Scale begets scale. Good news. More oomph for Apple media. I hope Eddy Cue now turns attention to creating best movie interfaces. Apple not as polished as Amazon Prime or even DirectTV Now on an 12.9 iPad Pro. That’s kinda embarrassing! For instance, Apple scrubbing not reliable replacement for 15 sec back/forward. (Would create useful feedback from viewers that Apple could give to creatives to highlight dull parts etc. and improve future offerings.)
Apple is transitioning from a premium products company to a services everywhere company. And with this and Apple Music on Echo devices they’re admitting Apple TV and HomePod are overpriced. I fully expect to see a cheap Apple TV dongle this spring, I also wouldn’t be surprised if the HomePod goes the way of the iPod HiFi and we never see a second generation.
I thought the same thing myself when I saw all the holiday deals for $250? Fire Sell? If they are going to be in this market they need a HomePod mini for $199 tops. I would have picked up a couple of HomePods if they had an Auxilary port so I could connect to my Windows machine. So I went with Sonos instead. Apple should have bought Sonos several years ago even if it meant paying a premium. They need something in this market as it’s dangerous to seed to Amazon Alexa.
i wonder if Apple will offer iMessage and FaceTime on Android soon?
Samsung, like Google, knows that Apple has the best and most lucrative ecosystem in the world. Why wouldn't they want iTunes/AirPlay on their TVs?
So Samsung is worthy of Apple’s services now?
Why not? Apple brought Apple Music to Android. How is this any different?
Besides, Samsung has failed miserably in their attempt to be like Apple with their own ecosystem, so why not hook up with a profitable one?
Ah so basically anything Apple does is good simply because Apple is doing it. If Apple wants to throw its services on everyone else’s hardware fine. But it’s going to be a lot harder for Apple to sell premium hardwhere when someone can get their services on competitors (most likely cheaper) hardware. Anyway I suspect the 4K Apple TV box won’t be around much longer. Apple willl stick an iTunes (or whatever they call it in the future) app on every TV and probably Android too.
Your trolling attempts are weak.
I never said "anything is good because Apple does it" so stop putting words in my mouth and trying to argue against something I didn't say and stick to what I did say.
This won't have any effect on Apple selling premium hardware. At all. The only device that MIGHT suffer (if Apple does indeed make iTunes available on numerous TVs) would be the Apple TV (a very tiny percentage of Apple hardware). It will have absolutely no affect whatsoever on sales of iPhones, iPads, Macs or Watches. The "premium hardware" where Apple actually makes all their money.
Apple is simply making their content available to Samsung TVs (for now). They're not licensing out iOS or macOS to allow third party vendors to make cheaper versions of iPhones or Macs. So I'm really not sure how you can jump to the conclusion that Apple will have a hard time selling their "premium hardware" by this move.
Apple is transitioning from a premium products company to a services everywhere company. And with this and Apple Music on Echo devices they’re admitting Apple TV and HomePod are overpriced. I fully expect to see a cheap Apple TV dongle this spring, I also wouldn’t be surprised if the HomePod goes the way of the iPod HiFi and we never see a second generation. I do wonder what these moves mean for Siri. Apple Music doesn’t use Siri on Echo devices and I’m guessing this new Samsung iTunes app won’t have it either. So is Apple treating Siri as just a feature of Apple’s OSes instead of a service itself? Honestly if the company is moving to a services model and making those services cross platform they might as well do it with Siri as well. Treat Siri as it’s own product/service instead of an OS feature.
Apple isn't admitting anything, so stop with the bullshit.
Echo devices sound like complete garbage compared to the HomePod, so why are you even comparing them? HomePod sales should be compared to Sonos or Bose, not the Echo. Apple TV isn't overpriced for what you get. If you only stream content it's overkill. But if you want to play games or run other Apps it's far more powerful than anything else on the market.
And your assertion that Apple is "transitioning to a services company" is also wrong. Apple is transitioning into a premium hardware AND services company. Their hardware sales aren't going anywhere and will be a $200 billion cash cow every year for many years to come. It's now going to be joined by a very profitable services company as well.
