You have sales numbers for HD TV Live, Roku etc? Please share.
Yes actually I do. An article from January 27th of this year where Roku claims they have sold only 500,000 units
to date:
http://newteevee.com/2010/01/27/roku-500000-units-sold-raising-capital-eyeing-ipo/
So while they have only sold 500,000 in the entire history of the Roku's existence, the new Apple TV has sold 250,000 units in just 18
days. There's a bit of a reality check for ya. They also apparently "expect" to sell about 500,000 units this year in total. I highly doubt that number based on their previous sales but even
that number pales in comparison to the Apple TV which has reached half of their expected Roku unit sales figures in just 18 days.
I would look up WD too but I think it is commonly understood that Roku outsell them.
The market isn't the same? Everyone on this planet has a TV and wants to watch stuff on it. The potential market is infinite.
That's like saying everyone on this planet has a head and don't like sweat to get into their eyes, so the potential market for headbands is "infinite". Maybe many consumers have determined that wiping their forehead with their hands is enough. Or maybe many just don't participate in enough sweat inducing activity to see the value in a headband. Whatever the reason, the market isn't realistically "infinite". All a headband manufacturing company can do is compare how many headbands they sell against their competition. Measuring success or failure against the number of heads on the planet is pointless.
Similarly, the reality is consumers have determined so far that entertainment through their TVs is going to come from a cable box, not a media center device. Roku, Apple TV, and WD TV Live don't come close. Until that changes, the potential market isn't realistically "infinite" and Apple can only compare their success against the competition.