Steve Jobs on an Apple Television Set: 'I Finally Cracked It'

[Exhale]

It looks like that price KR converts to about $879 USD and the price shown for the Apple display converts to $1268, so you must be incurring an additional markup on Apple products.

That markup is actually commonplace outside the US. The price difference demonstrated here is what you can expect just about everywhere else. In the event you could get it cheaper initially in the US, import fees will kill the advantage - resulting in the Apple display being the more expensive choice.

Furthermore - this also ignores the traditionally observed rule with how cost of other tech relates.

Typically with the SEK - thats done on a rough 10:1 ratio. In other words, the U2711 goes for approximately the same as ~$600 in other computer components, $900 (the 8500 retailer is not reliable, the first reliable is 9000) - $950 (Apple Store) for the Cinema display.

Fact of the matter is, unless you live in the US - the U2711, Samsung, and HP display will almost always be significantly cheaper.

 

[Dmunjal]

Nice anachronism there tiger. What really happened was that it was the demise of CD's that allowed for Apple to disrupt the market in first place. Ergo: Apple did not kill CD's, Apples capitalized on its death.

Thus, for Apple TV to be to TV and Movies what the iPod was to Music, TV and Movies first have to die. Problem is, despite rampant piracy, it isn't. On the contrary, its thriving*.

* not that i have checked numbers lately, but i haven't seen anything that speaks of the opposite.

Movies don't have to die, DVDs and BluRays have to. And that is happening already. DVD sales have been declining for years. People are moving to movies on demand (Netflix, iTunes, Cable and Sat on Demand). The only problem is the studios which force the release on plastic before they release it online.

CDs went through the same thing, except was no copy protection and the files were smaller.

 

[apolloa]

Movies don't have to die, DVDs and BluRays have to. And that is happening already. DVD sales have been declining for years. People are moving to movies on demand (Netflix, iTunes, Cable and Sat on Demand). The only problem is the studios which force the release on plastic before they release it online.

CDs went through the same thing, except was no copy protection and the files were smaller.

Yeah, that's why I can still buy CD's then from HMV, all the supermarkets etc
Digital gives you convenience at the penalty of quality. A blue ray has much better quality then streamed HD media.

 

[Mak47]

Awesome story bro. i don't care. i as a consumer want Blu-Ray.

As a consumer, I don't want Blu-Ray. It is useless to me and it's inclusion only serves to drive up hardware prices.

An Apple TV without included Blu-Ray will bring about the same discussions as Mac's without Blu-Ray.

 

[SVegard]

He was a man, not a deity as his untimely death proves. He also thought about the iPhone for years and he ignored the request for third party apps on the device - unable to see how much of a game changer that would end up being.
He made mistakes and poor choices at times like any human, do not think of him as some higher being who had reached technophoric enlightenment, he was a genius, but one who had his flaws like every man, woman & child has...

Blasphemy!!!

(you are mocking the fanboys religion here)

 

[tahoeroscoe]

macrumors: please stop posting spoilers.

 

[something3153]

Blu-ray is a bag of hurt.

Only for Apple. Everyone else seems to have managed to make it work. Apple is either incompetent or has an ulterior motive.

----------

The fact that so may cable TV providers sued TiVo when it started up shows just how much of a content control freak they are. IMO, the entire concept of a television network is soon obsolete. A good modern TV UI makes internet streaming and "network" programming indistinguishable to where production companies directly stream shows to viewers with advertising brokered via search engines and not networks. We are seeing this now with Hulu and a few others. The next generation will look at the three letter networks like LPs.

Why do you believe you'll be happier with Apple's control freak complex than the networks'? I'm not.

 

[AppleScruff1]

Only for Apple. Everyone else seems to have managed to make it work. Apple is either incompetent or has an ulterior motive.

I vote for ulterior motive. They want your money, they don't want you to spend it buying dvds.

 

[jll62]

He was a man, not a deity as his untimely death proves. He also thought about the iPhone for years and he ignored the request for third party apps on the device - unable to see how much of a game changer that would end up being.
He made mistakes and poor choices at times like any human, do not think of him as some higher being who had reached technophoric enlightenment, he was a genius, but one who had his flaws like every man, woman & child has...

