As many of you know, I’ve often been critical on these pages of Apple’s inability to fully capitalize on the living room. I’m a firm believer that the company has a real opportunity to be a dominant force in home entertainment, and yet, it hasn’t done anything to prove that. So far, the Apple TV is the best offering it has, and most would agree, that that device is still just a “hobby.”
There are times when I sit here and see the latest reports on the news and scratch my head. That has happened quite often as of late as the growing number of reports and rumors come in on all the companies looking to buy streaming-video provider Hulu.
In most markets it competes in, Apple easily defeats all others. In the mobile space, for example, the company’s iPhone 4 and iPad 2, are easily besting all others in total sales, due mainly to their strong features.
However, there is one space that Apple is lagging far behind: the living room. Currently, the company is trying to cement itself in the living room with the help of the Apple TV, a set-top box that, for years, has been called a hobby by Apple itself.
The last weekend was an adventure.
As I watched the news reports suggesting Hurricane Irene was on its way to my doorstep, I couldn’t help but think that it had little chance of affecting me. After all, I’ve never had to deal with a hurricane at any point in my life living here, and there was simply no reason to believe, I thought, that that would change.
Much of the talk surrounding Steve Jobs’ decision to resign as CEO of Apple and assume the role of chairman of the company’s board of directors has centered on the iPhone maker’s financial performance and future in the mobile market.
To some extent, that’s understandable. Shareholders care more about Apple’s financial performance than anything else. And the only way for the company to maintain its strong financial picture is to continue to deliver outstanding mobile products, like the iPhone and iPad, that people actually want to buy.
When I use Netflix, Amazon’s streaming service, and all the others out there, I can’t help but think about film studios. I analyze their decision-making, I see where they place their content, I hear what they have to say about entertainment and its relation to technology today, and I can’t help but come to one simple conclusion: these companies are clueless.
Sony could very well have made its best decision in years by dropping the price of its PlayStation 3 console $50 earlier this week. Now, consumers can get their hands on the 160GB model for $249 or the 320GB option for $299. And in the process, the company, which also announced a Europe-only PSP, called the E-1000 for £99, has put the onus on Microsoft to respond with a price cut of its own to match its chief competitor.
Each month, the NPD’s report on game sales disappoints. Sales are plummeting in both hardware and software, and many are wondering if it’s a result of the economy or something else. As far as I’m concerned, it’s about time we all admit that it’s something else. The economy might not be helping matters, but the way I see it, the real problem is that gaming habits are changing, and the products that we once bought just aren’t as valuable to us as they once were.
If you’ve been following the stock market lately, you know that things haven’t been going so well for most companies. Well, that is, except for one: Apple. The iPhone maker has overtaken Exxon Mobil to become the biggest company, by market capitalization, in the world.
That news followed reports last week, claiming Apple had more cash on-hand than the U.S. Treasury did as lawmakers tried to come up with a deal on the debt limit.
Earlier this week, I was talking to a friend about an HDTV he was planning to buy. He told me that he went down to Best Buy and looked over all the products the store had on display. After talking to a salesperson and looking at the pictures of all the televisions, he decided on a 55-inch Sony LCD.
Earlier this week, Apple made the surprising decision to allow users to buy television shows from the Apple TV. Upon doing so, users can have on-demand access to the shows by streaming them over the Web to their set-top box. In addition, Apple added Vimeo support to the device.
The Netflix price hike for those who want DVD rentals and unlimited streaming just won’t go away. Everywhere I turn, someone I know or an article I read mentions the 60 percent hike, and soon after that, complaints arise.
