Bring down the price of ATV4 in Europe and it would be more popular here. I think it currently starts at €179. Seeing as these don't sell in smartphone quantities I think Apple should reduce the price and target market share Apple TV growth over large per unit products with a goal to profiting from app sales and services over hardware.
Cost isn't an issue. It's already within reach at sub > $200. Apple TV requires a paradigm shift in the individual away from cable, to streaming. To really take advantage of it, it needs to be the primary, or only, thing you use.
Absolutely. I suspect this is what Jobs meant when he said it was a go-to-market issue. Provided that the majority of content is delivered via a service like cable, satellite or Telco TV (e.g. U-Verse, FiOS), then a consumer will always have that proprietary STB in their home. Thus an IP video streamer is always another input, and for a very large % of the population, that is a complication too far.
For the consumer IP video streamer STB market to "really" take off, this STB has to be able to deliver the majority of content. That is why Apple would be looking at offering a service - to drive forward that market & get Apple TV deployed in a substantial number of homes. That builds a base that you can develop from, to try & capture more of the home. Another way (what I think is Apple's plan B, but only option right now) is as Apple is currently marketing it - that TV future is about "apps". That through a number of apps, an Apple TV can become that primary viewing device.
BTW - it is only then (when an Apple TV type box can be the "first input) that an integrated Apple "television" makes any sense at all. If (and it is a big if), such a time comes that an Apple TV has enough apps/services/UX that it can reasonably claim to be that first input box, then I do believe Apple will make TV (most I am sure disagree). While margins are slim on TVs today, it is precisely because people won't pay for anything other than the display. There is no value on anything else. Apple is one of the few that can drive extract that value (Mac, iPod, iPhone, iPad, ...), by claiming that an Apple TV is really a TV + STB + DVD player + light gaming + home hub...together with a simplification of UI/UX. However, that landscape is still quite far away, so we may never see it.
Apple TV is still missing very crucial orginizational and personalization tools..
Like:
Consolidated favorits foldars .. .. My scifi.. My comedy .. Etc.
Centralized and folder based notification for availability of new content of intetest and upcoming new shows.
Centralized 'For you' suggestions..
As it is i find Apple TV to be a fragmanted experiance of Apps… With no centralization. Except siri.
Siri is good.. But it does not address the above points i brought up..
For me the price is of TV is of little importance - the ongoing cost matters more. The experience is fine as is, I have few issues. As always, its all about the content.
To make an Apple streaming service enticing it needs to be able to compete with Netflix, the undisputed king (or queen), in terms of content. To compete with cable it needs live news and current affairs, as well as sports, and it needs to compete on price. A pretty tall order. I already pay for cable (limited), and three separate streaming services, as well as good series' on iTunes, and movie rentals. As it is most of this happens through the Apple TV. The search across apps and services has gone some way to alleviate the pita of apps.
For me the price is of TV is of little importance - the ongoing cost matters more. The experience is fine as is, I have few issues. As always, its all about the content.
To make an Apple streaming service enticing it needs to be able to compete with Netflix, the undisputed king (or queen), in terms of content. To compete with cable it needs live news and current affairs, as well as sports, and it needs to compete on price. A pretty tall order. I already pay for cable (limited), and three separate streaming services, as well as good series' on iTunes, and movie rentals. As it is most of this happens through the Apple TV. The search across apps and services has gone some way to alleviate the pita of apps.
Why does it need to compete with Netlix if it supports it already? Just get Netflix... What ATV really needs is a better SLING or SLING competitor, but if you've ever checked out their packages they're a mess. Unless you really want one or two specific channels (which BTW you can already get ESPN/ or FOX; which is the weird part it's either/ or) then it's very limited. I think what people want is a streaming package for ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, FX etc for $20 with maybe a few add on options. It's what sling is shooting for, but like i said check it out. The packages are a mess, but if all you really care about is ESPN or FOX content you can already get that for $20/ month. I don't think ATV itself really needs much at the moment, maybe better game support, maybe 4k but those things are more "future proof" features. I think siri and home kit and other software features we aren't thinking of will offer more tantalizing reasons to buy one. Opening up and extending new API's to dev's will give more bang for the buck than most hardware options I can think of at the moment.
