unsui_grep

dewme said:

Putting iTunes in its current form on third party devices is okay as a baby step but it also a bit messy and clumsy because iTunes has an established legacy and some customers will be confused. Someone's going to ask how to connect their iPod to an iTunes enabled TV to sync their music. 

Apple really needed to dissect iTunes into modular component services so they can be easily deployed in a more logical manner. Consider device management: They cut out most of the end-user focused device management features and services from iTunes a couple of years ago without providing a logical home for the features and services that still exist. Managing every device as a single isolated entity just doesn't sit well with me. In my opinion, the resulting "homeless" ad hoc device management features and services should be re-homed into HomeKit. I'm not proposing that HomeKit be cast as an MDM platform, but rather that it serve as a grouping/homing/personalization platform for allowing end-users to manage all of their connected HomeKit compatible devices, including macOS and iOS devices, and the resources that are associated with these devices. For example, if you have a HomeKit compatible security camera why not use HomeKit to associate recorded snapshots and videos with your HomeKit group - while using a chunk of your iCloud storage to store the recordings. 

Likewise, the other remaining services in iTunes, like movie and TV purchases and rentals, should be excised from iTunes and re-homed in Apple branded service stacks in a similar way that Apple Music has become, or comes closer, to being the music hub for Apple's music related ventures. It would have been nicer or at least cleaner if Apple got everything neatly arranged before they started licensing their services out to other hardware vendors. The reality is that iTunes should no longer exist, so seeing its legacy continue on a new platform is strange even though it may provide some incremental revenue opportunities. More likely, iTunes on TVs will serve as a stand-in for what's coming next, and then it will go away.

rogifan_new said:

I’m still waiting for Apple to explain why being a media company is a good idea. Needing to grow services revenue isn’t an answer. It’s an end result but not a reason unto itself.

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.