New Apple TV 'stalls' because of cable companies & content deals, likely not arriving until 2015 - r

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Comments

  • Reply 21 of 87
    bdkennedy1bdkennedy1 Posts: 1,459member
    I really don't care anymore. I'm sick of the bickering back and forth. There's plenty of content to release new hardware.
  • Reply 22 of 87
    rogifanrogifan Posts: 10,669member
    sog35 wrote: »
    Enter Jimmy Iovine
    Did you see what I posted? Jimmy Iovine specifically said he's focused on music, not TV deals. He's not Apple TV's savior.
  • Reply 23 of 87
    rogifanrogifan Posts: 10,669member
    sog35 wrote: »
    Problem is Apple wants to bring it all out at the same time and blow away the competition. 
    How successful would iPod be without iTunes?
    Or iPad without AppStore?

    If Apple releases all their UI improvements this year and no new content the other players will simply copy their UI.
    I wish Apple would copy other's UI because the current ATV UI sucks. I'm sure they have cool stuff in the lab but it would be nice for us to be able to experience it. There's plenty Apple can do to improve ATV without grand content deals in place.
  • Reply 24 of 87
    fallenjtfallenjt Posts: 4,053member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Rogifan View Post



    So there's no way for Apple to update the ATV without these content deals worked out? Or are they sitting on an ATV with new/better UI, App Store gaming capabilities waiting for these content deals to materialize?



    Perhaps Cook needs to hire someone specific to take over Apple's TV plans. Someone from the industry that will be able to get deals done. Eddy Cue doesn't seem to be the guy that can get this stuff done.

    I thought of the same thing. This article failed.

  • Reply 25 of 87
    andysolandysol Posts: 2,506member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by sog35 View Post

     

     

    Problem is Apple wants to bring it all out at the same time and blow away the competition. 

    How successful would iPod be without iTunes?

    Or iPad without AppStore?

     

    If Apple releases all their UI improvements this year and no new content the other players will simply copy their UI.


    They can keep the same UI for now- I'm ok with that.  Just give me:

     

    1- Hardware- A7, Wireless AC, Bluetooth LTE, 16gb storage, 1gb ram

    2- App Store.  Let me say that again.  App Store.  I can download games, it gives a standard that allows content providers to be able to develop for- which means content will be on their faster and anyone can do it.  Vudu, BBC, Amazon, etc- as long as it's under the correct guidelines.  Then allow me to delete (not hide) the Apps I don't use.

     

    There are other things I'd love- but I don't need.  Media hub, dvr, etc.  But I just want a box that is made in 2014- not May of 2012.  This update cycle is beyond ridiculous now.

     

    Is this really complicated?  They can wow me with the revolutionary content deals and UI next time- We're running on outdated hardware.  I don't need CBS to allow me to buy an individual station.  I just want to be able to sign into a damned hotel's wifi.

  • Reply 26 of 87
    patpatpatpatpatpat Posts: 628member
    Quote:

    Details on the alleged delay for the new Apple TV were reported on Wednesday by The Information, which cited Apple engineers that are working on the device

     

    Looks like Tim Cooke is going to be putting on his "Ass Kicking" boots shortly.

  • Reply 27 of 87
    yojimbo007yojimbo007 Posts: 1,165member
    Baseless article!
    For one... Apple does not announce release date to engineers working on projects. Some dont even know how their projects and work are relevant to the big picture!
    They have deadlines.. But only the top tier management knows whats scheduled for release and when .
  • Reply 28 of 87
    sockrolidsockrolid Posts: 2,789member

    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post



    ... the next-generation Apple TV may not arrive until next year, thanks to cable companies that are "dragging their heels," ...

     

    There are dozens of incumbents in the TV industry, and they're all deeply entrenched, and they're all going to fight tooth and nail against their inevitable fate.  The TV industry will probably end up like the music industry.  Mostly online sales and rentals, mostly internet-based content delivery, with iTunes (and possibly other online content stores) taking a large slice of the profits.

     

    I think it'll take years and years for Apple to disrupt TV as we know it.  First, the TV industry has to experience either 1. some kind of crisis like rampant MP3 music piracy in the '90s, and/or 2. some kind of quantum leap in technology (e.g. 4K UHDTV) that will shake up the consumer space.  It might take a decade or more for both of those to happen.