Apple is transitioning from a premium products company to a services everywhere company. And with this and Apple Music on Echo devices they’re admitting Apple TV and HomePod are overpriced. I fully expect to see a cheap Apple TV dongle this spring, I also wouldn’t be surprised if the HomePod goes the way of the iPod HiFi and we never see a second generation.
I thought the same thing myself when I saw all the holiday deals for $250? Fire Sell? If they are going to be in this market they need a HomePod mini for $199 tops. I would have picked up a couple of HomePods if they had an Auxilary port so I could connect to my Windows machine. So I went with Sonos instead. Apple should have bought Sonos several years ago even if it meant paying a premium. They need something in this market as it’s dangerous to seed to Amazon Alexa.
i wonder if Apple will offer iMessage and FaceTime on Android soon?
Agree re: Sonos. The day Apple puts FaceTime and/or iMessage on Android is the day iPhone is over. It if Cook is serious about speeding up this services narrative to appease Wall Street I could see it happening.
Cook will have learnt the wrong lesson from last quarter if he ports iMessage to android. At least this does little harm, and could be good. But the real lesson of the last quarter is “Its the price, stupid!”
even in this context Apple TV is probably 20 perecent higher than it should be. And needs to be more than just a streamer for dumb TVs (getting few and far between) and a substitute update for neglected ‘smart’ TVs the manufacturer can’t be bothered providing updates for. Could be easily made more than a streamer by getting serious about gaming for example (eg a decent game controller and APIs) rather than just putting up an App Store and expecting it to happen.
Apple doesn't need to put iMessage on Android. They can add RCS (which Apple is rumored to be doing) so that iMessage will simply interact will all devices just like it does now. I don't need a separate SMS App as all SMS messages appear in iMessage seamlessly. It will be the same with RCS.
So iMessage will still be compatible with everyone else, but still retain its superior features.
Apple is transitioning from a premium products company to a services everywhere company. And with this and Apple Music on Echo devices they’re admitting Apple TV and HomePod are overpriced. I fully expect to see a cheap Apple TV dongle this spring, I also wouldn’t be surprised if the HomePod goes the way of the iPod HiFi and we never see a second generation. I do wonder what these moves mean for Siri. Apple Music doesn’t use Siri on Echo devices and I’m guessing this new Samsung iTunes app won’t have it either. So is Apple treating Siri as just a feature of Apple’s OSes instead of a service itself? Honestly if the company is moving to a services model and making those services cross platform they might as well do it with Siri as well. Treat Siri as it’s own product/service instead of an OS feature.
Apple TV isn't overpriced for what you get. If you only stream content it's overkill. But if you want to play games or run other Apps it's far more powerful than anything else on the market.
.
I'm curious. Is it better than a three year old Shield TV which is also cheaper and has a good game controller available for it?
It is kind of interesting that Apple is doing this before they’ve actually shipped any original content (I’m not counting Planet of the Apps). I’m a little surprised they didn’t launch something to whet people’s appetite and get them excited for this service. As it is now there’s skepticism about this content being any good. Example below:
Posted this elsewhere first, but no one has said I'm crazy yet. Also my first post here. I'm wondering if this decision might be a sign that Apple is finally about to enter into the smart tv market with an actual Apple TV. It’s a given that this has a lot to do with the upcoming subscription services and embracing an overall services-centered model, but I just wonder if this an attempt to reach out to those outside of the Apple ecosystem and prep them for a more ambitious play.
I've read a number of arguments over the years for why Apple shouldn’t/wouldn’t enter into the TV market. Most of them boil down to market saturation and thin profit margins. Apple itself, seems uninterested in entering into new markets unless they feel that they can offer something new, if not unique. Pretty reasonable arguments for yesterday. I’d say that’s about to change and we all knew it was coming. An actual Apple TV would be a fantastic hub (if not one of many) for a services centered Apple. Perhaps better than the iPhone. Plenty of smart TVs offer some form of home automation functionality, music/media streaming, you can plug an xbox or ps4 into any of them, and the historical awful UI of today’s cable boxes/services is now optional thanks to the leverage of cable-cutters.