Jobs had a vision for 3rd party apps from the start, which is exactly why they didn't allow them right away. I think it's pretty clear from anecdotes already out in the wild and the excerpts from the book that he knew what he wanted--a currated app store--but that he didn't have the resources to do it when the phone launched. Jobs pushing web apps as the way to develop for the device at WWDC07 was just his typical way of selling what he could at a given moment in time. Of course it was the best thing ever, it was the only option Apple had chosen to allow. It doesn't mean they were never planning to allow something else.

As big as Apple was then, they were still a company with a finite set of resources. It's very likely that many of the people needed to refine the SDK (both APIs and documentation) and the app submission process, where heavily involved with the development of the iPhone itself. Apple clearly made the decision to prioritize getting the phone to market and would enhance things as they went forward, as they seem to do with every other product they release.

 

[Judas1]

Apple will make a TV with Apple TV built into it, so you can stream itunes content. It'll come in both black and white. Though TVs and Apple TVs have been out for a while now, it'll be considered revolutionary. Lots of people will buy this magical item. Soon people will begin claiming that Apple invented streaming digital contents to TVs. Apple will begin making toasters. The toasters will come in black and white. The toaster will connect to icloud and....

 

[Metal Dice]

Personally, I find my set top box easy to use!

"Steve Jobs himself noted that the current environment of "balkanized" cable operators controlling everything through their own set-top boxes makes it difficult to envision a go-to-market strategy for Apple."

I find this quote funny. He's complaining about operators control over TV content. Apple do exactly the same thing in their product line.

It was a quote from the D8 conference. Steve was asked why Apple at that time had not entered the TV marked. He never complained as you hastily state. Instead he explained why Apple wasn't able to enter the market. I.e. he never said it was a bad thing that the cable operators have so much control, he simply made it clear that Apple couldn't succeed if they entered that market.

 

[eye]

Can't crack this: if you need the Internet to get this content and you try to cancel your cable service and just get a superb Internet connection through that same cable company, they'll just charge you more for that connection. They own the cables so they write the rules. Even if you "cut the cable" they still own you.

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Don't you realise, I have deliberately listed all my old but loved bits of tech for a laugh and a joke as I find it very sad that there are adults who have to show of like children at infant school by listing what they think are their top products to be proud of for others to see.
In fact for anyone to actually write in their posts such things as:

"iMac 27", iPad2, iPhone 4s, Apple TV, Macbook air" etc etc just makes me think to myself.

Don't you have any imagination as a consumer that you cannot even decide for yourself which product it the right one, and you have to blindly purchase one brands products only. that to me is so sad.

I would have much more respect, if you do have to write down a lit of thing you own for it to be a mix of products you individually chose and not just picked due to who made them.

As I said, I have put my list in for a laugh, and yes I do own them all, but I also own other products including a new PC that's faster than the fastest iMac Apple even make and yet cost me about 1/3rd the price.
But I don't want to put that, as I'd rather have a light hearted list, and I don't feel the need to justify my choices to others.

It's tacky and like the Queen of England going out in a Ferarri waving bundles of cash around. She does not do that as it's tasteless and crass

Maybe he just likes Apple stuff. I'm not going to differentiate my selections just to appease someone who thinks I'm closed minded. Works better for me. Hate away.

 

[Dmunjal]

Yeah, that's why I can still buy CD's then from HMV, all the supermarkets etc
Digital gives you convenience at the penalty of quality. A blue ray has much better quality then streamed HD media.

But you have to go to the store to buy it or wait for it to ship in the mail. I'll be watching it when I want. On any device I want. With a file saved in less space than a dvd or even in the cloud. The difference in quality between a 1080p download and a Bluray isn't that much.

If it can be digitized, it will be available online. That's what the Internet has accomplished. Incumbents can fight it but they will eventually lose.

 

[Kim1975]

Steve Jobs in his last days

He had a lot of pressure in the last days.. it showed.

 

[toddybody]

I hope it has a quad core and a GTX 570 in it. Wont buy it if not.

 

[dlowings]

FaceTime on a TV alone would make it worth it... If they build it, I'll be a buyer... No question...

 

[mozumder]

So glad Steve Jobs killed Blue-ray.

It's not worth it over 720p streaming.

Streaming is far more valuable. No one really cares about the high-bit rate 1080p that Blue Ray has.

We need a FAR bigger jump than 720p->1080p for blue-ray to be valuable, and that basically means 4K or 8K. 1080p is junk compared to 8k.

