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Do appleTV’s sell well?
- Thread starter jwolf6589
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What are you talking about? You ask if they sell well, then state they don't? And based on what data? A hunch?
If they weren’t selling, the prevailing rumor would be that it's being discontinued, not that there’s a new model coming.
Does it sell well enough that it makes a dent in market share? Nope. Does it sell well enough for apple’s purposes? Who knows. I would guess not or it’d see more frequent updates.
Is it an indication? I bought mine refurbished from Apple site. I had to watch each day for 5 months to find one. There were one HD and one 4k, I bought the HD since I don't have a 4k TV. 10 minutes later, the 4K was gone. Since, there's been no ATV for sale. Add to this the fact that there are some older models on sale on classifieds but a few HD and no 4K. So people seem to be happy with their device. Am I thinking wrong?
Frequent updates on what though? Software or Hardware?
For the most part the ATV4K has worked flawlessly in all the years I’ve had it, with the updates it has had there’s not much else features wise I can say I need or think could make the experience any better.
One requested update for some has been the 24hz issue which not everyone is affected by but it’s now finally getting that fix in the next update.
If you’re meaning hardware then I’m not sure what the need would be to have a new model appear more frequently when it’s not necessary.
I have no idea how they actually sell. My guess is the market is pretty saturated. Lots of folks just use the apps in their smart TVs even though the ATV interface is generally faster and easier to navigate. What will a new one provide that the existing models don't? For most folks a current 4K Apple TV is all they need. I just don't think they have the upgrade appeal of something like a new phone release or a new iPad release or a new Watch release. The next one might come with much improved gaming (though many of us simply don't care about gaming) and spatial audio but at a fundamental level what's it going to do the current models don't do? I would like spatial audio and that might prompt me to buy a new model. But beyond that I'm not sure the next generation Apple TV will do much of anything I can't do now which boils down to streaming television, showing photos on the big screen, etc.
Smart TVs have been around for years... so have streaming boxes... the boxes still exist for one important reason, they're better than the smart TVs for doing said task. TV manufacturers are the worst at supporting app integration and tend to drop support to nudge you into buying a new TV just for better app support.
AppleTV the best? The worst? Have resale value? It's an inexpensive peripheral device. It has no more value than a toaster in the grand scheme of things.
Media hype has lobotomized the human brain. Who the hell cares that rumor #100486778220 says a new AppleTV is coming in the third quarter. If it happens it happens. If it doesn't it doesn't. Does it make your current AppleTV curl up it's toes either way? No.
Hell there are people out there who bought an AppleTV for no other reason than they got a free year of AppleTV service with it. That's it. They saw the word "free" and bought it. Would they have bought it without the free subscription? Maybe not. But that's all it takes to sway consumers these days.
AppleTV the best? The worst? Have resale value? It's an inexpensive peripheral device. It has no more value than a toaster in the grand scheme of things.
Media hype has lobotomized the human brain. Who the hell cares that rumor #100486778220 says a new AppleTV is coming in the third quarter. If it happens it happens. If it doesn't it doesn't. Does it make your current AppleTV curl up it's toes either way? No.
Hell there are people out there who bought an AppleTV for no other reason than they got a free year of AppleTV service with it. That's it. They saw the word "free" and bought it. Would they have bought it without the free subscription? Maybe not. But that's all it takes to sway consumers these days.
It’s one of the poorest selling streaming devices. So no, it does not sell well
Nope. Apples share of the market is so small it shows up in the Other category in most breakdowns of streaming device marketshare.
You have to define "selling well".
Compared to the competition, I would guess that the Apple TV does not sell well at all.
Compared to the iPhone, again, I do not think the Apple TV is selling well.
Compared to the HomePod, the Apple TV is probably selling very well.
Apple TV+ probably doesn't have nearly the amount of paying subscribers as other streaming platforms, and I doubt the revenue isn't close to Apple's investment, but Apple isn't dropping it anytime soon (probably).
For years, Macs did not "sell well", but Apple keeps making them.
When the Apple Watch first launched with the now-failed fashion marketing, it didn't sell well.
All that said, I hope that Apple doesn't drop the Apple TV anytime soon, but they hardly give it any attention, hardly advertise for it, and the tvOS has basically been the same since the launch.
As for attention and advertising, I think I see more advertising for Apple TV+ in a month than I have ever seen for the Apple TV since its launch in 2007.
Just do a something search for "Apple TV", the first result is a paid advertisement for the Apple TV+ service, not the Apple TV 4K.
If you go to the "TV" section of Apple's website, the Apple TV is featured, but halfway down the page, behind the Apple TV+ service and the Apple TV app.
Which brings me to my final point, Apple's naming of the Apple TV, Apple TV app, and Apple TV+. It is very confusing for the normies, and most people I talk to have never actually heard of the Apple TV hardware. They think I am referring to the streaming service or app.
Compared to the competition, I would guess that the Apple TV does not sell well at all.
Compared to the iPhone, again, I do not think the Apple TV is selling well.
Compared to the HomePod, the Apple TV is probably selling very well.
As Apple doesn't breakdown specific sale numbers anymore, no, no one on here knows and we are all making educated guesses and each using their own way of defining "selling well".
One doesn't necessarily mean the other.
Apple TV+ probably doesn't have nearly the amount of paying subscribers as other streaming platforms, and I doubt the revenue isn't close to Apple's investment, but Apple isn't dropping it anytime soon (probably).
For years, Macs did not "sell well", but Apple keeps making them.
