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Apple Hires Cable Industry Veteran Jean-François Mulé as Engineering Director
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Regulation
We made a huge mistake with cable monopolies and then the wireless networks. These should have been common carriers. At no time should the owner of the "wire" feed you programs it owns a stake in. No Comcast NBC. I want to make deals, myself, with program producers, not the idiot bureaucrats. Top level contract: the one you make with ESPN or HBO or whatever is your deal. Interactive in the sense that you can use the common broadcasters signal over the air-- pretty good when it's 4K-- or you can stream movies from hundreds of different sources. I'd like to buy whatever Scorsese makes next. See a copy on my HD. First. I'll buy different programming from every other human. Cable is a dumb '70s idea. "Oh, you like 18 channels in your area, huh? Well, how about 300!" Here's the problem: I watch about 8-10 "channels", and more and more I switch to Netscape or HBO GO. A number of services, like HBO, start making their contracts with the viewers directly, I'm in.
We made a huge mistake with cable monopolies and then the wireless networks. These should have been common carriers. At no time should the owner of the "wire" feed you programs it owns a stake in. No Comcast NBC. I want to make deals, myself, with program producers, not the idiot bureaucrats. Top level contract: the one you make with ESPN or HBO or whatever is your deal. Interactive in the sense that you can use the common broadcasters signal over the air-- pretty good when it's 4K-- or you can stream movies from hundreds of different sources. I'd like to buy whatever Scorsese makes next. See a copy on my HD. First. I'll buy different programming from every other human. Cable is a dumb '70s idea. "Oh, you like 18 channels in your area, huh? Well, how about 300!" Here's the problem: I watch about 8-10 "channels", and more and more I switch to Netscape or HBO GO. A number of services, like HBO, start making their contracts with the viewers directly, I'm in.
I am with you. The only huge thing is the option of live sports events. Once they figure this out I will jump in 100%.
You know what would be cool? If your recordings were stored in iCloud and you could watch them on all your devices.
With it being a cable box that narrows down what they can do. It will be very similar to the xbox one (just not the graphics power).
*Arm processor A*X* silicon around the power of next iPad (in house chip to suite their needs / cheap)
* HDMI In & HDMI Out ( piggyback off of existing cable boxes with a guide)
* Built in mic / remote control from idevices with touch / voice
OS / Guide features
*TV Guide overlay onto HDMI IN source (Cable provider box)
*Updated flat ui from ios7
*Voice control / Siri via built in mic
*Featuring 1st party ios apps (browser/mail etc)
*Support for 3rd party apps via app store
*Extensive game support w/ a game controller from the latest iOS 7 update
*Built in cam for facetime + other video apps
$100-150
The first real challenge to the big three in the gaming industry.
*Arm processor A*X* silicon around the power of next iPad (in house chip to suite their needs / cheap)
* HDMI In & HDMI Out ( piggyback off of existing cable boxes with a guide)
* Built in mic / remote control from idevices with touch / voice
OS / Guide features
*TV Guide overlay onto HDMI IN source (Cable provider box)
*Updated flat ui from ios7
*Voice control / Siri via built in mic
*Featuring 1st party ios apps (browser/mail etc)
*Support for 3rd party apps via app store
*Extensive game support w/ a game controller from the latest iOS 7 update
*Built in cam for facetime + other video apps
$100-150
The first real challenge to the big three in the gaming industry.
It's long but just read this! I'm going to point to this post in a year or two and say "Called it!"
-Apple will release a beautiful iTV.
-They'll release a box as well.
-It will run a full iOS w/facetime, safari, imessages, photos, icloud, apps, itunes radio, everything.
-The most important aspect of it will be the INPUT DEVICE. Not a mouse, not a touch screen, not a wireless keyboard, not air gestures, not just voice, but an air pointer of some kind. It will allow you to select items on the screen with little effort from a pointing device of some kind, like an air mouse.
-You will be able to subscribe (with a monthly fee) to NETWORKS via iTunes. Not individual channels, but small bundles of channels from all the major networks. New episodes will become available as they "air."
-You will be able to stream live TV: news channels and sports.
-It won't cost any less than your current cable subscription. (Depending on the number of subscriptions you choose it may even cost more)
-There will be third party subscription bundles, from companies such as netflix who have licensed content catalogs (old movies, etc.)
-You will be able to buy individual shows/movies via itunes.
