Apple strategy for TV is so obvious that it puzzles me nobody sees it. The problem is the interface and the way to manipulate content on the interface. The TV screen is not a computer screen, using a remote or a mouse to navigate menus on TV is, at best, an awkward experience. The TV screen is not in our immediate reach and using hands to manipulate content on screen is like having a giant, clumsy, mechanical hand. On the contrary, replicating the screen on the iPad and manipulating content on the iPad is very natural. So, the iPad will be the perfect remote. With all it implies (iTunes, an AppleTV inside the TV set etc)
Yep. Touch interfaces are waaay more flexible than using 4 directional arrows to highlight on-screen items. And a remote of a bajillion buttons isn't terribly appealing, being too confusing for casual users and too static for the advanced functionality of hard-core geeks.
The future of TV is tied to smart phones and tablets. Dedicated hardware can be used but so can the devices everyone already has in their pockets. TVs will eventually support both.
AirPlay has given everyone a glimpse of the future. But so far, it has only been a glimpse. I can't wait!
What a bunch of BS. Sony's got nothing planned! Pretty lame trying blame all their problems on natural disasters. Apple and Samsung use much of the same components as Sony but I don't see them making execuses. As for the data security, Sony's got no one to blame but themselves.
They are like Microsoft. They have lots of "concepts" planned. Just nothing that could be a decent product without a bet-the-company type move.
The future is mobile. Mobile everything. While there will be some of us that will constantly say a bigger screen is better, everyday use scenarios are heading towards mobile platforms. The moment broadcast tv becomes easy to use and accessible on most tablets and mobile phones will be the day tv sets become less of an everyday electronic item and more of an event (or curiosity) piece of tech for gatherings or guests, where you occasionally play a game, watch a sporting event or movie. It is even happening now with some households.
We are not there yet due to content owners and cable operators fearing the worst but eventually we will get there. Things die out eventually. Once the old guard leaves and forward thinking individuals replace them we might even see some interesting out of the box ideas take shape.
Well, you heard it from him first. As usual, let Apple do all the R&D, then everyone else can pull a Samsung and fire up the copy machines, which will then result in the usual iHaters, trolls, and whiners claiming that Apple simply stole the idea from everyone else.
Quote:
Originally Posted by tylerk36
So true. Apple paves the way and the others hate Apple for it.
Umm... Apple doesn't do the R&D and then everyone else copies. Quite the opposite. Others do the R&D, Apple makes it much better, than everyone says "oh crap- ours should be like that too!". Then the "copying" happens. Apple takes someone else's idea and makes it better/improves it, and then others copy Apple because it is so successful. Let's not pretend that doesn't happen either.
Did Apple create the MP3 Player? Nope. Just a way better one. Did Apple create the smartphone? Or the touchscreen phone? Or the internet, email, etc on their phone? Nope... but they made a way better one. How about the tablet. Theirs was the first, right? Nope... just the best.
Just like if/when they make a TV service or a TV- it won't be the first, but it will be better than the rest, then the copiers of their SUCCESS will follow suit.
Apple is the guy that watches what comes out, and then says "if it looked like this, and did this better, it would sell like hotcakes". Then they do it.
A friend of mine bought a Sony LCD TV and hated it. From what I understand and experienced Sony likes to make their products unique and harder to adapt to any change in its environment. Such as resolution adaptation with their friggen TV's. That same friend has a Vizio LCD TV and it out performs the Sony every time. So my friend uses the Sony as a DVD player TV in his bedroom. Pretty sad. The only good thing that I see Sony producing is the PS3. Blue Ray is a mute point for me. Just as steve hobs felt it was a night mare.
That's B.S. unless your friend bought the low end. Sony has its problems and I think Stringer has got to go, but their top-of-the-line HX929 is an amazing set with an amazing picture - maybe the best LCD out there (there's also the new Sharp Elites, but they only come in very large screen sizes, are very expensive and they change teal to blue, although Sharp says they're going to fix that with a software upgrade.) Vizio doesn't even come close. But with any set, you can't run it with the out-of-the-box settings which are configured for bad display in retail. If you want a perfect picture, the set must be calibrated.
