New Apple TV Likely Delayed Until 2015 Due to Negotiation Difficulties

[screensaver400]

Perhaps Apple wants to make cable companies the "content rights aggregators." It would actually be a nice model:

-Buy cable internet/FiOS service from whoever services your area. $50/month.
-Buy Apple TV and television set.
-Subscribe to TV content from any of the traditional cable TV companies, but delivered over the internet through Apple TV.

This has several advantages, both for consumers and cable companies:
-Consumers get to choose which content aggregator to buy from. Maybe Time Warner owns the cable lines in your neighborhood, but Charter offers a better package of channels. You could buy content from Time Warner, AT&T, Verizon, Charter, Comcast, or any other cable company.
-Cable companies get the ability to sell content to consumers where they don't own any cable lines. They also get to avoid being relegated to "dumb pipes" by maintaining a content revenue stream.

 

[Woyzeck]

I'll never buy this Apple TV until it's not thin.

 

[TWSS37]

Stopped at 'analyst projects...'

Wait

 

[ProVideo]

Yet another example of how the Comcastic monopoly hinders innovation and screws over consumers.

Apple getting in bed with them will be worse than any past Apple partnership. I just hope that Tim Cook announces it with the Comcast CEO at WWDC so everyone in attendance can boo him and the deal, like they did Gates in 1997.

 

[darklyt]

It seems that the forum communities haven't yet learned that real innovation isn't something that you can put together in a year or two. The iPad/iPhone was rumored for years before either came out and there were missteps along the way (see: Rokr). You don't change an industry overnight. You certainly don't shake up a mature industry overnight.

 

[BMcCoy]

The international variance in content distribution will be a major challenge

Heck, here in the UK we still don't have iTunes Radio thanks to complex regs and negotiations.

But we have relatively simple television licensing and naively I assumed that TV content would be easy to agree distribution rights.

But I'm sure Mr. Murdoch is vociferously antagonising any efforts from apple to access contrnt streams.

The US must be a nightmare, with your many levels of content, control and access rights, with many levels looking for their slice of the revenue.

 

[M-O]

Seems more and more like the best fall lineup ever will become the best spring lineup ever...

it's more like... "oh crap! our rumors for the fall lineup were complete BS. we better cover it up with some new BS."

 

[Dilster3k]

These constant delays on all of their products is very irritating

 

[Rogifan]

These constant delays on all of their products is very irritating

How can something that hasn't been announced be delayed?

 

[arkmannj]

All I really want is:

• Updated Hardware
• updated iOS / UI
• App Store (But I will settle for just PLEX support)

I don't think any of those are dependent on negotiations with other content providers. Apple can just add channels/content/apps after they update the TV just like Apple already does with the current TV.

 

[coolfactor]

This is such BS.... Just release a better, easier to use, more integrated version of YouTube that has a nice UI, and let people be free to generate their own content. ... C'mon Apple :/

That's actually a very good suggestion! If any company is in a position to support such an undertaking, it's Apple! They have the server infrastructure and the creative backbone to do this. It's a wonder why they have chosen not to.

Enough of the corporate overlords stalling forward progress...

 

[zen]

I don't get it. Can't they revamp and redesign the Apple TV hardware, then roll out all this stuff in software updates later?

 

[ixxx69]

Apple needs to focus on what it *can* control, e.g. add app store, better UI, more advanced graphics for gaming, etc.

If they did those things, the Apple TV might really take off, and then their might be a little more pressure on big content to get the other deals done.

 

[dec.]

How can something that hasn't been announced be delayed?

Good point, it's almost like certain comments about Apple teasing with an "iWatch" when in reality not one single statement about any "iWatch" has been made by Apple. I still think that there will be other finished products coming in the fall, the ones that Tim Cook actually had on mind when he made the "product pipeline" comments.

