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Doesn’t surprise me at all. This delay is needed if the rumor of the 25 channel cable sub with a $30-$40 price tag is true. If they release something, I want it to earn the "Revolutionary" title and truly be an ala cart TV provider. Give me something that lets me hand pick channels from a roster of say 100 stations at $2-$3 a pop and then I will submit that you have "revolutionized" this industry. We would also find out real quick how many people watch or don’t watch channels and who has padded viewing stats.
Haha dream on. Everything we've heard about this is it's going to be a skinny cable-like package. If they don't launch it next Monday its probably because they don't have one of the major networks yet.
 
Doesn’t surprise me at all. This delay is needed if the rumor of the 25 channel cable sub with a $30-$40 price tag is true. If they release something, I want it to earn the "Revolutionary" title and truly be an ala cart TV provider. Give me something that lets me hand pick channels from a roster of say 100 stations at $2-$3 a pop and then I will submit that you have "revolutionized" this industry. We would also find out real quick how many people watch or don’t watch channels and who has padded viewing stats.

While anything is possible, all of the rumors I've seen imply that the Apple service is essentially their cut at Basic Cable, where Apple is picking a bundle of channels and selling them for $30-$40 per month. Based on that pricing, I would guess they will be channels in the traditional sense (meaning with commercials) much like any basic cable offering from Comcast or Time Warner, etc (except Apple is building their own list). I would further guess that those channels with back catalogs will probably have some on-demand offerings much like some channels have on-demand offerings on services like DirecTV and Dish now.

I haven't yet seen a rumor where Apple would offer up a menu of channel choices and we get to pick just the channels we want for the $30-$40/month rumored rate, nor any kind of $2-$3 per channel rumor either. The al-a-carte and/or al-a-carte + commercial free dream oft cast around here at some big discount off of what we pay now would certainly be "revolutionary," so I'll hope your view of it all pans out... but I won't hold my breath (and you shouldn't either).
 
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Apple needs to hurry this up so we can all complain about how overpriced it is.

Why wait? I'll say it now: $35 for a fixed bundle of channels is ludicrous. The rumors are for an overpriced and inflexible service.

That said, maybe we're getting an iPad-style expectations-game with leaks. Remember that up to a day or two before the iPad, maybe even the day of, we had solid rumors indicating at $999 target, such that when the slide came up with $499 as the starting price there was an audible gasp in the auditorium. If Apple pulls the same trick, that would be $15-20/month, which IMHO is still too high for me, but might be reasonable for some people.

IMHO, what Apple offers now - true a la carte per-show pricing with a per-season discount - is a really valuable part of making cord cutting possible. Yes, Amazon offers much of the same for a few cents less per episode usually, but then you have to deal with Amazon's often-crappy streaming player and service (they have been much better the last two years, but they still "go bad" when they put updates out fairly frequently and more than a couple years back they were happy selling nigh-unusable quality streaming). Take the iTunes purchased show model for things you care about, sprinkle in Hulu's ad-supported model (ads+monthly fee to watch on the set top box), and throw in periodic one-month Netflix/HBO Now subscriptions to binge on those networks' shows, and if you aren't sports-addicted you've got a really nice cable alternative for much less than cable.

The reasons I cut the cable cord were (1) I couldn't cut it back one month to save money when we had no TV-watching time and expand what we subscribed to in the slow months when we wanted to watch more; (2) the "bundles" were always really expensive, including a lot of crap we never wanted to watch, which isn't a huge problem (just don't watch those channels) but especially when it comes to sports channels the bundle fee was almost always at least 50% to cover those ESPN channels we never tuned to (I want my money going to support programming I watch, not subsidizing overpaid athletes and team owners who bilk their cities for new stadiums every couple years as well as ticket and broadcasting fees); (3) I couldn't stand the cable company / DirecTV DVR and set top box offerings, and really hated their "rental" per-box fees; (4) the streaming quality over the cable generally sucked (much less mosaic artifacting from the cable co's re-compression with a free OTA HD antenna); (5) DVRs are vastly inferior to on-demand programming in my opinion, and the cable/satellite on-demand selection at least in 2008 when we left them for good was abysmal while the online approaches had on-demand built in; (6) at the time there was no ability to get any of that cable content from anywhere outside the house so vacations and business trips we ended up double paying for programming. I don't want or need "live" TV programming (we long since got rid of the OTA antenna since it got less and less use), and Hulu gives me the network programming I care about. My parents' Baby Boomer generation is tied to nightly news programming, but after the first month we didn't miss it at all, and I can't imagine younger sets seeing it as important at all these days. "Events" like Oscars etc generally don't appeal to my family, so we didn't miss those either.

So, for me - and that is a very important qualifier - the rumored AppleTV Subscription Service rumors are not enticing at all. There is room for a better subscription service - something that takes network shows like Hulu, maybe funds original programming like HBO/Netflix, maybe allows download-and-watch quality and convenience like iTunes would be a huge step up from the status quo. But just getting basic cable delivered in IP packets rather than over the cable co's delivery network doesn't seem like a real improvement. Likely Apple will allow more flexible month-to-month payment options unlike Comcast et al (item 1 above), will have a better-than-cable-box interface (3 above), and will allow for full on-demand programming from anywhere (5 and 6 above). But, that cost is more than what we pay for the content we specifically choose today, and it sounds like it is going to be streaming-only like iTunes Radio rather than allowing "nearline" caching or downloading, which would be clearly inferior to what we enjoy today. Maybe reality will outshine the rumors, but if they aren't going to, I see this delay as no big deal, but in general Apple as having fallen into the same trap as other contenders in trying to offer the same as before with a slightly different infrastructure instead of reinventing how content is delivered and paid for.
 
