Apple VP calls Apple TV 4K an 'outsized value,' doesn't want to aim for a price point

Posted:
in iPod + iTunes + AppleTV
The new Apple TV 4K brings more power to the set-top box, and Apple thinks it offers a great value for customers, especially those embedded in the Apple ecosystem.

The Apple TV 4K ships to customers on May 21
The Apple TV 4K ships to customers on May 21


Industry watchers expect Apple to compete with Google TV or Roku by introducing a streaming stick in the sub $100 range, but Apple continues to ignore that market. The updated Apple TV 4K starts at $179, and the company sees that as a value purchase considering its functionality.

In an interview with CNN Underscored, Apple's vice president of product marketing for Home and Audio, Tim Twerdahl, spoke about the Apple TV 4K and what it brings to the market. He describes the set-top box as an experience that increases in value for those deeply ingrained in Apple's ecosystem.

"Delivering that best viewing experience at the TV, is really what Apple TV is all about," said Twerdahl. "We want to make sure that whatever specs you care about, to get the absolute best picture quality to have that most cinematic experience to really enjoy all the amazing content that's out there."

The updated Apple TV 4K has an A12 processor for high frame rate HDR and improved gaming. Content will play more smoothly with a more realistic picture, and WiFi 6 means better streaming quality thanks to a faster internet connection.

These features tie in with Apple's multiple service offerings. Apple TV+ shows can take advantage of high frame rate HDR, Apple Arcade games will perform better with the new processor, and Apple Fitness+ will run into fewer connection issues thanks to improved WiFi.

"We think there's a tremendous amount of value in this $179," Twerdahl said. "When we talk about the best way to watch TV, I sort of think about it at three levels."
  1. Hardware specs to deliver the absolute best quality experience
  2. Content people want that is easy to discover via UI and Siri
  3. Ecosystem experience improves with multiple Apple devices
Twerdahl believes that Apple is the only company that can deliver such an integrated experience of hardware, software, and technology. Add in the benefits of Apple's services, and you have a set-top box that far outweighs its value.

When asked about making a more affordable Apple TV, Twerdahl offered some insight into Apple's thinking.

"To us, we want to make sure that we are always thinking about the value side of the equation, not just the price point, right?" Twerdhal asked. "And if we continue to bring outsized value as I believe we do, that's what's most important for us."

The new Apple TV 4K ships to customers and is available in stores starting May 21. It has a new Siri Remote, high frame rate HDR, and better processing thanks to the A12 processor.

Stay on top of all Apple news right from your HomePod. Say, "Hey, Siri, play AppleInsider," and you'll get the latest AppleInsider Podcast. Or ask your HomePod mini for "AppleInsider Daily" instead and you'll hear a fast update direct from our news team. And, if you're interested in Apple-centric home automation, say "Hey, Siri, play HomeKit Insider," and you'll be listening to our newest specialized podcast in moments.
«1

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 27
    It would be an outstanding value, even at twice the price, if the Apple TV had a M1 processor and could run Mac OS. In fact it would disrupt the entire computer industry, the way Steve Jobs did long ago.
    edited May 2021 elijahgqwerty52
  • Reply 2 of 27
    crowleycrowley Posts: 10,453member
    It would be an outstanding value, even at twice the price, if the Apple TV had a M1 processor and could run Mac OS. In fact it would disrupt the entire computer industry, the way Steve Jobs did long ago.
    Yeah, it'd be incredible if you could buy a Mac mini for $350.
    edited May 2021 elijahg
  • Reply 3 of 27
    JinTechJinTech Posts: 1,020member
    crowley said:
    It would be an outstanding value, even at twice the price, if the Apple TV had a M1 processor and could run Mac OS. In fact it would disrupt the entire computer industry, the way Steve Jobs did long ago.
    Yeah, it'd be incredible if you could buy a Mac mini for $350.
    I do wish Apple was still developing Front Row but it's completely understandable why they're not.
    tokyojimuwatto_cobra
  • Reply 4 of 27
    BeatsBeats Posts: 3,073member
    It’s an ignored platform really.