What Sony does screw-up and what Apple is so good at is user-interface. Sony has some settings that their own customer support department can't explain (which actually makes some sense because the description of the settings makes NO sense.)
Here's an example from their Blu-ray player manual:
Quote:
Original:
Select this when connecting to a TV with a wide mode function. Displays a 4:3
screen picture in 16:9 aspect ratio even on a wide-screen TV.
Fixed Aspect Ratio
Changes the picture size to fit the screen size with the original picture aspect ratio.
Huh? "Original" changes the aspect ratio and "Fixed" changes the size? And when you try to set these properly in conjunction with the various settings on the TV, you wind up with more nonsense. When you ask Sony how to set up the BD player and the TV to always display the original aspect ratio, they can't provide you with a response that either works or makes sense.
But having said that, my fear about an Apple-branded TV is that they go to the opposite extreme by removing all controls that enable users (or calibrators) to adjust the picture and sound. Also, would an Apple TV let you access Netflix, Amazon On-Demand, Hulu, etc?
On the other hand, an Apple TV that incorporates Siri could be quite compelling if they can get it to work (which will be tricky because Apple doesn't "know" what programs are being broadcast by your local cable provider at any given time. Even the electronic TV guides frequently get it wrong when schedules change.)
Sony has made a decision to split the TV division into three. It's hard to tell what it all means, but it looks like high-end sets will still be designed by Sony, but low-end sets will be all OEM, which essentially means you'll pay extra just to have the Sony name on a TV that you can buy for less under a different brand (maybe even Vizio). Of course once Sony's board wises up and throws out Stringer, this could all change again.
(And it's not a "mute" point (unless the audio doesn't work). It's a "moot" point and it's Jobs, not Hobs. Can we show the guy a little respect, especially now that he's no longer with us?)
You definitely miss out on the movie experience watching it on a phone (as opposed to a dedicated media room, or nice TV/sound system). TV shows, or kids movies/babysitters are one thing, but David Lynch hit the nail on the head.
The future is mobile. Mobile everything. While there will be some of us that will constantly say a bigger screen is better, everyday use scenarios are heading towards mobile platforms. The moment broadcast tv becomes easy to use and accessible on most tablets and mobile phones will be the day tv sets become less of an everyday electronic item and more of an event (or curiosity) piece of tech for gatherings or guests, where you occasionally play a game, watch a sporting event or movie. It is even happening now with some households.
We are not there yet due to content owners and cable operators fearing the worst but eventually we will get there. Things die out eventually. Once the old guard leaves and forward thinking individuals replace them we might even see some interesting out of the box ideas take shape.
No. Mobile will certainly be big (it already is) and I agree that when mobile can get live broadcasts easily it will become bigger. And I also agree that there are some people, especially young people, who are satisfied watching TV or movies on a 3" screen.
But to say that everything will be mobile and that people will only watch on large screens on special occasions is a complete misreading of the market and actual consumer behavior. Large screens are selling in ever-increasing sizes as costs come down. Sharp's new (but expensive) Elite line only comes in 70" and 80" sizes. Two years ago, 37" was the most popular screen size. Now it's 52 to 55". Both mobile and large screens will co-exist forever. They serve completely different purposes. A 20 year old who doesn't want to be at home with their parents will watch mobile (when they're not texting trivia). But a 37-year-old with two kids is going to be at home watching that large screen. They might not be watching broadcast TV, but that's the screen they'll be using.
I have an internet-connected Sony Bravia. I love what it offers (cable tv, hdmi inputs, netflix, amazon vod, youtube, shutterfly, pandora, etc...). Really an upgrade to the way I used to watch TV and rent movies.
But it's laggy (unresponsive), the viewing angle is limited, the interface leaves a lot to be desired, and the choices are dictated by them, not me.
