It perplexes me that, after all weve seen about Apples product launch M.O., analysts and observers talking about this *hypothetical* Apple TV-set all seem to focus persistently on the aspects that are of secondary relevance: hardware specs, UI, pricing
(okay, pricing is not really secondary but it doesnt exist in a vacuum and it can be changed).
That an Apple TV-set would be a top-notch technological device in terms of performance, UI and build-quality is a given; were talking about Apple. However thats not enough to achieve a break-through, especially in a market as cut-throat as television (from all points of view: hardware, content and content-distribution).
To figure out how an Apple TV-set can be successful, you need to look at how the iOS platform, especially iPad became such a hit, and then try to imagine how Apple can devise an analogous strategy by leveraging its existing strengths.
What makes the iOS devices so successful is the combination of a seamless experience and a mind-blowing offer of applications.
Whats the equivalent of Apps for a TV? Video content, obviously. But its been largely reported that Apple is not going to get viable deals anytime soon with Big Media, to deliver a large enough choice of content offering on the iTunes marketplace, at a competitive value proposition. Things even seem to go the opposite way: CBS says no deal, Movie companies build their own cloud-based offers.
Apple, therefore is in a tough predicament. It had been hard enough to get the ailing Music Industry on board when iTunes started. With much healthier Hollywood and Big Media, its just not going to work; and I didnt even mention the stronghold of cable and satellite providers on the distribution side.
In such context, television business as we know it is a territory that Apple has no interest stepping into. Apple is about disrupting the status quo, revolutionizing industries. So what can Apple do to disrupt the current way of doing TV business from a content perspective?
To answer that, I think we need to look at the iPad and the iOS platform again, a bit more closely this time. Those Apps that make the platform so excellent, what do they share in common, for the great majority of them? Its that they are made by independent developers. Bingo! Thats where a Apple TV-platform can bring something different: enable independent production of video content.
Lets face it: at least 90% of the TV-content that is offered right now is, well, cr4p: poor taste reality-TV, sensationalist pseudo-news, moronic talk-shows, and series that all feel the same again and again... In other words, the stuff that is supposed to sell more ads by gathering a large but intellectually unconcerned audience. That content is essentially formatted/dictated by the networks for which the intrinsic quality of the shows is often a second thought, as long as audience numbers are good Its a world where theres little to no place for creators independent thinking.
If Apple takes the plunge and makes a push on TV, I think thats where they will place their bets: a platform that empowers independent production, with a different, more direct monetization model. Independent producers would just offer their shows the same way that developers currently offer their apps: either for pay or iAd-based, but without the intermediation of the big networks. That would be quite bold for a bet and it could fail miserably, but I think it has chances to work, and if it does, it could be extremely disruptive.
That an Apple TV-set would be a top-notch technological device in terms of performance, UI and build-quality is a given; were talking about Apple. However thats not enough to achieve a break-through, especially in a market as cut-throat as television (from all points of view: hardware, content and content-distribution).
To figure out how an Apple TV-set can be successful, you need to look at how the iOS platform, especially iPad became such a hit, and then try to imagine how Apple can devise an analogous strategy by leveraging its existing strengths.
What makes the iOS devices so successful is the combination of a seamless experience and a mind-blowing offer of applications.
Whats the equivalent of Apps for a TV? Video content, obviously. But its been largely reported that Apple is not going to get viable deals anytime soon with Big Media, to deliver a large enough choice of content offering on the iTunes marketplace, at a competitive value proposition. Things even seem to go the opposite way: CBS says no deal, Movie companies build their own cloud-based offers.
Apple, therefore is in a tough predicament. It had been hard enough to get the ailing Music Industry on board when iTunes started. With much healthier Hollywood and Big Media, its just not going to work; and I didnt even mention the stronghold of cable and satellite providers on the distribution side.
In such context, television business as we know it is a territory that Apple has no interest stepping into. Apple is about disrupting the status quo, revolutionizing industries. So what can Apple do to disrupt the current way of doing TV business from a content perspective?
To answer that, I think we need to look at the iPad and the iOS platform again, a bit more closely this time. Those Apps that make the platform so excellent, what do they share in common, for the great majority of them? Its that they are made by independent developers. Bingo! Thats where a Apple TV-platform can bring something different: enable independent production of video content.
Lets face it: at least 90% of the TV-content that is offered right now is, well, cr4p: poor taste reality-TV, sensationalist pseudo-news, moronic talk-shows, and series that all feel the same again and again... In other words, the stuff that is supposed to sell more ads by gathering a large but intellectually unconcerned audience. That content is essentially formatted/dictated by the networks for which the intrinsic quality of the shows is often a second thought, as long as audience numbers are good Its a world where theres little to no place for creators independent thinking.
If Apple takes the plunge and makes a push on TV, I think thats where they will place their bets: a platform that empowers independent production, with a different, more direct monetization model. Independent producers would just offer their shows the same way that developers currently offer their apps: either for pay or iAd-based, but without the intermediation of the big networks. That would be quite bold for a bet and it could fail miserably, but I think it has chances to work, and if it does, it could be extremely disruptive.
