Although Apple has always referred to the
Apple TV as a "hobby," there's been a lot of speculation regarding the future of the box recently -- it was
first introduced nearly three years ago, and although the
interface has since been upgraded, it's still essentially the same product, leading to whispers that Apple was working on a new DVR-enabled model with CableCARD tuners that would replace your cable box. Awesome, right? Not so fast -- according to analysts at Caris and Company, Apple CFO Peter Oppenheimer "pretty much killed" that idea when they asked him about it, saying it didn't mesh with Apple's business. Yeah, it's sad, but it makes a lot of sense -- Apple probably doesn't want you to record for free what you can buy from the iTunes Store, and we can't imagine anyone at Apple looking back at their experience with AT&T and deciding that partnering up with Comcast or Time Warner Cable was the next logical move. Still -- doesn't it seem like it's time for
something to happen with the Apple TV? Who know, maybe we'll find out
tomorrow.
[Via
iLounge]
posted September 8th 2009 1:08PM
Apple adding DVR and CableCARD would be like adding cassette-tape and CD-drives to iPods. Early adopters have already begun dropping cable television service and are moving to internet streaming (just not Apple's internet streaming). Not only is cable television an outmoded technology, Apple has the most to gain by quickening its death.
The problems with Apple TV: 1.) Overpriced: $229 for a 40-gig media streamer/player is far too high 2.) Apple TV supports fewer formats and codecs than basically every product it competes with. 3.) Shit has to be copied to it (I THINK, dont bank on it) instead of just streaming large files from the computers or external drives th at store them. Thus, with the $229 Apple TV, once you fill 40 gig, that's it, you have to start deleting shit. 20 HD shows is the most you're gonna fit, and most of us get a bigger selection from our cable boxes with free HD on-demand. Heck, Dish Network has 1080p On Demand now.
I've considered the Apple TV. If it was 250/500GB for $149/$199 and supported a shitload of codec (including my bit-torrented .mkv HD files) I'd buy it in an instant.
It's got a small footprint, looks good, and I love it's ease-of-use and Apple simplicity: simplicity is what I want in my living room. Unfortunately, Steve & the gang have a ways to go before it's even close to perfect.
Conclusion: the state of Apple TV is very sad considering it would take little effort to make it great (i.e. capacity increase, streaming, and major codec support). Swap out a hard drive and load up some software and you're done, Apple. It's not that hard.
I believe the Apple TV does indeed do streaming (wired or wireless-N networks only) but aside from that I am in agreement with you, although I can't say that I am bothered about format support since I'm quite happy to obtain all content from the iTunes Store but can appreciate why people would want it.
Original Apple TV owner here: Add native streaming abilities (aka Boxee, XMBC features), an upgraded processor, and an app store, and I will be happy.
I ditched cable awhile ago. I get my televised news from free Video Podcasts (most major news networks have one), and the TV shows I want to watch, I just buy at the touch of a button, whenever I want, without having to worry about scheduling.
Even at $1.99 a pop for TV shows, I still spend less than I did with cable.
That said, I'm sort of hoping for an Apple TV subscription service where people can watch unlimited shows on-demand for a set price. I may not watch enough TV shows to justify using such a service for myself, but I think a subscription service would provide those still in the old cable/DVR mindset to understand the value and advantages of the Apple TV.
I should have said, "I ditched cable in favor of Apple TV".
Apple is no longer the company that the people in it would want to create a device they would love to use/have themselves. :(
Add TV show rentals, and I'll be even happier. My 1TB external drive is getting plump with movies and purchased tv seasons.
In five years the "cable" companies will be on their last legs. Hard format media (sorry Blue Ray fans) will be obsolete. In ten years all "TV" programming will be served ala carte over broadband IP, not funneled through a local distributor. Oppenheimer is right, why should Apple invest in a dying industry and its obsolete architecture?
Obsolete or not in the near future, it doesn't mean money can't be made. Have you told Ford they should stop making automobiles because in the future there will be flying cars?
Didn't think so.
Yeah right. If everyone had fiber optic internet, maybe. But it'll be 20+ years before even a majority of households have fiber optic. True story, my town was one of the first towns, in one of the first states, served by the only nationwide telecommunications company to offer fiber optic internet on a large scale (Verizon). It's been 3 years since the first rollout, and my neighborhood just recently had the cable installed and buried. It will likely be 6 more months before the actual service is available, and they still have to install it in every home. And this is in a relatively affluent neighborhood. In total: one of the first fiber optic deployments on large scale by the only company to do fiber optic to the home, and still 4-5 years until most people in that one town can get the service. Fiber optic for everyone? maybe in 50 years. (until then, I still have 768k DSL, sorry only Blu Ray for me lol)
The lack of DVR and CableCard is really all that prevents me from ditching my Media Center PC and going all Mac!
I know there are other workarounds, but I really like having everything run through the computer, all in one spot.
It really is amazing just how well the whole Media Center thing works and it's all networked through my house with a couple of xbox's and a couple of extenders.
I know Apple wouldn't make money on recording tv, but they'd probably make quite a bit of money on converting a bunch of people like me to going all mac all the time!
I'll ditch cable when there is an alternate way to get the same quantity of live sports in HD that I can get with cable/satellite.
Like all the posters before me I don't think Apple needs to add DVR or CableCARD to this. They want to achieve vendor lock-in by making you buy this stuff from iTunes. Why hand profit over to the cable companies?
The more I think about it, I'd much rather cherry-pick movies or individual shows than be forced to "drink out of the fire hose" by getting a cable package of 500+ channels of which I probably watch 15. They are niche and I can't buy them à la carte.
The name is miss leading... First seeing the name " apple tv" tells me the ability to watch tv on a mac. Well luckily I have win7 and I use it with my win media center that can record tv.
Why (I say) re-buy the shows when I can record them on my current cable connection that I already pay money for. Its ridiculous, there's no gain for the consumer, except for apple who already milks the consumer for no reasons.
Er...no. I think you are discounting 2 reasons why the Apple TV or other such device would be useful:
* You can buy and watch what you want, when you want it. You do not need to have recorded something in the past to be able to watch it in the future.
* You may not need a cable subscription at all if you are happy to buy the content you want to watch on an a-la carte basis.
>leading to whispers
Whispers = pulled out of a delusional fanboi's ass. Here's the logic..."Gee, they haven't touched the product in years and frankly don't seem to care about it all that much. Wait....I know!!! They are making it into everything I want it to be!! That has to be it!"
What Apple should come out with is an AppStore for the AppleTV, think ESPN with content, stats, etc. Bloomberg with your portfolio, and apps that sync with your iPhone/iPod Touch apps, all your TV. Apple TV is more about internet and home network connectivity than just TV or DVDs.
"Windows 7 Media Center is light years ahead." , agree light years ahead of vista which was light years behind everything else.
I honestly fail to understand what Apple was thinking about when it came to the Apple TV. Unless you live in a market with access to an iTunes Store that has TV Shows and Movies, what is the point of it? Further, over the past few years the price hasn't changed (unless you live in the US) and the hardware has continued to become more and more out-of-date. I really like the idea of being able to use the Apple TV to rent movies but I simply am not prepared to pay the price that Apple wants for it. Now that the PlayStation 3 is the same price with much better features I cannot see a single reason to buy an Apple TV. Apple either needs to seriously overhaul this product or kill it entirely. At this point in time I'm honestly not bothered which option they select.