Alex has posted a few times recently on the persistent rumors that Apple may get into making TV sets. He’s put them in the ‘rumors that just won’t die’ category – and shared his thoughts this past week on why he is skeptical about these ever proving true.
Although I think Alex had some very good points in his post, I still found myself swayed very much to the other way of looking at these rumors when I read MG Siegler’s piece titled ‘On Apple’s Must-See TV’ this weekend. Siegler runs down a solid list of arguments against Apple getting into the TV business, and offers up very convincing counter-arguments for each.
Here are two of the points that really stood out for me; the first is one is on the cutthroat pricing in the market …
The argument that televisions are “an extremely competitive, commoditized market with very slim margins and most purchasing decisions going to whoever has the most features” sounds exactly like the PC market 15 years ago.
Remember, Apple was going to fail at computers because price is all that matters. A decade later, Apple was going to fail at phones because price is all that matters.
The second is even more on-point, and definitely hits home with me:
Look at your television right now. Chances are you’re getting service by way of a cable box. The experience is absolute shit. You really think people wouldn’t pay a premium to change that? Especially if Apple brought thousands of apps and their entertainment content along with it?
Siegler’s whole piece is well worth a read, as he bats down lots more arguments against and makes a very solid case for why Apple should take on this new market. Give it a read here:
http://parislemon.com/post/4675190960/on-apples-must-see-tv
What do you all think? Should Apple get into the TV market? Will they? If they do, will you be camping out in the rain to get a real Apple TV?
Continue reading:
- Everything New Apple Just Announced (Septembe
- Apple Watch Pre-Order
- Apple Research Kit launches with 5 Apps
- Apple TV now only $69
TAGS: Apple, Apple TV
