Apple Considering Low Cost Apple TV Dongle to Provide Wider Access to Upcoming Streaming Service

[brendu]

Just bring back the old remote with a button for Siri. Forget the stupid trackpad. It sucks.

 

[mikethemartian]

Can't wait for the Apple TV XR.

View attachment 805769

That makes a damn attractive beverage coaster.

 

[trip1ex]

And by low priced they mean $129 huge savings over the $149 Apple TV

Come on. Have some faith. The new dongle will be $199. And will debut alongside a new $299 ATV.

 

[confusedpurple]

It’s like most people in this thread have never even seen a fire tv or chromecast. So much misinformation.

 

[Tech198]

Google ChromeCast move over.. This could also be good for Apple... it was only a matter of time before they got onboard with this.

But Apple would still catch you, since like others, you still need a Apple device to set it up

 

[nt5672]

Apple innovation at its finest.

 

[BaltimoreMediaBlog]

This is a mistake. The ATV 4 and ATV 4K are worth every penny. At first I was underwhelmed with my ATV 4 but I know use it more than my PS4. It is fast, consumes just 5W and I get my full internet bandwidth over 5 GHz ac. The quality of Netflix is superb on it.

A cheap dongle like the Chromecast doesn’t belong in Apple’s lineup. They should stick to making premium products. Leave budget to everyone else.

ECON 101 proves you wrong. If you don't have enough hardware (viewers) to support production, production stops and vice versa. One of the reasons that Apple TV is so overpriced is because there is little content and sales are poor. A lower priced option could change everything. Apple would never make something cheaper than the competition, but being in the ballpark might just help.

 

[Mac 128]

ECON 101 proves you wrong. If you don't have enough hardware (viewers) to support production, production stops and vice versa. One of the reasons that Apple TV is so overpriced is because there is little content and sales are poor. A lower priced option could change everything. Apple would never make something cheaper than the competition, but being in the ballpark might just help.

What’s funny about that, is that they will give away billions of dollars worth of produced programming with the above market average products. So never say never about what Apple would do ...

 

[PickUrPoison]

I just don't have much faith in these rumors, after the 2018 iPad wasn't "sub-$300" and the XR was another premium phone.

There’s a difference between rumors about new hardware based on supply chain leaks, and somebody (including Ming-Chi Kuo) guessing about how much Apple might charge for something.

This rumor reportedly is based on “sources familiar with the project”; it could be a legitimate leak, who knows? It could be nothing more than an educated guess; it doesn’t take a genius to realize that less expensive streaming hardware could be advantageous to the rollout of Apple’s new video service next year.

 

[emulajavi]

Apple, there’s no need to introduce another overpriced ‘lower’ version.

Just price the current Apple TV right at: $69

You will sell more and you will still earn a big margin of at least 20-30%. The current price is insane.

 

[Tech198]

Just bring back the old remote with a button for Siri. Forget the stupid trackpad. It sucks.

It's the only reason i keep my Apple TV 3.

 

[Mac 128]

It's the only reason i keep my Apple TV 3.

The old remote works just fine with the new Apple TV.

 

[drumcat]

The Apple TV 4... that should have been the size of the new Mac Mini.

Should they do an HDMI dongle? Yes.
Will it essentially kill the Apple TV as we know it? Yes.

I have it, and the fanciest thing it does is play back movies. It's an oversized dongle now.

 

[lederermc]

If it has AirPlay support, I could see it being a success just for streaming from an iOS device to a TV.

Given the power if the iPhone X* is there really any need for anything other than an airplay dongle.

 

[gwaizai]

just in time for the holidays, too.

Jingle dongles, jingle dongles
Dongles all the way,
Oh what fun it is to ride in Timmie's one-horse dongle sleigh-ey!...

 

[tpham5919]

Will I need a dongle for the apple tv dongle?

 

[partsofspeech]

Apple Ecosystem ~> Jungle of Dongle

 

[femike]

I use my AppleTV4 for now. But, unfortunately Apple has turned it into a streaming box now, so maybe a dongle is all they have a vision for. I have no intentions of buying another unless Apple puts some effort into it, aside from streaming.

I had high hopes for the Apple TV. With Apple's supporting a vision of constant improvements, an A12X chip, bundle a full featured controller, web browser, messaging support (for user profiles), choose which apps are on guest access, quality games, better update options, better developer support, more effort for other countries, etc etc.

 

[jblagden]

How will they compete with the cross platform streaming services? They really think people will buy new hardware just for their streaming service?

Pretty much just the Apple fans, and pretty much every Apple fan has an Apple TV. There's really not much reason to buy an Apple TV if you're not heavily invested in iTunes.

 

[lolkthxbai]

I can see apple selling a dongle-like device that connects to the hdmi port of a tv that only allows access to apple services (upcoming tv service, apple music, itunes, airplay)

 

[verniesgarden]

The Apple TV needs some serious work first. Or maybe this will asssist that. Hopefully get HomeKit support

 

[jblagden]

Another benefit vs. the Chromecast is that you can connect the ATVs to a receiver and get 5.1 surround. The Chromecast can deliver surround but it has to be through optical out on your TV. Right now only the higher end sets still have optical out since HDMI is superior to optical. HDMI carries the lossless DTS Master and Dolby True HD. Dolby Atmos as well for those who have a high-end receiver.

I know that sound bars are all the rage today but audiophiles will always want a good receiver and good independent speakers and subwoofers to get the best home theater experience possible.

Roku boxes can pass DTS Master and Dolby True HD on to receivers via HDMI. A Chromecast might not be able to do that, but a Roku can. And you can get a much more capable device for the same price as a Chromecast. If you want to go up to the $100 level, you can get a USB port on the Roku and a headphone jack on the remote.
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Can you AirPlay to your LG TV?

If you're running iOS, that is a big deal. If you're running Android on your mobile devices, you can use Miracast. But Airplay is just one of those things Apple does to keep you in their ecosystem. They could easily have used what was already there, but no, they had to use their own special thing instead to help keep you in their ecosystem.

 

[mazz0]

What could they take away - what does the exiting Apple TV do that the Amazons Fire Stick etc dont do? I think it's always been a stupid amount of money for the price.

 

[citysnaps]

If you're running iOS, that is a big deal. If you're running Android on your mobile devices, you can use Miracast. But Airplay is just one of those things Apple does to keep you in their ecosystem. They could easily have used what was already there, but no, they had to use their own special thing instead to help keep you in their ecosystem.

Easily have used what was already there? How could Apple have done that as AirPlay/AirTunes was released back in 2004?

If a device doesn't support AirPlay I'm not interested.

 

[Mac 128]

If you're running iOS, that is a big deal. If you're running Android on your mobile devices, you can use Miracast. But Airplay is just one of those things Apple does to keep you in their ecosystem. They could easily have used what was already there, but no, they had to use their own special thing instead to help keep you in their ecosystem.

Easily have used what was already there? How could Apple have done that as AirPlay/AirTunes was released back in 2004?

If a device doesn't support AirPlay I'm not interested.

2011 for AirPlay Mirroring. Chromecast was horrific when introduced in 2013 — and it’s still inferior to AirPlay.

His argument is like saying Apple should have adopted USB-C when they switched to Lightning, forgetting that USB-C didn’t exist at the time.