Apple hires longtime cable exec as engineering director for 'something big'
Cable television industry veteran Jean-Fran?ois Mul? will take an engineering position at Apple for an undisclosed project, rekindling speculation that the Cupertino company is further developing a set-top cable box.
Mul? revealed his new position in a post to his LinkedIn page on Tuesday (via Multichannel), noting that he started working at Apple in September. Under the Experience column, Mul? said he would be "Challenged, inspired and part of something big" in his role as Engineering Director.
The hire was confirmed by Mul?'s most recent employer CableLabs, which is now looking to fill the outgoing executive's former position of Senior VP of Technology Development.
Mul? has a pedigree in cable technology, and most recently worked for two years as CableLabs' SVP of Technology Development. During that time, he founded the firm's San Francisco office, which is currently building out a new research and development center in Sunnyvale, Calif. Prior to that, Mul? served as CableLabs' director of PacketCable Architecture and chief architect.
According to Multichannel, Mul? was involved in a number of high-profile initiatives, including CableLabs' DOCSIS 3.0 program and the creation of APIs for so-called "second screen" video apps.
It is unclear what Apple may have in mind with its new hire, but the company has recently been aggressively updating Apple TV software to include more channels and content. Rumors have it that Apple is looking to disrupt the cable set-top box market with a unique streaming device that ties in iCloud and possibly iOS device to create a cohesive ecosystem.
Most recently, rumblings indicate a next-generation Apple TV may hit store shelves as soon as OctoberT, though the exact hardware specifications are unknown. The third-generation Apple TV was released in March of 2012, though hardware updates have been sporadic since the device first launched in 2007.
Mul? revealed his new position in a post to his LinkedIn page on Tuesday (via Multichannel), noting that he started working at Apple in September. Under the Experience column, Mul? said he would be "Challenged, inspired and part of something big" in his role as Engineering Director.
The hire was confirmed by Mul?'s most recent employer CableLabs, which is now looking to fill the outgoing executive's former position of Senior VP of Technology Development.
Mul? has a pedigree in cable technology, and most recently worked for two years as CableLabs' SVP of Technology Development. During that time, he founded the firm's San Francisco office, which is currently building out a new research and development center in Sunnyvale, Calif. Prior to that, Mul? served as CableLabs' director of PacketCable Architecture and chief architect.
According to Multichannel, Mul? was involved in a number of high-profile initiatives, including CableLabs' DOCSIS 3.0 program and the creation of APIs for so-called "second screen" video apps.
It is unclear what Apple may have in mind with its new hire, but the company has recently been aggressively updating Apple TV software to include more channels and content. Rumors have it that Apple is looking to disrupt the cable set-top box market with a unique streaming device that ties in iCloud and possibly iOS device to create a cohesive ecosystem.
Most recently, rumblings indicate a next-generation Apple TV may hit store shelves as soon as OctoberT, though the exact hardware specifications are unknown. The third-generation Apple TV was released in March of 2012, though hardware updates have been sporadic since the device first launched in 2007.
Comments
Apple should offer content providers like Game of Thrones 70% of the revenue for an a'la cart streaming service. These show producers will come running for that kind of money. Cable companies will simply become internet providers and TV as we know it will die.
And the Apple Television? Really how pathetic.
I see what you did there, you flipped the 30% cut Apple takes. "Don't think of it as you're giving us 30%, think of it as we're giving you 70%"
Apple should offer content providers like Game of Thrones 70% of the revenue for an a'la cart streaming service. These show producers will come running for that kind of money. Cable companies will simply become internet providers and TV as we know it will die.
I don't think it's that simple. For a lot of the shows on premium cable (like GoT), the cable network IS the producer, so their answer to Apple is "Why would we be happy with $0.70 from you, when we can have the whole dollar?". Of course, we think they're failing to see that they could sell many more copies of a single show than they have subscribers. But, I'm guessing that the viewer numbers for a show like GoT is close to the total number of HBO subscribers, which means they'd run the risk of cannibalizing sales of traditional subscriptions (roughly $200-300 year) with a season pass-type model, which only brings 70% of $30-50 per season.
...content providers like Game of Thrones 70% of the revenue...
I think you mean HBO???
It will never really be big unless it can use the cable/satellite pipes. If it can replace the comcast/direct tv/dish/time warner box with something really incredible I will come running. The current apple TV does IP based services, airplay for apps, and gives me access to my iTunes library. It has to be more than that and not totally rely on IP or bandwidth limits will get in the way.
Rumors have it that Apple is looking to disrupt the cable set-top box market with a unique streaming device that ties in iCloud and possibly iOS device to create a cohesive ecosystem.
So let's see. Hiring the director now means that there just might be a product by this time next year. Small matter of designing the architecture, hiring managers, hiring engineers + QA, internally testing a beta, then another beta, then another, then redesigning things and testing yet another beta, etc. Not to mention all those contracts that need to be signed with some of the content providers and other major legacy players.