     

    Of course, in the meantime, Apple has their hands in all manner of industries.  And they've received patents for quite a few of their disruptive technologies.  I think Apple's disruptions might happen more or less in this order:

     

    - Personal wearable electronics (starting with "iWatch")

    - Health monitoring systems in the general health care industry (again starting with "iWatch")

    - Mobile purchases with iPhone e-wallet feature (maybe starting with iPhone "6")

    - Retail sales with an EasyPay turnkey system, self-checkout, payment via Touch ID + iTunes

      (and possibly deals with Visa, AmEx, and other credit card companies and banks)

    - In-car nav / entertainment / diagnostics / lock+unlock / security control through CarPlay, Siri Eyes Free, etc.

    - Home automation, maybe with a next-gen Apple TV as the "home automation hub"

      (including, of course, hotel check in+out / door lock+unlock with iPhone, Touch ID, and iOS 8)

    - TV with iTunes sales, rental, live streaming (but no, probably not an Apple-branded television set)

     

    I think we'll see Apple hardware continuing to move upscale to avoid becoming commoditized.  Hiring luxury brand executives like Dre and Iovine (Beats), Ahrendts (Burberry), Deneve (Yves Saint Laurent), Pruniaux (Tag Heuer) didn't just happen by coincidence.  As great as Jony Ive is, maybe he's out of his depth when it comes to designing for the high-end luxury market.  Bauhaus only reaches into the upper-middle range.  (Sapphire screen 5mm-at-thickest-point 32" iMac, anybody?)

     

    And Apple will also need to integrate their infrastructure into all manner of industries, starting with enterprise mobile (through IBM).  Eventually, I think Apple's goal must be to earn more money from software and services and content than from hardware.  Moving their hardware upscale will keep their margins and profitability up, but will limit their total market share and revenue.  Integrating (profitable) infrastructure technologies into various industries, and relentlessly evolving those technologies, will guarantee a long-term revenue stream.

  • Reply 29 of 87
    jwyattjwyatt Posts: 93member
    Stall and delay after stall and delay. Rumors of no sapphire on iPhone 6, late arrival of iwatch and now ATV. Depressing week for those of us excited about this years releases...if of course the rumors are to be believed.
  • Reply 30 of 87
    mj webmj web Posts: 918member

    +

  • Reply 31 of 87
    pdq2pdq2 Posts: 270member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by SockRolid View Post

     

     First, the TV industry has to experience either 1. some kind of crisis...


     

    Comcast is not the "TV industry", but I think they're the main entity blocking progress now. How we allowed the biggest TV-delivery company to become the biggest internet provider is beyond me- and that inherent logjam is going to take a while to work through, I fear. Personally, I'm hoping that Comcast starts seeing an accelerating loss of subscribers willing to pay $150+/mo for sports plus 200 channels of crap.

  • Reply 32 of 87
    mj webmj web Posts: 918member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Rogifan View Post



    So there's no way for Apple to update the ATV without these content deals worked out? Or are they sitting on an ATV with new/better UI, App Store gaming capabilities waiting for these content deals to materialize?



    Perhaps Cook needs to hire someone specific to take over Apple's TV plans. Someone from the industry that will be able to get deals done. Eddy Cue doesn't seem to be the guy that can get this stuff done.

    Supposedly Apple bought Beats for Jimmy Iovine's deal making prowess and industry gravitas. If Apple TV's UI aggregates TV shows by genre instead of channel or tier, as I imagine it does, then you can imagine how scary and disruptive it is for the cable industry. Who profits from this disruption, Apple or the cable companies? That's the hangup!

  • Reply 33 of 87
    rogifanrogifan Posts: 10,669member
    mj web wrote: »
    Supposedly Apple bought Beats for Jimmy Iovine's deal making prowess and industry gravitas. If Apple TV's UI aggregates TV shows by genre instead of channel or tier, as I imagine it does, then you can imagine how scary and disruptive it is for the cable industry. Who profits from this disruption, Apple or the cable companies? That's the hangup!
    Jimmy says he's not going near TV so Cook and Cue need a different savior for ATV.
  • Reply 34 of 87
    freediverxfreediverx Posts: 1,423member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Rogifan View Post





    I wish Apple would copy other's UI because the current ATV UI sucks. I'm sure they have cool stuff in the lab but it would be nice for us to be able to experience it. There's plenty Apple can do to improve ATV without grand content deals in place.

     

    Which UI do you like?

  • Reply 35 of 87
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member
    Quote:



    Originally Posted by sog35 View Post

     

    IMO, Apple needs to open its own TV studio if they are really serious about TV. 

     

    Then negotiate deals with the NFL, NBA, and MLB.


