The Apple TV with a camera is almost as pathetically inane as the Apple Television, one of Gene Munster's ludicrous delusions that Apple news websites have perpetuated for years.
I've owned a variety of set-top boxes, HTPCs (including three Mac minis), optical disc players, whatever over the past three decades and almost none of them have been installed in a place where a camera would be fully functional.
Hell, Apple themselves removed the IR sensor from the Mac mini years ago (my 2018 Intel Mac mini does not have this).
I realize that AppleInsider worships at the altar of the Almighty Pageview but constantly regurgitating this nonsense really just shows what sort of gullibility they expect from the site's readership.
They should have shipped a real TV years ago and that's where the camera would sit perfectly. Make it a clip on magnetic affair with its own wifi and let users stick where they want (in case they don't want it on the TV) or just remove it for complete privacy.
The nonsense about the TV business being a low margin industry has nothing to do with premium offerings that do far more than regular TVs.
When it's all said and done I think people will feel like Gene Munster was right on this one and that Apple should have just made 2levels of TV (50,65 inch) and added the necessary Apple.
Dan Moren last week wrote an article about the rather strange place that the Apple TV in and most of his sentiment I totally agree with.
They should have shipped a real TV years ago and that's where the camera would sit perfectly. Make it a clip on magnetic affair with its own wifi and let users stick where they want (in case they don't want it on the TV) or just remove it for complete privacy.
The nonsense about the TV business being a low margin industry has nothing to do with premium offerings that do far more than regular TVs.
When it's all said and done I think people will feel like Gene Munster was right on this one and that Apple should have just made 2levels of TV (50,65 inch) and added the necessary Apple.
Dan Moren last week wrote an article about the rather strange place that the Apple TV in and most of his sentiment I totally agree with.
You clearly do not understand why Apple never sold a television. They are low margin, well below what AAPL shareholders would expect from an Apple hardware product.
Worse, they aren't replaced by owners on a regular basis. It is far easier replacing some sort of streaming stick (~$30) or even fancy set-top box ($200) than replacing a $1500-2000 TV. Apple themselves have very limited influence on the technological improvements of the primary hardware component: the display.
Hell, and now that AppleTV+ service is available as an app on third-party hardware, the argument for owning an Apple-branded television set is even hard to push to consumers.
Televisions are commodity electronics.
Apple has rightfully focused their attention on improving the service: "content is king". This is where they can differentiate themselves in 2024. They cannot source some sort of television display panel that will blow away what they can get from Samsung, LG, Sony, etc.
More importantly, the future will be decided by people who aren't even really involved this this conversation. Teenagers used to watching video content represent a generation of people who don't expect to pay thousands and thousands of dollars on a television screen for entertainment.
They should have shipped a real TV years ago and that's where the camera would sit perfectly. Make it a clip on magnetic affair with its own wifi and let users stick where they want (in case they don't want it on the TV) or just remove it for complete privacy.
The nonsense about the TV business being a low margin industry has nothing to do with premium offerings that do far more than regular TVs.
When it's all said and done I think people will feel like Gene Munster was right on this one and that Apple should have just made 2levels of TV (50,65 inch) and added the necessary Apple.
Dan Moren last week wrote an article about the rather strange place that the Apple TV in and most of his sentiment I totally agree with.
So no options for people that want TVs that are smaller, larger, and in between? Is there any television maker that makes just two sizes? What about projectors? What about Apple's move to including AirPlay and AppleTV+ built-in and standalone media appliances? Using Apple's typical profit margin as a guide, who would be buying these expensive TVs with ridiculously limited size options just to get an Apple logo when you can just get an Apple TV appliance to connect via HDMI? I certainly wouldn't consider it, even if they had the display size that works best for me.
A soundbar form factor Apple TV with a built-in HomePod plus Apple TV functionality plus Center Stage compatible wide format camera seems like a no-brainer to me.
Why mess around with 3 or 4 devices tethered together with wire or wireless when you can have a single compact solution in a form factor that has already been proven to be popular and convenient by millions of users? There’s no reason to resort to a cobbled together solution. If Apple’s current designers can’t figure out how to solve this, hire Jony.
A soundbar with TWO HomePods spaced far enough apart to get actual stereo image sound could be nice. One cable to connect it all. If Apple TV 4K supported HDMI eARC, too.