Those are the things I'd like to see enhanced by whomever, whenever.
The iPod, iPhone, and iPad is what got them here in the first place. The company was on its way out making desktop computers. Even Jobs admitted that. And the resurgence of the Mac was a direct result of the move to consumer products, the so-called halo effect.
This is not entirely true.
You are differentiating between all Apple computers and all Apple "consumer" products (a subtle distinction at best), but ignoring the incredible success they have had with laptops. You are also conflating several periods of history into one.
Yes, Apple was not making a killing in desktops and Jobs admitted that when he came back to Apple. That doesn't mean that they never did any good in desktop computers at all, nor that they didn't do fantastic in them later, once the iMac was made. The iMac was very popular and very instrumental in the initial turnaround both financially and otherwise.
What "brought Apple back"was (more arguably), the huge success of the mobile (laptop) computers. Apple was pretty much the first to "solve" the mobile computer problem just as they were the first to come up with a viable desktop. Their laptops have always been the best, industry leading, devices and have always sold like gangbusters.
This then led to iPods and more directly consumer related stuff, but what actually brought them back and kept them alive was huge success in mobiles (laptops) as well as steadily increasing success in old-fashioned desktops.
The success of the iPod and now the iPhone and iPad are almost like extra-extra gravy on top of Apple's original stellar success. To paint the company as failing until they were "saved" by entering the consumer space with these products is a mis-representation IMO.
I cannot figure out why Jobs would have allowed the mention of TV in his book. He was so appropriately secretive with projects like this. To read that Sony is now "racing" is the obvious conclusion now that the cat's out of the bag. Did Jobs do it to light a fire under the studios' asses? Perhaps we'll understand in the next few years. But I sure wish iTV was launching today.
That's B.S. unless your friend bought the low end. Sony has its problems and I think Stringer has got to go, but their top-of-the-line HX929 is an amazing set with an amazing picture - maybe the best LCD out there (there's also the new Sharp Elites, but they only come in very large screen sizes, are very expensive and they change teal to blue, although Sharp says they're going to fix that with a software upgrade.) Vizio doesn't even come close. But with any set, you can't run it with the out-of-the-box settings which are configured for bad display in retail. If you want a perfect picture, the set must be calibrated.
I have to agree with you. Though I'm not a die-hard Sony fan, I do like their TVs and my year-old 46NX810 is a fantastic set. The cross media bar menu system may be ok for the PS-3 but I don't personally think it's the best way to go for their TVs. Can you imagine that there is no sleep button on the remote and I had to find "hidden" discrete sleep commands from RTI's code library. Besides those two things though, the picture is great, exhibits no banding issues like my Sharp LCD nor ghosting issues like some other Sony and Samsung sets. It also has great black-level (contrast ratio) for an edge-lit LCD. My brother-in-law just bought a 55NX720 for less than what I paid for my smaller set and it also has a fantastic picture. Meanwhile, my friend Miki's 55" Vizio with 240Hz and all the bells and whistles (except 3D) has a crappy picture. I'd probably liken it to my 4 year old 46" Sharp (which was good enough at the time). Coming from a high-end A/V background, I never much cared for the quality of Vizio's picture.
It'll be interesting to see what Apple comes up with if/when they release their TV.
My 42" Sony is about 5 years old. The very first week I had it some major component went out, but the repair service came right to my house the next day and fixed it. Since then it has work perfectly. The menu is a little clunky, when trying to switch inputs to use Apple TV, but the screen is fine for my needs. The thing that Apple needs to release is the way to be the first in line set top box and the hub for everything else. If Apple can convince cable and satellite companies to work together along with local antenna inputs and the Internet that would make the remote control and input selection a lot better for sure. As always though, content is king. There needs to be something worth watching, and Netflix isn't it.
You will when the next quarterly reports come out. The flooding in Thailand is a big deal, driving up HDD prices globally and expected to continue doing so for the next six months.
See:
Samsung president sees DRAM market worsen due to Thai flood
Comments
But I will never again buy a Sony product, because their customer service is horrible.
