Apple TV Set-Top Box Predicted to Sell 4 Million Units, Grab 32% Market Share in 2011

[D.T.]

Agree 100%. It's annoying to swith the input on my TV and switch the input on my surround sound each time i want to go between AppleTV and CableTV.
It takes like 1 min to do it but it's not "seamless" and clean.

I saw you respond to the poster who mentioned the switch box, FYI, this is very close to the one we use (I believe our model was replaced):

http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...=10110&cs_id=1011002&p_id=6259&seq=1&format=2

Pretty solid product for < $40

 

[Spoony]

The UI is so bad/slow on TVs for Netflix, it's worth paying $99 for an Apple TV just to avoid it

(That of course doesn't factor in iTunes sharing, iCloud, Photostream, Airplay, etc...)



Hahaha, nice.



I'm assuming (though you didn't say), that you've swapped out HDMI cables too?



Yeah, we've got a nice box from Monoprice that auto switches but also allows remote manual changes. We have 3 HDMI on the Panasonic, but the one on the side we keep open for occasionally hooking up the MBP.

I just went to monoprice. Is there one that is recommended? So basically how this should work is that I plus into the switch my cable HDMI and my AppleTV HDMI and there is a remote control for this switcher and i just hit a button and it changes between the two devices? So same input on the TV and the switcher does the work?

 

[Peace]

The 360 works great for network video playback. And if you use Rivet (OSX) you can even stream your iTunes and iPhoto library to it. With that said, the 360 is a beast if only used for video playback.



Yes, you can play 1080p content. However, it is not displayed at 1080p. The TV2 has a max output resolution of 720p. I have one that I modified and run XBMC on, for playback of my own video collection.

I have a new Xbox 360S and I tell you what. It will NOT play ( natively ) ANY protected video content from my Windows boot.
I transfered about 100 GB worth of video from my iTunes library to my Windows 7 "My Videos" library. The Xbox plays maybe 10% of them and NONE of the music I purchased from iTunes.
My Apple TV 2 plays them all flawlessly.

Key reason i sold mine and got a ps3. MSFT certainly need to fix that, come Xboox. Fan noise is disgusting.

The newer models are pretty quiet. At least mine is.

 

[D.T.]

I just went to monoprice. Is there one that is recommended? So basically how this should work is that I plus into the switch my cable HDMI and my AppleTV HDMI and there is a remote control for this switcher and i just hit a button and it changes between the two devices? So same input on the TV and the switcher does the work?

I thought you might ask ... see above

Yeah, that's it, all devices go to the switch, and it uses a single HDMI connection to a single port (so the set stays on the same input).

 

[OllyW]

I'm surprised they have "just" a 32% marketshare but am more surprised at those sales figures... I thought they sold a million in just a month?

No, it sold a million after the first three months...

https://www.macrumors.com/2010/12/27/apple-confirms-one-million-apple-tvs-sold/

 

[Icaras]

Who is buying this thing, really?

The TV show and movie selection is very poor and extremely overpriced. There is no DVD or Blu Ray playback, and anything you want to stream to it from your computer has to be in a specific format or it won't work. It doesn't stream TV shows from free online services like BBC iPlayer or ITV Player and it doesn't have Spotify integration.

Couple that with no support for 720p and the purchased videos being extremely compressed and I'm confused. It might be cheap, but as the iFans seem to agree about Kindle Fire, buy cheap and you get less - it's certainly the case with Apple TV.

I can spend £100 on this or £150-200 on a PS3 or Xbox 360 - both of which do live TV as well.

I have it, and I love it. I don't think the TV show selection is poor. Movie selection needs improvement though. I don't mind it not having blu-ray. I already have a dedicated player for that and it keeps the price of Apple TV down. It also what makes it have a tiny footprint and low energy consumption rating possible; something that I actually appreciate. Yes, it doesn't have those apps you mention...yet. I would suspect an App Market will hit ATV eventually. Recent updates have already added Vimeo, as well as MLB and NBA games. Apple TV can only grow from here.

No 720p support? Yes it does...Not 1080p though. There is compression, and its not the highest quality you'll get, but its the ease of wifi streaming, Airplay, and its tight eco system integration between it, your Macs, and any of your iOS devices that really make the ATV shine.

 

[neiltc13]

Ooh, how do I get my PS3 to do live TV?

Buy the PlayTV add on. It can pause, rewind and record just like tivo does as well.

No 720p support? Yes it does. There is compression, and its not the highest quality you'll get, but its the ease of wifi streaming, Airplay, and its tight eco system integration between it, your Macs, and any of your iOS devices that really make the ATV shine.

Sorry I meant 1080p. You can stream any non-DRM stuff from iTunes using MediaLink to your PS3.

