Cord Cutter's Diary
Posts tagged Apple TV
Apple Inc. is in talks with some of the biggest U.S. cable operators about letting consumers use an Apple device as a set-top box for live television and other content, according to people familiar with the matter.
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Not a big deal for me, since I don’t use Hulu Plus and can already get it through Roku, but this could start to address a weakness of Apple TV: its paucity of apps compared to other set-top boxes.
With Apple’s new operating system released yesterday, OS X 10.8 (Mountain Lion), AirPlay has finally come to the Mac. That’s a killer feature for cord cutters. Now, any media you can pull up on your MacBook or iMac — and there’s plenty of live and on-demand video most easily accessed that way — can be sent over to your big screen with a click. This was already the case for your iPod Touch, iPhone, or iPad, but nothing beats the flexibility of a personal computer with a Web browser.
Now, yes, it has always been possible to plug your Mac or any other computer into the side of your television. That’s how I and a lot of people I know do it. But it’s ironic and more than a little cumbersome that cutting the cord actually tends to involve, well, a lot of cords. Apple TV and AirPlay let you skip the hassle of plugging and unplugging your various devices, and the more Apple devices you own, the more convenient this seems. (Yes, of course, that’s the strategy. I am increasingly trapped in Apple’s ecosystem.)
When I was first considering which set-top box to buy, I chose Roku because it’s much more flexible and has many more apps. Apple TV is in the same price range but more limited: it has Netflix and MLB.tv but no Amazon and lots of other apps I find valuable. At the time, I saw the core strength of Apple TV as iTunes, which others may value but I don’t use much. But now it’s abundantly clear that Apple TV’s greatest asset is actually AirPlay, and that’s why I’m finally going to buy one. A friend and fellow cord cutter emailed me last night to say she’s also taking the plunge for the same reasons.
Apple has sold 4 million Apple TVs this year, but the company still calls the device a “hobby.” For that and other reasons, a lot of people speculate about Apple releasing an actual television that will enter the market with the same kind of splash that the iPad did. That may still happen — who knows — but as Peter Kafka wrote last month, “Look a little closer, and you might see the outlines of Apple’s TV plans staring you right in the face.”
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That’s 4 million sold this fiscal year at $99 each. I still haven’t taken the plunge, but the more I use my iPhone and iPad, the more it makes sense to have an Apple TV, as well.
Today Brightcove announced that its App Cloud platform will create a toolkit to focus on helping media companies create dual-screen apps: programs which use the iPhone or iPad as a remote control while streaming HD video to television sets through an Apple TV. This technology, Airplay, will soon work with Apple computers as well, provided they are running the newest version of Apple’s Mac operating system, Mountain Lion. [The Verge]
Good piece by Peter Kafka on how the next generation of Apple TV is being created right in front of us, mostly in the form of AirPlay (and, I would add, iCloud). If this holds up, future histories about the disruption of the television industry will almost certainly begin with this quote by Time Warner Cable CEO Glenn Britt last month: “I’m not sure I know what AirPlay is.”
AirPlay, for the record, is Apple’s dead-simple method for switching media from one device to another — for instance, from your iPad to your Apple TV or from your iPod to your sound system. A few weekends ago, I watched a six-year-old expertly manipulate his iPod Touch to play an episode of Dora the Explorer, snap some photos of his sister, then display it all on his parents’ TV. I know how AirPlay works and all, but this kid was using it like an appendage, seamlessly shifting media from one end of the room to another. Britt really should have been there.
Anyway, since yesterday’s keynote at WWDC came and went without any major updates to Apple TV, I should decide now whether I’m getting one. I already have a Roku XD, and it’s serving me well, but I kind of want to play around with Apple TV and take advantage of AirPlay with my iPhone and iPad. The $99 expense would definitely qualify as an indulgence, but I can always say I’m doing it for science…
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Brightcove’s CEO has a strong analysis of Apple’s next steps in the battle for our living rooms, which rests on this core concept:
Properly conceived, a TV is a large high-definition audio/video rendering device that plays a role in displaying content and related data. While certainly the ideal device for consuming and using video-based content, it is also simply put the largest computer monitor in our lives, and one that very often presents in a social context — the living room, the conference room, the dorm room, the classroom, the retail store floor and shop window. In short, these TV monitors are at the core of all of our major social and economic activities.
A good companion piece is Nick Bilton’s recent column, “Xbox Gives Microsoft a Head Start in the Battle for Every Screen.” Speaking of which, Microsoft is currently announcing some really interesting new features for Xbox and Xbox Live, more about which soon…
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Dammmn: “Apple saw its share fall to 32 percent from about 61 percent.” In one year! The research firm cited in this story essentially argues that the subscription model for digital video (Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon Prime) is killing the a la carte model (iTunes, Vudu, Amazon Instant Video). Two questions this raises for me:
- Will the same trend hold true for music in the U.S.? The iTunes a la carte model enjoys a 70% market share, but Spotify’s subscription model is still very new here.
- Will Apple relent and introduce a subscription model for media in the iTunes Store? It’s long been discussed, and Apple could theoretically offer an all-you-can-eat plan for movies and music. Apple has been reluctant to go this direction, probably because of the licensing fees, but I bet it happens soon.
And I guess it’s relevant that since I cut the cord, I’ve watched plenty of video on Netflix but haven’t purchased anything from iTunes. Things might be different if I had an Apple TV — or the next generation of Apple TV.
Update: Peter Kafka throws cold water on this report…
@benfritz @zseward ok talked to the ihs folks, confirmed what i thot. 10,000 % growth has to do w/reporting, accounting, not actual use.
— Peter Kafka (@pkafka) June 4, 2012
WatchESPN is the network’s version of HBO Go: extended programming available only to authenticated cable subscribers. Time Warner seems to be spreading HBO to as many devices as possible, and Disney may be attempting the same, though ESPN denies the Bloomberg report. Alas, it hardly matters to me if the content is only available to paying customers.
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