    Imagine if iPhone had 3 features added every year? Now imagine if iPhone has had only 3 features added in 4 years?

    AppleTV is a joke now. Even the remote is a downgrade. I believe the price could at least been lowered to $149/$179.

    Also Apple is ignoring it’s biggest App strength, iTunes. It’s almost like Apple wants iTunes to die. iTunes should be advertised as the best movie and show store in the world! iTunes alone is the biggest reason people should own an AppleTV yet Apple is advertising AppleTV+ exclusively while ignoring the other 99.9% of content that sits on iTunes.
    pulseimageselijahgstompy
  • Reply 5 of 27
    He is right. I didn’t think I need Apple TV box until I started using it 2 years ago. Now I watch everything through it. I also added a Dolby Atmos sound bar which Apple TV 4K supports and I literally have a Home Theatre without a million wires and speakers all over the ceiling 
    tmaywatto_cobra
  • Reply 6 of 27
    AppleishAppleish Posts: 688member
    I was waffling on whether to just upgrade the remote on my ATV4K or get a whole new box. Based on reviews I've seen so far today, there's a lot more in this new unit that will end any doubts I had. Ours is arriving tomorrow. Can't wait.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 7 of 27
    pulseimagespulseimages Posts: 595member
    I don’t understand how Apple can release a so called updated Apple TV with an outdated A12 chip. 
    elijahg
  • Reply 8 of 27
    tjwolftjwolf Posts: 424member
    I don't think ATV4k is worth it for everyone deeply into the Apple ecosystem.  We're an Apple family: 3 phones, 3 MBP, 2 AW, 2 Homepods, and 2 AirPods Pros, 2 AirPods, and, yes, an ATV4k.  I think all my Apple purchases were great values, except two: the ATV4k and the HomePods - both were way overpriced for how I use them (and both are handicapped tremendously by Siri's poor capabilities.)

    Moreover, newer TVs, including my latest purchase  - 2020 LG GX10) - have streaming services built in, so there's less and less need for a separate streaming box.  My LG, specifically, has Apple TV+ and AirPlay built-in, so I can hang the TV on a wall without a streamer or unsightly wires underneath.  My ATV4k has been sitting in a box, collecting dust.  I finally gave it to my sister.

    I'm sure the ATV4k is of great value to those who care about highest possible video/audio quality *and* who play games *and* who subscribe to Fitness+.  But that's a subset of those deeply into the Apple ecosystem.  I'd guess not even that big a subset.

    p.s. after I gave away my ATV4k, we discovered the joy of watching TV on our covered porch.  We had a cheap/old Sharp TV laying around and bought a $50 Roku 4k stick that instantly enabled that TV with Netflix, Amazon....and Apple TV & AirPlay.  Now that's a good value for the money!
    patchythepirate
  • Reply 9 of 27
    Beats said: AppleTV is a joke now. Even the remote is a downgrade. I believe the price could at least been lowered to $149/$179.
    I can understand the complaints about it using an A12 instead of something newer, but at the same time...Apple Arcade games that I play on my iPhone XS look really good. I'm looking forward to seeing how a plugged A12 drives graphics on an OLED TV when I get mine tomorrow. The "gold" version of Oceanhorn 2 will probably be one of the first tests, as it uses the Unreal Engine and has some large environments with sophisticated lighting effects. 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 10 of 27
    bvwjbvwj Posts: 11unconfirmed, member
    If it supported FaceTime, it would be an oversized value.
  • Reply 11 of 27
    auxioauxio Posts: 2,717member
    It would be an outstanding value, even at twice the price, if the Apple TV had a M1 processor and could run Mac OS. In fact it would disrupt the entire computer industry, the way Steve Jobs did long ago.
    While they're at it, why don't they make it so that you can pop open the case and replace all the components too?  Who isn't excited about turning their TV into hours of configuration fun?

    watto_cobra
  • Reply 12 of 27
    auxioauxio Posts: 2,717member
    He is right. I didn’t think I need Apple TV box until I started using it 2 years ago. Now I watch everything through it.
    Ditto for me.