    I've been saying for awhile that I would like to see Apple create an urban WiFi access throughout the US that was exclusive to Apple customers. They could deliver iTunes content free of carrier charges to Apple devices. You pay for the content but not for the broadband. As long as you are on an Apple device you are free to surf the Internet too.

  • Reply 36 of 87
    rogifanrogifan Posts: 10,669member
    freediverx wrote: »
    Which UI do you like?
    I've heard good things about Roku and Amazon's Fire TV looks promising (like that they have voice capabilities). Heck right now I'd take my DirecTV interface over ATV. I mostly use ATV for AirPlay functionality.
  • Reply 37 of 87
    thomprthompr Posts: 1,521member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Rogifan View Post



    So there's no way for Apple to update the ATV without these content deals worked out? Or are they sitting on an ATV with new/better UI, App Store gaming capabilities waiting for these content deals to materialize?



    Perhaps Cook needs to hire someone specific to take over Apple's TV plans. Someone from the industry that will be able to get deals done. Eddy Cue doesn't seem to be the guy that can get this stuff done.

    It's not about a personality.  It's about control of big $$$ going forward.

     

    Apple may have to reach into that big bank of theirs and buy some content after all.

  • Reply 38 of 87
    tjduffytjduffy Posts: 28member
    Any Apple TV upgrade is me for a lot of people who just have an antenna. We are not tied to the cable companies except for Internet service. Every icon they add to AppleTV you have to have a cable TV service. If they have a big grand design a better take that into consideration. Cutting cable TV is more than a fad it's a necessity because it's too darn expensive.
  • Reply 39 of 87
    thomprthompr Posts: 1,521member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Rogifan View Post





    That's what Apple needs. There are things Apple might have been able to do just because of Steve. And I'm not sure Eddy (or Tim) have the same ability. I like that Apple is apparently thinking big in this space but I hope they don't neglect their existing product while going after this grander vision.

    Even Steve wasn't going to be able to crack the content nut, not after the TV industry saw how Apple ultimately eclipsed the other partners it worked with (music industry, telecom).  The cable companies don't want to end up as dumb pipes (like telecom did) and the content owners don't want to end up with little negotiating power (like the music owners did).  Not to mention that there are already lots of exclusive contracts between content producers, channel owners, and cable companies, all intertwined.  There's a heck of a lot more money in the TV space than the music space, so this is necessarily going to be much harder. 

  • Reply 40 of 87
    sockrolidsockrolid Posts: 2,789member

    Originally Posted by pdq2 View Post

     

    Comcast is not the "TV industry", but I think they're the main entity blocking progress now. How we allowed the biggest TV-delivery company to become the biggest internet provider is beyond me- and that inherent logjam is going to take a while to work through, I fear. Personally, I'm hoping that Comcast starts seeing an accelerating loss of subscribers willing to pay $150+/mo for sports plus 200 channels of crap.


     

    Excellent point.  I'd gladly dump DirecTV (and pay a little more) for an ad-hoc pay-by-show solution from Apple.  Bundling is such a 20th century racket.  I don't need that "200 channels of crap," I'm not going to channel-surf through that 200 channels of crap looking for interesting crap, and I'd rather not be forced to search for what I am interested in ("The Great Martian War") using that horrendous on-screen keyboard.

     

    Sure, we've all grown up with 30-, 40-, 50-, and 60+ button remotes.  But if you look at the current television viewing experience objectively, it's clear that decades of lazy decisions have clumped together into a logjam of terrible design.  It's a big ugly mess, but because it became big and ugly so gradually, we just shrugged and accepted each new bit of terribleness.  And some of us actually like the fact that it's confusing, so we can be "smarter" than our parents, or something like that.  A quick example: channel numbers.  It would be vastly easier to remember to just type E, S, P, and N on your remote control than it would be to type 208.  And you might not even need to type that last N (or even the P) if the TV supported predictive typing.  But no, our receivers are shipped with massive charts, on paper, of channel numbers next to channel names.  Ridiculous.

     

    Apple has already proven that they can do these three things conveniently and efficiently: 1. sell content, 2. rent content, and 3. stream live content.  The iTunes Festival events are proof that Apple has the ability to do it all.  Live streaming, pre-recorded streaming, been there, done that.  And all that viewing and listening is conceptually contained in the iTunes Festival app.  In general, there wouldn't be any need to need to remember what show is on what network, then remembering what that network's channel number is, then programming your DVR to record it.  Apple has, to a great extent, app-ified web viewing on iOS.  TV is ripe for app-ification too.

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