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Apple TV Business Generated $1 Billion in 2013, Cook Says 'Difficult to Call It a Hobby'
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So this doesn't show how users are clamoring for an Apple TV (good thing). I'm sorry but then how has google stock gone up if they have been doing nothing with their projects? How about the profit margins on their Nexus and Motos last year?
If that's the case, then I wonder what growth there was. I would imagine that many people spend equal to, if not more than, the price of an Apple TV in content.
Update 11:21AM: Re/code's Peter Kafka says the $1 billion number includes content sales on the Apple TV box, including movie rentals and TV show purchases.
And the shoe just dropped
And the shoe just dropped
Chromecast sells for $35 and does everything and is totally open, or so Google says. You can almost buy three Chromecasts for the price of one AppleTV. Apple continues to let Google get into its kitchen and that's why Google shares are sitting at $1200 and Apple's shares are continuously heading towards $500. Tim Cook just doesn't understand the gravity of the situation concerning Apple's shareholder value. All the companies Apple could have acquired for almost nothing last year, have practically doubled in value while Apple has simply faded. That's just Apple's horrible management strategy of being penny wise and pounds foolish.
1 billion dollars of revenue in a year (from Apple TV: Not a hobby
893 million dollars in revenue in latest quarter (from a Microsoft product): People tell me how big a fail it is
893 million dollars in revenue in latest quarter (from a Microsoft product): People tell me how big a fail it is
I think most of us would be happy if they just opened the App store for the Apple TV. Anything else, for me at least, would be icing on the cake. Personally I'd love to see them integrate co ax or HDMI pass through so I could route my antenna through the Apple TV.
Hopeful
I just hope they unify content so that for example shows that I purchased on iTunes (and are in the cloud) show up in line with shows I have streaming from my NAS via iTunes. If they can do it in iTunes, why not on the Apple TV?
Also, why is it that seasons of shows are not grouped together. The list gets super long when you have 21 seasons of Top Gear and 10 seasons of Supernatural (no judging!) stacked up.
I just hope they unify content so that for example shows that I purchased on iTunes (and are in the cloud) show up in line with shows I have streaming from my NAS via iTunes. If they can do it in iTunes, why not on the Apple TV?
Also, why is it that seasons of shows are not grouped together. The list gets super long when you have 21 seasons of Top Gear and 10 seasons of Supernatural (no judging!) stacked up.
The streaming industry is hopelessly fragmented. Until the industry can get together and take full advantage of streaming, another so called new and improved device will just be a joke. Allow me to stream what I want. If I want only the local networks and all the sports channels such as ESPN, NFL, BTN, MLB, NHL, etc' then let me buy that package. If I want the History and Discovery channels, along with HBO and Showtime, then let me buy that. Let the consumer decide what they want, not the industry sending us a few worthless bones. Until then, these set top boxes are not worth the money.
So, re-invest in it then
I mean Apple TV was great, but its fallen behind the times compared to their competition. I have said over and over again that other Netflix clients are far superior to what Apple offers, and I have seen much better presentations for how to browse and access content in general on other boxes, including the new generation of game consoles.
Apple has to move beyond the "grid of icons and endless lists" GUI design for Apple TV and come out with something unique and inspiring.
If all the new Apple TV is going to be is just an enhanced vehicle for dumping more garbage content in a grid and calling it a day, I will not be buying any new Apple TV boxes.
I mean Apple TV was great, but its fallen behind the times compared to their competition. I have said over and over again that other Netflix clients are far superior to what Apple offers, and I have seen much better presentations for how to browse and access content in general on other boxes, including the new generation of game consoles.
Apple has to move beyond the "grid of icons and endless lists" GUI design for Apple TV and come out with something unique and inspiring.
If all the new Apple TV is going to be is just an enhanced vehicle for dumping more garbage content in a grid and calling it a day, I will not be buying any new Apple TV boxes.
You need to stop using blogs as a reference and go to sites like http://www.avsforum.com to hear first person reports with issues with Netflix throttling with Apple TV.
Apple isn't giving these ISP's any money so why would you think they would get special treatment.
The Streaming industry isn't really the problem right now.
it's the content delivery networks who have a stranglehold and won't let go.
for example with NHL, EVEN if you purchase the NHL centre ice pcakage ($190 for the season), unless you "hack" or use proxies, your Local team is blacked out.
The only reason for this is the Owners of most teams are also owners of the networks (especially here, where Roger's and Bell own the Leafs, and the cable / Satellite companies). They force you to watch local games exclusively on their network. Only on their cable box. For example, last nights game was on Roger's Sportsnet. I have cable package that allows me ondemand and live TV online. Yet Roger's blacked out Sportsnet Streaming for the game, Forcing me to have to use my cable box.
