Apple TV is a very popular device these days. It may be possible though that even more popular than the device itself are rumors about a new Apple TV set-top box. The 2015 WWDC launched Monday without mentioning the Apple TV at all after months of rumors of a new product on the way with the possible inclusion of a TV service included. Predictably there were headlines abound that Apple did not announce it. Shortly before the event a new narrative started circulating the blogosphere saying the product would not be announced. Whether there were actually plans to roll out an Apple TV update at the event or not is nothing more than speculation at this point because Apple never made an announcement one way or the other. The fact is that the company has yet to make an official statement on the future of Apple TV at all. There is a narrative among tech writers and Jr journalists/bloggers that Apple faces becoming irrelevant without an update to the Apple TV. Is this really the case. Honestly what other product line can command headlines for not being mentioned? Today we are going to take a look at some things that allot of people seems to be ignoring.
Popularity
Apple TV is currently ranked number 3 in Amazon’s Streaming Media Players category. It trails the #1 Fire TV Stick and #2 Chromecast. This means that Apple TV is outselling quad core The Fire TV box, every single Roku model including the voice search supported Roku 3. Not bad for an irrelevant product.
Apple Makes a great partner
When it came time to announce stand-alone services for HBO and Showtime the first partner announced was Apple TV. It is perfectly reasonable to expect that trend to continue as more companies move in this direction. Part of this is because Apple’s branding is so popular and respected across the world. Another is that Apple provides a system for charging customers for the services though iTunes meaning HBO and Showtime do not have to develop an entirely new system to administer the service. As evidenced by HBO’s decision to work with MLB to discriminate HBO Now these companies are not looking to reinvent the wheel. At this point Apple provides the most similar infrastructure to a cable company as can be found.
If it’s not broke don’t fix it
We have become accustomed to seeing technology updated at a breakneck pace but it should be noted that the simple fact that a new product bursts on to the scene does not make the existing products on the market not worth owning. What other set-top box perfectly targets IOS users? What other product on the market offers full iTunes integration? No other product on the market offers an interface as easy to use as AirPlay natively. No Miracast is not the same thing and neither is screen mirroring on the Chromecast. Considering how well it is selling there does not appear to be a need to roll out a new product.
When a new Apple TV launches it will be huge
Apple is never punished for being late. When Apple chooses to release a new set-top box it will be guaranteed to be the talk of the electronics industry. There will be headlines on every tech site about the new product, pictures and so on. This company knows marketing quite well. You can also be sure that whatever rolls out will work very well and be as up to date as possible. We put together a speculative piece on the kind of product that Apple could release that would shake up the market. See it here.