-Over the next several years, cable companies will become primarily ISP's like a utility company. They will expand fiber optic networks to cater to consumer demand for increased bandwidth.
-The iTV or box, may be subsidized by your internet service provider (comcast, etc.).
-The iTV will also become a major gaming device, with games purchased via iTunes.
-The iTV will handle multiple users, who are logged in automatically via fingerprint, or perhaps facial recognition.
-You may be required to login each time you turn the tv on. All of your content will be available to you from any Apple device, even if you're at your friends house.
-The iTV will also be a home monitoring device.
-The iTV will not be 4k resolution.
Box $650-800
TV $2,400-3,000
-Google will release an Android TV OS for free to TV hardware companies and offer content via google play at lower prices with little profit. Google will quickly take 75% of the streaming content market. They will blatantly rip off Apple's pointing device despite patents. Lawsuits ensue and Apple looses because the pointing device was such an "obvious" innovation it is deemed essential tech.
That's all i can think of, tell me if you get it and I'm wrong.
-Apple will release a beautiful iTV.
-They'll release a box as well.
-It will run a full iOS w/facetime, safari, imessages, photos, icloud, apps, itunes radio, everything.
-The most important aspect of it will be the INPUT DEVICE. Not a mouse, not a touch screen, not a wireless keyboard, not air gestures, not just voice, but an air pointer of some kind. It will allow you to select items on the screen with little effort from a pointing device of some kind, like an air mouse.
-You will be able to subscribe (with a monthly fee) to NETWORKS via iTunes. Not individual channels, but small bundles of channels from all the major networks. New episodes will become available as they "air."
-You will be able to stream live TV: news channels and sports.
-It won't cost any less than your current cable subscription. (Depending on the number of subscriptions you choose it may even cost more)
-There will be third party subscription bundles, from companies such as netflix who have licensed content catalogs (old movies, etc.)
-You will be able to buy individual shows/movies via itunes.
-Over the next several years, cable companies will become primarily ISP's like a utility company. They will expand fiber optic networks to cater to consumer demand for increased bandwidth.
-The iTV or box, may be subsidized by your internet service provider (comcast, etc.).
-The iTV will also become a major gaming device, with games purchased via iTunes.
-The iTV will handle multiple users, who are logged in automatically via fingerprint, or perhaps facial recognition.
-You may be required to login each time you turn the tv on. All of your content will be available to you from any Apple device, even if you're at your friends house.
-The iTV will also be a home monitoring device.
-The iTV will not be 4k resolution.
Box $650-800
TV $2,400-3,000
-Google will release an Android TV OS for free to TV hardware companies and offer content via google play at lower prices with little profit. Google will quickly take 75% of the streaming content market. They will blatantly rip off Apple's pointing device despite patents. Lawsuits ensue and Apple looses because the pointing device was such an "obvious" innovation it is deemed essential tech.
That's all i can think of, tell me if you get it and I'm wrong.
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I'm just going to throw this guess out there: the Apple television will NOT be 4k. It will have some oddball screen resolution like 5464x3072, which they will claim is better. Edit: I didn't read osaga's post before I wrote this. I guess that great minds just think alike. And some of us have seen the future.
1. Samsung easily makes the best TVs on the market.
2. No way would they ever decide to cannibalize their own sales to help Apple steal sales from their higher end models.
Toshiba just announced lay-offs because they can't make any money selling TVs, so if you think Apple wants to enter the razor thin single-digit margin world of TVs you're not thinking like a business would.
http://www.afterdawn.com/news/artic..._to_cut_3000_jobs_from_struggling_tv_division
Now, making a "converter box" with a nice Apple GUI and all the bells and whistles is another matter entirely. Let some other company make 5% selling the glorified panel...
Think about it, does the Apple Store at the mall really want to stock, sell, and service 50" or 60" televisions for virtually no profit, while taking away all that physical space from tiny, high margin products that people upgrade every couple of years?
Ain't gonna happen in my opinion.
Apple will not enter a razor thin profit margin business to compete as is. For you to even pose a rhetorical question about that means you don't understand Apple. If they do something with TV, they will create an adjacent market and further disrupt the existing TV market and not simply try to exist in it as is.
If Apple puts out a TV, they won't just be selling the panel. They will be selling services, content, the panel, and who knows what else to make the margins they require.
TVs no longer need to be what they were. A large panel on the wall in your house can and should do more for you. TVs are computers, computers are TVs. In the end, a smart Cinema Display line could cause TV manufacturers a great deal of grief as Apple has the resources to offer things the competition can't. There is a ton of money in the TV business. There just isn't enough profit under the current model for panel manufactures.
