That's because Apple is famous for just a little more than price and technology .... They tend to deliver on the whole package or in this case the whole 'picture'.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Multiple Sources Suggest Apple Working on Television for as Early as 2012
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
That's because Apple is famous for just a little more than price and technology .... They tend to deliver on the whole package or in this case the whole 'picture'.
Progression:
1) Rumors
2) Everyone says Apple will be a failure
3) Apple releases product
4) Millions upon millions sell
5) Google starts making Android TVs
6) Everyone says Apple didn't innovate, that TVs already existed
7) Apple collects profits
8) Macrumors gets inundated by Android TV users who feel the need to bash Apple TV for no apparent reason
9) We get threads about the fact that if Apple hadn't done it, it would have happened anyway, because the technology was progressing towards it, and what Apple did was not innovative, but rather "obvious" and "trivial"
Happens all the time....ipod, iphone, ipad
1) Rumors
2) Everyone says Apple will be a failure
3) Apple releases product
4) Millions upon millions sell
5) Google starts making Android TVs
6) Everyone says Apple didn't innovate, that TVs already existed
7) Apple collects profits
8) Macrumors gets inundated by Android TV users who feel the need to bash Apple TV for no apparent reason
9) We get threads about the fact that if Apple hadn't done it, it would have happened anyway, because the technology was progressing towards it, and what Apple did was not innovative, but rather "obvious" and "trivial"
Happens all the time....ipod, iphone, ipad
an Apple TV???
This look like and bad idea.... My big tv will stay right on my wall!!!.... Make an Apple TV 3 running iOS and blast Netflix by offering better streaming content and i'll put willingly my mouthy $$$ to this.
A tv... ? !
And also , more and more iPad seem destroying the TV (this is the case in my family for sure)
Apple,please , don't make a new Newton-thing with Tim Cook as a CEO
This look like and bad idea.... My big tv will stay right on my wall!!!
.... Make an Apple TV 3 running iOS and blast Netflix by offering better streaming content and i'll put willingly my mouthy $$$ to this. A tv... ? !
And also , more and more iPad seem destroying the TV (this is the case in my family for sure)
Apple,please , don't make a new Newton-thing with Tim Cook as a CEO
Heres the problem with that - Apple still has to reach the home via the last mile of copper; which is controlled by an ISP. Who's often the cable company, and they aren't going to roll over and play dead. Data caps are where for a reason - and it's not about controlling bandwidth hogs, but about who gets paid for what goes over the pipe. Cable companies want to ensure they get a cut of every KB they deliver; so as viewership shifts to the "cloud" they simply collect more revenue delivering that content and less via traditional cable.
If Apple was serious about delivering massive amounts of cloud content I'd expect to see them start buying wireless technology infrastructure companies to create their own ISP and make delivery cost effective for the end user so they can sell the content.
Google made noise about doing that and has some tests underway - so maybe an Apple / Google partnership makes sense. I'd go so far as to say I wouldn't be surprised to see the two companies merge at some point in the future.
Nope, it'll remain the product in Apple's lineup without the prefix 'i':
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ITV
Believe it or not, there's a huge segment of the population that still enjoys laying back and watch TV on a TV. I only watch a few shows on Hulu on my computer and really am not into the whole iPod video experience. I prefer a big screen for the full effect. Maybe it's just because I'm older, but we all out number hipsters by a large percentage, so...
my prediction on apple tv
8/28/11
My apple tv prediction:
This is based on purely speculation..
If there is an apple tv, it will work in the following ways
1) When you turn it on it will look like the iPad or iPhone. It will have tiles of app buttons. The app buttons will be able to be moved around as you see fit. By default, most of the app buttons are going to be tv stations like CBS, NBC, ABC.
2) When you click on ABC- it will be just like the IPAD ABC app. There will be all the providers shows available instantly to watch. You just pick the one you want and it will start. There will be ads you can't skip just like the ABC app. If the show is new for that day, maybe it will not be available until the time it is available on regular TVs.
3) It may or may not have "live" tv as we know it, where you can cycle through channels, etc.
4) The price could be subsidized because you have to pay $99. per month for unlimited content of all of your tv shows through these TV APPS from iCloud.