 

[Icaras]

Yeah, Apple's strategy has always been "if you want to use our software/service, you need to buy our hardware". That was the case for Macs and initially the case for the iPod as well.

Vertical Integration. The Eco system. And it seems to be working well for Apple in the living room so far.

The key question is "do you intent to buy or rent movies/shows from the iTunes store?" If the answer is NO, then you've got a wide world of media players available to you: WD TV Live, Boxee, XBMC, Plex, your TV's built-in media software, PS3, Xbox, and a variety of DLNA appliances. If the answer is YES, then your options are much more limited.

Yes, I buy/rent movies/shows on iTunes. I love the ease of it all. But for others who buy or rent their content elsewhere, then certainly there are other choices out there for them.

AirPlay is another major selling point of the Apple TV. It's a great way to send video from your iPhone, iPad, iPod, or even your Mac to your TV, and very few other devices other than Apple TV support AirPlay to your TV. I would, however, love to buy a TV that has built-in AirPlay capability.

Yea, I can't wait for an actual TV set from Apple with all this stuff built in.

 

[OllyW]

I buy it, and I love it. I don't think the TV show selection is poor. Movie selection needs improvement though.

Don't forget, neiltc13 is from the UK and our iTunes store does not have the same content as yours.

 

[Eidorian]

I am surprised at the amount of effort and money spent on content. I just use the library.

 

[Icaras]

Don't forget, neiltc13 is from the UK and our iTunes store does not have the same content as yours.

Oh yea, well, I can certainly sympathize for the foreign markets on that one. But Apple is also growing in these markets as well, so it just takes time.

 

[nagromme]

This is what I use my PS3 for. Which means my PS3 is like an Apple TV, but also plays Blu Ray, DVD's, and games.

All these analysts are full of BS, throwing out marketshare %'s nobody knows how they quantified. For an Apple TV to be successful, they need to make a huge power play that changes the whole industry like they did with music. This is gonna be the difference between an Apple TV and a regular hybrid TV. I want to know what that power play is.

For an Apple TV to be successful, it needs to make more profit than its R&D expenses

 

[MacAddict1978]

An Xbox 360 doesn't appeal to the average consumer like an Apple TV would. Xbox 360 gives Netflix to those who happen to be video gamers. Apple TV gives Netflix to those who simply have a TV = much larger market. Though...I'm with you, I have no need for an Apple TV, because I have my MacBook hooked up to my TV anyway, therefore all my content is already able to be right on my TV.

The Xbox 360 also required a Gold Membership for $50 a year to use any of those features, including Netflix... which is really stupid. I don't think that is going to sway people to buy one that aren't big online gamers when they probably have another device (Blu-Ray/DVD) that does it for free. The HBO GO app is coming to the 360, but requires the paid subscription as well. BOO.

Though in contrast, Apple refuses to offer really any content channels except paid sports. For people trying to Cord Cut, the 360 is going to soon become more Roku like, but still... why not just drop $50 one time on the cheapest Roku box, instead of $50 a year to access almost the same content?

Apple TV will sell 20 million units if they ass more content... which won't happen. HBO Go should be offered. You have to have HBO to use it, and thus, you won't be buying the HBO shows from the App store anyway. I think the only reason they allow Netflix on the Apple TV is because without it, no one would buy the Apple TV just to stream paid iTunes content and some media from their computer.

 

[Fly Rodder]

I'm woefully out of date

But all I want is seamless home theater options without the mess of converting files, switching cables, four fricking boxes plus a TV that tries to do the same thing (but poorly), and six subscription services. I haven't had the time or energy to try and figure this out. However, I am willing to pay Apple to do this for me.

I want one box that I plug my cable into and can surf/DVR channels, download custom entertainment apps to (e.g., my choice of netflix, pandora, slacker, spotify, TVU, etc.), stream content from my desktop/laptop, and have a USB port in the front. If it could play blu-ray, cool, but not the end of the world.

I'm sure there is something out there, but I haven't found it yet. I don't want to be locked into a single content provider. Give me a box and a dumb pipe.

(Edited to add: Netflix is losing downloadable content at a pretty ridiculous pace).

 

[Kaibelf]

The Xbox 360 also required a Gold Membership for $50 a year to use any of those features, including Netflix... which is really stupid. I don't think that is going to sway people to buy one that aren't big online gamers when they probably have another device (Blu-Ray/DVD) that does it for free. The HBO GO app is coming to the 360, but requires the paid subscription as well. BOO.

Make that a paid subscription on THE RIGHT PROVIDER. Remember when the HBO Go app came out, but wasn't available on Time Warner Cable? You know, the same Time Warner that owns HBO?

