 

Asarien

macrumors 6502
Sep 24, 2015
386
3,474
If Apple is going to start paying for exclusive content as part of some subscription TV service I get it. But if they're thinking of becoming production studio or doing stuff in house I think it's a big mistake. What does Eddy Cue know about creating TV shows? I don't even think Netflix produces stuff in house do they?

What did Apple know about music? What did they know about cellular phones?

The answer to your question is: they learn.
 

Otaviano

macrumors 6502a
Nov 22, 2007
621
295
What did Apple know about music? What did they know about cellular phones?

The answer to your question is: they learn.

Apple does not make music though. They run a music storefront. Which is not far from where there expertise already was. The same goes for the iPhone, it was a natural successor to the iPod. The things they learned from the iPod went into building the iPhone.

Making tv shows and movies has nothing to do with anything they do as a company.
 

gugy

macrumors 68040
Jan 31, 2005
3,893
5,313
La Jolla, CA
Here's the thing. Apple now has over 1 billion active devices. I'm not sure how many active iTunes accounts that is but its for sure hundreds of millions. It makes sense for Apple to be thinking how they can monetize this user base (and hopefully keep them as Apple customers), especially if hardware upgrade cycles are getting longer. I might not be buying Apple devices as often but I'm still giving them money for other things like Apple Music, subscription TV service, etc. and I'm sure Wall Street would like it because it's a more predictable revenue stream. Honestly, I'd love it if Apple turned their devices into a subscription service similar to the iPhone upgrade program. I'd totally pay a monthly fee to "rent" my devices (with the option to own outright) and get a new one every year or two.

I would not mind to "lease" a computer and returning to a newer one. But my original point was that Apple is taking much longer to update hardware (Mac in special) and software to fix some serious bugs. Sure, I get it that this is one of the areas that is not as big in revenue than the iDevices.
Still sometimes makes me wonder if they even care. They might not.
Either way, I wonder that jumping on too many things like watch, media content, cars, etc. is going to doomed them down the road. One of the things Apple has been so great is the quality of hardware and the reliability of their software. I hope they won't lose that.
 
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derekshank

macrumors regular
Apr 23, 2015
107
23
The comments saying the Apple is too late or far too behind remind me of the browser wars. IE and Firefox were de facto browsers when Chrome came along. And over time it toppled these established incumbents. Apple can do the same. It may not make strong gains in the short term, but give it a 5 year runway and it could easily upset the balance.
Yeah, pretty much. And Apple can do it pretty quickly too, just because they have such a large committed customer base.

Apple Maps? Many would still argue that it isn't as good as Google Maps (and may never be)... but even the most conservative estimates show that Apple Maps account for around 25% of map usage.

How late to the party was Apple with streaming music? Rhapsody, Pandora, Spotify, Slacker, Rdio were all doing it for years. Then Apple buys Beats... and a year and a half later, Apple Music accounts for around one-third of music subscribers.

Apple has a huge customer base, so virtually any service that they want to provide, even when that service lags behind the competition, still finds a large amount of success.
 

chiefsilverback

macrumors 6502
Jul 25, 2011
458
438
I've just looked as a new customer in Rhode Island on FiOS I can get their Custom TV and 100/100 internet bundle for $65/month (before hardware costs and taxes). If I drop the TV service the price drops to $60/month (before taxes). Admittedly I can dispense with the hardware costs ($15-20/month for a single DVR), but to start getting back the content available to me I'll need multiple subscriptions and even then I likely can't get everything because lots of the content providers require you to authenticate via your cable provider to access their content through the Apple TV.

This is the stalemate you need to break otherwise what's the point? You're not really sticking it to the man if you're paying more overall for "just the channels you want"!

Right now the Apple TV for me is a great add-on to my primary TV and serves as the sole source for the TV in our bedroom using the apps that I can access as a result of my cable subscription.

If I could get a good standalone internet connection for $30/month then 'cutting the cord' would be much more appealing.
 
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