Eddy Cue: Apple TV Remains 'Add-On' Device, Will Continue to Improve

[jacobj]

They are going to fight it, but they will eventually come kicking and screaming realising it's the way forward.

If i could cancel my subscription with SKY, but still watch the channels i do on ATV i would, but at the moment, 35 quid a month gets me my internet, line rental and basic tv package.

I hate Sky and have for years. Their customer service has always been appalling; a sort of, you don't have any other options, so tough, approach to it all. Just over a year ago I got freesat, Netflix and setup my tv to take advantage of Amazon prime. We experimented with not using Sky for a few months and it was easy. As pathetic as it is, cancelling Sky was a real pleasure: a wonderful case of knowing that Murdoch had no way of stopping his monopoly from collapsing. It is inevitable. I hope he lives long enough to see that happen to his whole empire. He abuses his power too much all in the name of what he thinks is inevitable progress. Sorry for the rant, but I always encourage people to leave Sky.

 

[LewisChapman]

Perhaps you don't realize the vast difference in broadcasting/rebroadcasting license fees vs syndicated content. So no - I do not think Apple can provide a cable company level of channels/service at a "reduced" price.



I don't know what remote you guys are using I have a Roku 3 which has 10 buttons and a directional panel. two of those buttons are dedicated for gaming. So really 8 and a directional panel.

I think we have a misunderstanding here - I am not talking about Apple owning their own channels/services - this would be ludicrous and at the moment unrealistic. I'm talking about Apple providing all of their iTunes store video content for a subscription just as they have with their music.

 

[Rogifan]

You think that's a non-answer? Earlier this month, in an interview with NPR where they asked if Apple was working on a car, Tim Cook said, "Do you have another question?" after he rambled on about the new iPhone 6S and the new Apple TV. THAT is a non-answer.

This quote from Eddy is actually a pretty clear indication that he thinks that content-creators ("they're great at creating content") and Apple's technology would make a great partnership. That answer sounds like, "We're working on it," which is widely believed to be the truth.

I think Eddy's comment meant Apple will provide the platform (i.e. technology) for other people to put their content on. I don't think it means Apple is going to get in the business of funding and producing its own content ala Netflix and Amazon.

 

[kds1]

Apple needs to put their ego in check and copy the chromecast. There's no need to have another set of apps, that we need to filter and update, on yet another device when we all carry around ipads and iphones. We also don't need yet another remote to look for when we have a phone in our pocket. Adding a casting button to the apps we already have on our phones is the most efficient solution. Apple should copy chromecast, but make it more powerful. I'm sure if apple made a chomecast like device that everyone would add casting to their apps.

Oh my God

I don't think there's anything amazing left to do in TV.

That's why the big project that Steve Jobs alluded to never came to fruition. There was a possibility, but the obstacles were too great. I don't think that has changed today, which is why the Apple TV is humdrum.

My analysis of the content scene overall is that digital has peaked, and is now retreating somewhat. Look at books: ebooks are fading. CD and vinyl are still huge. DVD is showing no signs of dying. Live TV is the same as ever. Supposedly the young'uns are all watching YouTube and Facebook, but there's no money there.

The big obstacles to digital are Internet speeds, reliability, longevity and humanity. There is no prospect of a significant improvement in any of these areas; hence, the revival of old media.

CD is still huge? Hardly. And CD is still a digital format to boot anyway.

 

[till213]

Easy answer. Adding cost to support 2% of the market isn't a good choice.

Easy solution: don't add 2% additional cost - but ship that thing with god-damn 4k support!

 

[antonm73]

Not at all. It works with all the major providers, (Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, Crackle, ESPN... just to name a few.) Also, if there is an Android app for your provider then it will work with the Amazon Stick.

“Also, if there is an Android app for your provider then it will work with the Amazon Stick", yes if the Android app is available via the Amazon Fire app store as no Google Play is available on Fire TCV without hacking it. However it is possible to have an app on say an Android phone that you downloaded from Google Play store and send it to your Fire TV device. I can't remember the name of the app that does that but there are many of them.

As Derekuda said there are many media content providers that have a native Amazon Fire TV app and I would like to add that Plex have a client app available for Fire TV. If you don't know Plex it is a free media server software that you can run on your Mac, Windows or Linux installation and access that content through a Plex app. Some Smart-TV's like Samsung also have a Plex client available.

 

[todhug]

A number of years ago Steve Jobs said,
“‘I’d like to create an integrated television set that is completely easy to use,’ 'It would be seamlessly synced with all of your devices and with iCloud.’ No longer would users have to fiddle with complex remotes for DVD players and cable channels. ‘It will have the simplest user interface you could imagine. I finally cracked it.’”

Apple's had a lot of time to work on this after Steve Jobs said that quote and I'm quite disappointed in what was released. I will buy the Apple TV because it is the best on the market for now, but really, after 5 or 6 years you'd think there would have been a lot more innovation in it. Come on, at least give us a cord-cutting solution. I know this isn't Apple's fault but I thought that was the piece that Steve was talking about when he said, "I finally cracked it". Also, come on Apple, no 4K? That piece was cracked months and months ago.

 

[Jeremy1026]

Easy solution: don't add 2% additional cost - but ship that thing with god-damn 4k support!

That is still adding cost, just not passing that cost to the consumer.

Also, 2% isn't how much more it would cost to add 4k support. That is the current market share on 4k TVs.

It doesn't make business sense, no matter how much the vocal minority bitches about it. If you add hardware capable of 4k, but don't increase the price, to appease the 2%, then you are loosing profit on 98% on sales with no added benefit for those users.