5 Reasons Apple's TV Will Change the World

The Apple (NAS: AAPL) iTV chatter has been quiet lately, and understandably so. The past few weeks have been full of real news about new MacBooks and iOS 6 updates to worry about unicorns, iTVs, and other fictional creatures.

However, now it's time to revisit the possibility that Apple's full-blown HDTV may be taking up space in early adopters' living rooms as early as this holiday season.Yes, it could happen. Topeka Capital Markets analyst Brian White notes this week that a Chinese website, 21cbh.com, claims that contract manufacturer Hon Hai will be receiving Sharp LCD TV panels, probably intended for production of the iTV, during this year's third quarter. The shipment would give Apple enough time to get its inevitable smart TV on the market by the end of this calendar year.


The story isn't airtight, of course. We're talking about an analyst citing an obscure supply-chain watcher with a tidbit of information that may or may not have anything at all to do with the iTV. There are so many places where this rumor can crumble apart.

However, does it really matter if Apple rolls out its Web-enabled flat screens late this year or early next year? It's going to be a hit. Denying that point will only break your heart, so let's go over a few of the reasons a lot of people will be buying the iTV.

1. It's Apple. Duh.
After selling hundreds of millions of iOS devices, it's hard to question Apple's success. Cynics argued that the iPad was just a blown-up iPhone touch, but it changed the way we view tablets. The iTV is similarly going to change the way we view smart televisions.

Apple is King Midas with iOS until it proves mortal.
2. The iTV will be more than just a supersized iPad.
On a recent trip to Asia, White learned that Apple isn't simply blowing up the iPad. That would be silly. Who wants a touchscreen monitor? Not only do you not want a smudged screen, but who wants to get up to navigate a TV? That's so 1965.

It's been rumored for months that the iTV touchscreen element would be the remote control. That makes perfect sense. The remote would have an iPod component to navigate through the big screen.

3. FaceTime is just skin-deep.
White's also hearing that the Apple smart TV will feature a special motion-detection technology. Sounds a lot like Microsoft's (NAS: MSFT) Kinect, right? Motions and gestures can trigger functions beyond the remote control.

However, just as all three of Apple's iOS lines come with user-facing cameras for FaceTime, it would follow that Apple's iOS-fueled television would have a pretty decent camera as part of the motion-detection technology.

As Microsoft's working with cable providers on a premium Skype promotion, Apple's likely to make a value-added feature on its TV. Consumer videoconferencing is about to get popular, the way corporate videoconferencing has over the years.

4. Content is king.
Netflix (NAS: NFLX) has done a great job of educating the market on the value of streaming TV shows and movies, but its digital catalog lacks the new releases and first-run shows that consumers crave.

Apple has already been reasonably successful with its iTunes video offerings, but now it's going to have the actual TV that serves video in its ideal environment.

Could it be that Netflix has stayed away from offering piecemeal rentals -- and Apple has refrained from offering unlimited digital-media smorgasbords -- as an unwritten truce? Obviously, consumers want both. Viewers want the deep library that Netflix can stream and the fresh content that Apple markets through iTunes. Apple's TV will probably either incorporate Netflix streaming and iTunes piecemeal rentals as the mother of all digital solutions, or the company will take on Netflix.

Either way, Apple already has the iTunes ecosystem ready to go.
5. Apple has learned from past mistakes.
Apple didn't put out the first smartphone or tablet. The class act of Cupertino simply raised the bar.

We've seen companies throw their weight behind smart televisions before home Wi-Fi was everywhere. We had Google (NAS: GOOG) fumble its initial foray into Google TV by failing to strike the necessary deals for content. Apple, on the other hand, has had time to watch the field play out. It knows which paths to avoid, and that's why Apple will be a TV star sooner than you might think.

This article comes from: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2012/06/23/5-reasons-apples-tv-will-change-the-world/

Analyst: Apple to debut TV set at WWDC

While most are expecting that Apple will talk about iOS 6 and OS X Mountain Lion at Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference set to kick off next week, one analyst says that we should brace ourselves for the unveiling of a television set.