5) The existing apple tv remote will be used potentially or a click wheel interface. There will not be a full keyboard just like apple tv does not have one. You can use your iPhone or iPad if you want a full keyboard. It will be bluetooth or wifi so you do not need to "aim" it at the tv.
6) Games will be played using a controller of some sort like the iPad or iPhone or possibly like the microsoft kinnect technology.
7) FaceTime will be on it.
8) It will not have a portable keyboard such as google tv. Nobody wants a remote with a thousand buttons on it (IMO).
9) Nobody wants to go on the internet from the couch in its current form. If there is a way to make the internet more user friendly for someone 10 feet away on a couch that will be implemented. Perhaps a new version of TV Safari that resizes pages to fit your TV in a way you can read portions from a distance?
10) The future is not live TV, but just picking your station and watching all of the shows at the times that you want. No one wants to be bound to TV station's schedule. That is why DVR and Netflix (TV streaming) are so popular.
11) Movies and music- will be available through iTunes for a fee (stream only). Though maybe a more expensive model has storage- not sure.
12) iCloud will host all of the TV providers shows.
13) It will have an LCD with an IPS panel since Apple seems to like this combo (and they should it looks great!)
14) It will be wifi or ethernet.
15) It likely will have no storage because the current Apple TV has no storage and I think that Apple is trying to do away with storage. They want you to stream from iCloud for TV.
16) Maybe it has some traditional tv hookups so that if you choose not use iCloud and pay the subscription fee, you can just use it for traditional tv as a backup? Maybe it costs more money to buy it this way? Or maybe you have to sign a 1 year agreement to get a subsidized price otherwise you pay more? Apple may be afraid no one will buy a TV if they hear that you can't watch TV on it the way everyone has for last 30 years?
17) It will go on a wall or a table top at look stylish and sleek, have an apple symbol on the front like the iMac.
18) It will have 1080p resolution and no built in blu ray or dvd drive.
19) It will be called Apple TV and replace the old apple tv.
What do you guys think?
8/28/11
My apple tv prediction:
This is based on purely speculation..
If there is an apple tv, it will work in the following ways
1) When you turn it on it will look like the iPad or iPhone. It will have tiles of app buttons. The app buttons will be able to be moved around as you see fit. By default, most of the app buttons are going to be tv stations like CBS, NBC, ABC.
2) When you click on ABC- it will be just like the IPAD ABC app. There will be all the providers shows available instantly to watch. You just pick the one you want and it will start. There will be ads you can't skip just like the ABC app. If the show is new for that day, maybe it will not be available until the time it is available on regular TVs.
3) It may or may not have "live" tv as we know it, where you can cycle through channels, etc.
4) The price could be subsidized because you have to pay $99. per month for unlimited content of all of your tv shows through these TV APPS from iCloud.
5) The existing apple tv remote will be used potentially or a click wheel interface. There will not be a full keyboard just like apple tv does not have one. You can use your iPhone or iPad if you want a full keyboard. It will be bluetooth or wifi so you do not need to "aim" it at the tv.
6) Games will be played using a controller of some sort like the iPad or iPhone or possibly like the microsoft kinnect technology.
7) FaceTime will be on it.
8) It will not have a portable keyboard such as google tv. Nobody wants a remote with a thousand buttons on it (IMO).
9) Nobody wants to go on the internet from the couch in its current form. If there is a way to make the internet more user friendly for someone 10 feet away on a couch that will be implemented. Perhaps a new version of TV Safari that resizes pages to fit your TV in a way you can read portions from a distance?
10) The future is not live TV, but just picking your station and watching all of the shows at the times that you want. No one wants to be bound to TV station's schedule. That is why DVR and Netflix (TV streaming) are so popular.
11) Movies and music- will be available through iTunes for a fee (stream only). Though maybe a more expensive model has storage- not sure.
12) iCloud will host all of the TV providers shows.
13) It will have an LCD with an IPS panel since Apple seems to like this combo (and they should it looks great!)
14) It will be wifi or ethernet.
15) It likely will have no storage because the current Apple TV has no storage and I think that Apple is trying to do away with storage. They want you to stream from iCloud for TV.