Oh and the remote is kind of stupid. It's cool and all at first, but it's ridiculous day in day out use. I can't tell you how often it get's lost in the crinkle of the couch/ blanket and then you inadvertently sit on it, pause the video or "step out" of the app you're in. Minor, but it does pull you out of the movie you're watching when it does happen. Siri improvements will be a welcome addition, but they're being added and more are coming. Local library support would be great, but I'm pretty sure we'll have to wait for third party dev for that sort of thing. Apple is pushing for cloud support, each being able to upload movies you're ripped would be nice, but again even that's technically illegal so I wouldn't count chickens before they hatch.
I wanted to add that the recent FCC changes will bring allot of what we want, because what we want really "breaks the rules" even if hey were "unspoken rules"of monopolies. A central app for streaming content would be wise (if we are ever allowed to purchase said streams) , but again you're talking about "unbundling"if we keep going the individual app route. The rules had to change first. It's continue to be a struggle in the near term, but he rules are changing.
Too often apple treats us like we all live in the US. We don't. Apple TV has a long way to go to make it a useful add on for customers outside the USA. I hope that changes.
Using my ATV I just remembered a lack of "pages" for the home screen that swiped left and right seems very much missing. It would be better than the endless top to bottom scroll that we have now.
Tvos to me the pinnacle of shallow thought and implementation… So much hype and buzz for years( not months but years).. So much potential and yet some obviouse and basic navigational and content orginazitional tools are ommited and missing….. Rendering content orginazation and followup a fragmented experiance between individual apps with no centralization… No way to organize and consolidate favorites from different apps in central interap folders ….no centralized reminders for new content of interest .. I have to memorize and remember what content i have liked in each app and then individually scan each app to get to them.. That is if i remember!? Why? My Jurassic dvr/cable box does a better job of letting me organize and centralize my favorite stuff and does a better job of reminding me of new content .
The database is there.. Tags are there.. Why not allow centralization… Whats the benifit of the fragmanted experience? None imo .
For me the price is of TV is of little importance - the ongoing cost matters more. The experience is fine as is, I have few issues. As always, its all about the content.
To make an Apple streaming service enticing it needs to be able to compete with Netflix, the undisputed king (or queen), in terms of content. To compete with cable it needs live news and current affairs, as well as sports, and it needs to compete on price. A pretty tall order. I already pay for cable (limited), and three separate streaming services, as well as good series' on iTunes, and movie rentals. As it is most of this happens through the Apple TV. The search across apps and services has gone some way to alleviate the pita of apps.
Why does it need to compete with Netlix if it supports it already? Just get Netflix... What ATV really needs is a better SLING or SLING competitor, but if you've ever checked out their packages they're a mess. Unless you really want one or two specific channels (which BTW you can already get ESPN/ or FOX; which is the weird part it's either/ or) then it's very limited. I think what people want is a streaming package for ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, FX etc for $20 with maybe a few add on options. It's what sling is shooting for, but like i said check it out. The packages are a mess, but if all you really care about is ESPN or FOX content you can already get that for $20/ month. I don't think ATV itself really needs much at the moment, maybe better game support, maybe 4k but those things are more "future proof" features. I think siri and home kit and other software features we aren't thinking of will offer more tantalizing reasons to buy one. Opening up and extending new API's to dev's will give more bang for the buck than most hardware options I can think of at the moment.
If ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, FX bring out their own apps why bother with an stream service at all? I have no idea how Apple will design a streaming service given that they have an app ecosystem but I can't imagine they would choose to NOT include a package, or packages that containing content they already serve on a 'for sale' or 'for rent' basis.
I'd like to see a healthier AppleTV app store, I don't know if the current and announced subscription services will move the needle, but I hope something does soon.
I've just done my part by pushing out one to the tvOS app store today (review time was half a day). As a developer I can tell you that it can be non-trivial porting existing apps unless i's a relatively straightforward video streaming app. Local data persistence is volatile (aside from small amounts of data storage in NSUserDefaults) and there's no WebKit, which is a biggie. Additionally modifying existing UI code to support the focus engine instead of touch is challenging.
1) Force Netflix to bring back categories. 2) Release an apple branded controller so that games are actually usable. 3) Fix siri with some sort of logic so it actually finds a popular show. My kid wants paw patrol, not every actor named paul. 4) Hoping the subscription service replaces in-app non-sense. I'm tired of downloading an app for my kid and having them whine when they get stuck in a payment screen every 4th screen.
