Apple TV encroaches on eReaders, books and everything else you do at home.

[SeaKing]

It seems according to this article that Americans, at least, have the TV on all the time no matter what they are doing, even reading a book. Also it says that the current large screen TV's in the home would be difficult to displace as Apple did with other not so advanced and not so thin devices. The current TV devices are already, advanced and thin. So where does the "new" Apple TV go? This article gives an idea of that strategy.
But briefly, Apple TVs go EVERYWHERE!



Viewpoint
Apple's TV: Petite Glass in Every Corner of Your Home
By Ben Kunz on May 03, 2012
BloombergBusinessweek
Technology

"Much has been written about the forthcoming Apple TV—not the current teensy box that streams Netflix (NFLX), but the real thing, an actual television set that analyst Gene Munster predicts will hit the market by year-end. Munster peruses the nitty-gritty details of Apple’s (AAPL) suppliers to try to divine what gadgets are being put into production before the official "

"Third, consumers want to watch video everywhere while multitasking. Recent studies by Nielsen (NLSN) show that for most of the day, except for prime time in the evening, consumers watch TV while doing something else—texting on phones, typing on laptops, folding laundry, skimming magazines. More than 1 in 5 U.S. adults have read a book on an e-reader. Younger demographics in particular are watching video via Hulu and YouTube (GOOG) on computers. We want more screens, and we want to do other stuff while watching, so why wouldn’t Apple sell pretty little panels to spread throughout our homes?"
--more
http://www.businessweek.com/articles...r-of-your-home

I am really not ready for this onslaught!

[jtdolphins]

Apple doesn't sell cheap, the sixth point aside, I think he makes a pretty good argument. Cheap isn't their business model though. I think its hopeless trying to predict what Apple is going to do. I don't see a reinvention of the TV being profitable for Apple either.

I could see that product/idea selling with most of my family. I just set my mom up with her second roku last month. I am probably going to install a third this summer. The TV is on for everything and in every room. I just dread going there sometimes.

[Kali Yuga]

I can't imagine Apple is stupid enough to get into making TV's.

It's a commodity business with razor-thin margins. It's so bad that Sony is basically dumping their TV division.

I don't really care about the habits of other people. If you don't like multitasking, don't multitask.

[yoho]

Originally Posted by SeaKing

It seems according to this article that Americans, at least, have the TV on all the time no matter what they are doing, even reading a book. Also it says that the current large screen TV's in the home would be difficult to displace as Apple did with other not so advanced and not so thin devices. The current TV devices are already, advanced and thin. So where does the "new" Apple TV go? This article gives an idea of that strategy.
But briefly, Apple TVs go EVERYWHERE!



Viewpoint
Apple's TV: Petite Glass in Every Corner of Your Home
By Ben Kunz on May 03, 2012
BloombergBusinessweek
Technology

"Much has been written about the forthcoming Apple TV—not the current teensy box that streams Netflix (NFLX), but the real thing, an actual television set that analyst Gene Munster predicts will hit the market by year-end. Munster peruses the nitty-gritty details of Apple’s (AAPL) suppliers to try to divine what gadgets are being put into production before the official "

"Third, consumers want to watch video everywhere while multitasking. Recent studies by Nielsen (NLSN) show that for most of the day, except for prime time in the evening, consumers watch TV while doing something else—texting on phones, typing on laptops, folding laundry, skimming magazines. More than 1 in 5 U.S. adults have read a book on an e-reader. Younger demographics in particular are watching video via Hulu and YouTube (GOOG) on computers. We want more screens, and we want to do other stuff while watching, so why wouldn’t Apple sell pretty little panels to spread throughout our homes?"
--more
http://www.businessweek.com/articles...r-of-your-home

I am really not ready for this onslaught!

neither do i

[VaporPunk]

Second, Apple’s real play will be content sales, not TV hardware profits. As I noted last September, the typical U.S. consumer still watches 5 hours and 9 minutes of television a day, but only about 18 cable channels out of the 130 received by the average home. There is huge bloat in what we subscribe to, and we pay cable companies about $74 billion annually for this privilege. Add the $70 billion in TV ad spending, and Apple could grab a slice of a $144 billion video market if it could convince us there’s a better way to stream moving images.

This is what always pi$$ed me off the most about my cable bill in the US, paying for channels I didn't watch. Its the same here in Belgium.

The first cable company that lets me customize my channel line-up and charges me solely for the channels I want to watch will get my money. But its not just about $, if I only watch 20 or so channels it would be nice if I didn't have to flip through 300 others with celebrity news, political propaganda, and shopping networks, etc...

Not just content on demand (which is nice, if its affordable), but let me control what individual channels I receive on my own damn TV.

