We will not see a complete television set from Apple

Chris Townsend:

TWG:

There IS a 5k screen on sale. For example from DELL: http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=bsd&cs=04&sku=up275k3 And it's nice to hear (if true?) that the megalomaniac company Apple will not introduce a TV.

Why is that nice?

Apple dives into too many areas and tries to control everything and patronizes their customers. Every updates slows down your older components until you finaly HAVE to buy a new iPad or iPhone because it's no more fun on the old device. This is a process I've seen many years from Apple and I'm not willing to pay for that anymore. I had two iPhones, both with lousy reception quality compared to other devices, and software issues by design which I don't want to live with. Millions of phones that are not able to wake you with an alarm as soon as the time changes from winter- to summertime. One time bug, ok, but a few times consecutively from a soft- and hardware that claims to be perfect and better than the rest of the world? Sorry, I'm not that dumb.

This is - which I have to admit - all hidden in perfect marketing and people do follow them blind. (Same goes for that poor beats-Headphones with their unnatural bass but no Hifi sound).
Apple wants to controll everything, patents everything to sue anybody and the latest rumors say, that Apple will even try to ban free music for people. At some point it's enough!
http://www.youredm.com/2015/05/04/apple-reportedly-pushing-labels-to-kill-free-spotify-streaming/

I don't even get the point  of paying for streaming services:
I'm using internet radio since a few years and it is - despite the audio quality - simple and convenient: I just choose e.g. "Jazz", than a station and I'm ready to go. No need for monthly fees or special software etc. This works on the Beosound 5 or on a Pioneer N50 etc.
I want to stay in control for what I can do with my devices.
You buy your music from another store than iTunes? Ok, but Apple don't want you to use it on your iPod:
http://www.engadget.com/2014/12/04/lawyer-apple-secretly-deleted-rivals-music-files-from-consumer/

The "professional" Mac Pro doesn't even support 10Bit color reproduction (which is required in the graphics and video industry) and Apple don't want to change that. They even block the feature if you try to use Windows on the Mac Pro (german link):
http://www.heise.de/newsticker/meldung/Bitte-10-Bit-Apple-sperrt-sich-gegen-10-Bit-Farbwiedergabe-2612003.html

I have an iMac, had a Macbook Pro and Mac minis and iPhones and iPad... working with the iMac? It's a pain when the light is to bright because of the dumb glossy glassfront. Macbook Pro: Glossy Glass..., iPhones: Bad reception, iPod: poor audio quality via headphone out, iPad: Slow the old models down with every update to force you for an update (same as on the iPhone). Apples modern computers and operating systems seem to be only about showing off but no more work. They aren't the professional machines I was used to buy over the last 10 years. They are degraded to shiny gadgets.

At the current state the only product I would recommend from Apple is the iPad. It's their best product.

So, yes, I'm happy that the company I once loved does not produce a TV and that the only products left are an iMac that I want to sell and an iPad.
There's more than Apple on the tech side of this world. And that's good.

We all have different tastes and opinions like e.g. our beloved M.M. Millemissen and Beoboy68 or myself and that is not "painfull" it just makes our lifes richer and more interesting. Choice is a good thing but when I look at many friends and Apple users I just can say: "People, use your brains and your eyes! There's more to discover (and better) than products with an Apple logo... :)

Those old devices run slower because the new software is built for a faster machine and has more utilities. My wife has an LG G3 which she was pleased with(I bought that for her before anyone jumps on the bandwagon) has just been updated to the new software and is a disaster. Slow and overheating, in a 6 month old phone so it's not just Apple.

I bet your IPhone with poor reception was a 4. So was mine.

Returning to the main topic ... TV or not TV

The current Apple TV seems a good product - meets my needs. And at the newly reduced price in the arena of Chromecast and other solutions.

If Apple does reveal a new ATV a fortnight from Monday what will it have ? Faster chip and more memory for sure, but what capabilities?

And at what price ?

Clearly the price reduction was to buy time and create a differential.

So will the new box be $99 or double the current $69 ? Or triple ?

Will it have the capabilities of the current ATV plus 25 Apple channels plus recording of those channels plus the revamped Beats radio plus voice control plus better Apple watch remote App ?

Will it have 3D ? 4K ? 5K ? UHD ?

Will it include better (I)Photo support ?

Will it have other simple Apps eg showing iCloud Keynotes -- or will those always be Airplay sourced ?

Will play games and support for the App Store ?

Will it even try to close to Playstation and XBox realism ?

Will it include the home automation hub ?

Will that be comparable to B&O's NL gateway ?

If so, how much would all that capability from Apple be worth paying for ? ? ? ? ?

WOW So many questions and excitement Mr Elephant :)

Well iPhoto has been superseded a few months ago, so it'll have even better Photos integration through its own app :)

Price maybe £99 like the original ATV2/3. Who knows about 4K with so many rumours but it would make sense considering the huge amount of videos on Vimeo and YouTube in 4k. 

It should have 60fps playback as this was standard from the A6 chip upwards.