This latest prediction comes from Jefferies & Company analyst Peter Misek, who estimates that the television will retail for around $1,250 and be called the iPanel. That price tag might not seem too high, but Misek explores a way to sweeten the deal by getting cable providers to offer a $500 subsidy. He claims such a subsidy “would certainly improve the value proposition” for consumers.

Misek says that while attitudes to subsidies are negative, he believes that an Apple television “presents a new and unique opportunity for the telcos to gain market share in a mature television market”.

“Hypothetically,” writes Misek, “if Verizon offered a $500 subsidy to new FiOS subscribers (but no triple play discounts) along with a $20/month Wireless video fee, the payback period would increase to 13 months. In our view, this modest increase in payback period would still be value accretive with higher customer stickiness and market share gains vis-à-vis competitors that may not offer iTV- like functionality”.

  

This article comes from:http://www.zdnet.com/blog/hardware/analyst-apple-to-debut-tv-set-at-wwdc/20693

Apple extravaganza: major refresh coming next week

A plethora of new iPhone features, Siri for iPad, new MacBooks and 3D maps are just some of the predictions swirling around the  rumour mill ahead of Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference next week.

Apple's sassy virtual personal assistant, Siri, will reportedly make the move from iPhone to iPad, where she will be able to execute all commands except those relating to making calls.

Siri for iPad is expected to take up a small portion of the screen, overlapping whatever app is open at the time rather than the full screen version on the iPhone, reports 9 to 5 Mac.

It is not yet known if Siri will be available on all iPad models or just the most recent model, released to lacklustre reception earlier this year.
While the iPhone 5 – with a larger screen and thinner body – is not expected to launch until October, Apple will reportedly announce a new operating system for iPhone and iPad at the San Francisco event next week.
The software, iOS 6, is expected to include Facebook integration, in a similar way that Twitter is currently integrated into the iOS 5 operating system.

MacBook Air and MacBook Pro expected to be updated with higher resolution screens and faster Intel chips.

9 to 5 Mac reports that Apple will redesign the apps for iTunes, iBooks and the App store itself. Following on from Facebook integration, the redesigned apps will be more "social", building on iTunes' 'Ping' feature, where users can view and interact with friends' purchases.

It has also been speculated that the Google Maps app will be replaced with Apple's own maps app that will include 3D graphics.
Features that have already been announced for Apple's new computer-based operating system, Mountain Lion, are also expected to appear in iOS 6, further signalling the convergence of the two platforms.

Apple CEO Tim Cook launches the new iPad in March this year. Photo: Getty Images/AFP

Mail VIPs will allow users to highlight important contacts from within the Apple Mail interface, a feature similar to Gmail's 'important' label.

Also from Mountain Lion, the 'Do Not Disturb' feature will allow iPhone and iPad users to switch off all notifications temporarily to focus on one task without distraction.

iOS users will also be able to take advantage of iCloud Tabs, which syncs tabs open in the Safari browser across different devices. Basically, any of the tabs you leave open in Safari on your computer will be available when you open Safari on your iPhone or iPad.

But the Cupertino company has not completely forgotten its roots in favour of the mobile platform, with major updates expected across its computer lines.
It has been rumoured that a renovated MacBook Pro will be revealed, which will include a faster processor, a thinner body and Apple's Retina display screen currently sported by the most recent iPhone and iPad models.

A photo of what is allegedly a specifications sheet for the revamped 13-inch MacBook pro was leaked yesterday on Chinese forum Weiphone, revealing a 2.5Ghz i5 Ivy Bridge processor upgrade, Intel 4000 Graphics and two USB 3.0 ports.
Both the 11- and 13-inch models of the MacBook Air are also expected to get a visual makeover with Retina displays and performance upgrades.
9-to-5 Mac also reports that Apple's desktop computing options, the iMac and Mac Pro will be updated. This was all but confirmed today after pulled stock of the Mac Pro from most of its retail stores ahead of the expected update.