[petermillard]

Originally Posted by Kali Yuga

I can't imagine Apple is stupid enough to get into making TV's. It's a commodity business with razor-thin margins. It's so bad that Sony is basically dumping their TV division.

I don't disagree, though it's probably worth pointing out that all the arguments against Apple getting into the TV business (low-margin, commodity business with entrenched hardware suppliers and content providers) could equally be made against Apple getting into the mobile phone business 5 years ago.

But they did, and it seems to be working out quite nicely for them.

As for the article's "petite Apple TV screens in every corner of your home" well, surely that's what the iPad is - though I have been mulling over the usefulness of a larger iPad for in the home, something the size of a 13" Air, but all screen and battery; I think I'd be more inclined to buy that than a 7" iPad mini, personally.

[carpetmojo]

My idea of hell, a TV in every room.

Even worse, switched on ....................

[Blue Tyson]

TV in every room.

Otherwise know as:

Tablet PC.

[Kali Yuga]

Originally Posted by Ben Kunz

Apple’s real play will be content sales, not TV hardware profits....

(From the article.) The guy who wrote that should be fired.



Apple makes almost nothing off of content; the only reason they sell content at all is to lock people into the hardware platform.

I seriously doubt there will be an Apple-branded TV, no matter how many rumors are aired by self-appointed experts.

[pl001]

Originally Posted by petermillard

I don't disagree, though it's probably worth pointing out that all the arguments against Apple getting into the TV business (low-margin, commodity business with entrenched hardware suppliers and content providers) could equally be made against Apple getting into the mobile phone business 5 years ago.

But they did, and it seems to be working out quite nicely for them.

As for the article's "petite Apple TV screens in every corner of your home" well, surely that's what the iPad is - though I have been mulling over the usefulness of a larger iPad for in the home, something the size of a 13" Air, but all screen and battery; I think I'd be more inclined to buy that than a 7" iPad mini, personally.

Yeah, I could see a TV with iOS on it being successful. There are a lot of smart TVs and devices out there right now but nothing cohesive. iOS on a TV could be huge.

Apple products are kind of funny. On both the iPhone and iPad I just didn't get it. The iPhone was neat but way too limited in functionality when it came out to interest me. My Palm Treo at the time did so much more. The iPad seemed like an oversized smartphone. Why not just get a netbook that I can actually type on I thought? Both went on to be wildly successful. Shows what I know.

[ApK]

Originally Posted by SeaKing

It seems according to this article that Americans, at least, have the TV on all the time no matter what they are doing, even reading a book.

True enough in my house. I don't actually like the TV on when I'm reading (or working, or doing anything that requires true attention), but my wife does. I guess it's sort of like a white noise generator for her.*

We do like it on as background when we are relaxing or doing housework or such, even if we are not paying attention to the show.

And I freely admit, I like TV and movies as much as I like books. Video walls in every room have always been a dream of mine, in spite of the negative connotations the literary snobs always put on such things when they write about them.
(I remember reading about the video walls in "Fahrenheit 451" and thinking..."But...But...he's talking about them like they are BAD thing! ")

ApK

*She like the TV on even when she is listening to an audiobook on headphones...I don't get that all.

[jtdolphins]

Originally Posted by VaporPunk

This is what always pi$$ed me off the most about my cable bill in the US, paying for channels I didn't watch. Its the same here in Belgium.

What makes me mad, is that I am forced to pay for cable to have internet access. I could get just cable, but that was 20$ more expensive. The cable I have is only about 15 channels, most I don't watch. It use to be about 20. Of course the channels I actually watched were the ones axed. I get the feeling they would like to get rid of the basic cable option.

[ScotiaBurrell]

Originally Posted by VaporPunk

This is what always pi$$ed me off the most about my cable bill in the US, paying for channels I didn't watch.

i thank you for making espn cheap enough for me to have.

(is joke )

[RainingLemur]

Originally Posted by VaporPunk

The first cable company that lets me customize my channel line-up and charges me solely for the channels I want to watch will get my money.

Haha, I'd have all of maybe 4 channels if that were the case. The ladywife would have a couple extra... That would be a dream.

[Penforhire]

"Encroach" makes it sound undesirable. If you don't like it then don't buy it. If you like it then it assists, not encroaches. I don't have one but I do use my PC, Xbox 360, and PS3 as media devices (e.g. stream Netflix and Hulu).

Plenty of people, myself included, thought Apple was crazy to go into the smartphone market. Look where that got them! Now I'm thinking they'll be crazy to go into the actual TV market but I've been very wrong before. I do think the market is ripe for a streaming provider bigger than Netflix, someone who can twist arms to get better content.