Apple TV's Estimated Market Share Declines as Customers Await Highly-Anticipated 4K Model

[LordVic]

Because nearly nobody had 4K sets in 2015, and delivering content to 0.001% of users is not a good expenditure for a company.

and yet they've got the courage to remove the headphone port on the iPhone, and replace all USB ports with a barely used USB-C port on their laptops

I'm not discounting your reasoning. but it's seemed cheap and counter-thesis to how Apple tends to want to behave.

 

[twolf2919]

4K tvs sell at Wal-Mart starting at $328.

They also have a rack of 4K discs selling at the same price as BluRays.

Just because store shelves are awash with 4k TVs these days, doesn't mean that many people have them yet. But even if they did, there simply isn't that much content in 4k (I bet that rack of 4k discs you're talking about isn't more than a few movies) - and even if there were, there's precious little reason for 4k resolution movies for that $328 4k TV from Wal-Mart as its screen size is likely too small to make much of a difference.

IMHO, 4k is sort of like Blue-Ray: not that big a deal, except for folks with really big TVs. My 55" 1080p Samsung from 2010 ($3.5k at the time) is still great, upscaling standard DVDs to 1080p works wonderfully (so why rent or buy Blue-Ray?) and 100% of the content at streaming services is available for that resolution. Maybe I'm just not that demanding because I don't spend 3hrs/day in front of the tube.

I wish TV makers spent more time on incorporating better sound. I don't want a sound bar - but with the ever thinning TVs, good sound is disappearing. The TV ads showing these amazingly thin TVs hanging on walls like paintings are just so much BS - as in all ads, they leave out all the needed wiring and required soundbars/speakers.

 

[teamgibbs]

Apple could also easily make the Apple TV the 4th most popular console (behind Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo) if they just put a more powerful processor in it and have a standard, first party controller that everyone can use.

I have wondered this for years.

Apple would probably just say your phone is the controller.

 

[BigHonkingDeal]

I have Apple TV 3 & 4, Chromecast & Roku...... I still use Roku the most.

 

[digiridoo]

If Apple had a subscription service, I am positive the apple TV would sell better. Many newer TVs have Netflix or Amazon Prime preinstalled and the Firestick and Google Chrome are so much cheaper, why get an expensive Apple TV when you can watch the same stuff and more through a cheaper device.

 

[_mdavenport]

I would have thought the NVIDIA Shield would be up there somewhere, it's by far the best streaming device out there.

Genuine questions: How’s the interface? How do you type and search for content?

 

[imronburgundy]

Genuine questions: How’s the interface? How do you type and search for content?

On screen keyboard, android TV app on your phone, or voice dictation through Google Now, or whatever it's called these days. Interface isn't bad once you get the hang of it.

 

[Hustler1337]

Genuine questions: How’s the interface? How do you type and search for content?

Interface is pretty good, it's a card-style UI. Have a look at some Youtube videos on Android TV or NVIDIA Shield itself and you'll get a good idea. Typing is via an on-screen keyboard along with Google's voice-search. As a side note, the Android TV UI is due to change in the near future.

 

[apolloa]

You claim customers are awaiting a 4K TV, yet provide no evidence of such. I have a hard time believing average consumers have 4K capable TVs, care about 4K, let alone are even conscious of it...

TV is lower on the totem pole because it's higher priced.

Yeap, gotta love MacRumors for always spinning a story to make Apple look good, as opposed to the facts.

 

[dan110]

This is one of those products where you have to scratch your head and think what are they doing in Cupertino. This can be a slam dunk device if it just was given a little more love and priced right. One, it's too expensive for what it offers. Two, the remote sucks. Three, the software needs a lot of work. How hard can it be for the most valuable company ever to put some effort into this?

 

[mdatwood]

It's overpriced. The market has shifted since the ATV first came out. Casting to a Chromecast (really using your phone as the remote) or using a FireTV stick with it's remote is easy and both devices are less half what an ATV costs.

The loss in marketshare shows that people who ATVs have moved on with other devices.

 

[gnipgnop]

An Apple TV with A10 fusion (or even better, an A10X) must be getting pretty close in power to a Nintendo Switch which could attract all sorts of great games. If the controller doesn't come with the box though, I'd guess only 5-10% of owners will buy one which won't give the install base to attract developers.

