Great post, really enjoyed the read.
Regardless of whatever form factor it comes in, there isn't an industry more in need of disruption* than TV. From the awful set top box interfaces, nefarious billing practices such as the bargain advertised rate that doesn't included all the necessary equipment rental and HD up sell charges, to the ridiculous bundles of expensive content, we have to hope that Apple is planning something.
Cable and satellite is such a moribund industry. The democritization of content creation and publishing lays the foundation to upset broadcast TV; an integrated hardware solution integrated with devices most folks already have as controls would sound the death knell.
* promise, last time I cite C. Christensen.
Thank you.
I agree with this. I worked in the cable industry (and have worked in cell phone biz, both on the sales marketing side), and there are some pretty heinous business practices in place based on old monopoly turf defense grounds. Set top boxes should not be gatekeepers, and the monthly equipment leasing rates for them are unnecessary props for a burdensome business model.
And on the content side, I had to represent my small cable company in negotiations with major minor content channels like Espns huge suite of networks, NFL Nework, all the entertainment channels, etc. i saw the pricing models, and understood their objetives. They really do try to squeeze the cable firms, and every year one big faction or another is renegotiating for higher rates... (If you want ESPN you gotta take The Ocho and our sister property E!Mars!!) There is continuous pressure on cable package prices as a result, which on top of monopoly pricing power, really sticks it to the customer. And offering an a la carte cable channel model is just not a money maker for the cable provider, because we had to buy the channel based on "potential viewers across all households". , not the tiny fraction that actually watched it.
A bit off topic and in the weeds from a main Apple blog, but i agree it does present a sector ripe for exploitation with a better business model based on hardware you love to use (and for more than just changing channels), and a content pricing scheme that does not force the customer to pay a full monthly rate for channels he will never watch.
Apple may be able to disrupt this. But the forces on the other side of the table are formidable, entrenched, and politically powerful.
Lets see what happens! Liberate the TV Apple, do it!
