Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Apple 'Monitoring' AT&T's Potential Time Warner Acquisition

MH01 said:
Apple controls all our video/music/etc. Is that any different?

If you get into the apple ecosystem, it's exactly what is happening. And piece by piece they are adding more blocks ....one giant company.
Click to expand...
Your question is unanswerable because the assertion it relies upon is demonstrably false. Apple doesn't "control all our video/music/etc.", they control video/music/etc you buy FROM APPLE. One can easily buy video/music from any source and load it onto an iOS device. I have plenty of songs in iTunes that I bought from other sources (and my AppleTV will cheerfully stream videos from my NAS, that were purchased from other sources - if Apple were trying to eliminate competition and "control all your video/music/etc." they wouldn't let apps like Infuse and Plex and Pandora into the App Store). Plus, nobody forces you to buy an iPhone rather than, say, an Android phone.

I'm talking about all the places where you can only get Internet service from one or two companies, who then have little reason to compete. And the ever-shrinking collection of media corporations (as they continue to merge), who control an absurd percentage of the video and music that makes it into widespread distribution.

Apple is building an ecosystem which you can choose to use (video/music entirely from iTunes, etc., running on Apple hardware). But Google and Amazon will cheerfully remind you that there are other choices. Apple competes with them by trying to make their ecosystem as attractive as possible, not by buying the competition up (or "merging with them") and eliminating them from the marketplace (I'd be the first to complain if they did that).

I have happily chosen to use Apple hardware, iOS, and Apple Music, because I like what each of these does for me, and I find the cost reasonable for the value I receive from them. On the other hand, I get Internet service from the local cable company because the only other viable alternative here is DSL, which costs way more for similar speeds - not because I chose the cable company as my favorite out of many alternatives (more like the least bad from a limited selection).
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Feenician, Cartoonkid and rp2011
CarlJ said:
Your question is unanswerable because the assertion it follows is false. Apple doesn't "control all our video/music/etc.", they control video/music/etc you buy FROM APPLE. One can easily buy video/music from any source and load it onto an iOS device. I have plenty of songs in iTunes that I bought from other sources. Plus, nobody forces you to buy an iPhone rather than, say, an Android phone.

I'm talking about all the places where you can only get Internet service from one or two companies, who then have little reason to compete. And the ever-shrinking collection of media corporations (as they continue to merge), who control an absurd percentage of the video and music that makes it into widespread distribution.

Apple is working building an attractive system which you can choose to use (video/music entirely from iTunes, etc., running on Apple hardware). But Google and Amazon will cheerfully remind you that there are other choices.
Click to expand...

My point is I cannot plug in a windows phone or android phone into iTunes and play any of the content I bought.....

I understand you concerns about competition, though at the same time.... does not Apple Music worry you? This is a classic example of a giant coming in and flexing the muscle, in years when the competition is gone and apple can set their pricing... how is that good for us.

Watch this space in regards to streaming music and your concerns .....
 
MH01 said:
My point is I cannot plug in a windows phone or android phone into iTunes and play any of the content I bought.....
Click to expand...
iTunes doesn't support Windows phones or Android phones because it was designed as an accessory to support Apple devices - supporting other company's hardware would give them all sorts of support headaches. Yet there is nothing at all stopping you from copying all the songs you bought from Apple out of iTunes and into whatever software you use to send music to your Windows phone or Android phone. It's all standard AAC-format files, playable on any sufficiently modern device, and there's no DRM (there was, initially, because the media corporations wouldn't allow Apple to sell music without it - just as they still do with movies - but that changed in 2009, the media corporations essentially traded turning off DRM and switching to higher BPS for getting pricing tiers so they could make popular music more expensive - and music purchased prior to that could be "upgraded" to the higher-BPS non-DRMed form).
MH01 said:
I understand you concerns about competition, though at the same time.... does not Apple Music worry you? This is a classic example of a giant coming in and flexing the muscle, in years when the competition is gone and apple can set their pricing... how is that good for us.
Click to expand...
Apple Music concerns me to the extent that all the music streaming services worry me - they are not a good deal for the artists, who make less than they did off outright purchases (in both cases after the media corporations take their large cuts). I'd rather see all the streaming services charge more, across the board, so the artists could get a better deal, but unfortunately all the streaming companies have set the public's expectation that such a service is "worth about $10/mo", and now the public will perceive any higher price as "a ripoff".
 
  • Like
Reactions: MH01
Yes, it sucks all around in Washington. No hope for anything unless well paid lobbyists are behind it. Both parties are there to protect the special interest while the public gets screwed.
 
Time Warner is a content company (CNN, Warner Bros - Harry Potter, HBO etc) - this is what is being bought by AT&T. Time Warner Cable is a completely separate company now, just a cable company, which in fact recently merged with Charter and will now be known as Spectrum.
 
Last edited:
macgabe said:
Time Warner is a content company (CNN, Warner Bros - Harry Potter, HBO etc) - this is what is being bought by AT&T. Time Warner Cable is a completely separate company now, just a cable company, which in fact recently merged with Charter and will now be known as Spectrum.
Click to expand...

