3 ms·

Crazy thought... what if I could get you an $800 TV carrier/cable subsidized for $200 every two years (on contract)?

robterrell 15y ago
That's interesting. My cable TV bill is about the same as my mobile phone bill, and it's not subsidizing any gear. And they call me about once a week with some upsell long-term contract "deal". Maybe it should be subsidizing something. Profits in their industry are about as obscene as in mobile.
twoodfin 15y ago
Exactly. Apple could make the same (win-win) deal they made with the mobile carriers: Let us completely control the user experience, while you get to charge extra for a premium i(Phone|TV) plan and lock in your customers for two year contracts. In the TV case, it also solves a big problem for the cable/fiber companies, in that they know IP will be enough for everyone in a few years (and is already enough for more and more subscribers) but it will be hard to suddenly start charging $100/mo for "just Internet" when they had been charging $40. The new "iTV" plan won't be a TV or Internet plan, it will be a unified plan. It won't matter how you consume your content, the cable company will get their piece.
rythie 15y ago
Would seem very wasteful to be chuck a 40/50inch/whatever TV in trash/rubbish every 2 years just because it doesn't run the latest software. Whilst phones have a history of that, TV has the best part of century without it.
- kenjackson 15y ago
  Why put it in the trash? You can use it in some other room, the garage, etc... I'd put a two year old 40" in my office happily.
  - rythie 15y ago
    Because none of your channels work anymore, they all need iOS 8 and a quad core CPU. Unless your talking about using it as a monitor?
  - prof_hobart 15y ago
    We already have all of the TVs we want in the house (two), and there's certainly no other room that would benefit from having a 42" TV in it.
    - dusing 15y ago
      Bathroom!
      - prof_hobart 15y ago
        Bathroom is for quiet soak in the bath with a good book.

That's interesting. My cable TV bill is about the same as my mobile phone bill, and it's not subsidizing any gear. And they call me about once a week with some upsell long-term contract "deal". Maybe it should be subsidizing something. Profits in their industry are about as obscene as in mobile.

twoodfin 15y ago

Exactly. Apple could make the same (win-win) deal they made with the mobile carriers: Let us completely control the user experience, while you get to charge extra for a premium i(Phone|TV) plan and lock in your customers for two year contracts. In the TV case, it also solves a big problem for the cable/fiber companies, in that they know IP will be enough for everyone in a few years (and is already enough for more and more subscribers) but it will be hard to suddenly start charging $100/mo for "just Internet" when they had been charging $40. The new "iTV" plan won't be a TV or Internet plan, it will be a unified plan. It won't matter how you consume your content, the cable company will get their piece.

rythie 15y ago

Would seem very wasteful to be chuck a 40/50inch/whatever TV in trash/rubbish every 2 years just because it doesn't run the latest software. Whilst phones have a history of that, TV has the best part of century without it.

kenjackson 15y ago
Why put it in the trash? You can use it in some other room, the garage, etc... I'd put a two year old 40" in my office happily.
- rythie 15y ago
  Because none of your channels work anymore, they all need iOS 8 and a quad core CPU. Unless your talking about using it as a monitor?
- prof_hobart 15y ago
  We already have all of the TVs we want in the house (two), and there's certainly no other room that would benefit from having a 42" TV in it.
  - dusing 15y ago
    Bathroom!
    - prof_hobart 15y ago
      Bathroom is for quiet soak in the bath with a good book.