I use a pair of KEF LSX (+ KEF KUBE 10b sub) with Apple TV 4K as my bedroom "soundbar".
I’m a KEF fan too and run my Apple TV 4K through an AV receiver to a 5.1 KEF setup. Sounds great but not exactly a minimalist setup compared to an all-in-one soundbar.
There are a lot of ways to combine various Apple and third party components to achieve the functional equivalent of a soundbar with video and audio streaming plus a camera. I’m of the opinion that an all-in-one device with a soundbar or soundbar-like form factor seems like an attractive offering. But who knows.
I also think that Apple could make a subwoofer that can pair with HomePod mini to open up more options for DIY setups. The HomePod mini, unlike the big HomePod, just doesn’t cut it in the bass department. If the mins could act as rear speakers a 5.1 setup would be possible. Perhaps the magic subwoofer would contain the processing necessary to build larger multiple speaker setups.
They should have shipped a real TV years ago and that's where the camera would sit perfectly. Make it a clip on magnetic affair with its own wifi and let users stick where they want (in case they don't want it on the TV) or just remove it for complete privacy.
The nonsense about the TV business being a low margin industry has nothing to do with premium offerings that do far more than regular TVs.
When it's all said and done I think people will feel like Gene Munster was right on this one and that Apple should have just made 2levels of TV (50,65 inch) and added the necessary Apple.
Dan Moren last week wrote an article about the rather strange place that the Apple TV in and most of his sentiment I totally agree with.
So no options for people that want TVs that are smaller, larger, and in between? Is there any television maker that makes just two sizes? What about projectors? What about Apple's move to including AirPlay and AppleTV+ built-in and standalone media appliances? Using Apple's typical profit margin as a guide, who would be buying these expensive TVs with ridiculously limited size options just to get an Apple logo when you can just get an Apple TV appliance to connect via HDMI? I certainly wouldn't consider it, even if they had the display size that works best for me.
Exactly.
The idea that Apple would somehow revolutionize a commodity item, while making a profit, like a TV set is delusional.
We have 2 Apple TV 4K for living room and bedroom. One connected to a 55” 4K TV, the other a32” IPS computer monitor.
We stream video only and don’t watch commercial TV at all. Using an Apple TV 4K connected to any sort of monitor makes it a streaming hub.
Having an actual “TV Set” is completely unnecessary, except where you want a bigger screen.
Yes I think we're all aware that componentized systems give you the best flexibility.
There is something to be said for being able to pull a display out of the box and make one simple AC connection and have access to Video, Audio and embedded camera content.
"But TV are commodity low margin products" Yes prior to them becoming network devices but now they are treasure troves of data on user habits. Have TV improved the user experience? Not really. If you lose the remote their functionality takes a bit hit. Setup is still relatively cumbersome. The UI are a mess and honestly the Apple TV Grid approach isn't suitable for a TV UI either. Where are the sensors (NFC, Occupancy), ? Where did the "future" where your content would follow you around the house go?
Despite all the industry ballyhoo about the "intelligence" of devices actual observation of what's available and how it functions shows a chasm between marketing and reality. TV sales have been on the decline for a couple of years. Consumers are no longer wowed by large screens or Smart TV features.
They should have shipped a real TV years ago and that's where the camera would sit perfectly. Make it a clip on magnetic affair with its own wifi and let users stick where they want (in case they don't want it on the TV) or just remove it for complete privacy.
The nonsense about the TV business being a low margin industry has nothing to do with premium offerings that do far more than regular TVs.
When it's all said and done I think people will feel like Gene Munster was right on this one and that Apple should have just made 2levels of TV (50,65 inch) and added the necessary Apple.
Dan Moren last week wrote an article about the rather strange place that the Apple TV in and most of his sentiment I totally agree with.
You clearly do not understand why Apple never sold a television. They are low margin, well below what AAPL shareholders would expect from an Apple hardware product.
Worse, they aren't replaced by owners on a regular basis. It is far easier replacing some sort of streaming stick (~$30) or even fancy set-top box ($200) than replacing a $1500-2000 TV. Apple themselves have very limited influence on the technological improvements of the primary hardware component: the display.