TV is ripe for disruption from all aspects. Panels are commodities, everyone has their me too Smart TV capabilities that don't actually fix what is really broken in TV which is consumption models, content, delivery, and user experience. I hope Apple smashes this one out of the park no matter what the actual product looks like. I just want these problems fixed with a panel or not.
Toshiba just announced lay-offs because they can't make any money selling TVs, so if you think Apple wants to enter the razor thin single-digit margin world of TVs you're not thinking like a business would.
http://www.afterdawn.com/news/artic..._to_cut_3000_jobs_from_struggling_tv_division
Now, making a "converter box" with a nice Apple GUI and all the bells and whistles is another matter entirely. Let some other company make 5% selling the glorified panel...
Think about it, does the Apple Store at the mall really want to stock, sell, and service 50" or 60" televisions for virtually no profit, while taking away all that physical space from tiny, high margin products that people upgrade every couple of years?
Ain't gonna happen in my opinion.
Unless they have a plan way beyond your and my imagination...
While I agree that whatever Apple does will be more than just a TV, they aren't in a position to create content, nor do I think they want to be. Therefore they must rely on content creators and owners, and that is a very complicated process. So it makes sense for them to concentrate their legal efforts where they can get the deals done first. For the music industry, that was here in the US. Whether or not it is the same way for the video content that people want remains to be seen.
Toshiba just announced lay-offs because they can't make any money selling TVs, so if you think Apple wants to enter the razor thin single-digit margin world of TVs you're not thinking like a business would.
http://www.afterdawn.com/news/artic..._to_cut_3000_jobs_from_struggling_tv_division
Now, making a "converter box" with a nice Apple GUI and all the bells and whistles is another matter entirely. Let some other company make 5% selling the glorified panel...
Think about it, does the Apple Store at the mall really want to stock, sell, and service 50" or 60" televisions for virtually no profit, while taking away all that physical space from tiny, high margin products that people upgrade every couple of years?
Ain't gonna happen in my opinion.
Yep I agree.
The new concept Steve had, has to be a small device that projects a 3D hologram of a TV that can be as big as you wish and viewed from any angle. You will be able to have several of them as they will be only $199 each. OK I'll stop dreaming now and go back to work …
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My guess is you'd be correct for a short while as with many Apple products, but not for long. Apple have to be thinking world wide.
I do agree with you that this is extremely complex and this is why I say that the value will be limited to the US (at first). A good example is Itunes Radio, I think this is US only. So I just want to remind people thinking that Apple will revolutionize the TV world that "world" is bigger than the US.
Toshiba just announced lay-offs because they can't make any money selling TVs, so if you think Apple wants to enter the razor thin single-digit margin world of TVs you're not thinking like a business would.
http://www.afterdawn.com/news/artic..._to_cut_3000_jobs_from_struggling_tv_division
Now, making a "converter box" with a nice Apple GUI and all the bells and whistles is another matter entirely. Let some other company make 5% selling the glorified panel...
Think about it, does the Apple Store at the mall really want to stock, sell, and service 50" or 60" televisions for virtually no profit, while taking away all that physical space from tiny, high margin products that people upgrade every couple of years?
Ain't gonna happen in my opinion.
True, but Apple has a history of making money selling high-margin products, even where others have failed/struggled selling low-margin products. Their hardware design, and UI skills, plus a vibrant ecosystem are enough to get a lot of people to part with the extra money over a 'bog standard' TV. Most "smart" TVs I've seen have a UI that seems like from 10 years ago, I think there's massive scope for improvement and better integration with other devices and the cloud.
I guess it depends on how you define "value." Some people saw no "value" in personal computers, believing computers to be only for business applications. Yet others saw the "value" of having a platform that could be expanded.
Concerning television I see three areas of value:
- content
- access to the content
- displaying the content
You can map this to three main type of devices
- cable
- set-top box
- tv set
I do not see Apple bringing much value on the tv set front. They could have a better image or sound or a better design but I would not bet on it.
For the set-top box, they could expand the Apple TV hobby to something more powerful. That could bring value to everybody but the real value will depends on the content.
This is where I believe that Apple will not be able, at first, to bring value outside the US.
So let's say Apple tries to create a whole eco-system across those categories, the content will be at the same time the most important aspect and the most difficult to bring outside the US.