Very excited about it as its the only box that I use now. To me, the design of the ATV2/3 was perfect so the ATV4 has a lot to live up to :)

Lots of apps for it too!

The new ATV will be somewhat thinner

ATV will have a processor that is capable of 4K but Apple will not support it at least for now

There will be an App store and a developer SDK.

Finally, Apple will not manufacture a TV.  The money is in the ATV box and services.  Television sets have become so ubiquitous and inexpensive that it is a market that Apple would not want be part of.  It would require an enormous investment for enlarging stores and hiring personnel.  The Apple Watch has demonstrated that small can be very profitable.  Carl Icahn is considered to be a schemer.  The share price will probably go much higher.  Apple is worth over $785 billion USD and may cross the $1 trillion threshold within a year or sooner.

Bang & Olufsen does not have to worry about an Apple television.  However I really don't understand why B&O continues to manufacture TVs.  I think they should concentrate on Beolab speakers and Beoplay products. 

linder:

There will be an App store and a developer SDK.

Can't wait for that! Will know on the 8th of June at the WWDC!

"Bang & Olufsen does not have to worry about an Apple television. However I really don't understand why B&O continues to manufacture TVs. I think they should concentrate on Beolab speakers and Beoplay products. "

Because they would end up in a wilderness full of other manufacturers all making pretty much the same thing.

Their TVs are their unique selling point, bar Loewe who obviously don't have anything like the range of Beolabs.

They might be a pain in the *** and I obviously sneak for myself, but if they didn't exist and I ended up getting an LG OLED, B&Os wouldn't be my first port of call for surround speakers etc

Linder has some great points there. Certainly PLAY doing well now is great news for Tue & his team but really should have been done in 2005 I guess but hey :) Maybe the sale and franchise of the car devision and PLAY can finance the BANG&OLUFSEN side of things but I guess, long term, thats not ideal. One thing is certain, PLAY brand will continue for many years to come as that market will simply evolve and evolve and evolve!

linder:

Bang & Olufsen does not have to worry about an Apple television.  However I really don't understand why B&O continues to manufacture TVs.  I think they should concentrate on Beolab speakers and Beoplay products.

No TVs = No Solus dealers.

Discuss.

Millemissen:

 

A BeoVision is the pie on the plate - the BL speakers is the cream on the pie.

If a Bang & Olufsen tv was merely a tv, Linder would be right.

But he is not, because it is a BV.

MM

 

 

Of course you are correct MM.  A Beovision is a special TV.  It is the ubiquity of all TVs that is the problem.  Everybody seems to have one or do they?  I guess I will have to take a page from Paul W's book.  Persons usually under the age of 35 are not watching video on a television but they are increasingly using their idevices to watch video.  About a year ago, I had my cable box disconnected and my home internet speed increased.  Since then I have used Apple TV and Amazon's fire TV for video programming.  Recently, the cable company offered me basic cable and a continuation of my current internet service for $20 less than I was paying.  I accepted the offer and installed the new internet modem.  The cable box was put on a shelf. I didn't install it.  Why would the cable company do this?  They are losing customers.  It is that simple.  I understand this is not the same for everyone in the US and other countries.

I still love B&O and will probably buy the 90th Anniversary Beovision 11 in September if it is still available. 

 

 

Yes it's so true Linder! I'm the same, I cancelled my Sky sub 3 years ago and now pay £6 a month for Netflix via my Apple TV. I wouldn't have it any other way.  With Vimeo or YouTube, I can watch nutrition reports that you can't find on mainstream TV. Travel, surfing, bodybuilding, architecture, old skull hip hop - ALL in HD or 4K! I've come across friends who were paying £70 a month for Sky. What a waste! As a health guy, I told them that, that would replace all of their food with Organic for the monthly Sky sub. When they realised most cancelled and went the Apple TV route. My gosh, I certainly don't mis Sky. The classy channels were taken off and now it's mainstream stuff for the masses. But my younger friends in their 20s not one of them own a TV. It's MacBooks, iPads and iPhone with on-demand and catch up or YouTube/Vimeo.

 

Apple does not get into low margin markets. TV is no exception. And if they do get into a low margin market, that is to support their ecosystem. 

But B&O is indeed a special TV, worth the price premium. Having been away from B&O TV's for a while, even my wife who merely "tolerates" my B&O obsession has to admit that our TV and speaker setup absolutely makes movie and tv watching (and music listening) worthwhile.

 

PhilLondon:

Can't wait for that! Will know on the 8th of June at the WWDC!

Beoworld app with direct photo upload and emoticons. Other apps: The Story Mouse . Grignan guide .

I am going to this WWDC - anyone else going ?

@Paul W: correct diagnosis; but let's say I am hopeful with anticipation rather truly over the moon excited

Haha yes Elephant :)

 

Good point Sal! Very true and that makes complete sense! 

Paul I'm with you on YouTube, I've recently spent time setting up a number of YouTube subscriptions on my Apple TV, there are a number of high quality programmes on there that due to viewing numbers may have not made it on normal TV or even Netflix style services.

Quantity does not always equal Quality.