This is disappointing. I don't see why they don't just buy what they want, they have the money! Show the networks there is a new game in town, APPLE!

Seriously, a new Apple TV is all I want too.



Apple does not plan to announce its streaming television subscription service at the Worldwide Developers Conference next week, reports Re/code, citing sources with knowledge of Apple's plans. Apple has informed television network executives that launch will be postponed because the company has not yet signed the necessary deals.According to industry executives, the television service may not launch until late 2015 or early 2016, as "technology and money issues" continue to be sticking points that have prevented negotiations from being completed. Apple's desire to provide consumers with local broadcast stations has also reportedly slowed down negotiations as securing all the necessary deals to show local programs and commercials takes a lot of time.

appletv.jpg

Rumors have suggested that Apple's streaming television service will feature approximately 25 channels priced at $30 to $40 per month. It would be available over the Internet and would not require a cable subscription package.

While Apple does not plan to debut its streaming television service at the Worldwide Developers Conference next week, it is rumored to be introducing a new Apple TV set-top box with a full App Store that includes apps and games. It's also expected to introduce a new streaming music service, a revamped version of iTunes Radio, and OS X 10.11 and iOS 9.

Article Link: Apple Won't Debut Subscription Television Service at WWDC
 
Arghhhhh. Enough! It's never going to happen. Would be happy to see at least a revamped box and App Store, different interface.
 
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As long as they release new Apple TV hardware, I'm good. This ATV3 is getting long in the tooth, hardware-wise. Needs more power.
 
Doesn’t surprise me at all. This delay is needed if the rumor of the 25 channel cable sub with a $30-$40 price tag is true. If they release something, I want it to earn the "Revolutionary" title and truly be an ala cart TV provider. Give me something that lets me hand pick channels from a roster of say 100 stations at $2-$3 a pop and then I will submit that you have "revolutionized" this industry. We would also find out real quick how many people watch or don’t watch channels and who has padded viewing stats.

As much as I want this too, and I think we'll get there someday, It's not up to Apple... it's up to the networks and the content owners. Apple can ask all day long, but they need to agree and I wouldn't see them giving in just yet. They are not going to want to abandon their cable bread and butter just yet. This is all baby steps, like it was 10 years ago in the music industry. But give it time.
 
Just take your sweet time Apple... until all your competitors have this ready before you and what you have to offer is seen as silly and irrelevant. Apple seriously needs to keep the stuff they are doing SECRET and GET THINGS DONE.
 
At this point, I'll just be happy if they introduce a new updated :apple:TV anything else that goes along with it will be a bonus.

Seconded. I realize it's un-Apple to release half-baked products, but Apple TV is more than just TV contents.

I would settle for an updated hardware with TVKit. Besides, I am frankly skeptical of having to pay $30-40/month for a couple of dozen channels.

While at it, let's make Gene Munster and Carl Icahn happy by releasing a television set as a "dumb" TV, as an accessory to Apple TV and Mac (since every Macs can output HDMI).
 
Apple, if you are reading this, I won't sign on for multiple channels for $30-$40 per month. Those numbers sound a lot like the entry numbers for cable and dish. Then the fear of it going up when you aren't looking. Ala Carte is the way to go. $2.99 per channel or something like that, with a quick switch to my HD antenna for local networks (free). I literally only want 3 to 4 channels.
 
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Honestly not too bother by the subscription service (Mainly because I highly doubt it would be a services that Apple will offer in Australia too).


However, I am excited for a new Apple TV box.

Hopefully with huge storage capacities (I don't have the best wifi to stream stuff for long periods of time. Great for talking overseas too when I don't have wifi access).
Console quality games. Big names titles to jump on board would be great, like Grand Theft Auto, Kingdom Hearts and Star Wars Battlefont.
Playlists and universal search.

It will still be a great WWDC! Can't wait.
 
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OMG this new interface is TOO BLINDINGLY WHITE!!! Tone it down for the love of retinas, please!!

On topic, I'm with the others who don't care at all about the streaming tv service, I just want updated hardware with an all-out App Store and let the developers work their magic. I seriously hope it still has infrared remote compatibility, even if its more advanced features require bluetooth connectivity. I want to be able to control the basic functionality with my existing universal remotes.
 
Are there any rumours that the Airport Extreme and new Apple TV Box might converge into one device? Does anybody think that likely either this year or next?
 
As I have said since Steve Jobs passed away, Tim Cook as the head of Apple is the enemy to all the big companies controlling content. Only Steve Jobs who was also the head of Pixar could sit at the table and get the content companies to make deals with Apple that could produce products that Steve Jobs could at least market as being great.
 
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I am pretty sure Apple leaked that info :)

By the way, love the new redesign responsive forum! Kudos!
 
What I find interesting is that folks think something like Apple's rumored bundled channels or Sling is cord cutting. I really don't think it is. What your really doing is just changing your cable provider. Instead of paying your cable provider your paying another company for a bundled package of channels.
 
It would be available over the Internet and would not require a cable subscription package.

How is this even remotely true? For much of the country, users have just a single cable provider in their area. And that provider often happens to be the only choice for decent access to the Internet. If you just want Internet service but no cable TV, the provider will inflate that cost, basically forcing you into taking their cable package as well. Until the U.S. has true competition in the ISP and cable markets, no one will be able to simply "cut the cord", and anything Apple offers will be in addition to the cable service you're already paying for.
 
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