Thanks for that clarification. The content sources and brands are relatively meaningless to me. But the access to the internet, which I get through cable and wireless, is important. The monopoly that Time Warner Cable has in getting internet to my house is a pretty big deal. Content sources being owned by a different big company doesn't strike me as a huge deal. Though of course this is a HUGE deal by dollar size. But I can't see any reason for the U.S. government to block this or for consumers to be concerned that the cost of their content will go up or the quality will be diminished.
 
If this goes through I can easily see Comcast attempt to purchase Verizon to create a similar mega media giant. Then you'd have the big 2 controlling everything from production right down to your phone. It's a heck of a business model and an easy way to take out the little guys on both ends.

Rogifan said:
So who buys Viacom now? Or Discovery or Scripps?
Click to expand...

Verizon or Comcast. Or Comcast could purchase Verizon first then buy Viacom.
 
Deals like this shouldn't be approved. The gvt. isn't enforcing Sherman Anti-trust laws plain and simple.
 
There was a time when AT&T was a huge company that got split up. Look at them now. Personally, I'd love to see Comcast bought out by a company like Google and their customers moved to fiber. It would certainly stop people whinging about Comcast every day and the internet wouldn't be clogged with first-world oh woe is me stories.
 
Apple "monitors" why...? Would they (over-)bid ?
Did Cook prepare a bid or not ?
(if he can provision anything on just an iPad)
 
Last edited:
theelysium said:
AT&T cannot by TW, that's a huge monopoly.
Click to expand...
Why not? Time Warner is a content business. AT&T is not.
[doublepost=1477309451][/doublepost]
TallManNY said:
Thanks for that clarification. The content sources and brands are relatively meaningless to me. But the access to the internet, which I get through cable and wireless, is important. The monopoly that Time Warner Cable has in getting internet to my house is a pretty big deal. Content sources being owned by a different big company doesn't strike me as a huge deal. Though of course this is a HUGE deal by dollar size. But I can't see any reason for the U.S. government to block this or for consumers to be concerned that the cost of their content will go up or the quality will be diminished.
Click to expand...
To bring this back to Apple, Time Warner's CEO was on CNBC this morning. He was asked about Apple and said there were never any discussions to merge with Apple. He basically laughed off those rumors. Which makes me wonder where those stories came from. Is it something Apple was discussing internally and that got leaked to the media?
 
  • Like
Reactions: rjohnstone
Rogifan said:
Why not? Time Warner is a content business. AT&T is not.
[doublepost=1477309451][/doublepost]
To bring this back to Apple, Time Warner's CEO was on CNBC this morning. He was asked about Apple and said there were never any discussions to merge with Apple. He basically laughed off those rumors. Which makes me wonder where those stories came from. Is it something Apple was discussing internally and that got leaked to the media?
Click to expand...
Probably part of Apple's PR buzz to look good (or less inept, when it comes to media strategy)
Over the years, Cue has upped the expectations so much and accomplished so little.
So when the ATT-deal is closed, expect some Cue-rated comment to downplay its impact...
 
Last edited:
pentidoes said:
Hey Apple, here's something to "monitor": Apple pro-users being annoyed by Apple's current focus.
Click to expand...

Haven't you heard? Their computer business is just an hobby. Like all the rest these days.
[doublepost=1477334530][/doublepost]
MH01 said:
Apple controls all our video/music/etc. Is that any different?

If you get into the apple ecosystem, it's exactly what is happening. And piece by piece they are adding more blocks ....one giant company.
Click to expand...
MH01 said:
Apple controls all our video/music/etc. Is that any different?

If you get into the apple ecosystem, it's exactly what is happening. And piece by piece they are adding more blocks ....one giant company.
Click to expand...

I don't know from what planet you're from but definitely not from the video-, music-, movie industry. Apple HAD a big presence there. But failure after failure and neglecting their loyal customers there for years, they're losing market even faster then they introduce wristbands.

An working ecosystem is nice when it is competitive and up to today's standards. The Apple ecosystem these days is more like an Apple jail. Once you're in, it's very expensive to go out. Ask other video and music professionals.

I've been wondering if Apple has a focus the last couple of years. Name one they're on top and successful in. Every category is going down and I hope their profit will take a big hit too as wake up call.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 0958400
HJM.NL said:
Haven't you heard? Their computer business is just an hobby. Like all the rest these days.
[doublepost=1477334530][/doublepost]


I don't know from what planet you're from but definitely not from the video-, music-, movie industry. Apple HAD a big presence there. But failure after failure and neglecting their loyal customers there for years, they're losing market even faster then they introduce wristbands.

An working ecosystem is nice when it is competitive and up to today's standards. The Apple ecosystem these days is more like an Apple jail. Once you're in, it's very expensive to go out. Ask other video and music professionals.

I've been wondering if Apple has a focus the last couple of years. Name one they're on top and successful in. Every category is going down and I hope their profit will take a big hit too as wake up call.
Click to expand...

My reference is that apple controls thier ecosystem. It's thier way or the highway
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back