“Apple will be the number one platform for a long time from a developer perspective, they have gotten so many things right. And they know what they are doing and they call the shots. Android is growing, but it’s also growing complexity at the same time. Device fragmentation not the issue, but rather the fragmentation of the ecosystem. So many different shops, so many different models. The carriers messing with the experience again. Open but not really open, a very Google centric ecosystem. And paid content just doesn’t work on Android.
Instead of taking a big hit, Roku sales actually doubled when the new Apple TV came out, Roku CEO Anthony Wood tells us, because Apple helped bring a lot of new attention and awareness to the category. And Google TV is not proving itself to be a worthy competitor yet.
Also note the potential growth curve of these sets.
As a side note I recently purchase a new set. It was not internet connected, but I did order my new Roku. I really believe boxes will make more sense in at least the near future as we will be able to change the software in them to add new channels and functions. The current crop of TVs are not really up to it when it comes to software. It make sense because what do TV makers do? They make hardware not software.
Of note is the presumption in this study. What we are finding is that IETV (Internet Enabled TV) is beginning to change how we get that content. We still enjoy watching TV we just want our internet content there. Boxes like the Apple TV and Roku make getting online content to our existing TVs as easy as hooking up three wires in some cases.More than one-half (51 percent) of consumers view at least some video programming online; while 23 percent use a streaming video source such as Netflix. This doesn’t include the percentage of consumers who use Netflix just for the mailed DVDs. This wave of the survey did not associate the programming source with the particular device used but, presumably, most of the online viewing is presently using a computer. However 16 percent of respondents state their television is connected to the Internet to allow viewing online content.The survey also reveals what share of total viewing comes from which programming sources. Only 52 percent of total viewing is of live TV programming. Nearly one-half of all viewing uses alternative and time shifted sources. Viewing DVDs is the largest share at 14 percent, followed by DVR at 12 percent and “on demand” at 6 percent. Online programming makes up 9 percent of total content viewed.
Live Video StreamingApple® will broadcast its September 1 event online using Apple’s industry-leading HTTP Live Streaming, which is based on open standards. Viewing requires either a Mac® running Safari® on Mac OS® X version 10.6 Snow Leopard®, an iPhone® or iPod touch® running iOS 3.0 or higher, or an iPad™. The live broadcast will begin at 10:00 a.m. PDT on September 1, 2010 at www.apple.com.