Hell, and now that AppleTV+ service is available as an app on third-party hardware, the argument for owning an Apple-branded television set is even hard to push to consumers.
Televisions are commodity electronics.
Apple has rightfully focused their attention on improving the service: "content is king". This is where they can differentiate themselves in 2024. They cannot source some sort of television display panel that will blow away what they can get from Samsung, LG, Sony, etc.
More importantly, the future will be decided by people who aren't even really involved this this conversation. Teenagers used to watching video content represent a generation of people who don't expect to pay thousands and thousands of dollars on a television screen for entertainment.
I don't think it is like that at all.
That's a very bland vision of your run-of-the-mill TV.
An Apple Television would be a premium TV, plus a whole lot more, and plug into the ecosystem.
It would be the family focal point for video/audio consumption, gaming, video communication, AR and general assistant usage.
AI/AR camera to follow you around the room as you do exercises (with real-time skeletal mapping) and video conferencing etc. Or gesture recognition. Or security surveillance.
Premium audio hardware.
The compute side can easily be placed in an easily upgradeable breakout box with cabling if necessary. Just like some Samsung TVs.
The whole widget (as some like to say) instead of just a part of it.
Comments
I've owned a variety of set-top boxes, HTPCs (including three Mac minis), optical disc players, whatever over the past three decades and almost none of them have been installed in a place where a camera would be fully functional.
Hell, Apple themselves removed the IR sensor from the Mac mini years ago (my 2018 Intel Mac mini does not have this).
I realize that AppleInsider worships at the altar of the Almighty Pageview but constantly regurgitating this nonsense really just shows what sort of gullibility they expect from the site's readership.
Dan Moren last week wrote an article about the rather strange place that the Apple TV in and most of his sentiment I totally agree with.
Worse, they aren't replaced by owners on a regular basis. It is far easier replacing some sort of streaming stick (~$30) or even fancy set-top box ($200) than replacing a $1500-2000 TV. Apple themselves have very limited influence on the technological improvements of the primary hardware component: the display.
Hell, and now that AppleTV+ service is available as an app on third-party hardware, the argument for owning an Apple-branded television set is even hard to push to consumers.
Televisions are commodity electronics.
Apple has rightfully focused their attention on improving the service: "content is king". This is where they can differentiate themselves in 2024. They cannot source some sort of television display panel that will blow away what they can get from Samsung, LG, Sony, etc.
More importantly, the future will be decided by people who aren't even really involved this this conversation. Teenagers used to watching video content represent a generation of people who don't expect to pay thousands and thousands of dollars on a television screen for entertainment.
Add a USB-C port to the current Apple TV and build a modern version of the iSight (calling it FaceTime is fine) with updated internals.
$99
Using an Apple TV 4K connected to any sort of monitor makes it a streaming hub.
There is something to be said for being able to pull a display out of the box and make one simple
AC connection and have access to Video, Audio and embedded camera content.
TV innovation is relatively stagnant unless you count Roku wanting to insert ads over connect streamers
"But TV are commodity low margin products" Yes prior to them becoming network devices but now they are
treasure troves of data on user habits. Have TV improved the user experience? Not really. If you lose the remote
their functionality takes a bit hit. Setup is still relatively cumbersome. The UI are a mess and honestly the Apple TV
Grid approach isn't suitable for a TV UI either. Where are the sensors (NFC, Occupancy), ? Where did the "future" where your content
would follow you around the house go?
Despite all the industry ballyhoo about the "intelligence" of devices actual observation of what's available and how it
functions shows a chasm between marketing and reality. TV sales have been on the decline for a couple of years. Consumers
are no longer wowed by large screens or Smart TV features.
That's a very bland vision of your run-of-the-mill TV.
An Apple Television would be a premium TV, plus a whole lot more, and plug into the ecosystem.
It would be the family focal point for video/audio consumption, gaming, video communication, AR and general assistant usage.
AI/AR camera to follow you around the room as you do exercises (with real-time skeletal mapping) and video conferencing etc. Or gesture recognition. Or security surveillance.
Premium audio hardware.
The compute side can easily be placed in an easily upgradeable breakout box with cabling if necessary. Just like some Samsung TVs.
The whole widget (as some like to say) instead of just a part of it.