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Roku CEO Calls Apple TV a 'Money Loser', Says Product is 'Essentially' an Accessory for iPad

Well of course this guy is gonna trash-talk a competitor. You know he's not being completely honest when he starts making up things like how Apple TV is merely an "iPad accessory."

I don't know Roku so I won't comment on the offering. But Apple TV for our family is a lot less about our iPads and a lot more about our digital movie and TV library. We even class our home movies as a TV show, with each edited piece being an episode. With an Apple TV on every TV in our home, I catch kids and my wife watching home movies all the time. The device has done a lot for us.

Just sayin' ...
 
irDigital0l said:
He's just foreshadowing what is bound to happen.

When Amazon and Apple release their new TVs this year, Roku is gonna hurt.
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im thinking its perhaps the exact opposite. ive yet to see the interview that these quotes come from but was watching older ones on youtube and hes always asked when roku will be crushed by the big boys. yet roku seems to be doing very well.

would think its in many ways built up frustration.
 
...

Coming up: CEO spreads FUD about competing product. Dog bites man. Politician lies. All these stories, plus Andy Rooney; Next on 60 Minutes.

Is anyone really surprised by this kind of thing any more?
 
I would never buy any streaming device. When I pay for something, I want something tangible in return which is not heavily reliant on the Internet and my download quota. I prefer a physical copy instead of DRM and region restrictions, which I refuse to accept and will not support. I control and decide where to play, no one else. I pay I play my way. Plus I prefer Blu-Ray, but not downloading 40GB per movie. Hell even the iTunes movies are not BD quality either, so why would I use their service?

I can buy a BD movie, make my own backup copy with no region restrictions, no DRM, play where and when I want, no downloads required, and have the original disc for a backup and BD quality as well. So why would I use the Internet route when Im paying more for less and I have to obtain it myself?
 
I can't believe Apple fans on here are buying these Roku boxes when their CEO is so hostile towards us. Anyway Apple TV is a vastly superior product to Roku and I'll continue buying them. I can confidently predict Apple TV will be around a hell of a lot longer than this Roku stuff nobody wants.
 
Menneisyys2 said:
He meant AirPlay video streaming / screen mirroring, as Apple doesn't offer other AirPlay receivers with HDMI output.

Of course, what he stated is only half of the truth as the ATV can be used with iPhones / (newer) MB's too for streaming, not only iPads - and, of course, as a self-standing Internet video streamer too without any kind of local iDevices / MB's as a controller / video / mirrored screen source.
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Ah, course. Forgot it even did that, as I very rarely use AirPlay, though on the times I use it, it is from my MBA....
 
The comments are a bit of a head scratcher. If Apple loses $ on each box @ $99 then how is Roku making money on its boxes at $99 or less? The hardware is similar & the Roku 3's remote is more sophisticated.

But I do agree the ATV's best feature is Airplay (when it works fluidly). As a set top box the Roku's channel line up is deeper; though not really more watchable.
 
They make the money off of subscriptions or people purchasing media, it's normally the same case with Game Consoles.
 
dumastudetto said:
I can't believe Apple fans on here are buying these Roku boxes when their CEO is so hostile towards us.
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Us? Did he say consumers are idiots? That's the only "us" here I can think of. The CEO is hostile toward a competitor's product. Hardly shocking. I don't think he used the best line of attack here but I can't take it personally. I buy what is best for my needs.
 
Icaras said:
It's Michael Dell all over again :rolleyes:
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... and Gates/Bullmer...

I feel like there could be a long list of people that publicly mock Apple to send up either their own product that doesn't actually offer much different and will be belittling it by ignoring half its features, or like Gates & Bullmer, they simply don't have anything and Apple are exploding a huge new market :)
 
Brandon263 said:
I was asking why Roku chooses to name and disparage Apple TV if they believe that their products are the best. You don't hear Apple naming the Galaxy S4 or S5 in its ads.
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Well, not the best, but, in some respects, superior to ATV - for example, it's far superior WRT playing back

- video from USB sticks and/or
- non-Apple-native video containers like MKV.

Both are severely missing from AppleTV.

(See for example http://www.expertreviews.co.uk/media-streamers/1291402/roku-2-xs )

(And, in other respects, inferior.)
 
Criticizing Apple TV is fine. It certainly has its drawbacks and it might never be a mainstream product. Calling it a mere accessory to the iPad is a fair enough point, too.

But why claim something ridiculous like it being a money loser? Does he think it's still the same hardware they once sold for $249? Did he not look into Apple's public financial statements? It just makes him look like he doesn't know what he's talking about.
 
My Apple TV has been used almost daily over the 4 years I have had it. I also have a Roku sat on a shelf. Enough said really.
 
Yeah AppleTV is a "money loser" if you don't also own iTunes and get a ton of revenue from people buying stuff via the device :D
 
Never actually had ATV, but just from the pictures - Roku looks like overweight ATV. Just sayin', girl's got some curves.
 
Menneisyys2 said:
Well, not the best, but, in some respects, superior to ATV - for example, it's far superior WRT playing back



- video from USB sticks and/or

- non-Apple-native video containers like MKV.



Both are severely missing from AppleTV.



(See for example http://www.expertreviews.co.uk/media-streamers/1291402/roku-2-xs )



(And, in other respects, inferior.)
Click to expand...


I accept that Roku products have more functionality and are possibly of better quality than Apple products. It just puzzles me that Roku's CEO would explicitly name the competition at an event where he's supposed to be talking up his company's products.
 
Roku will never take off with an idiot of CEO like this one.
I cant believe companies are so fascinated with putting other companies down instead on reinventing them self.
Like someone said Michael Dell all over again....
The AppleTV is an ACCESSORY TO THE ITUNES STORE, and the only one of its kind!
An accessory for iPad?? whaaat? like someone said before, the only time I ever used my iPhone, was as a remote!
What an idiot... he is a mix of Dell and Ballmer all together;
Ill call him Dellmer!
 
Shouldn't the first sentence say "likening" instead of liking? Because it doesn't sound like the Roku CEO likes te ATV too much.
 
His argument seems pretty petty and actually why would you attack appletv to me they should be worried about game consoles.

As far as an iPad accessory I don't have an iPad and haven't felt I needed one for it. It does work great when I'm playing Steam games and want a bigger screen I just mirror it on my 46" TV.
 
So let me get this straight, a competitor is stating that Apple's product is lacking and their product is better. OK, given that Apple can stop producing the Apple TV because their competitors don't like it :cool:

:p
 
A company running down the competition is scared!

Roku is great and I have considered getting one for a long time...but I know ATV is still in such early days and has so much more to offer.

The problem with all these is what they offer the UK market for me, catchup services I can get elsewhere I need something special and not a price that is stupid like current ATV can be depending where you buy it.

ATV app store could be really interesting.
 
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