 

[JHankwitz]

Cable companies don't want to loose their markup on content. Good content providers stand to gain if customers are able to pick and choose what they want instead of getting stuck with hundreds of channels of worthless junk. I sure hope that Apple is able to pull it off. Cable companies will be able to charge more for broadband connections to cover the loss of content markups. It will likely take years to wade through the contracts in place and wait for their expirations.

 

[ChrisCW11]

More CommieCast tie-ins probably.

This only makes sense if Apple wants to be a CommieCast set-top box and forget about offering Apple TV as a stand-alone product that lets you cut the cord.

What pisses me off is that Apple could simply buy Cumcast and Verjiizon and a few movie and TV studios to boot to create their own content empire if they really wanted to and offer it all for $8 / mth flat and still remain insanely rich.

I mean if Apple actually did that I would get rid of every OTHER competitive device and service and simply buy direct from Apple from now on.

 

[JHankwitz]

This is such BS. Most of the stuff on TV, especially stuff from the news organizations, is so nauseating I don't even watch it anymore. Just release a better, easier to use, more integrated version of YouTube that has a nice UI, and let people be free to generate their own content. If they don't want to partner, then take their marketshare, that's all. They're already steadily losing share and pricing power because of things like YouTube, why not just accelerate the process? And I wanna get rid of my Xbox, so tired of waiting... C'mon Apple :/

I'm old enough to remember when the news media had ethics and responsibility. YouTube would certainly be a replacement for what they offer.

 

[macintologist]

Let's say I'm a TV executive for your average cable channel, like... Animal Planet. What's to stop a channel like Animal Planet from working directly with Apple to provide content, bypassing cable companies?

 

[SMIDG3T]

So... MacBook Air and Pro refreshes are delayed (ostensibly due to Intel); iPhone 5", MacBook Air 12" and now the Apple TV are also delayed to 2015. Is there anything happening in 2014 or is this the year of the silent bump?

What's that product that Apple release towards the end of the year?

Oh yeah, the iPhone.

It's going to be the biggest smartphone launch to-date.

 

[w00master]

Give me system wide search that searches within the channels/apps.

Oh, and give me a way to hide all of those channels/apps that require Cable sign-in. I don't have Cable and don't ever need it, so make an easy way of doing this.

(Note: I know there's a way to hide apps/channels, but you have to do it one at a time. There should be a "flag" of some sort that just says: hide all apps that require cable sign in. DONE)

That's all I need.

w00master

 

[sammaffei]

I think Dilbert said it best yesterday…

http://www.dilbert.com/strips/2014-07-29/

 

[samcraig]

This missed opportunity here isn't content from TV (although important).

The bigger missed opportunity by not releasing a new unit (at least for now) or major software update (at least for now) is an app/channel "store" like Roku has. It has been said this was on the Apple TV timeline to launch in 2014 - we'll see. But opening up the platform so that you can gather more content (and games) would be a big enough win for Apple before trying to contend with Cable TV. My .02.

Of course, Apple would need to create a better UI if they start an app store so it's a little easier to navigate

 

[Rogifan]

Good point, it's almost like certain comments about Apple teasing with an "iWatch" when in reality not one single statement about any "iWatch" has been made by Apple. I still think that there will be other finished products coming in the fall, the ones that Tim Cook actually had on mind when he made the "product pipeline" comments.

To me a delay is something Apple announced that they weren't able to ship when promised. Apple hasn't announced an "iWatch" or new ATV so I don't consider them delayed.

 

[NMBob]

Let's say I'm a TV executive for your average cable channel, like... Animal Planet. What's to stop a channel like Animal Planet from working directly with Apple to provide content, bypassing cable companies?

Probably just a bunch of lawyers.

 

[KazKam]

Let's say I'm a TV executive for your average cable channel, like... Animal Planet. What's to stop a channel like Animal Planet from working directly with Apple to provide content, bypassing cable companies?

The contracts [Animal Planet] already has in place with the cable companies expressly forbidding a la carte or online distribution.