When the Apple Watch first launched with the now-failed fashion marketing, it didn't sell well.
All that said, I hope that Apple doesn't drop the Apple TV anytime soon, but they hardly give it any attention, hardly advertise for it, and the tvOS has basically been the same since the launch.
As for attention and advertising, I think I see more advertising for Apple TV+ in a month than I have ever seen for the Apple TV since its launch in 2007.
Just do a something search for "Apple TV", the first result is a paid advertisement for the Apple TV+ service, not the Apple TV 4K.
If you go to the "TV" section of Apple's website, the Apple TV is featured, but halfway down the page, behind the Apple TV+ service and the Apple TV app.
Which brings me to my final point, Apple's naming of the Apple TV, Apple TV app, and Apple TV+. It is very confusing for the normies, and most people I talk to have never actually heard of the Apple TV hardware. They think I am referring to the streaming service or app.
I’m talking about the hardware too. It sells so poorly it gets placed in the Other category when pie charts are made of best selling streaming devices.
Lol as if a streaming device that costs 3-4 times the competition and has one of the worst remotes possible is going to compete. Are you really surprised that it isn’t popular with anyone other than Apple fanboys?
Depends on what you’re after I guess, in the UK at least with the prices you’re able to get 4K movies for via iTunes more and more people are buying an ATV4K while some others are still holding out for whenever the new version arrives.
Some are getting drawn in by the buying the odd movie via the ATV app and then decide to go for the ATV4K so can then have access to the iTunes Extras & Atmos.
I’ve seen quite a few say they were always put off by the price but then once they took the plunge they wished they’d of got one ages ago.
As for the remote it certainly isn’t as bad as some make it out to be, and at least the ATV gives you the option to use any remote you like so not totally tied to the Siri remote for those that really can’t get on with it.
I would wager the vast majority of people who want to buy content from Apple don’t care that they’re doing so on a much cheaper streaming device via the Apple TV app. The sales breakdown for streaming devices bears this out. This is most likely why rumors have Apple releasing a much cheaper dongle version soon. A 200 dollar streaming device is just ludicrous when one that’s 50 dollars is doing everything it does, and often better.
I beg to differ to an extent as for one you don’t have access to iTunes Extras which includes extended/directors cuts and Dolby Atmos on those much cheaper devices.
Obviously there are some that are just not that bothered but again as I said before it all depends on what you’re after.
If all anyone’s interested in is a device that’s gonna stream you’re own backups and watch Netflix etc then yeah an ATV4K is not really the device to go for.
For me personally I do get quite a few movies via iTunes so an ATV is a no brainer as unlike the US we don’t have anything like Movies Anywhere and quite frankly out of Apple, Amazon, Rakuten, Google and Sky it’s Apple who does it best with what you actually get and the prices of the Movies.
With the prices we’re paying over here the ATV4K more than pays for itself in no time at all.
It's probably selling well enough to justify a new model, but that's just gut reaction.
One factor that's not often mentioned is that some cable TV providers supply Apple TV as their "cable box." I suspect that market alone would be enough to justify continuing the product line, and it probably doesn't appear in the pie charts when analysts gauge retail sales.
One factor that's not often mentioned is that some cable TV providers supply Apple TV as their "cable box." I suspect that market alone would be enough to justify continuing the product line, and it probably doesn't appear in the pie charts when analysts gauge retail sales.
Who cares? I have the 4K model, but haven't used it much this past year during the pandemic. Just too many other options available, NetFlix, Amazon Prime, Apple TV+ and xfinity to name a few in my household. Right now if I were go to one service, it would be a tie between NetFlix and xfinity. I could quit xfinity and go with my internal antenna for ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX and PBS. However, I would lose all the sports that are not on these over-the-air channels.
Why ask the question if you don't want to hear the answer.
The Apple TV doesn't sell nearly as well as the other streaming boxes.
I have used Apple TVs since owning the original many years ago. I have purchased multiple Apple TVs, a few of each generation. I have also purchased most of the competing streaming boxes as well.
The Apple TV is the best streaming box, imo. The Apple TV 4K, even going on 4 years old is still the best streaming box on the market. Objectively, the A10X in the ATV4K, even being almost 4 years old, is still faster than what the competition is offering now. The UI of tvOS is much better than what the competition is offering, imo.
All that said, just because something is the best, or at least better than the rest, doesn't mean is sells well.
History is full of examples of products/services that are better than the competition, but sells/used significantly less. Look at how long Windows at a huge marketshare compared to Mac OS. I have been using Macs since the mid 90's, and back then, Windows was much worse when it came to user experience when compared to Macs, but MS was selling Windows 95 like crazy.
The Apple TV just doesn't sell as well as the competition, probably for many different reasons:
The price, it is much higher than the competition
Name recognition, everyone knows what a Firestick is, hardly anyone I talk to has heard of the ATV hardware
Lack of advertising, I already mentioned it, but Apple doesn't really seem to care about the Apple TV when it comes to advertising.
Lack of attention from Apple, I think it was 2020 WWDC where hand washing got more keynote time than anything ATV or tvOS related. Why should the average Joe care if Apple doesn't?
What it is used for, The Apple TV is a streaming box. A powerful, but expensive streaming box, but just a streaming box. It could have been more, but that is pretty much it is. Why should people spend a lot more money for an ATV4K when a Firestick for a fraction of the price, or a Smart TV OS that comes with the TV can pretty much do most that a ATV4K can do.