Tim Cook at D11: Apple Television - There is a Grand Vision

[scottw324]

I like the Apple TV interface way better than a cable box interface.

If Apple goes a head and makes an actual TV, doing away with the black square hockey puck, then I am done with it. I am not going to spend $$$thousands$$$ on an Apple branded TV set. Not when I am going to have it for awhile. It will be expensive.

Add on top of that, when there is a firmware update issued it sometimes causes the ATV to stop working or parts of it to stop working (like wifi). I am not lugging an Apple TV set from my house 1.5 hrs away from my house to an Apple store just so that I can get it looked at and replaced. That is the nice thing of the hockey puck style one. Small, low profile, blends in or is easily hideable in your entertainment center, lower power consumption, always on. I can take the hockey puck out and stick it in my pocket to bring up to Apple or easily ship it to them.

Plus, I want to go with whatever size, model, options TV set I decide I want to go with and just hook the ATV up to whatever that is. It also allows me to upgrade it each year if I so choose for $99.

It is a great product IMO. They just need to bring some Apps to it so that we can use it even more.

 

[iChrist]

Because complaining about a product that doesn't exist and doesn't have a price tag comes across as immature, whiny, and self-entitled. Just like your snarky responses.

I must be more aware of how sensitive some people are. I am sorry you are upset, it was not my intention. I hope maybe we can talk so I can try to make you feel better.

There were approximately 1,000,000 rumors on how the next AppleTV would be an entire TV set, display and all. I was just saying it would be more desirable for it to be a small set top box instead.

 

[derbladerunner]

"Gamers" are typically in their 30's, over half the households in the US own at least one current gen console (PS3, 360 or Wii) and video game consoles are the most used way to stream content to TVs.

I don't deny these numbers, although many of the Wii machines are probably collecting dust by now.

The question is: Why spend hundreds of dollars if gaming is not the top priority (and since I doubt Apple cares about this market owned by Sony and Microsoft) ?

A new, improved AppleTV can do what the dedicated game consoles can. Streaming, casual games, mesagging... - basically everything except for core gaming with demanding graphics.

All that at an attractive $99 price point. Apple should just improve and open up the AppleTV for iOS developers and content owners with an SDK.

PS: Even core gaming could probably be served from servers one day (for example, Gaikai bought by Sony is offering this).

 

[LethalWolfe]

I don't deny these numbers, although many of the Wii machines are probably collecting dust by now.

The question is: Why spend hundreds of dollars if gaming is not the top priority (and since I doubt Apple cares about this market owned by Sony and Microsoft) ?

Gaming can still be a priority even if the machine goes online more often for streaming. Stats are hard to come by sometimes but I've seen various studies that seem to show about 11hrs/week is the average amount of play time for a teenage gamer. TV watching is about 34hrs/week on average so it makes since that as game consoles have become delivery devices for streaming TV/movies that video viewing will eclipse game playing (especially in homes that have 'cut the cord'). People aren't playing fewer games on their console, they are just using it to more and more to stream media.

PS: Even core gaming could probably be served from servers one day (for example, Gaikai bought by Sony is offering this).

OnLive has been doing this for a few years now but hasn't gained traction. Granted Sony rolling out a service is different than a third party trying to enter the marketplace, but gaming as service will be a tough sell to console and PC gamers that are used to being able to buy, sell, and borrow games (hence all the concern over how the PS4 and Xbox One will function in these regards).

 

[Mrbobb]

What Vision? Cook just keeps repeating what we already know about Apple.

 

[JGowan]

Hey kid. Can you read?

When people say they don't want to have to buy a new TV, they mean they want the AppleTV to be a small box, not a whole new TV. It's about form factor.

I read fine. Let Apple innovate. If you recently bought a HDTV, either sell it (if you want Apple's new one when/if it comes out) OR enjoy the set you bought and know, that when you finally need another tv in 4-7 years, Apple will probably have a wonderful one to sell you. Apple shouldn't think small just to make a few happy. If they enter the TV business, it's because they think they can truly make a big difference in User experience. I'm happy with my two 55" Vizios and probably won't upgrade for 4-5 years but in the meantime, I want Apple to truly revolutionize everything they touch.

But that's just me.

(oh... and I'm 47).

 

[derbladerunner]

If they enter the TV business, it's because they think they can truly make a big difference in User experience. I'm happy with my two 55" Vizios and probably won't upgrade for 4-5 years but in the meantime, I want Apple to truly revolutionize everything they touch.

How does the unique user experience depend on the screen? There are plenty of nice TVs in all sizes, thin bezels, with mostly good and even excellent picture quality.

I would really like an improved Apple TV (box), but not another giant flat screen.

I don't see Apple adding any value to the screen itself (apart from something really unexpected, like holographic TV, but in this case, there probably won't be enough content for years...).

The TV screen is "dumb" in my wishful scenario, the logic is in the boxes attached to the screen and in cloud storage.

Let Apple focus on the logic (box and cloud), not the TV screen.


PS: Fom a marketing perspective, Apple can sell its small box to anyone with an HDTV instead of trying to have people replace their existing HDTVs with an expensive one from Apple. Also, everybody except Samsung (barely in the black) is losing money in TV hardware. Not a great business to be in. I will probably sell my Apple shares the day Apple announces a TV set.