Apple gives Google TV a raspberry: Apple TV to hit 1 million units
Summary: Apple said it expects to sell more than 1 million new Apple TV units this week in a move that is timed perfectly to mock Google TV.
Apple said it expects to sell more than 1 million new Apple TV units this week in a move that is timed perfectly to mock Google TV.
Steve Jobs' "hobby" is a $99 box that brings iTunes, Netflix, YouTube, Flickr and MobileMe to an HDTV. The first Apple TV didn't sell so well. Jobs took those lessons, simplified and made some headway.
But more importantly for Apple's announcement is the timing. Apple is almost taunting Google with 1 million units of Apple TV even as connected Google TV sets aren't selling all that well. Best Buy has said 3DTV and Internet connected TV hasn't lived up to industry expectations. Meanwhile, Google seems to be slowing its Google TV reviews over mixed reviews. Google TV won't be making a huge splash at the Consumer Electronics Show.
Google's problem is that it saw Google TV as a blend of the Internet, TV and computer. The problem is that Google TV may have been too complicated. No one is going to use a keyboard and mouse on the couch.
Like Apple learned, scaling down a TV effort can work---even though modestly. Google will learn the same. At some point these tech giants will get TV right.
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Talkback
I have always viewed the Apple TV/iOS AirPlay combo as ..
That would make bringing the Internet to the TV in a very simplified Apple type way where the iOS device would be used instead of the first gen Google TV "klunky" hardware.
RE: Apple gives Google TV a raspberry: Apple TV to hit 1 million units
I looked at the functionality and what it would take to make it useful.... not there.
I'd like to know who is really buying this and why? Would not be a surprise that most sales are upgrades.....
Well, if that were true, it would put the lie to the statement
RE: Apple gives Google TV a raspberry: Apple TV to hit 1 million units
Those are good questions (who are the buyers and what are they using them for).
I suspect most (if not all) of the buyers are heavily invested in an Apple ecosystem .. as I am. The second source of Apple TV buyers "might" be first time iOS device owners that have bought into .. or wish to make use of .. the iOS / AirPlay features.
Again .. Apple TV's current AirPlay capabilities have only scratched the surface (as shown by varios jailbroken iOS hacks) and, as such, I understand your "non useful" comment applied to this device so far.
As for myself, I have found the device - coupled to my iOS iPad device - quite useful on occasion.
Now .. about a month back, NonZealot and I discussed the relative pro and con merits of this device in an Apple ecosystem versus a Win 7 media home system. (That is, when my good "north of the border" friend wasn't in discussions about Win 7 phones on an Apple and Google TV topic. Grin.)
That was a good discussion (which I enjoyed) and even though NZ blasted AirPlay as a non-essential bit of software tech, apparently his is waiting to use that tech on his home Win HTPC system when software support becomes available. Grin.
So far, all I have used my Apple TV for has been to watch movie trailers and help display home digital photos and videos on my home theater system .. oh .. and an occasional audio stream of some songs to my home theater surrond sound system. I have not downloaded any NetFlix movies although I just might stream "Inception" (downloaded from iTunes) in the upcoming days.
RE: Apple gives Google TV a raspberry: Apple TV to hit 1 million units
RE: Apple gives Google TV a raspberry: Apple TV to hit 1 million units
Thanks!
I think my biggest issue at this time is I have a multi-OS / device base...
PC and WinMedia for my streaming (Netflix, etc...)
PS3 for games/Blu-Ray/streaming
iPad for tablet (for now. Looking at 2011 devices eagerly)
Android/iOS for phone
Adding an Apple TV device to this is currently NVA for me - it would involve more fragmentation and work-arounds than I currently have. My idevices are jb - did look with interest on some of the offered tv functions....
I did come to the same basic conclusion forthe Google stuff at this time.
If / when Apple TV matures I'll take another look.
RE: Apple gives Google TV a raspberry: Apple TV to hit 1 million units
Love the concept, and I probably want one but 1 million
RE: Apple gives Google TV a raspberry: Apple TV to hit 1 million units
Absolutely amazing. Only with Apple is one million
rumor has it that 25% of them
PLEASE!!! Rumor!?!
Please provide the sources of this rumor. Not that I think a rumor has any reliability since again it's a "RUMOR" but the source of said rumors can often be telling. Take for instance a blog run by someone like NonZ titled "I HATE everything Apple" and the article begins "I've heard from a very reliable source (My mother) that 25% of Apple TV's have been returned"
Pagan jim
Um, no
WP7 is widely considered to be a failure by you and your zealot friends and it sold 1.5 million (which is more than "less than one million") in far less time.
So no, only with MS is 1.5 million sales in 1.5 months considered a failure. AppleTV [b]is[/b] a failure because Apple has had to cut the price, cut the price, cut the price, and they [b]still[/b] can't sell more of these things than the $300+ XBox!!!!
@cyberspammer2: Yup, I read that too
RE: Apple gives Google TV a raspberry: Apple TV to hit 1 million units
Cue the double standard.
@cyberslammer: No, 1.5M units sold to CUSTOMERS
Who exactly do you think is the customer for MS's WP7? Can you, as a consumer, buy the WP7 in a box on a store shelf? No? Then you clearly aren't MS's customer. MS has sold 1.5M WP7 licenses to its customers. I'm so happy to see that this has you so upset. :) :) :)
RIGHT ON Cybey!!
And of course apple has no need to say how many are in the channel because we know they sell EVERYTHING they make!!!
RE: Apple gives Google TV a raspberry: Apple TV to hit 1 million units
Take for example the iPhone 4...there were two inventories in stock...the inventory of the customers who reserved the phone, then an additional inventory purchased for people who walked in the store to purchase it.
1.5 million units to OEMs includes both...and Microsoft is not reporting how many people actually reserved the phone and have purchased and activated it and how many phones still have not been purchased due to walk-ins.
You fail miserably at understanding how all this works, but I wouldn't expect anything less of you.....especially since you have bipolar disorder when you praise the iPhone in one instance, then deride it here.
RE: Apple gives Google TV a raspberry: Apple TV to hit 1 million units
Ok, let's correct your mistake. The WP7 sales are to carriers NOT customers. See below:
http://www.itworld.com/mobile-amp-wireless/131459/wp7-not-a-runaway-hit-not-a-disaster-either
Microsoft sold more than 1.5 million WP7 smartphones since their October debut, according to Achim Berg, vice president of business and marketing for Windows Phones. Those sales, it should be noted, are from manufacturers to carriers, not carriers to consumers.
http://www.itbusinessedge.com/cm/community/news/mt/blog/microsoft-releases-wp7-sales-figures/?cs=44810
Microsoft announced figures regarding sales of Windows Phone 7 devices. In a Q&A posted on Microsoft's website, Achim Berg, Microsoft's vice president, mobile communications business and marketing group, said manufacturers sold 1.5 million phones to mobile operators and retailers in the first six weeks. However, this number does not represent how many of those devices were sold to consumers.
Do I need to keep going w/ the examples? A simple Google search showed up these two articles.
@NZ