----------

Also, it's entirely possible that Apple may get involved with original content production, which is what Netflix is doing.

Maybe in partnership with Disney.

 

[Judas1]

Having streaming only makes no sense at the moment because of how broadband internet service is set up. If you use too much bandwidth, you get throttled. And if you go over a particular data cap, you get penalized. The only people that benefit if we have streaming only are ISPs, and companies like Apple that offer streaming service. Streaming only doesn't benefit consumers in the least. and it makes no difference to the actual content providers whether you get their content on blu-ray or through streaming. People that denounce optical drives and disk use and want only streaming are idiots. What benefits do you get out of it, if there isn't a disk option? Answer... absolutely nothing. Its Apple that benefits, thats why they try to sell you streaming only, and you buy it hook, line, and sinker. Enjoy being a bunch of sheeps.

 

[Slurpy2k8]

Having streaming only makes no sense at the moment because of how broadband internet is set up. If you use too much bandwidth, you get throttled. And if you go over a particular data cap, you get penalized. The only people that benefit if we have streaming only are ISPs, and companies like Apple that offer streaming service. Streaming only doesn't benefit consumers in the least. and it makes no difference to the actual content providers whether you get their content on blu-ray or through streaming. People that denounce optical drives and disk use and want only streaming are idiots. What benefits do you get out of it, if there isn't a disk option? Answer... absolutely nothing. Its Apple that benefits, thats why they try to sell you streaming only, and you buy it hook, line, and sinker. Enjoy being a bunch of sheeps.

Sorry, you're a ****ing idiot. Because someone can recognize the benefits of streaming, that makes them 'sheep'? (not 'sheeps'- kids learn that in grade 2) You're a damn troll.

How about, I don't know, not having to physically go out and rent the disk, then physically return it? Of browsing selections in the comfort of your own home, and being able to watch instantly? Being able to watch on nearly any device with internet access, be it an HDTV, laptop, desktop, Tablet, phone, etc? Not having to worry about managing physical media? Those aren't advantages to you? Why are rental chains all closing shop and going bankrupt, because of Apple fanboys? No, because the mainstream have moved to streaming. And most people who have broadband have the bandwidth/download limits to handle streaming. Grow up, and stop accusing people of being sheep because of something you're somehow incapable of comprehending- it's you that has an agenda. You're completely out of touch with reality and what consumers want.

 

[Piggie]

So glad Steve Jobs killed Blue-ray.


.

Just thought I would correct you here.

As of today, Steve jobs is dead, BluRay is not.
As of today, Steve jobs is dead, Flash is not.
As of today, Steve jobs is dead, Android is not.

 

[CFreymarc]

Only for Apple. Everyone else seems to have managed to make it work. Apple is either incompetent or has an ulterior motive.

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Why do you believe you'll be happier with Apple's control freak complex than the networks'? I'm not.

Apple "control freak" attitude is just to keep passive aggressive bastards that can't play well with others from screwing things up for the rest of us. Go burn down something else, we are well forewarned to deal with those types that use "suppression" as an excuse to destroy a good thing.

 

[AaronEdwards]

Hmmmm, it's probably been said already, but I just read the post...what if SIRI is involved...NO remotes?

In conjunction with iCloud and AppleTV, SIRI would be pretty great.

You will love raising the volume by speaking to the TV.

It would be incredible if they made a TV set. It can't be TOO expensive though.

They could Integrate Siri.

Make your iPhone, iPod, and iPad your remote.

iTunes integrated. It would synch with iCloud to play your music/movies.

Made out of Aluminum.

One thing about having a TV remote, it's just a TV remote, it doesn't do anything else. And that means that it will be where the TV is. Having an iPhone, iPod, or iPad as the remote means that that "remote" needs to be around the TV, so either everyone needs to have their own iProduct with them all the time or you'll end up buying one to use just for the TV.
I believe that's basically a TV remote.

Also, what's the standby time for a regular TV remote? What's the standby time for any iProduct?

It would definitely be in the high-end of the market, however it wouldn't be more expensive than TVs in that range... the size of the potential TV is what I'm wondering... 1 size fits all? several sizes?

One size only, anything else leads to fragmentation.

