Steve Jobs always use to titillate audiences with his famous “Oh, and one more thing” line at the end of his product intros — saving the best and most groundbreaking stuff for when he was walking off stage.
So how’s this for a groundbreaking finale? Jobs remakes the humble TV set.
Rumors have been rampant for months that Apple is working on a TV. IOS5, its latest iPhone operating system, includes support for a next-generation Apple TV device.
But Apple TV, often referred to as Jobs’ “hobby” — has never really taken off, and remains a very limited device that allows you to access Netflix, YouTube, selected podcasts and websites, your computer library, and not much more.
It’s a near-certainty that Apple will update the device. But Jobs specialized in creating entirely new markets by reimagining existing ones. And he supposedly left Apple with a game plan for the next three years.
Think about it. Your living room is a jungle of devices. Sometimes you can’t even figure out how to turn on the TV. You have a jumble of cable services, most of which you don’t want. This is the kind of market Jobs specialized in simplifying.
It’s also the one existing screen he hasn’t conquered, after inventing or reinventing PCs, movie screens (Pixar), mobile phones, music players, and electronic books.
Imagine just turning on a TV that looked like a giant iPad and allowed you to easily browse the Internet, play all your songs, get any TV or movie content you wanted, and so on. Would you buy a new TV? Would you switch to a cable company that offered a 60-inch screen for $199 as part of a two-year commitment? Suppose Apple told the cable companies the price of getting that must-have screen and millionws of new customers was making a lot more network content available a la carte?
I could well be whistling in the dark. I’m not privy to any inside information. Still, wouldn’t this be the most insanely great thing ever — one more thing from beyond the grave?
More reading:
Venture Beat: http://venturebeat.com/2011/10/09/next-gen-apple-tv-likely-to-have-dual-core-a5-processor-1080p-playback/
Digital Trends: http://www.digitaltrends.com/apple/opinion-could-an-apple-itv-really-succeed/
October 11, 2011 at 4:21 pm
From: http://t2zday.wordpress.com/2011/
apple rumors, Apple TV, AppleVision, IOS, OSX, Steve Jobs
As the Apple Turns: AppleVision 2012
In Apple Rumors on August 3, 2011 at 5:22 am
As the Apple Turns
AppleVision 2012
Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) is planning to do TV. You can be certain there will be a recognizable difference from what we see at the local Best Buy or Sears. My flies on the wall have some interesting reports. For starters great sound will abound using technology “inspired” by Bose VideoWave. You should really listen to the surround effect with no visible speakers. OK, we have heard that rumor before. Now, moving on, what state of the art TV does not offer 3D? But which system? Word has it Apple will use a glasses free display system much like that previewed at recent trade shows with a second 3D mode (for more pop, images coming out at you) using polarized glasses. Now, the first edition will be standard 1080P but down the road higher resolution 2K monitors (think retina writ large) with double the resolution on each axis (2840 x 2160). Until standards catch up for authoring, look for interpolated data points to make a higher quality image. MacLife has some other insights into MS Kinect (NASDAQ:MSFT) like control functions. My flies have not made into that room yet. And you thought you wanted a Sony.
At this point we know that connectivity rules at Apple. A 3D TV needs contents, all the better if you created it yourself. Arise the iPhone 6 (maybe 7) with dual rear cameras for high quality 3D imaging and a screen to match. Still and high definition 3D video in your pocket! Fuji (PINK:FUJIY) already makes a similar camera. Apple has always been about doing technology right, not first. With the iCloud it is also instantly on your TV and computer as well. Tele-presence is nearly here! That should be good for another hundred million iPhones. For people with a good HDTV not wanting to spend the estimated $2-3000 for a complete new AppleVision TV, an upgraded Apple TV box will give the delivery and programing options without the new technology screen for about the existing $99.
With such cool hardware do you think Steve Jobs might have some software to go with it? Maybe make a few waves. Like maybe turning the entire TV delivery system on its ear! Currently you get your TV either over the air (yes, some still do that) via cable, over phone wires, fiber optic, satellite or microwave. In all those systems all hundreds of channels are brought down to your tuner or box, where you select a channel for viewing. Instead, what if the big data center serves up just the one show you want to watch with every other show just a request away? All you need is an internet connection that can keep up. With archives of past programs the viewer is in charge like never before. Who needs Tivo (NASDAQ:TIVO) when every show from the last year is a click away. Advertisers will be happy because the commercials are still attached. The system could even prevent you from fast forwarding through the paid messages. You are an hour late getting home and missed your favorite show, no problem. All that needs to happen is for Apple to negotiate carriage agreements with the providers of contents; cable and broadcast networks in particular. The understanding is that Steve has some pull with Disney (NYSE:DIS) (ABC, ESPN, various Disney channels) so that is a strong incentives for the other providers to join in. If a new pricing model is implemented and you are not required to buy HSN en Espanol to get the SyFy Channel (or vice versa) there may be some real economic incentive to switch even if each channel or individual show costs more. A la carte pricing, that is sure to send shivers down the spine of the execs at cable and satellite.
For anyone doing the math, figure a $2500 AppleVision TV at 1 million units sold equals an additional gross of $2.5 billion and could rise to ten times that or more. An additional ten million iPhones are worth about another $5-6 billion and cable service at $50 a month / $600 per year is $600 million per million subscribers per year. Raking in the cash this way, Steve could acquire the US Treasury in a hostile takeover. Cash dividends anyone?
Gee, that seems to leave some major players out in the rain. Will the fate of the music industry, bookstores, newspapers et al now befall cable and satellite? What about Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX)? Is the Hulu deal a stalking horse for something much larger? Will Apple vend ALL of our media through multiple sales channels and have us thank them for it? Is Steve, with his health issues forcing him to confront his mortality actively working to complete the framework of his legacy? Tune in next spring, 2012, for the next exciting chapter of “As the Apple Turns”. Please don’t swat my flies, they are the latest micro-technology.
T2Z
October 12, 2011 at 1:16 am
Great montage of the “just one more thing” moments. Good also to see a fitter and healthier Steve.
Much of the debate about AppleTV assumes that the trend is for the televsion set to become smarter. But one viewpoint is that it is becoming dumber. Why does Apple need to venture into the low margin world of the television set, when all they really need to take over the medium is to have Airplay built into the televisions. The really big news would be if Apple had Airplay built into every model of Samsung and Sony for the Christmas market.
My view is we are seeing “second screen inversion” : http://bit.ly/r7ooot where consumers are moving to drive their television experience from their handheld devices (tablets and smartphones). I don’t need a TV that can access any and all online content sources, I need a TV that can display what I’m seeing on my phone.
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