The Switch is using a custom version of the Tegra X1. The vanilla version of the X1 was originally compared to the A8X (iPad Air 2) by Nvidia themselves, so where does that leave a custom X1 vs. an SoC that's two generations beyond the A8 family? Safe bet that the A10 Fusion is already better, especially with Metal 2. The real question would be the RAM, i.e., does Apple double to 4GB (which the Switch already has) or keep it at 2GB (like current Apple TV 4).

As for the controller bundling, it's not as important as it is with consoles due to the fact that MFi controllers that work with iOS will also work with the Apple TV.

 

[FelixDerKater]

That they compete with $39 sticks is somewhat laughable.

 

[bn-7bc]

Maybe they should stop holding back features and they would get more market share.

Well holding back mignt be strong esp since a few 4k standars (related to hdr) was nor finaluzesd until late last year iirc. But now I agree get us 4k spple tv asap, apple you hsve the tech whst is the holdup?

 

[gnipgnop]

Can you play Amazon Prime shows on Apple TV? Can you install 3rd party apps that aren't directly approved by Apple, such as emulators? Can the Apple TV stream PC games in 4K60fps? I think I just convinced myself that it's time to sell that ATV4 that's been collecting dust on the shelf.

A. Apple already announced Amazon Prime video is coming.
B. Non-approved emulators? No.
C. Streaming 4K60fps games requires a PC with a GTX 1080 GPU, not just an Nvidia Shield TV.

 

[bn-7bc]

Ok my snswer was allmost the same as the older one a few post below but for some teson i cant see the delete button #blsmecrappyeyes

 

[architect1337]

Like all Apple products, if you have an iTunes collection of movies, you have no choice but to get an Apple TV if you want to watch them on the big screen. Product tie in!

 

[Spendlove]

Can you play Amazon Prime shows on Apple TV? Can you install 3rd party apps that aren't directly approved by Apple, such as emulators? Can the Apple TV stream PC games in 4K60fps? I think I just convinced myself that it's time to sell that ATV4 that's been collecting dust on the shelf.

You even have me tempted!

 

[FelixDerKater]

How would they sell the next generation if they gave the current one 4K?

 

[Spendlove]

If Apple had a subscription service, I am positive the apple TV would sell better. Many newer TVs have Netflix or Amazon Prime preinstalled and the Firestick and Google Chrome are so much cheaper, why get an expensive Apple TV when you can watch the same stuff and more through a cheaper device.

Your'e 100% correct. If Apple had a service similar to the Apple Music family bundle but for video it would destroy all competition overnight.

I am amazed it has not yet happened.

 

[duffman9000]

How would they sell the next generation if they gave the current one 4K?

There is an ugly truth in this.

 

[patseguin]

How could the4 nVidia Shield TV not be at the very top of that list? Nothing can touch it as a 4K streaming device plus it does 4K gaming. I'll be hard pressed to get the next Apple TV unless it has some killer new features other than just 4K content.

 

[duffman9000]

How could the4 nVidia Shield TV not be at the very top of that list? Nothing can touch it as a 4K streaming device plus it does 4K gaming. I'll be hard pressed to get the next Apple TV unless it has some killer new features other than just 4K content.

Price. The shield is much more expensive than others (especially if you're just streaming "tv").

The only cheap offering that I can talk about is the Amazon Firestick. I hated it. It was so slow it was painful to use. In comparison the Shield has twin electric turbochargers.

 

[macnchiefs]

The title is wrong. They're not losing market share because people are waiting around for a 4K version. They're losing market share because it's so expensive.

The lack of 4K is probably a factor but much much smaller compared to their pricing issues.

Oh also, their newest remote blows. Get rid of it.

 

[gnipgnop]

How could the4 nVidia Shield TV not be at the very top of that list? Nothing can touch it as a 4K streaming device plus it does 4K gaming.

There's a pretty big asterisk that goes with that 4K gaming feature: *requires PC with GTX 1080 or better GPU.
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Like all Apple products, if you have an iTunes collection of movies, you have no choice but to get an Apple TV if you want to watch them on the big screen. Product tie in!

Nope. You can buy a digital AV adapter and connect through HDMI.