I know they are now separate entities, but the least they could have done is negotiate that one for the millions on the system, particularly in the NY Metro area. As for me, I'm on RCN, and can't even get the TBS app to work. It's a mess.

 

[a.gomez]

What market is this when Microsoft has millions more Xbox 360s already in people's homes? I'm not arguing that the Apple TV won't continue to increase in sales (I have one), but such numbers are complete BS. People are going to buy/rent content either on their 360 or their Apple TV, but not both (in significant numbers)

If you go to the site they do not include the PS3 or 360 in the report... I knew something was up - Microsoft sold 800,000 360 just on black friday and 1.7 mill in the month of NOV.

I had an ATV2... but went back to my PS3 - I can save my videos right in the drive, watch Blurays, DVDs and stream all my music and videos from my mac mini to it via EYE Connect... wish it would get HBOGO like the 360 thou

guess if you only have 99 dollars an Apple TV is good enough

 

[neiltc13]

Has anyone also considered things like satellite and cable TV boxes? In the UK the dominant provider is Sky (owned by News Corp). You can get pay per view movies on this pretty much on demand (they stream every 15 minutes) and in much better HD quality than on Apple TV. The prices are about the same and there is no buffering or downloading to do.

 

[lilo777]

But all I want is seamless home theater options without the mess of converting files, switching cables, four fricking boxes plus a TV that tries to do the same thing (but poorly), and six subscription services. I haven't had the time or energy to try and figure this out. However, I am willing to pay Apple to do this for me.

I want one box that I plug my cable into and can surf/DVR channels, download custom entertainment apps to (e.g., my choice of netflix, pandora, slacker, spotify, TVU, etc.), stream content from my desktop/laptop, and have a USB port in the front. If it could play blu-ray, cool, but not the end of the world.

I'm sure there is something out there, but I haven't found it yet. I don't want to be locked into a single content provider. Give me a box and a dumb pipe.

(Edited to add: Netflix is losing downloadable content at a pretty ridiculous pace).

There is. It's called HTPC with Windows Media Center.

 

[gramirez2012]

I don't use my Apple TV for movies and TV much, but I do use it for music a lot. I have the optical output connected to my AV receiver. It's nice to be able to play any song from my iTunes library wirelessly over my surround system.

 

[BlueParadox]

If my Apple TV goes to sleep, I find I have to press the menu button to wake it up and get the TV to recognize the input. I don't know if that's what you are experiencing.

Thanks the feedback.

I'm often not getting a signal from the word 'go' - when both devices are turned on. There's the white 'on' light showing on the AppleTV unit, a brief scan by the Samsung TV, then 'No Signal. Check your cable connection' etc.

Part of my main reason for buying the aTV was AirPlay and mirroring from iOS devices.

After the 2nd conversation with Apple techs on the phone, I got a strong 'hint' that it was no longer an Apple problem, rather a Samsung issue, and I ought to speak to their customer service techs. Dread this option.

I'm looking forward to the 'real' Apple TV one day soon.

 

[Mikedexter]

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)

Dumb question I have my iPad my iPhone MacBook and I am just starting to use match and cloud. What are the big perks to apple tv? I download movies here and there. My iPad is only. 16 gb. So would apple tv be a good way to store my movies and what not? I feel I am missing out on something here. I have a ps3 which is for blu rays games and at times netflix but other info would be much appreciated! Is the 720p transfer that bad?

 

[nsayer]

Where's the "apps"?

What TV needs is something similar to what the Roku has in their so-called "channel store" - the ability to add third party content providers.

They added Netflix, and clearly Apple doesn't control the server infrastructure in that case. So whatever they did to let Netflix show up on the menu they ought to open the same way they did apps on other iOS devices.

The instant they do that, I'd happily buy a couple of them, because I have no doubt that Apple would pwn the entire category within a month. But I have no investment at all in iTunes video content, nor any particular inclination to make one.

 

[weckart]

Who is buying this thing, really?

Everyone I know who has bought one or is thinking of doing so has jailbroken it and installed XBMC. It would have had even more sales if it could output 1080p rather than downscaling to 720p.

Not one would have touched it if it could only run the default OS on it. Not one.

 

[nylonsteel]

re original article

"... ‘hobby’.” says Jia Wu, Senior Analyst at..."

probably no relation to analyst shaw wu

but probably related to the "jia pet" or chia pet

 

[hauntvictim]

Apple TV works well.

Had some non Techie girls over this weekend. The go "Wait how do you have Youtube on your TV?!". They proceeded to watch 20 videos and have a living room dance party.

Best 100 bucks I've spent this year by far.

That was my Thursday night!!
But seriously, I love my Apple TV 2. I think they just need to open it up to App developers and it will be a done deal.