I wonder if Siri might be involved? DVRs are great, but searching is annoying. Imagine telling Siri-powered remote, "Siri, tell me what's on Sunday's 60 Minutes." Or "Siri, are any movies starring Brad Pitt airing tonight," "What's on tonight's Glee? What about next week," "What's on HBO tonight?" Searching for something to watch or record would be so much easier.

HBO? There will be no HBO, there's nudity on HBO.

----

Edit: Also, about using Siri instead of any kind of remote be it a regular TV remote or an iProduct. If you remove the remote then Siri needs to work 100%, because you won't have any other way to control the TV.
And we're not there yet.
With Siri in 4S, if Siri doesn't get what you want to do, you can still do things manually.

 

[divinox]

Movies don't have to die, DVDs and BluRays have to. And that is happening already. DVD sales have been declining for years. People are moving to movies on demand (Netflix, iTunes, Cable and Sat on Demand). The only problem is the studios which force the release on plastic before they release it online.

CDs went through the same thing, except was no copy protection and the files were smaller.

The death of the CD's was never about the death of physical media in that sense. The record companies, for obvious reasons, care little about how they make their money as long as they make it. Music industry ****ed up, and clanged to the past. In that sense, CD's - and music companies - were pretty much "dead" when Apple stepped in. Their "bad health" is what enabled the overturn so to speak.

We're not seeing that in the non-music media industry. Granted, we're not seeing the same mistakes being done with regards to digital distribution either, but it was always less about distribution and more about control in the end.

TL;DR - the situations are incomparable. Music was dying. Video is thriving. Ergo: Apple can't disrupt as easily.

(and i could give more arguments as to why, but do i really have to?)

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FaceTime on a TV alone would make it worth it... If they build it, I'll be a buyer... No question...

If you desire FaceTime on your TV so much, why don't you just set it up? DIY will be way cheaper too :- )

----------

Having streaming only makes no sense at the moment because of how broadband internet service is set up. If you use too much bandwidth, you get throttled. And if you go over a particular data cap, you get penalized. The only people that benefit if we have streaming only are ISPs, and companies like Apple that offer streaming service. Streaming only doesn't benefit consumers in the least. and it makes no difference to the actual content providers whether you get their content on blu-ray or through streaming. People that denounce optical drives and disk use and want only streaming are idiots. What benefits do you get out of it, if there isn't a disk option? Answer... absolutely nothing. Its Apple that benefits, thats why they try to sell you streaming only, and you buy it hook, line, and sinker. Enjoy being a bunch of sheeps.

Yup. Also: Saw an interesting article, or speech, a while back talking about how all sides of the market are incentivized to be more data-intensive due to cheaper storage costs etc. Problem with the equation is that infrastructure, for natural reasons, lags behind. Even if all cable networks were converted through triple-play, it still wouldn't be enough. 4G will do some good, eventually, but thats quite a few years away*. Digital distribution is wicked, but the equivalent of everyone starting to streaming HD-media content is that everyone gets a 16-wheeler. Have fun at rush-hour people!

(Oh and yeah, i know that some of us are blessed enough to have this infrastructure in place already. Problem is, most aren't. For something to break, and to displace the old, you need more than that...)

*before its a) in place b) "maxed-out".

 

[bushido]

So glad Steve Jobs killed Blue-ray.

It's not worth it over 720p streaming.

Streaming is far more valuable. No one really cares about the high-bit rate 1080p that Blue Ray has.

We need a FAR bigger jump than 720p->1080p for blue-ray to be valuable, and that basically means 4K or 8K. 1080p is junk compared to 8k.

----------

Also, it's entirely possible that Apple may get involved with original content production, which is what Netflix is doing.

Maybe in partnership with Disney.

what exactly did he kill lol? fair prices maybe ...

its Blu Ray theres no E in it, believe it or not. nearly stopped reading right there. if u cant see a difference between 720p and 1080p or 720p and downloaded 720p u either need your eyes checked or a bigger tv

 

[divinox]

what exactly did he kill lol? fair prices maybe ...

its Blu Ray theres no E in it, believe it or not. nearly stopped reading right there. if u cant see a difference between 720p and 1080p or 720p and downloaded 720p u either need your eyes checked or a bigger tv

its funny. when apple introduces the retina, its magical - and oh, don't get me started on the difference. other screens are sooooooo bleak.

then, when its about media, all of a sudden theres no visible difference between 720p and 1080p.

edit: Anyone care to run the math, and confirm my suspicion here? :- )