Imagine an actual Apple TV with a more powerful Siri, that properly integrated HomePod, future HomePod/AirPod products, and Dolby Atmos. It would have to have stunning screen, maybe 8K OLED or Micro LED, with an expanded color gamut. An array of depth-cameras and sensors integrated into a thin bezel could enable new functionality to HomeKit and HealthKit connected devices (maybe even gaming–gasp!), all while protecting your privacy. It could be beautiful and it would cost, of course, but it could be incredibly strategic–a beautiful, big gate to Apple’s walled garden. I can’t believe that Apple will be satisfied with Samsung’s badge on the gate. We’ve already seen them realize this with the Cinema Displays. If I’m a services based Apple that still produces hardware, this has to happen.
Cook will have learnt the wrong lesson from last quarter if he ports iMessage to android. At least this does little harm, and could be good. But the real lesson of the last quarter is “Its the price, stupid!”
even in this context Apple TV is probably 20 perecent higher than it should be. And needs to be more than just a streamer for dumb TVs (getting few and far between) and a substitute update for neglected ‘smart’ TVs the manufacturer can’t be bothered providing updates for. Could be easily made more than a streamer by getting serious about gaming for example (eg a decent game controller and APIs) rather than just putting up an App Store and expecting it to happen.
The real lesson from the last quarter is don't fight a land war in Asia. It has very, very little to do about price.
Cook will have learnt the wrong lesson from last quarter if he ports iMessage to android. At least this does little harm, and could be good. But the real lesson of the last quarter is “Its the price, stupid!”
even in this context Apple TV is probably 20 perecent higher than it should be. And needs to be more than just a streamer for dumb TVs (getting few and far between) and a substitute update for neglected ‘smart’ TVs the manufacturer can’t be bothered providing updates for. Could be easily made more than a streamer by getting serious about gaming for example (eg a decent game controller and APIs) rather than just putting up an App Store and expecting it to happen.
The real lesson from the last quarter is don't fight a land war in Asia. It has very, very little to do about price.
Even if that were so, that means you don’t put all your eggs in the china basket either. Which, when you think about it, China is one of those poisoned chalices. The potential market is vast, but subject to autocratic, fascist rule and whim. The government there is stirring up patriotism to preference local products. The point for Apple though is don’t price yourself out of alternative markets.
on the Samsung TV matter, I am surprised it wasn’t LG first. It supports dolby vision after all.
If my memory is not lying the last time I remember an Apple software running a non Apple device was on a Motorola phone and the experience was ... terribile. I think that what distinguish Apple from other companies in the consumer market is the capacity to give a consistent experience through different devices and this unique features comes from the fact that Apple at the really end is the only that product both hardware and software.
I don't know, but my feeling is not positive about this movement.
That’s right! Dumped my Samsung TV for a Sony, which unfortunately has a garbage android TV package. I wish Apple would work with quality TV manufacturers to supply an iOS TV so we don’t have to worry about Android anywhere in our house.
There's a fix for that. Disable the smart TV features and get an Apple TV.
Apple is transitioning from a premium products company to a services everywhere company. And with this and Apple Music on Echo devices they’re admitting Apple TV and HomePod are overpriced. I fully expect to see a cheap Apple TV dongle this spring, I also wouldn’t be surprised if the HomePod goes the way of the iPod HiFi and we never see a second generation. I do wonder what these moves mean for Siri. Apple Music doesn’t use Siri on Echo devices and I’m guessing this new Samsung iTunes app won’t have it either. So is Apple treating Siri as just a feature of Apple’s OSes instead of a service itself? Honestly if the company is moving to a services model and making those services cross platform they might as well do it with Siri as well. Treat Siri as it’s own product/service instead of an OS feature.
HomePod has 6% of the smart speaker market. A market littered with $20 echos. A market Hompod isn't even competing in. So no, the sky isn't falling on Apple and they aren't admitting Apple TV is overpriced by allowing iTunes on Samsung TVs.
How does being able to play iTunes content on other people’s hardware lead to more hardware sales for Apple? To me this is Tim Cook telling the executive team they need to push harder and move faster on services.
tvOS works best with iOS, and it's been my experience that once people get an opportunity to see how well Apple's software works, they reconsider the hardware (phones, tablets, Macs) they've foolishly been missing out on all these years. There is also the privacy/security factor, which is appealing to (admittedly a minority of people, but some), and which I think will slowly grow in importance over time.
