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Apple 'planning Apple TV overhaul'
By Andrew Laughlin,
Apple is reportedly planning to relaunch its Apple TV service later in the year as it attempts to fend off the challenge posed by ******.
According to the New York Times, the revamped Apple TV will run on Apple's new iOS4 operating system and could even be integrated with streaming services, such as video on-demand player Hulu and movie rental service Netflix.
Launched in 2007, Apple TV currently enables users to download content from iTunes and other online sources to watch on their TV sets.
After unveiling the service three years ago, Apple chief executive Steve Jobs said: "We've got two strong legs on our chair today - we have the Mac business, which is a $10 billion business, and music, our iPod and iTunes business, which is $10 billion. We hope the iPhone is the third leg on our chair, and maybe one day Apple TV will be the fourth leg."
However, Jobs later claimed that Apple TV is just "a hobby" because so many companies have tried and failed to make connected-TV a viable business.
Speaking in 2007, he said: "It's a business that's hundreds of thousands of units per year but it hasn't crested to be millions of units per year, but I think if we improve things we can crack that."
There is a growing feeling that Apple will eventually make a strong move into the home entertainment space, which would see it going head-to-head with cable TV providers and possibly even video gaming platforms.
Sources close to Apple's television-related business claim that the firm is developing updated TV software, including a completely redesigned user interface.
They said that it is unclear whether Apple plans to revamp Apple TV or launch something entirely new, but the firm has recently hired staff with specific broadcast design experience.
The sources said that Apple is aware of the challenge it now faces in cracking the competitive home entertainment market, but it is keen to get it right the second time around.
Apple's desire to strengthen Apple TV could also be motivated by ******'s recently unveiled ****** TV service. The hybrid platform, which will launch in Sony products in the US this autumn, will enable users to browse the internet on their TV screens.
Michael Gartenberg, a partner with consultancy firm Altimeter Group, believes that it is only a matter of time before Apple makes a move for the living room.
"Right now, Apple TV is much more of an extension of iTunes in the sense that one of its sole purposes is to either buy or rent from the iTunes store," he said.
"I suspect it's only a matter of time before this hobby gets turned into a business, the TV space is too important to ignore.
"The TV remains one of the last disconnected devices in the household and everyone is trying to figure it out."
Last week, Screen Digest claimed that Apple's iTunes is on track to become America's second-largest provider of paid-for on-demand movies by the end of 2010 and the biggest by 2014.
By Andrew Laughlin,
Apple is reportedly planning to relaunch its Apple TV service later in the year as it attempts to fend off the challenge posed by ******.
According to the New York Times, the revamped Apple TV will run on Apple's new iOS4 operating system and could even be integrated with streaming services, such as video on-demand player Hulu and movie rental service Netflix.
Launched in 2007, Apple TV currently enables users to download content from iTunes and other online sources to watch on their TV sets.
After unveiling the service three years ago, Apple chief executive Steve Jobs said: "We've got two strong legs on our chair today - we have the Mac business, which is a $10 billion business, and music, our iPod and iTunes business, which is $10 billion. We hope the iPhone is the third leg on our chair, and maybe one day Apple TV will be the fourth leg."
However, Jobs later claimed that Apple TV is just "a hobby" because so many companies have tried and failed to make connected-TV a viable business.
Speaking in 2007, he said: "It's a business that's hundreds of thousands of units per year but it hasn't crested to be millions of units per year, but I think if we improve things we can crack that."
There is a growing feeling that Apple will eventually make a strong move into the home entertainment space, which would see it going head-to-head with cable TV providers and possibly even video gaming platforms.
Sources close to Apple's television-related business claim that the firm is developing updated TV software, including a completely redesigned user interface.
They said that it is unclear whether Apple plans to revamp Apple TV or launch something entirely new, but the firm has recently hired staff with specific broadcast design experience.
The sources said that Apple is aware of the challenge it now faces in cracking the competitive home entertainment market, but it is keen to get it right the second time around.
Apple's desire to strengthen Apple TV could also be motivated by ******'s recently unveiled ****** TV service. The hybrid platform, which will launch in Sony products in the US this autumn, will enable users to browse the internet on their TV screens.
Michael Gartenberg, a partner with consultancy firm Altimeter Group, believes that it is only a matter of time before Apple makes a move for the living room.
"Right now, Apple TV is much more of an extension of iTunes in the sense that one of its sole purposes is to either buy or rent from the iTunes store," he said.
"I suspect it's only a matter of time before this hobby gets turned into a business, the TV space is too important to ignore.
"The TV remains one of the last disconnected devices in the household and everyone is trying to figure it out."
Last week, Screen Digest claimed that Apple's iTunes is on track to become America's second-largest provider of paid-for on-demand movies by the end of 2010 and the biggest by 2014.