Apple strategy for TV is so obvious that it puzzles me nobody sees it. The problem is the interface and the way to manipulate content on the interface. The TV screen is not a computer screen, using a remote or a mouse to navigate menus on TV is, at best, an awkward experience. The TV screen is not in our immediate reach and using hands to manipulate content on screen is like having a giant, clumsy, mechanical hand. On the contrary, replicating the screen on the iPad and manipulating content on the iPad is very natural. So, the iPad will be the perfect remote. With all it implies (iTunes, an AppleTV inside the TV set etc)
Yep. Touch interfaces are waaay more flexible than using 4 directional arrows to highlight on-screen items. And a remote of a bajillion buttons isn't terribly appealing, being too confusing for casual users and too static for the advanced functionality of hard-core geeks.
The future of TV is tied to smart phones and tablets. Dedicated hardware can be used but so can the devices everyone already has in their pockets. TVs will eventually support both.
AirPlay has given everyone a glimpse of the future. But so far, it has only been a glimpse. I can't wait!
What a bunch of BS. Sony's got nothing planned! Pretty lame trying blame all their problems on natural disasters. Apple and Samsung use much of the same components as Sony but I don't see them making execuses. As for the data security, Sony's got no one to blame but themselves.
They are like Microsoft. They have lots of "concepts" planned. Just nothing that could be a decent product without a bet-the-company type move.
We are not there yet due to content owners and cable operators fearing the worst but eventually we will get there. Things die out eventually. Once the old guard leaves and forward thinking individuals replace them we might even see some interesting out of the box ideas take shape.
In the PC market they are dependent on Microsoft.
In mobile they are dependent on Google.
And the rest of the company has dozens of competing OSes and embedded platforms.
Apple is winning because they use their software development prowess to make unique, highly integrated hardware products.
the picture is absolutely PERFECT.
the menu system with addins for things like Hulu Plus and Netfix are AWFUL.
part of the deal was to send a 16GB Tablet S to act as a media center remote device. It works but the menu system from the TV is not on the tablet....
it basically is just a simple remote app.
I was really hoping that the tablet could emulate what I see on the screen for navigation. but it does not.
if sony is thinking of something, they have a LONG way to go.
as far as that Tablet S goes, it is pretty nice for an Android tablet. the kids play the market games on it.
Well, you heard it from him first. As usual, let Apple do all the R&D, then everyone else can pull a Samsung and fire up the copy machines, which will then result in the usual iHaters, trolls, and whiners claiming that Apple simply stole the idea from everyone else.
So true. Apple paves the way and the others hate Apple for it.
Umm... Apple doesn't do the R&D and then everyone else copies. Quite the opposite. Others do the R&D, Apple makes it much better, than everyone says "oh crap- ours should be like that too!". Then the "copying" happens. Apple takes someone else's idea and makes it better/improves it, and then others copy Apple because it is so successful. Let's not pretend that doesn't happen either.
Did Apple create the MP3 Player? Nope. Just a way better one. Did Apple create the smartphone? Or the touchscreen phone? Or the internet, email, etc on their phone? Nope... but they made a way better one. How about the tablet. Theirs was the first, right? Nope... just the best.
Just like if/when they make a TV service or a TV- it won't be the first, but it will be better than the rest, then the copiers of their SUCCESS will follow suit.
Apple is the guy that watches what comes out, and then says "if it looked like this, and did this better, it would sell like hotcakes". Then they do it.
A friend of mine bought a Sony LCD TV and hated it. From what I understand and experienced Sony likes to make their products unique and harder to adapt to any change in its environment. Such as resolution adaptation with their friggen TV's. That same friend has a Vizio LCD TV and it out performs the Sony every time. So my friend uses the Sony as a DVD player TV in his bedroom. Pretty sad. The only good thing that I see Sony producing is the PS3. Blue Ray is a mute point for me. Just as steve hobs felt it was a night mare.