It will be interesting to see if this means you can use a HomePod (or two) as your Samsung TV's soundbar ...
Also, don't expect this to be the last licensing deal for "virtual Apple TV" with HDTV makers ...
Comments
i wonder if Apple will offer iMessage and FaceTime on Android soon?
Your trolling attempts are weak.
I never said "anything is good because Apple does it" so stop putting words in my mouth and trying to argue against something I didn't say and stick to what I did say.
This won't have any effect on Apple selling premium hardware. At all. The only device that MIGHT suffer (if Apple does indeed make iTunes available on numerous TVs) would be the Apple TV (a very tiny percentage of Apple hardware). It will have absolutely no affect whatsoever on sales of iPhones, iPads, Macs or Watches. The "premium hardware" where Apple actually makes all their money.
Apple is simply making their content available to Samsung TVs (for now). They're not licensing out iOS or macOS to allow third party vendors to make cheaper versions of iPhones or Macs. So I'm really not sure how you can jump to the conclusion that Apple will have a hard time selling their "premium hardware" by this move.
Apple isn't admitting anything, so stop with the bullshit.
Echo devices sound like complete garbage compared to the HomePod, so why are you even comparing them? HomePod sales should be compared to Sonos or Bose, not the Echo. Apple TV isn't overpriced for what you get. If you only stream content it's overkill. But if you want to play games or run other Apps it's far more powerful than anything else on the market.
And your assertion that Apple is "transitioning to a services company" is also wrong. Apple is transitioning into a premium hardware AND services company. Their hardware sales aren't going anywhere and will be a $200 billion cash cow every year for many years to come. It's now going to be joined by a very profitable services company as well.
Amazon has brought Prime to the Apple TV. Does that mean the Fire TV is a failure and will soon be discontinued?
At least this does little harm, and could be good.
But the real lesson of the last quarter is “Its the price, stupid!”
even in this context Apple TV is probably 20 perecent higher than it should be. And needs to be more than just a streamer for dumb TVs (getting few and far between) and a substitute update for neglected ‘smart’ TVs the manufacturer can’t be bothered providing updates for. Could be easily made more than a streamer by getting serious about gaming for example (eg a decent game controller and APIs) rather than just putting up an App Store and expecting it to happen.
So iMessage will still be compatible with everyone else, but still retain its superior features.
I've read a number of arguments over the years for why Apple shouldn’t/wouldn’t enter into the TV market. Most of them boil down to market saturation and thin profit margins. Apple itself, seems uninterested in entering into new markets unless they feel that they can offer something new, if not unique. Pretty reasonable arguments for yesterday. I’d say that’s about to change and we all knew it was coming. An actual Apple TV would be a fantastic hub (if not one of many) for a services centered Apple. Perhaps better than the iPhone. Plenty of smart TVs offer some form of home automation functionality, music/media streaming, you can plug an xbox or ps4 into any of them, and the historical awful UI of today’s cable boxes/services is now optional thanks to the leverage of cable-cutters.
Imagine an actual Apple TV with a more powerful Siri, that properly integrated HomePod, future HomePod/AirPod products, and Dolby Atmos. It would have to have stunning screen, maybe 8K OLED or Micro LED, with an expanded color gamut. An array of depth-cameras and sensors integrated into a thin bezel could enable new functionality to HomeKit and HealthKit connected devices (maybe even gaming–gasp!), all while protecting your privacy. It could be beautiful and it would cost, of course, but it could be incredibly strategic–a beautiful, big gate to Apple’s walled garden. I can’t believe that Apple will be satisfied with Samsung’s badge on the gate. We’ve already seen them realize this with the Cinema Displays. If I’m a services based Apple that still produces hardware, this has to happen.
on the Samsung TV matter, I am surprised it wasn’t LG first. It supports dolby vision after all.
It will be interesting to see if this means you can use a HomePod (or two) as your Samsung TV's soundbar ...
Also, don't expect this to be the last licensing deal for "virtual Apple TV" with HDTV makers ...