Netflix isn't going to save Apple TV
Apple reportedly will team up with Netflix to offer streaming videos to Steve Jobs' ongoing hobby. According to Bloomberg, Apple will show off a new Apple TV and Netflix will be bundled. Bloomberg adds:
Programming from Netflix may enhance the appeal of a product that has been called a “hobby” by Apple executives and hasn’t resonated widely with consumers. The Cupertino, California-based company is due to release a $99 version of Apple TV, $130 less than the current model, people familiar with the plans said last week.
If you assume this report is true, it's hard to see Netflix being much of an Apple TV savior despite all the oohs and ahhs you're going to hear. Why? Netflix is already in your entertainment center---perhaps multiple times.
Here's a list of Netflix partners:
- Microsoft's Xbox 360;
- Sony's Playstation 3;
- Nintendo's Wii;
- Internet connected TVs (most of them);
- Blu-ray players;
- TiVo;
- Roku digital players.
And I'm probably missing a few. Simply put, Netflix embedded on an Apple TV is the price of admission to get into your living room. Apple needs a Netflix deal more than Netflix does. To its credit, Netflix is everywhere so there will have to be something else to juice Apple TV sales.
Related: Apple, Google TV: Does Pay as You Go Make Dollars and Sense?