That's B.S. unless your friend bought the low end. Sony has its problems and I think Stringer has got to go, but their top-of-the-line HX929 is an amazing set with an amazing picture - maybe the best LCD out there (there's also the new Sharp Elites, but they only come in very large screen sizes, are very expensive and they change teal to blue, although Sharp says they're going to fix that with a software upgrade.) Vizio doesn't even come close. But with any set, you can't run it with the out-of-the-box settings which are configured for bad display in retail. If you want a perfect picture, the set must be calibrated.
What Sony does screw-up and what Apple is so good at is user-interface. Sony has some settings that their own customer support department can't explain (which actually makes some sense because the description of the settings makes NO sense.)
Here's an example from their Blu-ray player manual:
Original:
Select this when connecting to a TV with a wide mode function. Displays a 4:3
screen picture in 16:9 aspect ratio even on a wide-screen TV.
Fixed Aspect Ratio
Changes the picture size to fit the screen size with the original picture aspect ratio.
Huh? "Original" changes the aspect ratio and "Fixed" changes the size? And when you try to set these properly in conjunction with the various settings on the TV, you wind up with more nonsense. When you ask Sony how to set up the BD player and the TV to always display the original aspect ratio, they can't provide you with a response that either works or makes sense.
But having said that, my fear about an Apple-branded TV is that they go to the opposite extreme by removing all controls that enable users (or calibrators) to adjust the picture and sound. Also, would an Apple TV let you access Netflix, Amazon On-Demand, Hulu, etc?
On the other hand, an Apple TV that incorporates Siri could be quite compelling if they can get it to work (which will be tricky because Apple doesn't "know" what programs are being broadcast by your local cable provider at any given time. Even the electronic TV guides frequently get it wrong when schedules change.)
Sony has made a decision to split the TV division into three. It's hard to tell what it all means, but it looks like high-end sets will still be designed by Sony, but low-end sets will be all OEM, which essentially means you'll pay extra just to have the Sony name on a TV that you can buy for less under a different brand (maybe even Vizio). Of course once Sony's board wises up and throws out Stringer, this could all change again.
(And it's not a "mute" point (unless the audio doesn't work). It's a "moot" point and it's Jobs, not Hobs. Can we show the guy a little respect, especially now that he's no longer with us?)
Except in David Lynch's house:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKiIroiCvZ0
WARNING: Language alert, NSFW
He's 100% right.
You definitely miss out on the movie experience watching it on a phone (as opposed to a dedicated media room, or nice TV/sound system). TV shows, or kids movies/babysitters are one thing, but David Lynch hit the nail on the head.
Oh, no: Sony could get there first! Remember what happened with the Walkman?
The future is mobile. Mobile everything. While there will be some of us that will constantly say a bigger screen is better, everyday use scenarios are heading towards mobile platforms. The moment broadcast tv becomes easy to use and accessible on most tablets and mobile phones will be the day tv sets become less of an everyday electronic item and more of an event (or curiosity) piece of tech for gatherings or guests, where you occasionally play a game, watch a sporting event or movie. It is even happening now with some households.
We are not there yet due to content owners and cable operators fearing the worst but eventually we will get there. Things die out eventually. Once the old guard leaves and forward thinking individuals replace them we might even see some interesting out of the box ideas take shape.
No. Mobile will certainly be big (it already is) and I agree that when mobile can get live broadcasts easily it will become bigger. And I also agree that there are some people, especially young people, who are satisfied watching TV or movies on a 3" screen.
But to say that everything will be mobile and that people will only watch on large screens on special occasions is a complete misreading of the market and actual consumer behavior. Large screens are selling in ever-increasing sizes as costs come down. Sharp's new (but expensive) Elite line only comes in 70" and 80" sizes. Two years ago, 37" was the most popular screen size. Now it's 52 to 55". Both mobile and large screens will co-exist forever. They serve completely different purposes. A 20 year old who doesn't want to be at home with their parents will watch mobile (when they're not texting trivia). But a 37-year-old with two kids is going to be at home watching that large screen. They might not be watching broadcast TV, but that's the screen they'll be using.