Since the passing of co-founder and CEO Steve Jobs, Apple's product launches have drawn criticism for not living up to the hype they once demanded. If even a fraction of these rumours turn out to be true, the WWDC Keynote on June 11 is set to be Apple's biggest event in some time.

This article comes from: http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/tablets/apple-extravaganza-major-refresh-coming-next-week-20120606-1zuy6.html

Apple TV is the Anti-iPad

At a glance, Apple TV appears to be—unlike most of the company's products—a failure. Years after its introduction, sales are minimal and its impact on the market is nearly impossible to detect. The price is down to a negligible $100 (it was $299 when it launched in 2006) and most people I talk to don't fully understand exactly what the product does. (No, you don't need a Mac to use it.) Yet, despite its slow start, Apple TV is still the company's best chance to dominate the living room.

Compared to the iPad, the product is almost laughable. Apple CEO Tim Cook discussed the Apple TV briefly at the D10 conference this week. "Last year we sold … 2.8 million Apple TVs," Cook said. "This year, just in the first six months of our year we've sold 2.7."

By contrast, Apple has sold more than 69 million iPads since they launched in 2010. For any company other than Apple, it would be time to spike the football.

Despite the fact that Apple TV sales are low, they are growing, and that's enough to keep Apple investing in a product that, in the past, has been referred to as "a hobby." While the iPad may be the reason Apple is the most valuable tech company in the world right now, Apple TV is how it can maintain that position.

The living room is wide open for digital disruption. Cable companies are losing their monopolistic grip on the content that gets shown on television. More than 3 million U.S. couch potatoes cancelled their cable subscriptions last year, largely in favor of Internet-based alternatives.

People are tired of paying for 500 "premium" channels they don't watch. For the same price, they can get a streaming package from Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon Prime and buy the top tier shows on iTunes. Apple already offers one of the best à la carte services on the market, so now all it needs is to partner with (or buy) a company for streaming. Apple Netflix, anyone?
Will Apple ever release its mythical iTV? Maybe. But it is really just a big monitor. Apple already makes monitors that can be used to watch video content. Making a bigger one—say 42 inches—and adding VESA-mounting brackets isn't revolutionary. It is just a big, dumb LCD. There are few reasons to put the processing power inside the TV, but there are lots of reasons not to.

Besides, making HDTVs is a terrible business right now. Truth is, the HDTV boom came and went. HDTV penetration in the U.S. is about 63 percent and many of those homes already have multiple sets. Even established HDTV vendors are having trouble making money. Pioneer and Hitachi left the market. Sony and Sharp are reporting losses in the HDTV divisions. When Sony's Kaz Hirai spelled out the three core product segments, he listed digital imaging, gaming, and mobile. HDTVs didn't make the list.

In general, people only upgrade their HDTVs every six to eight years. Does that sounds like a business in which Apple should play? Especially when it can sell you a $99 box that will provide all the interactivity and content without the expense, risk, and overhead of making HDTVs?

Apple TV is revolutionary in a manner similar to the iPad. It took years to build momentum, it had to wait for broadband to become ubiquitous, for content deals to be struck, and for hardware prices to come down. It didn't create a new market overnight, like it did with the iPad, but the momentum is building. And after all, Apple doesn't need to create new customers for Apple TV. It simply needs to upsell the millions of current iTunes users who want to access their media libraries on their TVs.

Every Apple TV sold is at least another $10 per month of revenue from movies, TVs shows, and podcasts. Do a deal with HBO, and suddenly Apple TV is another platform for HBO GO. None of this requires making an actual HDTV, but it puts Apple in the living room anyway.

So no, Apple TV isn't the iPad, but it is far from a failure.

This article comes from:http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2405100,00.asp?kc=PCRSS03069TX1K0001121