    No idea what people are talking about with iTunes.  I can search all sorts of TV shows and movies which are either part of Apple's content or on 3rd party services like Netflix, Prime, Crave, etc.  Much simpler than iTunes (which doesn't even exist anymore on Mac anyway).  I also have a collection of movies and TV shows I've paid for and downloaded over the years which is served up to my Apple TV using home/media sharing.  I get live sports, news, and even Apple Arcade is getting better games.  It's still not as good as a dedicated game console, but I don't spend enough time playing games these days to justify buying a dedicated device for it.  Plus the Apple Fitness workouts are great!

    edited May 2021 watto_cobra
  • Reply 13 of 27
    auxioauxio Posts: 2,717member
    bvwj said:
    If it supported FaceTime, it would be an oversized value.
    If only I trusted TV manufacturers with a camera in my TV.  But in general, I agree that it would be nice if it supported a wireless camera of some sort which you could place beside your TV and turn it on when you needed to use FaceTime.
    edited May 2021 watto_cobra
  • Reply 14 of 27
    avon b7avon b7 Posts: 7,624member
    "Twerdahl believes that Apple is the only company that can deliver such an integrated experience of hardware, software, and technology"

    It's not the only company by a long shot. Competitors already have products on the market that fill that proposition. 

    I've always agreed with Munster in that they should have put out their own TV with FaceTime, HomePod, Surveillance (security) etc built in.

    It's not about making a huge profit off a product in a saturated market. It's about 'completing the circle' as it were and providing the whole platform for Internet, video and gaming services. The AppleTV could live on as a low cost option. 
    patchythepirateelijahg
  • Reply 15 of 27
    auxioauxio Posts: 2,717member
    avon b7 said:
    "Twerdahl believes that Apple is the only company that can deliver such an integrated experience of hardware, software, and technology"

    It's not the only company by a long shot. Competitors already have products on the market that fill that proposition. 
    Yeah, in the TV game, Apple is a relative newcomer.  Where they beat competitors is much better integration with your phone and watch.  Not to mention longer upgrade support.  I've had my Apple TV HD for over 5 years now and it's still very well supported.  Not many people with smart TVs can say that.

    I've always agreed with Munster in that they should have put out their own TV with FaceTime, HomePod, Surveillance (security) etc built in.
    I sincerely thought they were going to do that too in the couple years leading up to the Apple TV HD.  I'm still hopeful they will at some point.

    It's not about making a huge profit off a product in a saturated market. It's about 'completing the circle' as it were and providing the whole platform for Internet, video and gaming services. The AppleTV could live on as a low cost option. 
    Agreed.  There's no money to be made off TVs, but they'd easily recoup it in services and run-on hardware sales.

    watto_cobra
  • Reply 16 of 27
    Beats said:
    It’s an ignored platform really.

    Imagine if iPhone had 3 features added every year? Now imagine if iPhone has had only 3 features added in 4 years?

    AppleTV is a joke now. Even the remote is a downgrade. I believe the price could at least been lowered to $149/$179.

    Also Apple is ignoring it’s biggest App strength, iTunes. It’s almost like Apple wants iTunes to die. iTunes should be advertised as the best movie and show store in the world! iTunes alone is the biggest reason people should own an AppleTV yet Apple is advertising AppleTV+ exclusively while ignoring the other 99.9% of content that sits on iTunes.

    I agree with everything you said except the remote. I really don't understand the remote hate. I ordered one separately for my ATV4K. I'm actually super excited to start using it. Just the ability to scroll content with the wheel will be worth it (I forget the technical term apple used in the keynote for this) and a huge difference vs the annoying 'tap lightly on one side in just the right way' to skip back or forward 10 seconds (yes, I know you can ask siri to skip also, which seems to be the only useful thing siri does on there); the fact that apple also kept the touch sensitive swipe ability made getting the new remote a no brainer for me.

