Text 18809, 162 rader
Skriven 2007-06-16 09:35:48 av Rich Gauszka (1:379/45)
  Kommentar till text 18807 av mike (1:379/45)
Ärende: Re: Bad Signals on Apple TV
===================================
From: "Rich Gauszka" <gauszka@dontspamhotmail.com>

always on - no power off switch, runs really hot, ignores popular codecs =
recipe for disaster?

"mike" <mike@barkto.com> wrote in message
news:6en773lh4ep63hmh1f1uns8nmvumhcgd6c@4ax.com...
>
> http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/9we6R6DUxPTUsi/Bad-Signals-on-Apple-TV.xh
tml
>
> ===
> Apple TV is part of a new category of products called "digital media
> adapters." These connect consumers' computer networks with their living
> room entertainment systems. Although many analysts believe that's the
> wave of the future, there's been little demand for the adapters. That's
> because the gadgets are often difficult to set up, have limited features
> and appeal to only a small number of consumers.
>
> Apple TV has been in stores for just two months, but there are already
> signs it may join the Lisa and the G4 Cube on the computer maker's list
> of flops.
>
> There are no sales  figures yet, but demand seems tepid based on
> anecdotal reports. Reviews of the once widely anticipated product have
> been mixed at best.
>
> Perhaps most telling, at the D: All Things Digital conference last week,
> CEO Steve Jobs seemed to be trying to lower expectations for the device,
> calling the company's Apple TV effort a "hobby." That's in stark
> contrast to his appearance at Macworld in January, when he indicated the
> Apple TV would be one of four key businesses for Apple, joining the Mac,
> the iPod and the iPhone.
>
> "The reason I call it a hobby is because a lot of people have tried and
> failed to, you know, make that a business," Jobs said last week.
>
> 'A Lot of Hype'
>
> A big problem for the Apple TV is that it hasn't completely overcome the
> problems of similar gadgets, unlike the way the iPod revolutionized the
> MP3 player market, analysts say.
>
> Because it requires a network, a broadband connection and a digital
> television, it has a limited audience right now, they say. Even for
> consumers who meet those requirements, there's arguably no compelling
> reason to buy an Apple TV or one of its rivals yet, they say.
>
> "There was a lot of hype about Apple TV, that it was finally going to
> solve the problem of connecting the PC to the TV," said Kurt Scherf,
> principal analyst with Parks Associates , a market research and
> consulting firm based in Dallas. "Maybe it's not the savior we all
> thought it would be."
>
> Apple representatives were unavailable for comment.
>
> However, Jobs' comments last week are a good indication that he was
> trying to temper sales expectations for the device, said Jonathan Gaw,
> an analyst for market research firm IDC.
>
> "I don't know about your hobbies, but my hobbies don't pay the rent," he
> said.
>
>
> Solidifying the Category
>
> Apple TV is part of a new category of products called "digital media
> adapters." These connect consumers' computer networks with their living
> room entertainment systems, allowing them to use their big-screen TVs to
> watch digital videos stored on their computer or listen to digital songs
> through their stereo speakers.
>
> Although many analysts believe that linking consumers' computer and
> entertainment systems is the wave of the future, there's been little
> demand for the adapters. That's because the gadgets are often difficult
> to set up, have limited features and appeal to only a small number of
> consumers.
>
> Since retailers first started offering them about four years ago,
> they've only sold hundreds of thousands of digital media adapters,
> analysts say, hardly a mass market success.
>
> Those shortcomings led many analysts and some consumers to eagerly
> anticipate Apple's entry into the market. Many expected that the company
> would do for digital media adapters what its iPod did for MP3 players:
> take the market mainstream with an easy-to-use, elegant product.
>
> When Apple TV hit store shelves in March, some critics thought Apple had
> a potential hit on its hands. Compared with other media adapters, Apple
> TV was indeed simple to set up and use, they noted.
>
>
> Rough Landing
>
> The device's flaws soon became apparent as well. Apple TV can only plug
> into the latest digital televisions, which are generally high-definition
> sets. However, Apple isn't selling any high-definition video through its
> iTunes store.
>
> Although the device allows consumers to play Internet-downloaded video
> on their TV screens, users can't use it to buy movies or TV shows
> directly from iTunes. Instead, they have to load them on to their
> computer first and then transfer them.
>
> It's hard to know how the device is selling, but few analysts think it's
> a blockbuster thus far.
>
> Sales of digital media adapters are up double digits, in percentage
> terms, so far this year compared with the same period in 2006, said Ross
> Rubin, an analyst with market research firm NPD Group. However, given
> the small number of units sold thus far, that suggests that overall
> sales for the category are still modest.
>
> "Apple's obviously very tight about the (sales) numbers, but I haven't
> seen anything that leads me to believe this is iPod territory," Gaw
> said.
>
> A local San Jose, Calif., Best Buy (NYSE: BBY)  has sold only a handful
> of Apple TVs since it started stocking the device in March, said a store
> manager there who asked that neither he nor his store's location be
> named.
>
> "It's not selling," the manager said. "And some that we've sold have
> been returned."
>
>
> Future Potential
>
> In addition to its feature flaws, the device has other obstacles to
> overcome, analysts say.
>
> Apple TV has a lot of competition, they note. Cable and satellite TV
> customers can already download the latest movies directly to their
> set-top boxes. The local video store typically has a much wider
> selection of movies than Apple offers.
>
> Should the market for media adapters such as Apple TV ever take off,
> cable companies might add that feature to their set-top boxes,
> eliminating the need for a separate Apple TV just as the cable companies
> have limited the market for TiVo's (Nasdaq: TIVO)  services by offering
> digital video recording features on their set-top boxes.
>
> Many other analysts think that Apple TV has long-term potential. Apple
> is already upgrading the device and adding new features, including the
> ability to watch YouTube  videos through it, they note.
>
> The company is steadily ramping up the number of movies and television
> shows offered on iTunes.
>
> Chris Crotty, an analyst with market research firm iSuppli, predicts
> that Apple will ship 1 million Apple TVs this year and 1.4 million next
> year.
>
> "I think it's a little early to assess how it's doing," Crotty said.
> "Sure it's not perfect," but "it has the potential to be the first
> commercially successful product of this type."
> ===
>
>  /m

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