I’d love better censoring options. I want to hide entire categories and individual shows. I want that information sent to Netflix so they know what people don’t want to see at all.
I didn't think Apple did surveys. Don't they know what we want and give it to us before we know ourselves? Haven't they routinely stated they don't do focus groups or otherwise do market research to determine what products to offer?
Comments
Absolutely. I suspect this is what Jobs meant when he said it was a go-to-market issue. Provided that the majority of content is delivered via a service like cable, satellite or Telco TV (e.g. U-Verse, FiOS), then a consumer will always have that proprietary STB in their home. Thus an IP video streamer is always another input, and for a very large % of the population, that is a complication too far.
For the consumer IP video streamer STB market to "really" take off, this STB has to be able to deliver the majority of content. That is why Apple would be looking at offering a service - to drive forward that market & get Apple TV deployed in a substantial number of homes. That builds a base that you can develop from, to try & capture more of the home. Another way (what I think is Apple's plan B, but only option right now) is as Apple is currently marketing it - that TV future is about "apps". That through a number of apps, an Apple TV can become that primary viewing device.
BTW - it is only then (when an Apple TV type box can be the "first input) that an integrated Apple "television" makes any sense at all. If (and it is a big if), such a time comes that an Apple TV has enough apps/services/UX that it can reasonably claim to be that first input box, then I do believe Apple will make TV (most I am sure disagree). While margins are slim on TVs today, it is precisely because people won't pay for anything other than the display. There is no value on anything else. Apple is one of the few that can drive extract that value (Mac, iPod, iPhone, iPad, ...), by claiming that an Apple TV is really a TV + STB + DVD player + light gaming + home hub...together with a simplification of UI/UX. However, that landscape is still quite far away, so we may never see it.
I have done a Factory Reset too. Does anyone have this problem?
Definitely; on your second part.
Ha! And what do you think Apple has been doing in this field now, and for the last several years?
Why does it need to compete with Netlix if it supports it already? Just get Netflix... What ATV really needs is a better SLING or SLING competitor, but if you've ever checked out their packages they're a mess. Unless you really want one or two specific channels (which BTW you can already get ESPN/ or FOX; which is the weird part it's either/ or) then it's very limited. I think what people want is a streaming package for ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, FX etc for $20 with maybe a few add on options. It's what sling is shooting for, but like i said check it out. The packages are a mess, but if all you really care about is ESPN or FOX content you can already get that for $20/ month. I don't think ATV itself really needs much at the moment, maybe better game support, maybe 4k but those things are more "future proof" features. I think siri and home kit and other software features we aren't thinking of will offer more tantalizing reasons to buy one. Opening up and extending new API's to dev's will give more bang for the buck than most hardware options I can think of at the moment.
Oh and the remote is kind of stupid. It's cool and all at first, but it's ridiculous day in day out use. I can't tell you how often it get's lost in the crinkle of the couch/ blanket and then you inadvertently sit on it, pause the video or "step out" of the app you're in. Minor, but it does pull you out of the movie you're watching when it does happen. Siri improvements will be a welcome addition, but they're being added and more are coming. Local library support would be great, but I'm pretty sure we'll have to wait for third party dev for that sort of thing. Apple is pushing for cloud support, each being able to upload movies you're ripped would be nice, but again even that's technically illegal so I wouldn't count chickens before they hatch.
Tvos to me the pinnacle of shallow thought and implementation… So much hype and buzz for years( not months but years).. So much potential and yet some obviouse and basic navigational and content orginazitional tools are ommited and missing….. Rendering content orginazation and followup a fragmented experiance between individual apps with no centralization…
No way to organize and consolidate favorites from different apps in central interap folders ….no centralized reminders for new content of interest ..
I have to memorize and remember what content i have liked in each app and then individually scan each app to get to them.. That is if i remember!?
Why?
My Jurassic dvr/cable box does a better job of letting me organize and centralize my favorite stuff and does a better job of reminding me of new content .
The database is there.. Tags are there.. Why not allow centralization… Whats the benifit of the fragmanted experience? None imo .
2) Release an apple branded controller so that games are actually usable.
3) Fix siri with some sort of logic so it actually finds a popular show. My kid wants paw patrol, not every actor named paul.
4) Hoping the subscription service replaces in-app non-sense. I'm tired of downloading an app for my kid and having them whine when they get stuck in a payment screen every 4th screen.