But the technology infrastructure is already there. Just take a look at the iTunes Festival app on iOS and Apple TV. It's a preview of Apple's future television disruption: live streaming video plus pre-recorded streaming content. That's all you need. No DVR recording feature because it's useless for millions of consumers to have their own local copy of the same content.
Over the last decade, Apple has shown that they build out the enabling technologies and infrastructures first, test it all in public, then add the actual hardware component as the keystone. The tip of the pyramid. iTunes for example: it was released months before the first iPod, but it is the reason for the iPod's success. Without iTunes, iPod would have been just a slightly shiner, slightly easier-to-use MP3 player. With iTunes, it was a worldbeater.
Competitors hastily copy Apple's hardware components (e.g. iPad), then realize there's a lot more to it. They try to fake the infrastructure until they can build out their own solution (e.g. RIM PlayBook.) Of course, that takes years, and by then it could be too late. It takes Apple years to build out their infrastructure too. But they build it out in advance of the actual consumer hardware product release. In plain sight, testing it with existing hardware products.
Another example: those little iPod click-wheel games in the mid-2000s. Apple used them to test the purchase, download, and installation of software to the iPod. That basic technology was the proof-of-concept for today's App Store. I think Apple is using iTunes Radio, iTunes Festival, and the current Apple TV as test beds for their future infrastructure. And yes, by the time Apple rolls out their "real" television disruption strategy, it will be too late for any competitor to mash up a me-too hardware component, then try to fake their own copy of Apple's content and distribution infrastructure.
As for the mythical "Apple TV set," I think it will just be a 60" 4K Thunderbolt Display. Just a big monitor connected to some future Apple TV box. That's all Apple would need to do. If they feel like it. It certainly won't be an imperative.
It will never really be big unless it can use the cable/satellite pipes. If it can replace the comcast/direct tv/dish/time warner box with something really incredible I will come running. The current apple TV does IP based services, airplay for apps, and gives me access to my iTunes library. It has to be more than that and not totally rely on IP or bandwidth limits will get in the way.
Agreed. I don't know how they manage wrestling the pipes away from cable. Messy, very messy. Google is testing the waters with their super high speed service in a few selected cities. I wish Apple would do the same except make it Apple device specific with a low monthly fee. The way things are going with all of the subscriptions, à la carte will end up costing way too much. Plus there is still the issue of live TV and local TV.
iTunesTV 1.0 will be released soon.
Game of thrones also happens to be one of the most pirated shows. I think content producers aren't seeing the additional revenue they can gain simply by providing an easy method of purchase for customers who want to watch their shows, but don't have cable. Right now that segment is being served by the pirate bay. It's the pre-iPod music industry all over again
In someways you might be more correct than false. Any 'TV' they do might be more a service than hardware. The little box may just be the tool for using said 'iTunes TV' service on a TV as one option. The computer, iOS devices etc being the others
It could even one day look like this bloggers idea
http://wearefangirls.blogspot.com/2013/09/steve-jobs-simpliest-interface-and-how.html
Apple should offer content providers like Game of Thrones 70% of the revenue for an a'la cart streaming service. These show producers will come running for that kind of money. Cable companies will simply become internet providers and TV as we know it will die.
That's Apple standard deal. And HBO isn't biting… so your example basically proves the invalidity of your theory.
Game of thrones also happens to be one of the most pirated shows. I think content producers aren't seeing the additional revenue they can gain simply by providing an easy method of purchase for customers who want to watch their shows, but don't have cable. Right now that segment is being served by the pirate bay. It's the pre-iPod music industry all over again
HBO is the exclusive TV rights owner (cable/broadcast/DVD).
Their issue is that they can't provide a non-cable solution without renegotiating contracts with every cable company who expect all HBO first run TV content to be exclusively cable driven.
In essense, the problem is evolving the contracts with the cable industry, which unlike music is geographically franchised and a mishmash of national, regional, and even municipal sized cable carriers. You can't just get a label to say 'the B52s are now on iTunes' and that's just like a new music store in town, like the 8 others already there. Comcast, Charter, TimesWarner, Cablevision would march 500 lawyers into court to block any ITMS distribution into 'their exclusive geographies' (especially on their cables!)
No, the long slow transition is to first make Cable 'look like' the Apple 'iTV' is delivering it's content, by allowing cable companies to virtualize their STB into an iTV 'app'(or channel, or whatever). Put a cable nipple on the Apple STB, and the Apple's secret sauce on top merging all the content into an easily navigable format. This will be slow… slower than phones, because of the franchise control is effectively a monopoly so there is no competition like ATT was able to exert on Verizon/Sprint/TMobile… and SoftBank on Docomo, etc.