16) Maybe it has some traditional tv hookups so that if you choose not use iCloud and pay the subscription fee, you can just use it for traditional tv as a backup? Maybe it costs more money to buy it this way? Or maybe you have to sign a 1 year agreement to get a subsidized price otherwise you pay more? Apple may be afraid no one will buy a TV if they hear that you can't watch TV on it the way everyone has for last 30 years?
17) It will go on a wall or a table top at look stylish and sleek, have an apple symbol on the front like the iMac.
18) It will have 1080p resolution and no built in blu ray or dvd drive.
19) It will be called Apple TV and replace the old apple tv.
What do you guys think?
A TV is, and always has been, a consumption device. But it now stands on the threshold of being the ultimate consumption device. Built-in Apple TV, use your iPod touch/iPhone/iPad as the remote control/keyboard, and you have a killer app. Deliver BBC content as a stand alone subscription, World Cup soccer, or whatever. Could happen.
might double as a Cinema Display with an AppleTV installed into it, along with HDMI and such. Pretty much just a Cinema Display with a bunch of extras thrown in that we've wanted for a while anyway.
It would make sense, I know some of you are saying TVs are here and gone every year, but with that logic then so are Apple Cinema Displays, but you don't see those losing ground.
It would make sense, I know some of you are saying TVs are here and gone every year, but with that logic then so are Apple Cinema Displays, but you don't see those losing ground.
That's because Apple is famous for just a little more than price and technology .... They tend to deliver on the whole package or in this case the whole 'picture'.
The question is what can they add to the "picture" so they can justify a premium price?
Picture quality is largely driven by content, not technology - and Apple has avoided the most common HD source of content - BluRay. No matter how good the TV is it'll be no better than the content, all of which is available to all TV makers.
itvOS? Apple has been very good a wrapping great hardware around a great OS. Can they translate that to the big scree? Is a super-sized iPad desirable? Can they get a display that has wow factor and doesn't cost 6 digits? More importantly, do consumers want to use a TV for more than watching broadcast / cable / Netflix style content?
How do they deal with the balkanization of the current delivery model such as cableCards/DRM, various providers who all want a cut of the revenue, many and diverse regulatory requirements? That's a big stumbling block.
Pricing - even if Apple comes out with a really cool product; TVs to a large extent are commodity products. People buy on price, from a whole lot of different retailers. Can apple overcome that? Unlike phones, which have carrier subsidies to bring down the initial costs, TVs don't. Apple has never been in the commodity business and i don't think they want to enter one that is very cut throat.
Licensing - Apple could license a smart TV interface to existing manufacturers, but given their reluctance to license any of their OS's, and their desire to control the entire user experience to ensure it meets their standards, I doubt that would happen.
That said, I think people are focusing too much on the hardware aspect of Apple TV. As I said in another post, Apple TV could be a content play - and with the creation or partnering with a wireless high speed provider (such as a faster Clear) they can bypass the last mile and control not only content but the cost of content delivery. The Apple TV could morph into not just a content delivery system but the gateway to the internet as well. To me, that is a more logical play than building a TV. Ultimately, the iPhone could morph into a VOIP device to tap the same network.
That said, you can never count Apple out of any market they want to enter.
This is why Apple will make a TV.
1. People don't want to buy a set top box (i.e. Apple TV)
They are used to getting them for free from cable providers. The go to market strategy is make people pay for the subscription and give them the box for free. However, people are used to paying for a TV - and many will undoubtedly pay for an Apple-branded TV.
2. Apple want to be the content gatekeeper
This first happened with the iTunes store, then the App Store. Apple are the gatekeepers to your music and application purchases. Why not for your TV shows? If they can make an experience that makes it more intuitive and smarter than your cable experience, I can see them selling a tonne of TV's
3. Apple want to complete the consumer entertainment circle
An Apple in your pocket, in your bag, on your desk and in your living room. All this will be integrated through iOS and iCloud - all your music, apps, movies and tv shows, wherever you are.
4. Music, Movies, Games, TV Shows - where do these most make sense?
Where else but the TV is the next logical point to showcase Apple's wide variety of media options? The TV is the biggest screen in the house, it's the one everyone loves.
5. Clutter-free
No more set top boxes, no more different UI's for each service you use.
An Apple TV just makes sense. The only reason we haven't seen it yet is because of the difficulties with working with the cable providers and different standards worldwide. Once Apple can overcome these challenges, we'll see an Apple TV.