But it's laggy (unresponsive), the viewing angle is limited, the interface leaves a lot to be desired, and the choices are dictated by them, not me.
Those are the things I'd like to see enhanced by whomever, whenever.
The iPod, iPhone, and iPad is what got them here in the first place. The company was on its way out making desktop computers. Even Jobs admitted that. And the resurgence of the Mac was a direct result of the move to consumer products, the so-called halo effect.
This is not entirely true.
You are differentiating between all Apple computers and all Apple "consumer" products (a subtle distinction at best), but ignoring the incredible success they have had with laptops. You are also conflating several periods of history into one.
Yes, Apple was not making a killing in desktops and Jobs admitted that when he came back to Apple. That doesn't mean that they never did any good in desktop computers at all, nor that they didn't do fantastic in them later, once the iMac was made. The iMac was very popular and very instrumental in the initial turnaround both financially and otherwise.
What "brought Apple back"was (more arguably), the huge success of the mobile (laptop) computers. Apple was pretty much the first to "solve" the mobile computer problem just as they were the first to come up with a viable desktop. Their laptops have always been the best, industry leading, devices and have always sold like gangbusters.
This then led to iPods and more directly consumer related stuff, but what actually brought them back and kept them alive was huge success in mobiles (laptops) as well as steadily increasing success in old-fashioned desktops.
The success of the iPod and now the iPhone and iPad are almost like extra-extra gravy on top of Apple's original stellar success. To paint the company as failing until they were "saved" by entering the consumer space with these products is a mis-representation IMO.
Except in David Lynch's house:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKiIroiCvZ0
WARNING: Language alert, NSFW
Thank you for linking to that video which clearly stated what needed to be said.
That's B.S. unless your friend bought the low end. Sony has its problems and I think Stringer has got to go, but their top-of-the-line HX929 is an amazing set with an amazing picture - maybe the best LCD out there (there's also the new Sharp Elites, but they only come in very large screen sizes, are very expensive and they change teal to blue, although Sharp says they're going to fix that with a software upgrade.) Vizio doesn't even come close. But with any set, you can't run it with the out-of-the-box settings which are configured for bad display in retail. If you want a perfect picture, the set must be calibrated.
I have to agree with you. Though I'm not a die-hard Sony fan, I do like their TVs and my year-old 46NX810 is a fantastic set. The cross media bar menu system may be ok for the PS-3 but I don't personally think it's the best way to go for their TVs. Can you imagine that there is no sleep button on the remote and I had to find "hidden" discrete sleep commands from RTI's code library. Besides those two things though, the picture is great, exhibits no banding issues like my Sharp LCD nor ghosting issues like some other Sony and Samsung sets. It also has great black-level (contrast ratio) for an edge-lit LCD. My brother-in-law just bought a 55NX720 for less than what I paid for my smaller set and it also has a fantastic picture. Meanwhile, my friend Miki's 55" Vizio with 240Hz and all the bells and whistles (except 3D) has a crappy picture. I'd probably liken it to my 4 year old 46" Sharp (which was good enough at the time). Coming from a high-end A/V background, I never much cared for the quality of Vizio's picture.
It'll be interesting to see what Apple comes up with if/when they release their TV.
You will when the next quarterly reports come out. The flooding in Thailand is a big deal, driving up HDD prices globally and expected to continue doing so for the next six months.
See:
Samsung president sees DRAM market worsen due to Thai flood
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/...79T07R20111030
Apple, other PC companies threatened by Thailand flood
http://www.mercurynews.com/nation-world/ci_19148172
Apple (AAPL) Down 2.8% on Thai Flood Worries, Citi Analyst Downplays Impact
http://www.marketintelligencecenter....sbites/1314489
Apple Concerned About Production in Flood-Battered Thailand
http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/...ered-thailand/
Always with the good news. Why do you always have only positive things to say about Apple?