5 ms·

Lol, didn't mean to speak in platitudes. Just commenting as someone who has spent a lot of time with Android TV, Fire TV, Chromecast, etc

seiji 11y ago
It's just amusing since they aren't even done announcing it yet and people already hate it. :) It's not like Apple has ever been late to a party (phones, anybody?) and redefined and entire already-saturated market.
- Navarr 11y ago
  The iPhone DID bring something new to the table though. It brought a LOT of new to the table. Apple TV just.. doesn't.
  - seiji 11y ago
    But... do the other platforms have millions of developers ready to create experiences for them? Don't think "Apple TV," think "Apple bigass interactive application substrate."
    - Navarr 11y ago
      Yes. Yes they do. Especially Android TV.
    - cheald 11y ago
      Yeah, they do. The problem is that very few people actually want to load their TV up with apps - they just want Netflix. "Apps...on your TV!" has been a promise on multiple platforms for a few years now and it seems like nobody really cares past the first couple of weeks they have the device.
      - seiji 11y ago
        My WebTV in 1999 sucked. Nobody should ever try again. :(
        cheald 11y ago
        The people who want interactivity with their TV have game consoles. Even on those wildly successful, high-use consoles, the "apps" (as opposed to "games", the first-class use case for the device) typically do rather poorly. Not-console-manufacturers have been trying to break into this market for ages by making a TV viewing device that also happens to be a casual gaming console (/app platform), but it seems that people who want gaming on their TVs buy gaming consoles, while people who want TV on their TV buy things that let them watch TV, and there isn't enough overlap between the two for One Grand Unified Device to capture the market. Microsoft really went hard-in on the married TV and gaming concept with the XBox One, and it's been a massive flop compared to the PS4 (with the PS4 outselling it 2:1). I don't think it's an issue of "nobody's done it right yet" - I think it's actually two separate markets and attempts to marry them just can't force those two markets to both want the same thing.
        seiji 11y ago
        It's a software problem though. Every "Smart TV" has garbage software features. Some become completely unusable during the hour it takes them to download and install weekly updates. Apple creates new markets by switching the equation from 90% hardware/10% software focus to 70% software/30% hardware focus. As for the xbone, that's more of a marketing/positioning argument. Just because a game console can be a home media center doesn't mean people will buy it for one. xbones are for teenagers who want to be racist over their headset connections online.
        Karunamon 11y ago
        Yes, this, thank you! There's a very good argument to be made that the reason nobody wants "apps" on their TV is because the experience can be charitably described as utter shit. Smart TV's are known for awful UI's with awful lag, high end consoles such as the Xbox One stutter and hitch on their simplistic home screens, experiments such as Google TV have failed for the same reason, set-top boxes from outfits like DirecTV have the same problem, lag, lag, and more freaking lag. If anyone can put a decent user experience on this whole idea, it's Apple. After this, expect the rest of the market to shape up quickly.
epistasis 11y ago
This is basically what every analyst says every time Apple introduces something new, be it iPod, iPhone, or to some degree even the iPad. Sometimes being familiar with features prevents people from realizing that most people can't use them, or that they're not well implemented.

seiji 11y ago

It's just amusing since they aren't even done announcing it yet and people already hate it. :) It's not like Apple has ever been late to a party (phones, anybody?) and redefined and entire already-saturated market.

Navarr 11y ago
The iPhone DID bring something new to the table though. It brought a LOT of new to the table. Apple TV just.. doesn't.
- seiji 11y ago
  But... do the other platforms have millions of developers ready to create experiences for them? Don't think "Apple TV," think "Apple bigass interactive application substrate."
  - Navarr 11y ago
    Yes. Yes they do. Especially Android TV.
  - cheald 11y ago
    Yeah, they do. The problem is that very few people actually want to load their TV up with apps - they just want Netflix. "Apps...on your TV!" has been a promise on multiple platforms for a few years now and it seems like nobody really cares past the first couple of weeks they have the device.
    - seiji 11y ago
      My WebTV in 1999 sucked. Nobody should ever try again. :(
      - cheald 11y ago
        The people who want interactivity with their TV have game consoles. Even on those wildly successful, high-use consoles, the "apps" (as opposed to "games", the first-class use case for the device) typically do rather poorly. Not-console-manufacturers have been trying to break into this market for ages by making a TV viewing device that also happens to be a casual gaming console (/app platform), but it seems that people who want gaming on their TVs buy gaming consoles, while people who want TV on their TV buy things that let them watch TV, and there isn't enough overlap between the two for One Grand Unified Device to capture the market. Microsoft really went hard-in on the married TV and gaming concept with the XBox One, and it's been a massive flop compared to the PS4 (with the PS4 outselling it 2:1). I don't think it's an issue of "nobody's done it right yet" - I think it's actually two separate markets and attempts to marry them just can't force those two markets to both want the same thing.
        seiji 11y ago
        It's a software problem though. Every "Smart TV" has garbage software features. Some become completely unusable during the hour it takes them to download and install weekly updates. Apple creates new markets by switching the equation from 90% hardware/10% software focus to 70% software/30% hardware focus. As for the xbone, that's more of a marketing/positioning argument. Just because a game console can be a home media center doesn't mean people will buy it for one. xbones are for teenagers who want to be racist over their headset connections online.
        Karunamon 11y ago
        Yes, this, thank you! There's a very good argument to be made that the reason nobody wants "apps" on their TV is because the experience can be charitably described as utter shit. Smart TV's are known for awful UI's with awful lag, high end consoles such as the Xbox One stutter and hitch on their simplistic home screens, experiments such as Google TV have failed for the same reason, set-top boxes from outfits like DirecTV have the same problem, lag, lag, and more freaking lag. If anyone can put a decent user experience on this whole idea, it's Apple. After this, expect the rest of the market to shape up quickly.

epistasis 11y ago

This is basically what every analyst says every time Apple introduces something new, be it iPod, iPhone, or to some degree even the iPad. Sometimes being familiar with features prevents people from realizing that most people can't use them, or that they're not well implemented.