1. People don't want to buy a set top box (i.e. Apple TV)
They are used to getting them for free from cable providers. The go to market strategy is make people pay for the subscription and give them the box for free. However, people are used to paying for a TV - and many will undoubtedly pay for an Apple-branded TV.
2. Apple want to be the content gatekeeper
This first happened with the iTunes store, then the App Store. Apple are the gatekeepers to your music and application purchases. Why not for your TV shows? If they can make an experience that makes it more intuitive and smarter than your cable experience, I can see them selling a tonne of TV's
3. Apple want to complete the consumer entertainment circle
An Apple in your pocket, in your bag, on your desk and in your living room. All this will be integrated through iOS and iCloud - all your music, apps, movies and tv shows, wherever you are.
4. Music, Movies, Games, TV Shows - where do these most make sense?
Where else but the TV is the next logical point to showcase Apple's wide variety of media options? The TV is the biggest screen in the house, it's the one everyone loves.
5. Clutter-free
No more set top boxes, no more different UI's for each service you use.
An Apple TV just makes sense. The only reason we haven't seen it yet is because of the difficulties with working with the cable providers and different standards worldwide. Once Apple can overcome these challenges, we'll see an Apple TV.
The AppleTV costs $99, I doubt Apple is making a lot of profit selling them. A overpriced TV on the other hand...
That's the reason.
The question is....
How can Apple redesign and repurpose the TV so that people smack their foreheads and say: "Of course... That's what a TV should always have been!"
How can Apple redesign and repurpose the TV so that people smack their foreheads and say: "Of course... That's what a TV should always have been!"
Minor error in your proposed timeline, "Google" are already in the making of "Android TVs".
1) The first "Android TV" was announced in 2009, released last year.
2) Google has been trying to break their Google TV for quite some time. Sony released 4 such models in 2010.
as for your 9) technology is progressing towards it (convergence, baby!), and yes - as far as innovation goes it is rather obvious and trivial*. So yeah, we surely would say that. Only a fool would deny it.
* Breaking it on the other hand is non-trivial, but that is a non-technological matter.
Rather than (or in addition to) a big communal TV -- I would like to see the iPad used as a PersonalTV, in addition to all its other capabilities.
This would require an ATV or CableCo STB to WiFi stream multiple concurrent "channels" to multiple aPads around the house.
Each person in our household has an iPad (5 people). We can all be watching different NetFlix shows at the same time -- together or in any room in the house, backyard, front yard, garage (basement if we had one).
Why can't we do that with TV content -- warts (ads) and all?
This would require an ATV or CableCo STB to WiFi stream multiple concurrent "channels" to multiple aPads around the house.
Each person in our household has an iPad (5 people). We can all be watching different NetFlix shows at the same time -- together or in any room in the house, backyard, front yard, garage (basement if we had one).
Why can't we do that with TV content -- warts (ads) and all?
(among others)
If Apple really gets into the TV business, they must have something great up their sleeve. It has to go well beyond AppleTV-built-into-a-TV-with-Apple-logo-on-it.
However, I can't think of what that might be though
.All my wife and I want to do with our TV is watch video content on it.
The *big* problem is that all ways of getting content to the TV suck in one way or another. (Like many, we work around it by having multiple ways of getting content -- Cable, time-shifted cable, AppleTV, Netflix -- and using the one that works best at the moment.)
Even if Apple could somehow solve the content delivery problem, what does that have to do with the TV itself? AppleTV would be the conduit. I guess it's fine to give people the option of building an AppleTV into a TV, but that's not a game-changer and has obvious drawbacks. At most, maybe Apple would license AppleTV to TV manufacturers for inclusion in their sets.
It's more about the content distribution and software than the hardware.
We can assume the hardware will be slick - a glass front with a rounded black bezel contained in a curved and thin aluminium unibody shell. Probably with a front facing camera.
The software and distribution will be the interesting part. How are they going to make people want to give up their cable box?
Even if they do stuff that blow my mind, it's still just content over a megabunch of pixels... So anything they do should be doable in a future gen of Apple TV.
So, if they keep updating the Apple TV, I would be happy. Even if it requires a new ATV box.