    But I agree that Apple gives the ATV very little attention, particularly compared to its huge potential. This seems to be the same story for basically all of apple services. Apple had the clear lead in podcasts (they're even called podcasts), yet only recently announced paid subscriptions for this. Apple also has the lead on formal media (music, movies, etc) with iTunes, but even though Apple Music is their most social platform, it has virtually no social features, which gave spotify much, much more ground to gain on Apple Music then it deserved. I could go on and on citing basic oversights, but the most glaring one to me is that apple has yet to release a karaoke app for iOS/TVOS. It would be the biggest hit for apple services since iTunes itself.

    Also, I wonder what happened to all those patents flying around many years ago where apple was considering an ATV with camera for facetime, gesture control, etc. Seems like it would be a great value add to the ecosystem, especially since apple developed the ability to do video face/voice tracking (eg iPad). Facilitating easy family/friend communication via TV facetime is perfectly in line with Apples MO, seems like another squandered opportunity.
    edited May 2021 watto_cobra
  • Reply 17 of 27
    elijahgelijahg Posts: 2,753member
    If he thinks $179 is "outstanding value" for something that does very little more than the $149 AppleTV HD circa 2015 he needs to make himself aware of the same market the rest of the world has access to. There are so many things wrong with the ATV, though the new remote seems like a significant improvement. But for pretty much everyone the cheapo Amazon FireTV stick at 25% of the price is 4x better value. Oh and Alexa actually works, unlike Siri.
    edited May 2021 patchythepiratemuthuk_vanalingam
  • Reply 18 of 27
    elijahgelijahg Posts: 2,753member
    It would be an outstanding value, even at twice the price, if the Apple TV had a M1 processor and could run Mac OS. In fact it would disrupt the entire computer industry, the way Steve Jobs did long ago.
    It would be brilliant, Mac marketshare would leap virtually overnight. Those people would likely then go on to get an iMac or similar down the line.
  • Reply 19 of 27
    nicholfdnicholfd Posts: 824member
    tjwolf said:
    I don't think ATV4k is worth it for everyone deeply into the Apple ecosystem.  We're an Apple family: 3 phones, 3 MBP, 2 AW, 2 Homepods, and 2 AirPods Pros, 2 AirPods, and, yes, an ATV4k.  I think all my Apple purchases were great values, except two: the ATV4k and the HomePods - both were way overpriced for how I use them (and both are handicapped tremendously by Siri's poor capabilities.)

    Moreover, newer TVs, including my latest purchase  - 2020 LG GX10) - have streaming services built in, so there's less and less need for a separate streaming box.  My LG, specifically, has Apple TV+ and AirPlay built-in, so I can hang the TV on a wall without a streamer or unsightly wires underneath.  My ATV4k has been sitting in a box, collecting dust.  I finally gave it to my sister.

    I'm sure the ATV4k is of great value to those who care about highest possible video/audio quality *and* who play games *and* who subscribe to Fitness+.  But that's a subset of those deeply into the Apple ecosystem.  I'd guess not even that big a subset.

    p.s. after I gave away my ATV4k, we discovered the joy of watching TV on our covered porch.  We had a cheap/old Sharp TV laying around and bought a $50 Roku 4k stick that instantly enabled that TV with Netflix, Amazon....and Apple TV & AirPlay.  Now that's a good value for the money!
    Ok - you gave away a $179(+) Apple TV & spent another $50 on a Roku 4k stick and you now state, "Now that's a good value for the money!"?!?!?!?!?!

    You could have kept the Apple TV & connected it to the same old TV on your covered porch & still had "Netflix, Amazon....and Apple TV & AirPlay" without spending an extra $50...
    stompywatto_cobra
  • Reply 20 of 27
    He is right. I didn’t think I need Apple TV box until I started using it 2 years ago. Now I watch everything through it. I also added a Dolby Atmos sound bar which Apple TV 4K supports and I literally have a Home Theatre without a million wires and speakers all over the ceiling 
    A soundbar is not a home theater.
    StrangeDays
Sign In or Register to comment.