In my opinion, I think THE MOST logical way for Apple to create a TV experience is improve Apple TV and sell displays separately. I truly think Apple is already in the process of doing so, especially with iDevice Game Controllers such as the leaked Logitech one. With that said, I think Apple TV will be similar to the functionality of XBOX one in terms of a gaming console as well as a TV/Cable/Media Set Top box. Improve the software and UI, add more content, improve Airplay streaming, and have more apps/games that have Airplay functionality and the Apple TV would be quite an amazing gadget. With the inclusion of having a variety of different controllers and controller sizes, Apple TV would be highly sought after. I also think that if Apple offered paper thin, ultra HD displays as an option for Apple TV makes much more sense than a full fledged TV. It would allow consumers to use their existing TV's to connect to Apple TV or the option to buy the Apple Display. The Apple display could feature a camera built in for motion control/facial recognition. Voice control could be incorporated via an iDevice using Siri. Don't have an Apple display for motion control? Use an iDevices camera.
Yeah, sure, it's me that doesn't understand Apple.
Pray tell what "more" this commodity panel will do for me in the context of your post??? Everything you described can be achieved with outstanding software packaged in an external set-top box, no new panel required.
no one ever said there wasnt a fat profit margin in mobile. thats the difference....TV hardware has very thin margins.
Go Topless
Topless, Set-Top Box Less that is.
I purchased a 60" HDTV for my grandparents last week. While doing research primarily between the many Samsung and few others, I noticed that there are a few that allow one to work with DirecTV without using a set-top box.
Of course, I'm sure that this is only for people who don not use a DVR, but was not aware of this prior to looking at new HDTV's.
The ability to not have to use a set-top box is great for businesses. My dentist office has satellite tv's for patients to watch, while many other doctor offices have tv's in the waiting room. There are tons of sports bars, etc. Most of them do not have any need whatsoever at all for DVR.
Most of them also hang their large screen HDTV's on the wall. However, the issue is that while you can "neatly" hang a large screen HDTV on the wall, you still "need" an unsightly box. Well, that's no longer true for a few Samsung tv's, and that only works with DirecTV.
For Apple, they can do what Microsoft has always done: Embrace, Then Extend. Of course, the carriers are all well aware of the beast: Microsoft, Apple, Google, etc.
To go set-top less, one would need to do what Samsung has done, plus make it do the same for both Comcast and Dish Network. Thus, make tomorrow's Apple TV more of a network storage device of media and the built-in tuner capability into the set, which would need to be licensed out to non-Samsung tv manufacturers including Sony, LG, Vizio, etc.
With Apple and Samsung at war with one another, its going to be next to impossible for Apple to get Samsung to adopt anything Apple puts out. So, Samsung will most likely include this for "free" while users who want Apple's device will need to pay separately. Once more, don't expect the carrier's (Comcast, DirecTV, Dish Network) to support either.
Topless, Set-Top Box Less that is.
I purchased a 60" HDTV for my grandparents last week. While doing research primarily between the many Samsung and few others, I noticed that there are a few that allow one to work with DirecTV without using a set-top box.
Of course, I'm sure that this is only for people who don not use a DVR, but was not aware of this prior to looking at new HDTV's.
The ability to not have to use a set-top box is great for businesses. My dentist office has satellite tv's for patients to watch, while many other doctor offices have tv's in the waiting room. There are tons of sports bars, etc. Most of them do not have any need whatsoever at all for DVR.
Most of them also hang their large screen HDTV's on the wall. However, the issue is that while you can "neatly" hang a large screen HDTV on the wall, you still "need" an unsightly box. Well, that's no longer true for a few Samsung tv's, and that only works with DirecTV.
For Apple, they can do what Microsoft has always done: Embrace, Then Extend. Of course, the carriers are all well aware of the beast: Microsoft, Apple, Google, etc.
To go set-top less, one would need to do what Samsung has done, plus make it do the same for both Comcast and Dish Network. Thus, make tomorrow's Apple TV more of a network storage device of media and the built-in tuner capability into the set, which would need to be licensed out to non-Samsung tv manufacturers including Sony, LG, Vizio, etc.
With Apple and Samsung at war with one another, its going to be next to impossible for Apple to get Samsung to adopt anything Apple puts out. So, Samsung will most likely include this for "free" while users who want Apple's device will need to pay separately. Once more, don't expect the carrier's (Comcast, DirecTV, Dish Network) to support either.