I love my current plasma, but in the end, it's still just a (PDD) pixel displaying device(tm). And I intend to keep it a long time. But in this day and age, things are not meant to last...
So, if they keep updating the Apple TV, I would be happy. Even if it requires a new ATV box.
I love my current plasma, but in the end, it's still just a (PDD) pixel displaying device(tm). And I intend to keep it a long time. But in this day and age, things are not meant to last...
Wouldn't have thought I would consider one of these until I got my crap Vizio with glitchy connections, bad sound and paper-thin construction (Don't touch it!).
I told my wife about Apple TV monitor rumors and she said, "Oooo!" There is a market, maybe not huge, but as long as they can make it profitable, I can see it.
Imagine an Apple monitor with a detachable base or removable console portion that contains the guts of an Apple TV, hard drive, Extreme base station and maybe 4G or something. That way you can swap out, upgrade or repair the hardware. It would also make curly fries.
I told my wife about Apple TV monitor rumors and she said, "Oooo!" There is a market, maybe not huge, but as long as they can make it profitable, I can see it.
Imagine an Apple monitor with a detachable base or removable console portion that contains the guts of an Apple TV, hard drive, Extreme base station and maybe 4G or something. That way you can swap out, upgrade or repair the hardware. It would also make curly fries.
As per the usual, you've missed the point. People were making smartphones before the iPhone too. What I meant was that OEMs/Google will come out with a new completely redesigned TV with the same type of functionality as whatever the Apple product is.
Secondly, technology is always progressing to something...the point is if you're doing nothing about it, it seems like a silly cop out to say "oh yeah??? well we woulda done that eventually!"
Only a fool would try to pass off some hypothetical "it woulda happened anyway" as proof that it woulda happened anyway...
Like I said, we'll see Apple release this product whatever it is, and then the hundreds of OEMs will start making their own versions. Only a fool would try to deny that that'll happen too...of course, "they woulda done it anyway" is the apologist response.
you can, if you buy the tech. to do it. friend of mine streams tv content to his idevices from his home setup.
(among others)
If Apple really gets into the TV business, they must have something great up their sleeve. It has to go well beyond AppleTV-built-into-a-TV-with-Apple-logo-on-it.
However, I can't think of what that might be though
All my wife and I want to do with our TV is watch video content on it.
The *big* problem is that all ways of getting content to the TV suck in one way or another. (Like many, we work around it by having multiple ways of getting content -- Cable, time-shifted cable, AppleTV, Netflix -- and using the one that works best at the moment.)
Even if Apple could somehow solve the content delivery problem, what does that have to do with the TV itself? AppleTV would be the conduit. I guess it's fine to give people the option of building an AppleTV into a TV, but that's not a game-changer and has obvious drawbacks. At most, maybe Apple would license AppleTV to TV manufacturers for inclusion in their sets.
There are many fiefdoms (CableCos, Broadcast Networks, Local Stations, Content Owners, Content Creators, etc.) in the current content delivery system -- and each wants control and/or their piece of the action.
The only way I can think that Apple could play in this game is to offer something that the others want so Apple could deliver their (the others) content with "Apple style".
One thing that comes to mind is bandwidth -- what if Apple had bandwidth that the others desired or needed to improve their offerings.
In 2012, there will be an auction of much of the TV broadcast spectrum that was relinquished when TV went entirely digital.
This spectrum is sought for cell phones and/or TV usage.
The bidding is expected to be quite active, and to involve $ Billions.
Hmmm...
Would Apple want to put out a giant iMac?
I was thinking not, but...Apple would indeed like for us to sit in front of one of their computers downloading Apple stuff onto a monitor-type hi rez screen rather than to be sitting in front of a Samsung watching "free" network programming.
The bottom line is that people will never leave their Apple computer(s)!
I was thinking not, but...Apple would indeed like for us to sit in front of one of their computers downloading Apple stuff onto a monitor-type hi rez screen rather than to be sitting in front of a Samsung watching "free" network programming.
The bottom line is that people will never leave their Apple computer(s)!
I can't buy the tech -- where I live the CableCo choices are uverse or comcast -- neither provides the tech required. I understand that TimeWarner in NYC provides this capability -- currently about 50 channels, but expanding.
Just to be clear, I want to be able to receive real-time live "event" content as well as recorded content.