Apple television predicted to headline three core product launches in 2013 - Page 6

Quote:

Originally Posted by bcnorth 

I agree it will be all about services not hardwear. They could have made a normal TV years ago. My guess is they are working on software and partner agreements to offer TV in an entirely new way. I envision a system akin to itunes where you can watch what you want when you want, and only pay for what you want. I know PVR can sort of accomplish some of this but imagine subscribing to actual shows, instead of channels. You can do it online for free the following day through network websites but they are a day late, awkward, and slow. 

 

I think in five years ordering a cable package and looking at the schedule will seem as silly as going to a CD shop and listening to samples before deciding what album to buy.

 

Think of the parelles with music. There was a time when is was not only free (albeit stolen), but more convenient to illegally download music. I would say the same for TV shows today. Apple made legal downloading of music better for a reasonable efficient fee. Can they do the same for TV?

I agree with you on the hardware. It will not be all about hardware. It will be about what Apple does best....the user experience.

Channel store! Right now I get about 300 channels on my cable bundle. I probably have watched maybe 15 at some point....all the others are pretty useless to me and just take up time channel surfing. Pretty boring stuff...wasting time. But what I would love to see is Apple do something like a subscription service for just the channels you want. That service would have the basic network channels ABC, CBS, NBC...any geographically local channels. Now via something like iTunes for music (what that really is is still to be determined) I can choose exactly what channels i get and what i want to pay for. Then i can choose exactly what order they show on my new Apple remote to go along with my new Apple TV. That would be a tru;y gratifying TV experience for me......just what I want just the way I want it!

Quote:

Originally Posted by geekdad 
But what I would love to see is Apple do something like a subscription service for just the channels you want. That service would have the basic network channels ABC, CBS, NBC...any geographically local channels. Now via something like iTunes for music (what that really is is still to be determined) I can choose exactly what channels i get and what i want to pay for. Then i can choose exactly what order they show on my new Apple remote to go along with my new Apple TV. That would be a tru;y gratifying TV experience for me......just what I want just the way I want it!

I don't think you'd save as much as you think. It might be easier to navigate, but I wouldn't go too far beyond that. When you figure that many people will pick the same array of channels, and they may be more expensive channels, combined with Apple's 30% fee and the loss of any bundling discount through your cable provider, it may not add up to a huge savings. If the cable providers have to support their infrastructure solely on internet services, I would expect to see rate hikes if too many subscribers drop cable. For a while quite a bit of free content with advertising was available through the websites of many of these networks. Royalty disputes put an end to that. The results may have broken the cost effectiveness of that distribution model. For a while you could either get recent shows through Hulu or whatever TV network site. Roku also worked with some of them, allowing you to stream this stuff on your television without adhering to show schedules. I don't think they need to give you cheaper pricing and ability to limit what you pay for at all. If you had some ability to watch things when you want without planning and pre-recording and organize the channel selection from a given subscription down to a quickly navigated selection of favorites, that would draw a lot of people if we're just looking at the software side of things. Speaking of itunes, you can purchase or rent movies that way too. It's also called itunes on the existing Apple TV.