UNtil the criminal style monopolistic behaviour ends, these streaming boxes are going to have to be 2nd fiddle. Its very hard in many markets to dump the cable, because you'll be unable to get most of the content online.
Google's 3 Stooges of Schmidt, Page and Brin have silver tongues and can easily convince Wall Street investors their Android Everywhere/Autonomous Robot strategy will pay off big-time in the future. On the other hand, Apple has Mr. Mumbles Tim Cook who can't convince investors the sun is going to rise tomorrow. When Steve Jobs died he took all of his Reality Distortion Field with him. Tim Cook has only a Reality Destruction Field. Google doesn't require fixed profit margins, so only high potential growth matters to investors. Google shareholders win, Apple shareholder lose.
In other news, Google refuses to publish sales numbers of Chromecast. And as you surely realised, Google needs to sell three times as many as Apple does. And surely you are not suggesting that Apple should have bought WhatsThisApp?
It's going to take a lot of improvement for me to swap out Roku with ATV. I Plex a lot of movies. I guess i'll see after it comes out. WWF just isn't enough.
The reason it's not going to happen is because the content providers get paid a lot more to deliver programming through traditional networks and cable/satellite providers than they are going to get selling channels 'a la carte' to consumers.
People have this fantasy that they will be able to pick and choose the first run programming and high quality content for a fraction of their cable bill.
A lot of that content is developed because the current system practically guarantees billions of dollars through network subscription fees.
There is ZERO incentive to creative a marketplace that makes it EASIER for consumers to get everything all in one place for significantly less. And believe me there is NO way Apple is going to do it for cheaper.
Wasn't 893 million dollars Microsoft's writeoff for some tablet?
Apple TV is possibly the biggest seller in a tiny market. That's what you call a hobby. Microsoft lost massive money in one of the two biggest growth markets, with tiny sales.
i love my atvs
I still have a first gen stuffed away which i had jailbroken with boxeee back in the days.
Then the passive silent atv2 was a bliss, also jailbroken with xmbc back in the days.
Currently i got the atv2 running restored to standard firmware in my bedroom and another atv3 in my living room.
I got free cable at my apartment but i never ever watch standard TV. All i do is play stuff from my iTunes share, stuff directly streamed from the atv or AirPlay content from either my iPhone or my MacBook.
Just yesterday when i got Amazon Instant Video i tried the Samsung SmartHub stuff on my TV and hell what a giant turd that system is. All that SmartTV tech came out years after the AppleTV and all you can do is shake you head on the incompentence they still show in every aspect of usability (updates) GUI and ofc the design of the remotes. That makes you appreciate what an awesome system Apple is offering while they called it "a hobby".
I personally can't wait to see the next generation and the moment they will take it "seriously"
I still have a first gen stuffed away which i had jailbroken with boxeee back in the days.
Then the passive silent atv2 was a bliss, also jailbroken with xmbc back in the days.
Currently i got the atv2 running restored to standard firmware in my bedroom and another atv3 in my living room.
I got free cable at my apartment but i never ever watch standard TV. All i do is play stuff from my iTunes share, stuff directly streamed from the atv or AirPlay content from either my iPhone or my MacBook.
Just yesterday when i got Amazon Instant Video i tried the Samsung SmartHub stuff on my TV and hell what a giant turd that system is. All that SmartTV tech came out years after the AppleTV and all you can do is shake you head on the incompentence they still show in every aspect of usability (updates) GUI and ofc the design of the remotes. That makes you appreciate what an awesome system Apple is offering while they called it "a hobby".
I personally can't wait to see the next generation and the moment they will take it "seriously"
Twice, to my knowledge. Since then, I can find this term being used by Tim Cook only two other times before today.
Yes, so it's a little over the top to call it a "tradition."
Verizon FiOS to...
AppleTV is getting some sort of special treatment, even on FiOS. I have 3 streaming devices on wired connections - AppleTV, PS3, TiVO and only AppleTV can stream SuperHD content at a rock solid 5600kbps night after night..
AppleTV is getting some sort of special treatment, even on FiOS. I have 3 streaming devices on wired connections - AppleTV, PS3, TiVO and only AppleTV can stream SuperHD content at a rock solid 5600kbps night after night..
Jailbroken Apple TV 2 is still the best, wish I had one but roku / chromecast will suffice for now
Yes, roughly 1 year ago.
It was also the amount that Microsoft made from Surface sales last quarter. That's what they reported anyway.
Agreed with the one exception being the ability for owners to cut down to just one remote. I have a Harmony which is buggy as all get up (and how happy can Logitech be if they seriously contemplated selling the division recently?).
I would love to update my AppleTV but would love it even more if Apple's grand design for "cracking" the TV experience includes a visionary universal remote, too.
Most major sports (at least US based major sports impose local blackout rules. That's all on the leagues...not the networks or individual owners.